Chapter 202: Saving the Demon Monkey, Dog-Eat-Dog!

"Creak..."

The snow on the road was still very thick.

After the group of seven, plus their captain Meng Hu, had all arrived, they boarded the carriage and left the city.

Once outside the city, the carriage began to gallop.

Because there were two newcomers today, Meng Hu went over the rules for hunting outside the city once again.

Luo Zijun spent the entire journey with his eyes closed, resting his mind.

Xu Ziyin, sitting in the opposite corner, would steal a glance at him from time to time.

Soon, the carriage arrived at the foot of Cangyun Mountain.

The group got off the carriage and began to discuss forming teams.

After all, with the heavy snow sealing the mountain this time, many powerful Demon Beasts had come to the outskirts to forage for food, increasing the danger factor significantly.

At this moment, a woman wearing a green padded jacket suddenly walked up to Luo Zijun and asked, "Brother Dongfang, I don't know your cultivation level yet?"

Luo Zijun said in a rough voice, "Martial Artist Second Realm."

Meng Hu, who was nearby, heard this and laughed, "Brother Dongfang has leveled up, congratulations, congratulations."

Previously, Luo Zijun had reported his cultivation as Martial Artist First Realm.

No one would have guessed that he had now jumped all the way to Martial Artist Fifth Realm.

Of course, Xu Ziyin knew.

But judging by the situation, she did not dare to tell anyone else.

The woman in the green jacket was named Jiang Chunlan, and she was at the Martial Artist Third Realm. This was her first time hunting outside the city, so she wanted to form a team. Upon hearing that he was only at the Martial Artist Second Realm, the smile on her face stiffened for a moment, and she asked somewhat perfunctorily, "Does Brother Dongfang want to form a team?"

At this moment, Luo Zijun heard her inner thoughts: 【What a piece of work! Dressed all mysteriously, acting all unfathomable, I thought he was an expert, but it turns out he's only at the Martial Artist Second Realm, not even as good as me.】

Now that Luo Zijun had advanced to the Martial Artist Fifth Realm, he could use Mind Reading on three people every day, so he was not afraid of wasting it.

He gave a "cough, cough" and said deliberately, "This Young Master has always liked to travel alone and originally did not want to join a team. However, since Miss Jiang has so kindly invited me, this Young Master will reluctantly join Miss Jiang's team."

The corners of Jiang Chunlan's brows twitched a few times. She gave a dry laugh and suddenly said, "Oh, sorry, I forgot, it seems our team is already full. Next time, I'll invite Brother Dongfang again next time."

Luo Zijun said, "What a pity, I was hoping to talk more with Miss Jiang."

Jiang Chunlan gave a stiff smile and turned to leave. As soon as her body turned away, she immediately rolled her eyes, her face full of disdain.

Xu Ziyin, who was nearby, saw this scene and her eyes flickered, wondering what she was thinking.

At this moment, Luo Zijun suddenly looked at her and said, "Miss Xu, shall we form a team?"

Xu Ziyin's expression changed, and she immediately said, "I like to travel alone."

Having said that, she immediately kept her pretty face cold and entered the forest first.

Seeing this, Jiang Chunlan felt even more disdain in her heart: So he's just a lecherous, freeloading loser.

The people she teamed up with were two men and one woman, all with cultivation levels between the Martial Artist Third and Fourth Realms.

Among them, a young man and woman seemed to be a couple.

The four of them gathered together, whispered for a while, and then entered the forest.

Luo Zijun had already gone in ahead of them.

This time, he followed the same path as last time.

The mountain forest was filled with thick snow, and there were only sporadic footprints on the ground, along with some animal tracks. But after walking for several miles, the snow on the ground became clean, with almost no marks on it at all.

At this point, he slowed his pace and began to be cautious.

Soon, he arrived in front of that waterfall.

He stopped behind a bush to observe carefully for a while, and seeing that no Demon Beasts had come to drink, he continued to move forward.

"Creak... creak..."

He stepped on the thick snow under his feet and headed forward.

Suddenly, a familiar shriek came from the forest ahead: "Zhi zhi! Zhi zhi!"

Then, a thin, small figure appeared on a large tree in front.

