Chapter 85: The Self-Aware Shield

What just happened?

How did I see that eagle swoop down, and then, then get slaughtered by him like a chicken, and now it's just tossed aside casually, like a pile of trash?

The people hiding in their homes were in a state of shock and bewilderment!

It was truly too fantastical and bizarre to see with one's own eyes.

Du En, who here doesn't know him?

A lucky kid, probably has a bit of strength... that's about it.

But why does he now slaughter beasts of the same rank so fluidly and neatly, practically killing them in seconds?

This isn't right!

So, had they all vastly underestimated him before? Was it actually not because of the favor of a kind-hearted overseer that he was able to break through to the middle stage of Qi Refining in two years?

Hiss!

Realizing this at last, they immediately gasped, feeling inexplicably terrified.

Outside on the road, the woman was still keeping her eyes closed, wondering why she wasn't dead yet, or rather, was being killed actually painless?

She wondered for a good while, until panicked roars began to rise and fall not too far away, and only then did she sense something was wrong and cautiously opened her eyes.

When Ren Li spoke of this, he still seemed to have lingering fears.

By saying these words directly, Ren Li felt relieved immediately.

Every cart was packed full; if it weren't for the newly rebuilt shanty area not having too much clutter piled up yet, and the roads being relatively wider, they wouldn't have been able to enter even without the new damage from the recent chaos.

He also secretly felt lucky and relieved that he had maintained a good relationship with Du En.

Regardless, Du En not waiting until he was severely wounded before acting was a genuine life-saving grace, and it saved his foundation too!

Otherwise, in that situation, his best outcome would have been to try and escape by self-mutilation!

"And, that Wang Chun was clearly slaughtered by you. Tsk tsk, I couldn't tell, you're actually quite righteous?"

That hundreds of people could have this number shows how many benefits they had invisibly received from Du En before, and how much oppression they had been spared!

The sound of cart wheels turning and the muffled roars of beasts scared people into quickly scurrying back home, causing the originally crowded road to empty rapidly, leaving only a few who were already homeless staring at each other before biting the bullet and running behind the pile of beast carcasses.

Looking at these cartloads of beast carcasses, and then at Ning Caize and the other four sitting in the drivers' seats, whipping the reins with such vigor and unrestrained flair, the people were all shocked.

Did Du En kill all of these?

"Cough!"

The woman was startled back to her senses and hurriedly thanked him, her voice rushed, while simultaneously digging and fumbling about her person, finally presenting the savings in spirit stones she hadn't been willing to take out when calling for help with both hands to Du En, who had stopped by the pile of beast carcasses.

She cried out again, sitting on the ground, using her hands and feet to scramble backward, and as she retreated, she became stunned and blank; the whole process was exceptionally erratic.

"A small token, not worth mentioning!"

Except for the scattered few that ran fast, all the beasts that had rampaged here were packed up and killed by Du En.

Because the situation was different now; Du En had already displayed his strength, making him look at him with new eyes, so the words spoken at this moment naturally carried sufficient weight!

This kid might really have decent comprehension; in a few years' time, he could cultivate to the late stage of Qi Refining, and clearly, he had cultivated a bit of the essence of the Yellow Earth Art, practicing both body and technique, and he's an expert at burying corpses, very familiar with that land...

Du En didn't say much else, just being that brief and to the point.

"Moreover, this time it is I who need to thank you. If not for you, I probably would have met my end here tonight; never mind future prospects, I would have just died and vanished."

As soon as he spoke, Ren Li sounded a bit sarcastic, his tone revealing a hint of complexity.

What's more.

Oh, so it was this overseer who acted!

You scared me to death!

So, he just pointed at the new pile of corpses to signal Ning Caize and the others, then walked off alone with Ren Li, conversing on the way back to the small courtyard.

Hearing Ren Li say this, Du En also took the opportunity to say: "Speaking of the future, don't go splitting hairs over that matter of sensing the wasteland."

"You actually don't need to thank me. Although I'm acting as your shield, if I report it and take the responsibility, then operate it a little, it'll be no small merit."

This beast disaster was hereby declared over.

Responding to a light cough, Ren Li walked out with his hands behind his back; although stained with blood, he looked heroic, calm, and confident.

The calamity in this shanty area seemed to be being quelled rapidly?

Just as she, as they were confused and shocked, pieces of corpses were thrown over and piled together.

However, they didn't vomit in the end; after all, hiding a trick or two was actually quite normal.

Saying similar things, they no longer dared to despise or look down on Du En, and with heartache and pain, they offered up the spirit stones they had saved over this period as a thank-you gift.

"..."

This is the advantage brought by status.

But it wasn't other beasts that came, but the corpse-burying team returning with the bodies.

Du En did not stand on ceremony and reached out to take them.

Suddenly, the gate swung wide open, and one by one they ran out, scrambling to be first.

"Ah, thank you, thank you, I didn't expect you would save, er, in short, thank you. I really was blind before, please do accept this small token."

"Just a necessary precaution, and also, thanks for this time."

"Hehe, this time others will only think that it was me who displayed great power and overcame the beasts, giving you a small chance to perform; I was completely acting as a shield for you!"

They gathered together to count them, and there were four thousand and twenty-two low-grade spirit stones.

Facing this rehashing of old events, Ren Li this time only silently accepted it without a word.

What came into view was the golden eagle carcass, tossed aside like a pile of trash, with blood still bubbling from its shattered half-skull.

He also seemed to glance intentionally or unintentionally at the other neighbors around.

Another sound of a beast's miserable wail came from afar.

The amount was twenty-two low-grade spirit stones, which for these people at the bottom, was already considered a lot.

Du En walked back slowly, even taking the time to extinguish the fire along the way.

"Ah!"

The main thing was that after calming down and thinking about it, good grief, you brat actually hid so much from me before?

Although the overall tone was sarcastic and seemed quite dissatisfied, in reality, there wasn't much dissatisfaction at all.

Du En also accepted it with a clear conscience.

"The grace of saving my life, I will never forget it!"

"..."

Holding back a trick?

You call this holding back a trick?

The corners of Ren Li's mouth twitched, and he felt an urge to vent what was on his mind.

Rumble—

"Roar—"

First-stage mid-phase and first-stage early-phase demonic beasts—that Du En, at the mid-phase of Qi Refining, could take out a batch of them was something they could barely accept, but if you added that pile of first-stage late-phase and peak-phase ones, which took up a whole cart by themselves like a small house, they were completely unable to accept or understand it!

Du En didn't explain anything on his end; if anything, Ren Li being willing to consciously step out as a shield was the best possible development.

"And you still say it wasn't you who bloodied the Green Garment Gang last time? I see you have both the strength and the penchant for it!"

All sorts of thoughts surged through Ren Li's mind, and it was only by emphasizing these to himself that he finally managed to convince himself.

Adding two extra chapters today and tomorrow is to reach the word count for the launch this Friday; I hope everyone will continue to support me.

(End of this chapter)