Chapter 144

Not long after, the figures of Zhu wu and Hu Jiushisan disappeared from his sight, and the worry on his face was immediately replaced by a look of delight.

Zhu wu muttered to himself: "You guys work hard, I'll just lie back and collect the money!"

How could it not see that Niuda and Hu Jiushisan were chasing after it, one after another, using all their strength, just to put on a good show in front of Wang Ping'an and draw closer to him?

Looking forward to obtaining more talismans from Wang Ping'an's hands!

If only one of them went, it might worry, but with Niuda and Hu Jiushisan going together, whoever gets closer to Wang Ping'an will still bring it benefits, so why risk its life?

Although.

It still didn't know who the people rushing to assassinate Wang Ping'an were, nor whether they were human or demon, but it knew one thing: those who dared to engage in murder and robbery were all vicious scoundrels.

With Niuda and Hu Jiushisan around, no matter which of them curried favor with Wang Ping'an, it would inevitably get its share of the benefits.

Why risk one's life for that?

In an unremarkable mountain forest, Hu Jiushisan and Niuda hid below, while several figures hovered above: Wang Ping'an flying on a beast, and a cultivator behind him controlling a flying magical artifact—a spirit boat—in pursuit.

They were two men in black robes, each producing their own magical artifact.

They intended to give Wang Ping'an a heavy blow, aiming for a fatal strike, but Wang Ping'an seemed not to have noticed yet.

Seeing this, Niuda jumped in fright, about to intervene, but Hu Jiushisan stopped him.

Niuda snapped, "Jiushisan, what are you doing? Those two toughs are about to make a move; if we don't intervene, that fellow cultivator will be done for. Are you planning to be the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?"

"What nonsense are you spouting? Don't you forget? That fellow cultivator is merely a paper person; even if attacked, he won't lose his life!"

Hu Jiushisan glared at Niuda; how could he not see its little scheme? It merely wanted to put on a good show before Wang Ping'an to draw closer to him.

Not to mention driving it away, at least it could let this damned thing secure an active position in the later talisman business, gaining more benefits.

Of course.

It thought the same!

Hu Jiushisan snapped angrily, "And you talk about the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind—do you really think I'm such a despicable person in your eyes?"

"What kind of person are you? You know it yourself; why ask me?"

Niuda let out a cold snort, never expecting Hu Jiushisan to have the nerve to ask such a thing to its face, and said:

"What you say is correct; it's merely a paper person, and even if attacked, it won't endanger its life."

"But if we intervene before that paper person is attacked, letting those two villains kill it, and then we step in afterward, what good would that do?"

"How could that fellow cultivator possibly know that it was we who helped him?"

"Who says it's useless!"

Hu Jiushisan glanced briefly at the Peregrine Falcon Little Gray beneath the paper person's feet and instantly saw it was a creature that had half a foot stepped into the spirit beast threshold.

Not too surprising.

A distinguished talisman master—let alone keeping a creature that has half a foot into the spirit beast threshold, even raising a full spirit beast would be no problem.

Niuda noticed Hu Jiushisan's eye signal, immediately understood, and mused: "You mean to use that little bird's mouth to tell its master about the good deed we did?"

"That's only natural—adding icing on the cake could never compare to giving charcoal in the snow."

Hu Jiushisan let out a cold snort and mocked: "You wouldn't really think I'm the oriole, would you?"

The oriole.

It had not failed to consider it; it had done similar things before. It was nothing special, lacking a high moral standard, having grown up in the deep forest, familiar with the forest's rule—the survival of the fittest.

In the face of profit, not to mention murder and robbery, even blood brothers would turn against each other.

This time, it hadn't considered being the oriole; not only did it want to connect with Wang Ping'an, but it also knew offending a talisman master was no good. Unlike the cultivators daring to assassinate Wang Ping'an, who could roam the four seas, its territory is just Nine Head Mountain; if it went elsewhere, lacking its grandfather's protection, it would likely live a life worse than death.

Who made its abilities mediocre, its combat talent ordinary, unfit to be a frontline little demon; other logistical work were just nepotistic positions.

It didn't even have the strength to do it again!

It was very likely to become a venting toy for some perverse monsters!

Once it provoked a talisman master, who would put a huge bounty on its life—not just cultivators, but even monsters, even of its own kind.

They might even take its head to claim the reward!

This matter.

It had seen this countless times!

Niuda let out a cold snort: "Aren't you afraid those two villains will kill that little bird too?"

"So this is where you come in..."

Before the words were finished, the strong cultivator driving the spirit boat in pursuit behind suddenly struck—first, a wall plummeted from the sky, blocking the Peregrine Falcon Little Gray's path.

Then a spirit sword, a magical artifact, bearing a sword apparatus condensed from magical power, shot toward the Peregrine Falcon Little Gray.

'Not good!'

This novel you have reached.

Hu Jiushisan's face changed drastically; he never expected the two toughs to attack without a word, launching a killing move right away, and he hurriedly said:

"We must act quickly; we absolutely cannot let those two scoundrels harm that little bird, or else our hope of getting close to that talisman master will be ruined!"

Before the words left his mouth, Niuda was already preparing to act; though it might not outtalk Hu Jiushisan in words, after all, foxes are all smooth talkers.

But in combat, not even one Hu Jiushisan, let alone ten, could match it.

While the two villains on the spirit boat were making their move, it noticed they were preparing to use a killing strike.

Indeed.

These two toughs weren't doing this for the first time; they acted decisively and were in perfect sync.

'Clang!', 'Clang!', 'Clang!'

The next moment, the sound of golden halberds clashing rang out; only the Peregrine Falcon Little Gray was seen perched behind a wall, facing the flying swords shooting from behind, when suddenly a golden barrier appeared, as solid as bronze walls and iron fences, blocking one sword apparatus after another that shot forth.

This left Niuda, who was about to step in to help, stunned!

'What's going on?'

As for this scene before their eyes, let alone Niuda, even the two strongmen on the spirit boat were startled, but they still quickly reacted.

Knowing that in a life-and-death battle there is no room for distraction, even though their hearts were filled with doubt, they still swiftly changed their killing move.

Since we've already decided to kill and seize the goods, we cannot let Wang Ping'an escape no matter what.

"It's a Golden Light Talisman!"

Hu Jiushisan exclaimed in astonishment.

"Golden Light Talisman?"

Niuda was first stunned, then looking, he saw that in the sky a golden barrier blocked wave after wave of magical attacks, his face full of that meaning, he said:

"What are you playing at? A Golden Light Talisman is merely an elementary talisman—how could it possibly block these successive magical attacks?"

(End of chapter)