It was covered in golden fur, with two strands of white hair on its head. It moved like lightning, constantly jumping between the two trees in front.

It was actually the little golden-furred monkey he had encountered in the fruit grove that day.

And chasing behind the little golden-furred monkey was an animal also covered in golden fur. It was over three meters long, with a slender body, and its movements were also as fast as lightning. As its long tail swung, it changed direction at will, and it was even stepping on four whirlwinds under its feet!

"Cloud-Stepping Leopard!"

Luo Zijun's eyes lit up.

This thing was a good find; its entire body was a treasure. Last time he picked one up, his master was incredibly excited, but unfortunately, to repay a favor, his master gave it to that alchemy master.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

The Cloud-Stepping Leopard chased the little golden-furred monkey, constantly jumping between the two trees. Its movements became faster and faster, until finally, only two blurred shadows could be seen.

The snow on the trees fell down with a rustle.

"Whoosh—"

Suddenly, while jumping, the Cloud-Stepping Leopard spat out a gust of wind, which directly snapped a branch, causing the little golden-furred monkey's body to tilt and fall downward.

The Cloud-Stepping Leopard immediately seized the opportunity, lunged, and pounced!

"Bang!"

The leopard and the monkey both fell to the ground together.

The Cloud-Stepping Leopard's sharp claws had already pierced the flesh of the little golden-furred monkey, pinning it into the thick snow. Just as it opened its sharp fangs to bite the opponent's throat, the little golden-furred monkey suddenly let out an angry roar and spat a stream of golden flames from its mouth with a "puff"!

The Cloud-Stepping Leopard reacted extremely quickly, springing up with a "whoosh," but the fur and whiskers on its face were still burned completely away!

"Roar—"

It let out an angry roar and pounced toward the little golden-furred monkey once again.

Just as the little golden-haired monkey spat out flames from its mouth again, it immediately spat out a whirlwind, blowing that flame away.

"Bang!"

The little golden-haired monkey had just jumped onto a large tree nearby when it was swiped away by a claw.

This claw seemed extremely heavy.

The little golden-haired monkey fell wretchedly into the accumulated snow on the ground, appearing to have been knocked unconscious, its entire body buried in the snow, no longer moving.

The Cloud-Treading Leopard landed not far away, looked with its scarlet eyes, and then slowly approached.

When it was still about two meters away, the Cloud-Treading Leopard suddenly opened its mouth, spat out a whirlwind, and it landed on the body of the little golden-haired monkey.

"Swish!"

The little golden-haired monkey was swept up by the whirlwind and fell heavily into the snow again, still without any movement.

Seeing this, the Cloud-Treading Leopard finally relaxed its vigilance and immediately pounced over.

Who would have thought that at this very moment, the little golden-haired monkey suddenly flipped over, spat out a sharp blade of flame from its mouth with a "pfft" sound, and it struck the Cloud-Treading Leopard's abdomen squarely!

"Whoosh!"

The Cloud-Treading Leopard was in mid-air, caught off guard and unable to dodge, its entire body of fur immediately igniting with raging flames; as soon as it landed, it leaped again, diving into the thick accumulated snow nearby, using the snow to extinguish the flames on its body.

However, it was already burned, its fur charred black, and it was in immense pain.

It roared in anger as it jumped out of the snow, baring its fangs, and charged at the little golden-haired monkey again, its momentum looking even more ferocious.

After spitting out that sharp blade of flame, the little golden-haired monkey suddenly became listless, its movements slowed down, and it was directly pounced upon and pinned to the ground.

The Cloud-Treading Leopard's two sharp claws pierced through its flesh, pinning it firmly to the snow, and it opened its blood-stained maw full of fangs to bite toward its head!

"Sss—"

At this very moment, a three-inch-long flying flame knife suddenly flew out from behind a nearby large tree, shooting rapidly toward the Cloud-Treading Leopard's head!

The Cloud-Treading Leopard was known for its speed; although startled, it leaped up at the last possible moment, dodging the flying flame knife.

However, at this very moment, a figure also swept out from behind that large tree, and the moment it jumped up, a fist already fully charged with power struck out, carrying a whistling gale!

"Boom!"

An explosive sound rang out, as if the roar of a tiger had sounded.

