Chapter 1043: Hong Dang Xiong, May the Lord Bless You

“Nine to one?”

Hong Dang's eyebrows shot up: “Is it you getting nine or me getting nine?”

“Hong Dang brother, are you out of your mind?”

Xu Xiao Shou sneered, his killer's greedy nature on full display: “Breaking the array is my doing; you're just a minor fire attractor. Without me, you wouldn't get even one percent of the ling yao.”

“Nine to one is impossible!” Hong Dang snorted. “Even if you're the one who breaks the array and handles the main work while I just draw fire... I won't agree to anything less than four to six!”

“Two to eight!”

“Four to six!”

“Three to seven!”

“Deal, three to seven it is—I get three, you get seven!” Hong Dang suddenly agreed.

After all, he wasn't a ling zhen master. If he tried to force his way through the barrier, he'd likely provoke a counterattack from the Shen Nong Yao Yuan guardians. In that case, forget about three percent—he might not even get a single sacred herb. So, if Shuang Dai could break the array, Hong Dang was happy to stay back and just handle the distraction. It was just attracting some fire, and he wouldn't die from it; he was confident in his survival skills. From “nine to one” dropping to “three to seven,” such a drastic shift in shares also revealed Shuang Dai's greedy nature to him. Hong Dang finally believed that the ling yao from Shen Nong Yao Yuan might truly be as miraculous as the other had claimed. Otherwise, this guy would have suggested “fifty-fifty” and then backstabbed him to take it all. Being willing to concede this much was probably because he didn't want to waste time waiting for more people to show up.

“Pleasant cooperation.” Xu Xiao Shou smirked and extended his hand, thinking no one would actually want to shake hands with a killer.

Hong Dang glanced at it but didn't want to touch it, simply saying: “What kind of fire do I need to attract?”

Xu Xiao Shou had expected this and wasn't embarrassed; he lowered his hand and explained: “After I break the array, a passage that only allows one person at a time will appear. At that point, Hong Dang brother, you go in first and casually pick a sacred herb. That will trigger the guardian to react. Then, you just run away—as that previous person did.”

Casually pick a sacred herb and then just run... Hong Dang's eyebrows twitched wildly as he listened. Was this even human talk? What kind of surprises would Shen Nong Yao Yuan bring?

“The person Shuang Dai brother keeps mentioning—who exactly is he?” Hong Dang couldn't help but ask. He was incredibly curious about someone who could make this greedy Shuang Dai hold back and not even touch Shen Nong Yao Yuan. Just how powerful must that person be? What immense deterrence!

“He...” Xu Xiao Shou hesitated, as a truthful person didn't like lying unless absolutely necessary.

“Shuang Dai brother, don't forget, we're in a partnership!” Hong Dang chuckled, giving him a look that said if you don't tell me, the deal's off.

Xu Xiao Shou sighed helplessly and shrugged: “He's Xu Xiao Shou.”

“Xu Xiao Shou?”

“Mm.”

“Just some Xu Xiao Shou, and he scared Shuang Dai brother like that?” Hong Dang was incredulous.

Of course, he knew Xu Xiao Shou! Back when they were fighting in the Yun Lun Mountains with Rao Yao Yao and Teng Shan Hai, he hadn't directly clashed with this guy, but from what he'd heard, Xu Xiao Shou was nothing but a troublemaker—weak in cultivation but always stirring up chaos, the perfect example of someone who could get wiped out in an instant if he wasn't careful.

Unfortunately... up to now, Xu Xiao Shou still hadn't kicked the bucket. That meant even “half a misstep” hadn't done him in; he was still living it up.

“Xu Xiao Shou isn't as simple as you think!”

Shuang Dai, disguised as Xu Xiao Shou, laughed coldly and raised his voice in warning: “As a gold medal hunter order killer, I came from the central domain specifically to hunt Xu Xiao Shou. But before we even met, I fell into his trap. On Gu Yin Cliff, Hong Dang brother, remember how that kid held his own against the likes of Rao Yao Yao and Teng Shan Hai without backing down? In contrast, you and I were like outsiders in that scene, completely unable to get involved, and ended up being manipulated and dropped into the deep sea. From that, doesn't Hong Dang brother see just how capable Xu Xiao Shou is?”

Hong Dang listened in a daze as Shuang Dai finished speaking, never expecting that in the eyes of Xu Xiao Shou's enemy, this zong shi level junior would be praised so highly. But thinking it over, Shuang Dai's assessment didn't seem exaggerated at all.

“Received contempt, passive value, 1.”

Xu Xiao Shou was slightly startled, looking at Hong Dang's expression—surely it wasn't because of that train of thought? There wasn't a third person around... Oh, it's you again, little junior sister.

What's wrong? If no one praises me, and you won't either, can't I praise myself?

