Chapter 655

Da Nei Hongjian's heartfire flared up instantly; the more gentle Xue Shao was, the angrier he became!

Overcome with rage, he lunged at Xue Shao and bit straight for his throat.

Xue Shao leaned back; Pan Yun, standing beside him, reacted with a swift kick, sending Da Nei Hongjian rolling helplessly to the wheel's edge.

Seeing Miao Zhen, who had just stepped out of the cart and was drowsy and ready to sleep again, suddenly snapped awake and instinctively lifted her foot to catch the rolling man.

Miao Zhen glanced down at the man beneath her foot, silently moved her foot away, and wiped her shoe on the grass.

Qu Le, thrilled, drew his sword and stepped forward: "Let me interrogate him—you're not getting anything out of him like this!"

Pan Yun looked at Xue Shao.

Xue Shao sighed and apologized: "Sorry, I couldn't hold back."

This wasn't how the red face was supposed to be played; he'd played it terribly.

"Forget it—he's not easy to interrogate; I expected as much," Pan Yun nodded slightly toward Chen Liutao and Qu Zhixing: "We'll leave the rest to you two. Since you're starting with torture, ask as much as you can—about the cloak-wearing woman, and about the Da Nei clan: get whatever you can."

Chen Liutao and Qu Zhixing nodded, grabbed Da Nei Hongjian—who was still pinned under Miao He's foot—and dragged him into the woods: "We'll start with something mild tonight."

Qu Le wasn't tired at all; he sprinted after them: "I'm coming with you!"

Pan Yun paid him no mind, nodded to Miao Zhen and Miao He: "Start the fire. Sleep."

Miao Zhen and Miao He agreed; Song Xuan and Gao Zhiming turned immediately to gather dry firewood—but as soon as they turned, they saw two bundles of wood already lying on the ground, especially dry and easy to burn, with the thicker pieces meticulously chopped.

Song Xuan & Gao Zhiming: … Are they not even pretending anymore?

By the way, do they have any talent for Dao cultivation? Could they go to Long Hushan to learn?

Never mind anything else—just this ability to store things in the cosmos—if they could learn it, they'd never have to worry again in this lifetime.

What an incredible escorting skill~~

Sigh, even martial heroes face employment struggles.

Song Xuan couldn't help herself and asked: "Have you ever thought of starting a security escort business?"

Wang Cong instantly understood and replied: "The profits from escorting are far less than running your own business. Since you're going on the trip anyway, why not run the business yourself?"

Song Xuan: "Running a business isn't that easy. Escorting only requires labor—no extra costs. Even if you lose, you only lose one life. But running a business demands your own investment, and even then, success isn't guaranteed. If you fail, your entire family's lives could be dragged down with you."

Gao Zhiming nodded deeply in agreement: "So don't take up business lightly."

Gao Zhiming looked at Wang Cong with envy: "I've heard of Master Wang before—they say you were supporting your family at twelve, and covering all of Mount Sanqing's expenses by fourteen. The martial world calls you the Tao Zhu Gong of Mount Sanqing."

Miao Zhen and Miao He widened their eyes: "Brother, you have a reputation in the martial world?!"

Pan Yun was also surprised, her face filled with pride and satisfaction.

Wang Cong, modestly self-satisfied: "Too kind, too kind—it's just that everyone's been generous enough to notice."

Just as the chatter grew lively, a chilling scream echoed from the woods. Everyone paused, then pretended not to hear and went back to their tasks.

Miao He quickly lit the fire; Miao Zhen pulled out a pot, dumped in millet, added water, and hung it over the flames—tomorrow they'd have millet porridge!

Song Xuan and Gao Zhiming were no longer surprised by their constant pulling of things out—they simply pretended not to notice.

Song Xuan had grown close to Miao Zhen and Miao He; she leaned over curiously: "Why did you used to hide so much?"

Miao Zhen shushed her, whispering: "It's not about time—it's about space. Once we return to Great Ming, we'll still have to hide it. Don't tell anyone about this—but even if you do, we won't admit it."

Song Xuan: …

Miao Zhen: "If the Celestial Master's Mansion catches you, investigates, you'll be fined. In serious cases, you'll be imprisoned."

Song Xuan gasped, mouth wide open: "That serious?"

Miao Zhen nodded: "Just like if you leaked your sect's secrets—you'd be punished, locked up. In serious cases, aren't you even stripped of your cultivation?"

With that comparison, Song Xuan understood.

The ground was cold; Miao Zhen and Miao He lit five fires total, four arranged around one central fire.

The firewood crackled fiercely as it ignited; after burning awhile, they extinguished the four outer fires and placed them beside the central one, ready to replenish later.

Song Xuan was about to say they didn't need so many fires—when she saw them put out the outer ones.

Pan Yun and Xue Shao broke off several branches and tossed them over; the two caught them and laid the branches across the scorching ground.

Wang Cong spread a layer of hemp cloth on top; when one lay down, the back and lower back warmed instantly.

Song Xuan froze—she'd always slept poorly during outdoor nights because her back felt icy cold; unless she slept in the cart or elevated off the ground, even wooden planks couldn't block the chill when heavy dew settled.

Miao Zhen also pulled out her small blanket and lay down beside Miao He, exhaling: "Sleep."

With that, she closed her eyes—and instantly, soft snores began to rise. She, she, she had fallen asleep!

Miao He fell asleep even faster—almost the moment Miao Zhen finished speaking.

Song Xuan stared blankly at the two, envious of their sleep quality.

Pan Yun sat cross-legged and said to the others: "You should sleep now."

Song Xuan and Gao Zhiming exchanged glances, each found a spot, closed their eyes, and slowly slowed their breathing—but whether they actually slept was uncertain.

Wang Cong also lay down and slept—he was one of those who could sleep easily; soon he was snoring loudly, hugging his blanket.

Silence fell instantly around the fire, broken only by the crackling flames and occasional chilling noises from the woods.

They must have stuffed Da Nei Hongjian's mouth—after that one scream, no loud sounds came out, but occasional muffled cries of unbearable pain leaked through, sounding pitiful.

Pan Yun disliked the sound; Xue Shao disliked it too.

The two silently closed their eyes and sat in meditation; they couldn't seal their hearing, so they simply listened without hearing, deliberately ignoring it.

Qu Le staggered out, pale and reeking of blood; Pan Yun and Xue Shao opened their eyes, frowned together, and pointed in unison to the side: "Go wash off that stench."

Qu Le: …

Qu Le was deeply aggrieved.

Pan Yun had already tossed him a bottle: "Wash your face and hands, change your clothes, sprinkle some of the liquid on yourself, then come back."

Qu Le: "But the box reeks of blood…"

"I could throw you away—but can I throw away a head?" Pan Yun cut him off: "Are you going or not?"

Xue Shao said gently, "Young Master Qu, when Qu Shaoqian and the others used torture, they wouldn't have splattered blood on themselves; by dawn, you might encounter people along the way, and your stench of blood could attract unnecessary trouble."

Qu Le then turned to change his clothes.

He was indeed a bit dirty, so he simply burned the clothes he had taken off.

Pan Yun sighed in awe: "So rich~~" (End of Chapter)