Chapter 149: Flower, a Type of Plant (Guaranteed Second Update)

Fang Yue roared as he frantically squeezed the maximum potential from the horse beneath him.

The front line was drawing ever closer, and the closing time was imminent.

"Not enough distance!"

"Too slow!"

"Yeye, it's too late—kill them and come over yourself! Otherwise all three of you will die, forming a new Pressure Circle, and then I'll have to kill every single burdened villager!"

An Shenyi spoke these terrifying words, causing the surrounding villagers to turn pale and tremble violently.

"Don't be reckless! We still have time!!"

Fang Yue bellowed, released the reins, grabbed Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu with one hand and the tail with the other, leaped forward a short distance, landed ahead of the horse, then stomped on its head with both legs, bent down, and exploded upward!

Boom!!

The horse's head caved in instantly, spurting blood as it let out a shriek; its body was crushed backward and slammed to the ground by Supernatural Strength.

Fang Yue used that force to launch himself like a cannonball, surging past the closing line, rolling seven or eight times before finally stumbling to a stop.

Looking at the two women, their faces were slashed and bleeding, trembling uncontrollably.

"They made it out!"

Fang Yue exhaled deeply, stood up, and turned to look behind him.

The horse he had just used as a stepping stone now burst with a loud thud into a pulp of meat.

"Everyone step back! Don't get near that spot!"

An Shenyi shouted orders, directing everyone to retreat, then walked up to Fang Yue and shook his head slightly.

"Too risky—you should've abandoned them."

An Shenyi said "them," clearly referring not just to the two battered women on the ground.

Fang Yue gave a bitter smile: "An Shenyi, these people are from Gu Yue Cun—if I just abandon them, how can I face Lord Han when I return?"

An Shenyi shrugged: "That's not my concern—I'm only interested in making money."

Luo Xin had also arrived beside them, face darkened.

"An Shenyi, what exactly is this thing? And what did you mean just now about killing villagers? I swear by my position as Deputy Captain of the Gu Yue Cun Guard Team—I will kill you if you so much as harm a single hair on any villager's head!"

"I don't think you can kill me."

An Shenyi remained utterly unconcerned; Fang Yue quickly intervened to defuse the tension.

"Enough, enough—the incident is over. Arguing now is pointless. An Shenyi, are we safe now?"

"Safe?"

An Shenyi shook his head slightly.

"Without finding the flower, none of us are safe!"

"Flower? What flower?"

Fang Yue looked questioningly between An Shenyi and Luo Xin.

But Luo Xin's face was cold; seeing Fang Yue look at him, he softened his expression slightly, first respectfully thanking Fang Yue, then said: "I don't understand this anomaly either—I've never encountered anything like it before. It must have appeared recently along the village path."

Luo Xin had originally been confused why Fang Yue risked his life to save those two refugees, but after hearing their conversation, he now understood the reason.

Previously, Fang Yue had refused to listen to the Guard Team's reports and even rejected written materials without even looking at them—he'd thought Fang Yue lacked responsibility.

Now he realized he'd been shallow—people are diverse. Night Deputy Captain might simply dislike reading such reports, just like Chief Captain Lin, who always speaks coldly but is inwardly warm-hearted.

"It's normal you don't know—Black Grade Mid-level anomalies are rare. I've only encountered this twice in my life; the last time, I barely escaped with nine lives lost. This time, I've been relatively lucky."

As An Shenyi spoke, he observed carefully, while also directing the main group to detour far around the front stretch of village path.

But Fang Yue had frozen completely.

"B-Black Grade Mid-level?!"

Fuck, we got the ace card right at the start?

A Black Grade Mid-level anomaly could slaughter the entire escort team from start to finish!

Aside from An Shenyi, who might have some survival trick, everyone else—every single one—would die!

"No, that can't be right—if it's a Black Grade Mid-level anomaly, how are we still alive?"

"Don't panic—listen carefully. We've already escaped the chain reaction of the Pressure Circle. Now, as long as we avoid the Reckless Flower, we'll survive."

An Shenyi's detour was literal.

Originally, everyone had walked straight along the village path; now they turned ninety degrees on the spot, entering the nearby forest, planning to walk deep enough before turning another ninety degrees forward, then turning back to rejoin the village path—effectively tracing a square with the village path as one side.

Looking at the forest beside them, where sunlight couldn't penetrate, Fang Yue's face darkened—leaving the village path meant full exposure to the wild, danger obvious.

But according to An Shenyi, ignoring the Pressure Circle and continuing along the path was no different from suicide—better to just cut your own throat and suffer less.

"The Reckless Flower is a black blossom that the Pressure Anomaly sleeps within during the day. Its pattern forms a circular shape; staring at it induces disorientation, and prolonged gazing can even cause hallucinations. The person at the front who triggered the Pressure Circle must not have recognized the Reckless Flower and stepped on it directly, causing the chain reaction."

"And the reason we're lucky is this! During the day, the Pressure Anomaly is in hibernation—it doesn't appear! Only the Reckless Flower follows us."

"But the time I encountered the Pressure Anomaly… it was night!"

"I survived that time only because heaven took pity on me—all those who traveled with me died without exception."

As An Shenyi recalled that incident, his expression showed lingering terror.

Fang Yue couldn't help asking: "So the Reckless Flower follows us? A flower?"

"Yes! It's alive—not following like some ordinary thing, but erupting directly from the ground! If we accidentally touch it, we'll immediately trigger the previous Pressure Circle. And if we can't shake it off before nightfall… the Pressure Anomaly will emerge from the Reckless Flower, and we'll face the Black Grade Mid-level anomaly—the Pressure Anomaly—head-on!"

"Also, don't expect too much from my strength—I'm a martial artist, yes, but I learned only to survive in the wild and make it easier to travel to neighboring villages for medical fees. Due to different priorities, aside from my escape skills, my other abilities are probably inferior to your deputy captain's."

Oh…

An Shenyi, you've lost so much of your image in my eyes.

Fang Yue scratched his head, feeling frustrated.

"So you're saying this Reckless Flower can't be destroyed?"

"Yes, destroying the Re-Gui Flower is easy—it's essentially just a plant, and fire can kill it. The problem is, once the Re-Gui Flower is destroyed, the Re-Ya Gui will emerge. It merely prefers to sleep during the day and be active at night; its power is not diminished in daylight. It possesses Black Grade Mid-Level strength, still Black Grade Mid-Level strength, and may even become more terrifying due to poor sleep, its temper growing volatile."

Tomorrow, depending on circumstances, I'll post 10 chapters, or 5 or 6—adjusting my schedule.

(End of Chapter)