Xu Xiao Shou suddenly got fired up, shaking his head and sighing as he said: “Speaking of Xu Xiao Shou, I've completely given up on going after his head now... Xu Xiao Shou's talent is on par with mine; his wisdom surpasses that of any jian xian; his courage is unmatched on Gu Yin Cliff; and his abilities—well, aside from the eighth Jian Xian I've never met, I can't find anyone on Sheng Shen Dalu who could outdo him!”

This unreserved praise left Hong Dang utterly baffled.

“Received doubt, passive value, 1.”

“Received disdain, passive value, 1.”

Heh, it's you again, little junior sister... Xu Xiao Shou nearly turned around to glare at Lei Xi Er, hidden in the Bai Ku small world.

“Shuang Dai brother, you think that highly of Xu Xiao Shou?” Hong Dang asked suspiciously. For a moment, he even wondered if Shuang Dai was secretly Xu Xiao Shou's ally—otherwise, why praise a zong shi junior so much?

Xu Xiao Shou replied calmly: “Who understands an opponent better than his enemy?”

Hong Dang: “...”

He didn't know what to say. A zong shi junior, no matter how much he stirred things up, couldn't turn the world upside down, right? If they met, Hong Dang was confident he could take Xu Xiao Shou in a one-on-one fight!

“Hong Dang brother...”

Xu Xiao Shou looked at his disdainful expression and said earnestly: “Let me give you some advice—even if you join Sheng Shen Hall later, if you run into that Xu guy, turn tail and run. Maybe then you can save your life.”

“Heh!” Hong Dang scoffed.

He didn't understand why Shuang Dai was so wary of a mere zong shi. As a killer who used to lurk in the central domain, scraping by, now coming to the eastern domain and witnessing great saint battles, and being shocked by one of their pawns, Xu Xiao Shou—it was understandable to get cold feet.

“Shuang Dai brother can be afraid for yourself, but don't impose your fears on me.” Hong Dang sneered.

He figured it was because Shuang Dai had been scared witless that he didn't even dare approach Shen Nong Yao Yuan when it opened. What a waste of opportunity—Hong Dang looked down on the killer even more for it.

“Ah...”

Xu Xiao Shou sized up this muscular, simple-minded bare-chested man and sighed, saying no more. He'd said his piece. He didn't want to make another enemy, so if he could dissuade one, that was enough. But people just didn't realize how terrifying Xu Xiao Shou was; they only knew the tip of the iceberg, so they always underestimated him... What could be done about that?

“Let's get back to business.”

Hong Dang didn't want to talk about that annoying Xu Xiao Shou anymore. He regretted not arriving earlier to get a share of Shen Nong Yao Yuan, wondering why he'd slowed down, always on guard against imaginary enemies in the air. What a pity...

“Who is the guardian?” Hong Dang stared at the barrier, guessing that for something as miraculous as Shen Nong Yao Yuan, the guardian couldn't be ordinary.

“A giant.” Xu Xiao Shou pulled his thoughts back and said seriously.

“A giant?” Hong Dang tensed up, recalling the booming sounds he'd heard along the way—surely that wasn't the giant chasing the herb thief, Xu Xiao Shou?

“How big is the giant?” Hong Dang asked. This was a matter of life and death; he needed to know exactly what he was up against.

“Over three zhang tall, I suppose.”

Xu Xiao Shou chose his words carefully, not wanting to scare off his first collaborator. Well, three hundred zhang and over three zhang were basically the same concept, right?

That works—after I summon my dragon soul, I'm over ten zhang... Hong Dang nodded upon hearing this and asked further: “How strong is the giant?”

Xu Xiao Shou thought for a moment and answered honestly: “Xu Xiao Shou in his wang zuo form might be able to handle it, but I didn't see them actually fight, so that's probably the baseline for taking on the giant.” Well, wang zuo form was the starting point, but there was no upper limit—that counted as an honest answer, right?

That works too—I'm a rare wang zuo form in the world, and with my dragon soul summoned, even ordinary wang zuo forms aren't my match. If Xu Xiao Shou can handle it, so can I... Hong Dang thought, nodding again: “How many giants are there?”

“Just one.” Xu Xiao Shou emphasized, knowing he could answer this truthfully—and you won't be scared!

“Heh!” Hong Dang laughed now.

“Don't worry, Shuang Dai brother. I'll go in and pick just one sacred herb, but I get to choose the type first, and afterward, you can't compete with me for it! As for that giant, I'll shake it off quickly and come back. Then, I hope you'll remember our agreement!”

Hong Dang stared straight at the killer, wanting to see his true intentions.

“Of course.”

Xu Xiao Shou nodded calmly: “With three to seven in my favor, I have no reason to trick you. Even just one percent of the sacred herbs from Shen Nong Yao Yuan would be enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life without needing more ling yao.”

