Just then, Bai Chenxiang approached carrying a plate of heated dry rations. She offered some to Tang San first, who took a portion, then nodded towards Ma Hongjun.
Bai Chenxiang was a clever girl. Although she hadn't heard what the fatty whispered just now, she vaguely sensed something was off. She walked over and sat down casually beside him, holding out the dry rations in her hands.
The steaming food made Ma Hongjun pause for a moment. He turned his head to look at Bai Chenxiang. She pushed all the food into his hands, stood up, walked to a corner further from the campfire, sat there with her arms hugging her knees, and rested her chin on them, lost in thought.
Her chosen spot put her outside the circle formed by the Shrek Seven Devils, making her look quite alone.
Ma Hongjun subconsciously turned to look at Bai Chenxiang. When he saw her sitting there all by herself, his hardened heart softened instantly. He whispered to Tang San beside him, "Third Brother, has she eaten?"
Tang San shrugged. "I don't know. You can go ask her yourself."
"I..." The fatty hesitated. Seeing Tang San feeding Xiao Wu, he finally stood up and walked towards Bai Chenxiang.
At that very moment, Bai Chenxiang suddenly let out a sharp cry. She sprang up like an arrow, and in her panic, she didn't care if anything was in her path. Her rush sent her crashing straight into Ma Hongjun's arms.
"Careful!" Seeing Bai Chenxiang hurtling towards him, the fatty dropped the plate without a thought, using his stout body to meet her impact.
Bai Chenxiang felt as though she'd hit a soft cushion. Although it didn't hurt, the impact bounced her back with a gasp. Just then, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her slender waist and back, pulling her back onto that very bouncy cushion.
"What's wrong?" Ma Hongjun asked, his small eyes sharp as he looked towards where Bai Chenxiang had been. A fierce killing intent released from his tensed muscles, but Bai Chenxiang, held in his embrace, felt her body wrapped in an invisible barrier, feeling inexplicably safe and comfortable. Her panic quickly subsided.
"There... there was a mouse..." Bai Chenxiang stammered.
"A... a mouse?" Ma Hongjun's eyes widened, and his killing intent vanished instantly. He was momentarily speechless. But soon, he became captivated by the girl in his arms. It was a comfort unlike anything he had ever felt. He'd held many women before, but none had ever given him this sensation.
Soft and fresh, with the faint scent of innocence—the most alluring fragrance. Looking down at the girl nestled against him like a little lamb, his entire heart trembled, and his breathing grew heavy.
The other Shrek Seven Devils had stood when Bai Chenxiang cried out, but now, with a tacit understanding, they sat back down, pointedly not looking in their direction.
"Ah!" Bai Chenxiang gave a soft cry and squirmed in the fatty's embrace. This jolted him from his reverie. As he instinctively loosened his arms, she had already crouched down to pick up the food that had fallen. He could clearly see that even the tips of her delicate ears had turned red. She kept her head down, not daring to look at him.
The earlier unpleasantness of the day had completely vanished. The fatty grinned foolishly, muttering to himself, "So a mouse can make someone seem this cute."
Bai Chenxiang's body stiffened visibly. She reached up and gave the soft flesh at his waist a sharp pinch, then looked up slightly, giving him a "fierce" glare before shoving the retrieved food into his hands and dashing back to the campfire.
Even a fool would know what to do now. The fatty hurried over with the food, grinning foolishly, and sat down unceremoniously right beside Bai Chenxiang. He peeled off the dusty outer layer of the dry rations and ate it himself, offering the still-warm inner portion to her.
Bai Chenxiang didn't say anything, but she didn't refuse either. She took it and ate slowly, bit by bit. The atmosphere around the campfire thus returned to harmony. Yes, very harmonious.
The night passed without incident. The next morning, just as the sky was barely lighting up, everyone set off again. The atmosphere inside the carriage was much like the previous night's—far more harmonious. Ma Hongjun still sat in the corner, leaving more space for Bai Chenxiang, but he was clearly no longer sulking. Bai Chenxiang looked no different than usual, but if one observed closely, it was obvious she was trying her best not to look at the fatty.
Apart from occasional stops to stretch and rest the horses, the next several days were spent traveling, only halting each night for a proper rest.
Ten days later, they had entered the western frontier of the Tian Dou Empire. Their horses had been changed in the previous city. The four new horses should be enough to get them to the seaside.
"There's a village ahead, Sect Master Tang. Should we take a break?" The disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan driving the carriage had been instructed beforehand that this trip was not led by Ning Rongrong; everything was to follow Tang San's commands.
Tang San said, "Then let's rest." It was already afternoon, the weather was cooling, and the horses were quite exhausted. Although they had rested at noon, another break before dinner was needed to maintain their pace.
The carriage continued forward for a little while before stopping. Just as the Shrek Seven Devils thought they'd arrived at the village and prepared to disembark for a rest, a light knock sounded from the carriage side. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan disciple said, "Sect Master Tang, something seems wrong. We're nearly at the village, but it's strangely quiet, and there's no one in the fields outside."
The group exchanged glances. Dai Mubai said, "Let's go down and take a look." Everyone disembarked and looked ahead.
About half a li away, there was a small mountain village. It didn't look large, perhaps a hundred households. Surrounding it were large fields, just as the disciple had said. From their vantage point, the village was eerily silent, and the fields were utterly deserted.
Tang San focused his vision. With his Purple Extreme Demon Eye, he could naturally see much farther than the disciple. The distance of five hundred meters instantly shrank. "Something is wrong. The village seems to have been damaged. Many farmhouses have broken walls, and the damage looks like it was done by blunt weapons. There's also blood. The blood hasn't dried yet; it probably happened not long ago."