That fist, fully charged with power, smashed heavily into its side abdomen, directly smashing it away.

A sharp pain struck suddenly!

The Cloud-Treading Leopard fell wretchedly into the snow nearby, letting out a shrill scream from its throat, opening its mouth wide, dizzy from the pain. The battle with the little golden-haired monkey had already consumed a large amount of its stamina, and having been injured, it was now struck by this punch, unable to stand up for a moment.

At this time, that figure had already followed closely, and before it could get up, another punch was thrown, striking its head squarely.

"Crack!"

The Cloud-Treading Leopard's head shattered, and just as it was about to scream, another punch smashed down.

Then, it died instantly.

Luo Zijun ended the battle cleanly and efficiently, and after confirming that this Cloud-Treading Leopard was completely dead, he immediately put the corpse into his Storage Bag.

Because he heard footsteps coming from not far away.

"Squeak, squeak..."

At this time, the little golden-haired monkey stood up from the snow, squeaking to express its dissatisfaction.

It seemed to want to eat meat again.

Luo Zijun turned around to look at it, and just as he was thinking about whether to capture it as well, several figures swept over from the forest on the right.

!

At the same time, a red shadow also swept over from the forest on the left.

Both sides seemed to have been attracted by the Cloud-Treading Leopard's roar and the little golden-haired monkey's screams.

Luo Zijun took a look and saw that they were all acquaintances.

The few people on the left were Jiang Chunlan and her three companions, while on the right was Xu Ziyin, holding a Red Tasseled Spear.

After Xu Ziyin saw clearly that it was him, she immediately stopped in the distance, not daring to come over immediately; however, upon seeing Jiang Chunlan and the others, her eyes flickered, and she did not leave immediately either.

"Eh? What kind of demon monkey is this?"

The eyes of Jiang Chunlan and her three companions were immediately attracted by the little monkey with golden fur.

The little golden-haired monkey seemed to sense the greed in their eyes, suddenly jumped, leaped onto a large tree nearby, then with a "whoosh," climbed to the highest treetop, and after a few jumps, disappeared from sight.

The snow on the treetop fell with a rustle, moving toward the forest on the right.

The few people were stunned and looked at each other.

"What fast speed!"

The tall young man beside Jiang Chunlan suddenly withdrew his gaze, looked at the battlefield before them, and said, "There are signs of a fight here; the sound just now should also have been a Demon Beast."

As the words fell, the eyes of the four people all looked together at the person wearing a Bamboo Hat in front of them.

"Brother Dongfang, where is the other Demon Beast?"

The tall young man, Ren Jie, asked with a face full of smiles.

The couple beside him both narrowed their eyes and gripped the swords in their hands tightly.

Jiang Chunlan's eyes also flickered, staring intently at the person in front of her.

Luo Zijun said in a gruff voice, "It ran away."

"Oh?"

Ren Jie smiled slightly, walked over to check the bloodstains on the ground and the traces left behind by the battle, then looked at him again and said, "I'm afraid it has already been collected by Brother Dongfang, right?"

While he was speaking, Jiang Chunlan was also looking around; suddenly, her expression shifted, and she picked up a strand of golden fur from the snow, sniffed it under her nose, and said, "It seems to be the fur of a Cloud-Treading Leopard!"

"Cloud-Treading Leopard?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the eyes of the other three all lit up.

The woman in that couple said, "The roaring sound just now was indeed like the sound of a Cloud-Treading Leopard. I didn't expect that Demon Beast would actually appear here."

The gazes of the four people turned hotly once again toward the person in front of them who was wearing black clothes and a Bamboo Hat.

"Brother Dongfang, you arrived first; was that Demon Beast a Cloud-Treading Leopard?"

Ren Jie asked with a warm face.

Luo Zijun said, "It should be, but by the time I arrived, it had already fled."

Jiang Chunlan circled the area, looked back at him, sneered, and said, "Why must Brother Dongfang lie? The ground is covered in bloodstains, and there are no footprints leading away from those bloodstains. I reckon it has already been put into Brother Dongfang's Storage Bag, right?"

The forest went quiet for a moment.

Luo Zijun said, "Even if it hadn't fled and I had indeed put it inside, what business is that of yours?"