Hong Dang raised an eyebrow and gazed at the vast super barrier, his heart burning with excitement. Was it really that amazing? Was his big opportunity finally here?

“Shuang Dai brother, enough talk—please break the array. I'll stand guard for you!” Hong Dang pointed, his emotions stirring.

“Alright.”

Xu Xiao Shou wasted no more words. He'd already figured out the array of Shen Nong Yao Yuan while hiding in the trees with Lei Xi Er. Time erodes everything; if this sealed barrier had been newly created, he wouldn't have dared guarantee that his wang zuo level “textile mastery” could break it. But after millions of years, the barrier was full of flaws at first glance! The void servant was guarding Shen Nong Yao Yuan, but clearly, it wasn't a ling zhen expert and couldn't maintain the barrier. So...

To keep up the image that “breaking the array is difficult, justifying my seven shares,” Xu Xiao Shou pretended to work on it outside the barrier for a good half an hour. Only when Hong Dang, acting as guard, was pacing anxiously did he smile slightly.

“Break!”

He pointed remotely at one of the barrier's weak points. His ling yuan turned into threads, weaving through the barrier in an instant to create a passage for one person.

Whoosh!

As soon as the passage formed, the dense herbal fragrance and ling qi from Shen Nong Yao Yuan rushed out in visible waves.

“Uh!”

In that moment, Xu Xiao Shou felt his qi sea stir and his knees tighten—he almost broke through on the spot. But he couldn't breakthrough! If the zong shi level fluctuations erupted, wouldn't Hong Dang be stunned?

With a mix of half-concealed and half-genuine excitement on his face, plus a full facade of weakness, Xu Xiao Shou said breathlessly: “Hong Dang brother, please...”

Hong Dang brother, please go to your death!

Of course, he couldn't say the last two words out loud. Xu Xiao Shou finished speaking and, sniffing the thick herbal scent, knew that to maintain his Shuang Dai persona, he couldn't afford to be modest now. So, as soon as the words left his mouth, he turned into a streak of light and charged straight into the barrier passage.

A normal person might be wary of a killer's “politeness,” but seeing this array-breaking killer, weakened and unable to resist the herbal fragrance, charging ahead... well, rationality could be thrown out the window!

Xu Xiao Shou's move perfectly played on Hong Dang's psychology. Hong Dang was still savoring that insanely dense fragrance that even made his tai xu qi sea fluctuate when he turned and saw Shuang Dai was gone. His eyes instantly turned bloodshot.

“You son of a bitch, Shuang Dai! We had an agreement—you were supposed to go first! Don't break our deal!” He stomped his feet and shot forward like a cannonball, rushing into the barrier passage.

At that moment, Hong Dang had no time to think—if Shuang Dai really planned to go in alone after breaking the array, what was the point of him waiting here for collaborators? If he stopped to think, he'd surely spot the trick! But... think? What a joke! If he hesitated even half a step, wouldn't Shuang Dai empty out all the sacred herbs in Shen Nong Yao Yuan?!

“Get out of my way!”

Hong Dang, despite starting later, moved faster than “Shuang Dai,” bursting into the barrier passage. Almost immediately after, Xu Xiao Shou, as Shuang Dai, followed without a second thought, as if he had no intention of waiting as agreed.

“Xu Xiao Shou...”

On the ancient tree, Lei Xi Er, hidden in the Bai Ku small world and completely concealed, watched with a hint of worry in her eyes. She hadn't expected Xu Xiao Shou to follow Hong Dang into Shen Nong Yao Yuan just to trick him. If the void servant woke up again, wouldn't that mean two victims at once?

Almost simultaneously, Lei Xi Er tensed her toes, ready to follow into the barrier passage.

But just then, Gre Shen let out a soft “meow.”

Lei Xi Er snapped back to her senses. “Wait, am I worrying about Xu Xiao Shou?”

“Have I lost my mind, or have I been with Xu Xiao Shou too long and caught his habits?”

“Does he even need me to worry?”

Lei Xi Er settled back on the ancient tree, waiting quietly while silently praying in her heart. Hong Dang... was that his name? No grudges, no beef—hopefully, when you can't find Xu Xiao Shou and are picking the sacred herbs, and the void servant wakes up, you can run for your life. Just like Xu Xiao Shou said, run like hell when you see him. Only then... maybe you can survive!

“May heaven protect you.” Lei Xi Er gripped the branch tightly, staring at the barrier passage and murmuring softly.

“Meow.”

Gre Shen looked up at its owner, then raised its chubby paws like a person, clasping them together and meowing again.

Hong Dang brother... is that your name?

“Meow meow!”

Hong Dang brother, may the master protect you!