Chapter 103: The Cautious Dung Beetle (Bonus for Alliance Leader Da Jiangyou)

It looked like he needed to get a spear—he had to test whether the Nine Strikes were truly powerful.

Where could he get a spear? Right, go to the Qu family.

The Qu family was one of the Four Great Families of Huaxia cold weapons; as long as he brought the materials, they would surely forge him an excellent long spear.

Looking at the half-block of Zhan Shen crystal stone left in his hand, Ding Huan knew continuing to cultivate was pointless.

"Big brother… I think I saw the Bai Chi." Feeling Ding Huan's cultivation end, Qi Qi Xinyue hurried in and whispered.

She had always called him Brother Ding, but now she'd dropped his surname entirely.

In her hand she held a telescope.

Knowing Ding Huan would be guarding the Bai Chi here, Qi Qi Xinyue had kept watch by the window ever since she found the telescope.

And somehow, she'd actually caught him.

The Bai Chi came?

Ding Huan immediately perked up—this was good news. The Bai Chi carried at least ten thousand Zhan Shen crystal stones; if he could kill it, he'd not only rid Earth of a threat but also gain a massive amount of Zhan Shen crystal stones.

"Where is he? When did he arrive?" Ding Huan asked urgently.

"Just a short while ago—he was very cautious, wearing camouflage, heading toward the International Museum," Qi Qi Xinyue said.

Ding Huan silently cursed—he should've known the Bai Chi was coming; hiding near the International Museum would've been perfect.

"Xinyue, pretend you're going to the museum—I'll hide nearby," Ding Huan decided immediately.

"Okay," Qi Qi Xinyue replied at once.

"Remember—if your back is turned to this guy, you must dodge within one breath, even if you don't feel any attack," Ding Huan added, worried the Bai Chi might strike too fast for him to intervene.

This Bai Chi was even more treacherous than Lao Liu—he had to be extra careful.

"Yeah, I know," Qi Qi Xinyue nodded.

Though she'd dispersed her Shen Shu power, she was now a Level Two Gene Cultivator, and her true energy was far stronger than before.

Combined with her skill in concealment and movement, her dodging speed could only be better, not worse.

Qi Qi Xinyue cautiously made her way to the museum; her ability to hide her trail meant few would notice her unless they looked closely.

Ding Huan followed Qi Qi Xinyue at a moderate distance, using the Wind Riding Technique and divine perception.

…

Outside the Federal International Museum, a thin man carefully observed his surroundings, ready to flee at the slightest disturbance.

Several low-grade ferocious beasts darted out—he didn't attack, but instead retreated even more warily.

After waiting at least half an hour outside the museum and confirming no one was nearby, he slipped cautiously through the doorway.

When he saw the shattered Xun Shen, he trembled with rage.

"You bastards—you've ruined a perfectly good starship like this! If I don't kill every single Bai Chi here, I'll let myself be raised by dogs."

The thin man muttered bitterly to himself.

Then he leapt onto the ship; when he saw the floor of the living quarters had been dug up and the Zhan Shen crystal stones gone, his face changed.

Without hesitation, he turned and rushed out of the ship, then quickly sprinted past the museum's main gate.

No sooner had he stepped outside than Zuo Shanwei's spirit tensed—he instantly ducked behind a pillar.

He rubbed his eyes—he hadn't imagined it; it really was Qi Qi Xinyue.

How could this woman be here? Wasn't she dead? No one else could've survived the Xun Shen except him—yet even if someone had survived, they couldn't possibly be walking around freely here.

Though he knew Qi Qi Xinyue was no match for him, Zuo Shanwei still didn't move.

After observing for several minutes, he realized she, like him, was moving stealthily and cautiously.

This convinced Zuo Shanwei he'd overthought things.

He knew exactly what kind of person Qi Qi Xinyue was—her scheming couldn't even compare to dust in front of him.

Confident there was no danger, Zuo Shanwei stepped out.

He'd come here to find the Bai Chi—and now that the real thing had appeared, even Qi Qi Xinyue was startled.

She instinctively retreated, which made Zuo Shanwei even more certain she posed no threat.

Besides, even if she did, he wasn't afraid.

Worst case, if he couldn't beat her, he could still escape easily.

"Black Bug Ball… how could it be you?" Qi Qi Xinyue feigned shock, though she was genuinely surprised—both at Ding Huan's accurate judgment and at the fact that the Bai Chi was living better than she was.

If Ding Huan hadn't saved her, she'd already be dead.

Hearing Qi Qi Xinyue call him Black Bug Ball, Zuo Shanwei's killing intent flashed and vanished.

Since boarding the Xun Shen, no one had ever treated him as a person—not even as a dog.

To others, he was nothing but Black Bug Ball.

In truth, Zuo Shanwei had wronged Qi Qi Xinyue—if anyone on the Xun Shen hadn't looked down on him, it was her.

Qi Qi Xinyue had genuinely believed Zuo Shanwei had no name, so she'd just followed the others in calling him Black Bug Ball.

Had she known his name was Zuo Shanwei, she would've called him by it.

"Sister Xinyue, how are you here?" Zuo Shanwei's face and eyes were filled with delight—as if her survival made him the happiest.