The disciple from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan stared at Tang San, stunned, thinking, You can see that from so far? You're not faking it, are you? However, none of the other Shrek Seven Devils showed any doubt.
Bai Chenxiang said, "Third Brother, let me go check."
Tang San nodded slightly. In combat, Bai Chenxiang might not be the best, but in terms of speed, even the agility-assault type Zhu Zhuqing might not surpass her. She could also fly, so protecting herself was no problem at all.
A white blur flashed past, and Bai Chenxiang had already shot out. In mid-air, the wings on her back unfurled, and she instantly became a white dot rising into the sky. After witnessing the battle between the Seven Devils and the Sword Dou Luo, she deeply understood the gap between herself and these younger generation elites. On this overseas trip with the Seven Devils, she had to demonstrate her abilities. Doing the scouting work she could do was the best she could offer.
This was the first time Dai Mubai and the others had seen Bai Chenxiang use her Martial Soul. Zhu Zhuqing praised, "Such incredible speed. As expected of a pure agility-type Soul Master. If her Soul Power level were just a bit higher, I'm afraid we wouldn't even be able to catch a glimpse of her figure."
Tang San smiled. "We'll wait here for a bit."
It wasn't long before Bai Chenxiang came flying back, her speed even greater than when she left. Almost just a white dot seen in the sky, and the next instant, she landed before everyone.
When she landed, the Shrek Seven Devils saw that Bai Chenxiang's expression was extremely pale, white as paper, her chest heaving continuously as if she were suppressing something.
Ma Hongjun was about to step forward and ask, but Bai Chenxiang suddenly rushed to a nearby large tree and began vomiting violently.
The Shrek Seven Devils looked at each other. Oscar couldn't help saying, "Fatty, don't tell me you did something atrocious to her? Xiangxiang is a nice girl, you know. You have to take responsibility!"
Ma Hongjun rolled his eyes. "Atrocious my ass! I haven't even held her hand." As he spoke, he ran over and gently patted Bai Chenxiang's back, softly channeling his own Soul Power into her to make her more comfortable.
Dai Mubai said gravely, "Something must be wrong. She must have seen something horrifying or disgusting."
Bai Chenxiang had practically emptied her stomach before she gradually recovered. With Ma Hongjun's support, she returned to the group.
A glint flashed in Tang San's eyes. "Xiangxiang, what did you see?"
A look of intense terror appeared in Bai Chenxiang's eyes. "Dead people... dead people everywhere. Just behind the village, the ground is dyed red with blood. There are at least over a hundred corpses. They died horribly, killed by a group of people in strange attire. Those people are dragging the bodies towards the mountains behind. Many had their insides spilling out. Those strangely dressed people were even using long spears to impale the bodies of children. Even from high in the air, I could smell the thick stench of blood. It was too horrible... truly too horrible. The only ones alive seem to be some young women. *Bleh*..." As she spoke, she couldn't help but dry-heave again.
When had she ever witnessed such a bloody scene in her life?
Hearing her description, the others' expressions grew somber. Dai Mubai and Tang San exchanged a look. Tang San said, "Rongrong, Zhuqing, you two stay behind and help take care of Xiao Wu for now. Xiao Ao, protect them. Mubai, fatty, let's go."
As he spoke, Tang San raised his left hand. A blue light shone in his eyes as the triangular Ocean Sky Cover rotated and emerged from between his brows. A rich stream of Soul Power was channeled into it, and a brilliant blue light erupted, enveloping everyone except Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and himself.
The Shrek Seven Devils moved with long-honed synergy. Ning Rongrong took Xiao Wu from Tang San, and everyone gathered by the carriage. Oscar said, "Be careful." He waved his right hand and chanted softly, handing Ma Hongjun over a dozen Restorative Large Sausages and Detoxification Small Sausages.
The three of them—Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun—launched themselves into the air, heading towards the village. Their original location, including the carriage and the others, had vanished; the Ocean Sky Cover's defensive and invisibility effects had activated. Its marvel lay in its effective range. As long as Tang San left a sliver of spiritual power connected to it, he could retrieve it even from a hundred li away. Moreover, with the spiritual link, there was no fear of losing it.
The three moved at full speed, quickly bypassing the village. Immediately, they also smelled that intense scent of blood. Although they hadn't seen anyone yet, the blood-soaked ground was enough to show how brutal the slaughter had been. There were even some organs left on the ground, emitting a nauseating odor.
Tang San and Dai Mubai were still relatively composed, but the fatty's face turned somewhat grim. Tang San had, after all, been tempered in the Slaughter City and had witnessed far too much killing. Dai Mubai, as the crown prince of the Xing Luo Empire, was also no stranger to such bloody scenes. Though the fatty had seen dead bodies before, this thick smell of blood was a first for him.
Dai Mubai's nose twitched slightly. He pointed towards the front left. "They probably went that way. Looks like bandits. Let's move."
The three set off again. In their eyes, a cold light was spreading invisibly.
Not far ahead was a range of layered, modest peaks. The mountains here weren't tall and were well-suited for plant growth, covered in forests everywhere. Tracking their targets was too simple—all they had to do was follow the bloodstains on the ground, and they wouldn't lose the trail. The three entered the woods and quickly caught up to their quarry.
From a distance, they could already see a dense group of figures ahead. Tang San activated his Purple Extreme Demon Eye to look closely, and what he saw was a field of corpses. The sounds of weeping and wailing came continuously from ahead.
Dai Mubai was about to rush in, but Tang San held him back. "Observe first before we act." Years of training had taught him caution.