Ren Jie smiled and said, "It is indeed no business of ours. However, the Cloud-Treading Leopard is truly rare; none of us have ever seen one, so we hope Brother Dongfang will take it out and let us broaden our horizons."

Jiang Chunlan, however, sneered, "Brother Dongfang picked up a bargain, didn't you? Since you didn't put in any effort, then those who see it get a share. If it weren't for us searching over there, it wouldn't have run over here. Come to think of it, it should be our prey."

Luo Zijun glanced at her, then looked at the other three and asked, "Brother Ren, Brother Zhang, Miss Liu, do you all think the same?"

A look of greed appeared in the eyes of the three, and they all nodded.

Ren Jie smiled and said, "Brother Dongfang, come to think of it, we are all in the same team. Good things should naturally be shared together. We don't want much; an equal split will do."

Jiang Chunlan immediately said coldly, "I want its skin and head."

Zhang Yao said, "Fangmei and I will take its four legs."

Ren Jie wore a smile on his face and did not speak, but deep in his eyes, a glimmer of murderous intent appeared.

Luo Zijun suddenly pointed to the forest on the right and said, "There is another person over there; should we ask for her opinion?"

The gazes of the four people turned toward Xu Ziyin, who was standing over there, their expressions shifting.

Xu Ziyin knew what they meant and immediately said coldly, "I am just passing through. I have no interest in the Cloud-Treading Leopard, and I will not help anyone."

Once these words were spoken, the four of them immediately felt at ease.

Luo Zijun turned his head and said, "Miss Xu, you still owe me two thousand taels of silver. Now, there is a chance to pay it back; are you sure you won't?"

Xu Ziyin gripped the Red Tasseled Spear in her hand, glanced at both sides, seemingly calculating the strength and odds of victory for both parties, fell silent for a moment, and then coldly mocked, "You should worry about having the life to walk out of here today first."

Opposite her were two Martial Artist Fourth Realm and two Martial Artist Third Realm, while this guy was only a Martial Artist Fourth Realm...

At this moment, she suddenly remembered something and immediately took out a gas Mask and put it on her face.

Her expression shifted, and she immediately added, "I'll pay you back once I earn the money."

This guy is despicable and shameless, and he knows how to use poison; who knows if he might...

"Alright, it seems you won't help me."

"Since that is the case, staying alive is naturally more important..."

Luo Zijun directly poured the blood-covered Cloud-Treading Leopard out of his Storage Bag and said, "Everyone, you divide it up first; just leave me some meat."

As he said this, he retreated backward.

As soon as the corpse of the Cloud-Treading Leopard hit the ground, the eyes of Jiang Chunlan and the other three lit up, and the greed on their faces was revealed without any concealment.

But soon, the four of them suddenly stood apart and looked at each other with wariness.

Ren Jie smiled and said, "Miss Jiang, you take yours first."

Jiang Chunlan's eyes flashed, and she immediately said, "Brother Ren first."

The four of them all declined, their gazes becoming increasingly wary.

At this moment, Luo Zijun suddenly said, "How about I take mine first?"

Upon hearing this, the four of them looked at him.

Ren Jie smiled and said, "Good, Brother Dongfang, you take yours first. Break the corpse down, and then we can each take our share."

A smile also appeared on Jiang Chunlan's face as she said, "Right, break the corpse down first."

As soon as she finished speaking, Luo Zijun had already returned to the corpse of the Cloud-Treading Leopard, directly took out his Storage Bag, and put the entire Cloud-Treading Leopard back inside.

"Since everyone is being polite and declining, then I will not be modest. Don't be anxious, everyone; once I take it home and break it down properly, I will come back and distribute it to you all in a few days."

Having said that, he turned and walked away.

Seeing this, the expressions of the four changed instantly.

Jiang Chunlan was furious, immediately rushed over, and said, "Stop!"

As soon as the words fell, Luo Zijun suddenly "whooshed" as he sprang backward, then turned around, and with a fist already fully charged with power, he smashed it out with a "Boom!"

The speed was as fast as a thunderbolt!

Jiang Chunlan was currently rushing toward him and had no time to dodge; "Bang!", she was directly struck in the chest by the punch and sent flying.

(End of chapter)