Yet inside, his killing intent surged—but before he understood why she was here, he wouldn't move.

Knowing Ding Huan was hiding nearby, Qi Qi Xinyue couldn't help but fear the thin man before her.

She'd finally realized—his entire surface demeanor was a lie.

This man's scheming was too deep; if Ding Huan was right, the Xun Shen might've been lured to Earth by him.

The man who'd once seemed harmless, even pitiable, had hidden such darkness.

"I was imprisoned by them, but when the beast tide broke through some defense line, I managed to escape."

"I was locked up by them, and then the beast tide seemed to break through some defensive line, so I took the chance to escape.

"What about you? How did you come out unscathed? I heard them say all of you were killed." Qi Xinyue told the truth — she had escaped precisely that way.

Hearing Qi Xinyue's words, Zuo Shanyi instead let out a breath of relief. This was normal.

By his calculations, of the five people on the ship, aside from himself, the others could not possibly still be alive.

"Sister Xinyue, where do you want to go now?" Zuo Shanyi asked carefully, his tone still carrying a hint of timidity.

"I want to go look at the Xunshen. If I can leave, I want to get out of here. In this place, I'm very scared." Qi Xinyue also explained very carefully.

"Sister Xinyue, can you take me with you? I…" Zuo Shanyi's tone grew even more humble and ingratiating.

"Ah…" Qi Xinyue looked at Zuo Shanyi. "Black Bug Ball, how did you escape? Were you captured like me, then escaped during the beast tide?"

After asking several times without Black Bug Ball giving a direct answer, Qi Xinyue wanted to get this matter clear.

Zuo Shanyi shook his head. "I know a little concealment method. At the time you all drew most of the people's attention here, so I had a chance to slip away.

After I left, I kept worrying about you all. Seeing now that Sister is fine, I'm truly grateful to the heavens."

"Let's go to the museum first." Qi Xinyue gave an "mm," then seemingly without any guard walked toward the museum.

Just at that moment, Zuo Shanyi suddenly struck — a streak of grey light hacked toward Qi Xinyue.

Almost at the same instant Zuo Shanyi struck, Qi Xinyue's figure flashed.

"Boom!" A terrifying strike slammed into the spot where Qi Xinyue had been standing a breath earlier, and Qi Xinyue stared at the mark on the ground, her face pale.

If Ding Huan hadn't told her that whenever her back was to the dung beetle, she should dodge immediately, she would already have been split in two.

"Black Bug Ball, you… if I hadn't sensed there was a fierce beast inside the museum and dodged in a hurry, I'd have been killed by you." Qi Xinyue stared at the dung beetle in shock.

Zuo Shanyi also couldn't believe his strike had been dodged. His ambush wasn't because he couldn't beat Qi Xinyue — in fact, Qi Xinyue's little bit of ability truly wasn't worth his notice.

He ambushed because he had always been very careful, unwilling to let any accident happen, that was all.

He hadn't expected an accident really to appear — he hadn't managed to plot against Qi Xinyue.

Fortunately, Qi Xinyue hadn't dodged because she sensed his ambush; it was entirely coincidence.

"Sister Xinyue, I was afraid you wouldn't be willing to take me, so I planned to wound you, then I'd definitely take you with me.

Think about it — on this ship there are only the two of us, and I truly admire you. How could I really plot against you?" Zuo Shanyi's tone still carried a look of fear.

Qi Xinyue's face chilled. "I said some of us were dead, some captured. How did you survive? So you've been plotting behind our backs the whole time — you're truly despicable."

Seeing Qi Xinyue no longer believed him, Zuo Shanyi simply straightened his back. "To tell the truth, if it weren't for this place's damned signal, you'd all be dead long ago."

Seeing Qi Xinyue didn't understand, Zuo Shanyi said lightly, "I had originally planned to poison you all to death. It just so happened that Earth had a signal that the Xunshen picked up.

Even if I hid it, I couldn't hide it for long, so I simply borrowed the stupid pigs of this place to get rid of you lot."

Qi Xinyue fell silent. It seemed if they hadn't come to Earth, she would have died even faster.

"Sister Xinyue, you and I leave here together — wouldn't it be better to have a companion?

The universe is vast; we don't know when we can return to Zhan Shen Continent. Having a companion won't be lonely. Besides, I truly have always admired you in my heart…"

"Don't use pretty words. If you truly admire me, why have I never seen you give me any Zhan Shen crystal stones? There were so many Zhan Shen crystal stones on the Xunshen — you must have taken them, right?" Qi Xinyue cut off Zuo Shanyi's words.

Zuo Shanyi took out a cloth bag and tossed it to Qi Xinyue: "Sister, what are you saying? What's mine is yours — inside are all Zhan Shen crystal stones, take them."

Qi Xinyue was overjoyed. Just as she reached for the cloth bag, a cold smirk crept onto Zuo Shanyi's lips. He stepped forward, and a great net was flung out, enveloping the space where Qi Xinyue stood.

(Many fellow Daoists asked for extra chapters. After I finish the extra chapters for the Alliance Leader, I'll add ten more chapters for everyone then — I can't think of another way for the moment.

I truly feel this kind of mistake shouldn't have happened; I feel unworthy and apologize again. And thank you all for your generosity!)