"Given Mu Li's cunning, there are definitely Wolf Head Mercenaries guarding the cliff," Little Fairy Doctor warned solemnly.
"We can't climb up with ropes, otherwise, they can simply cut them, and we'll be buried at the bottom, certain death!"
"Then what do we do? We can't stay in this cave forever, can we?" Xiao Lei shrugged, looking helpless.
Actually, Xiao Lei had already noticed that there were quite a few figures on the cliff, carrying torches and patrolling.
Little Fairy Doctor bit her red lips, and after a long while, said, "I can take you away."
"Oh? What's your plan?" Xiao Lei raised an eyebrow.
Little Fairy Doctor said, "I have a Blue Eagle companion."
Xiao Lei looked surprised and said, "A first-tier flying magical beast, a Blue Eagle?"
"Yes," Little Fairy Doctor nodded slightly, then took out a short bamboo flute from her bosom, put it to her lips, and gently began to play.
Instantly, a strange sound wave emanated from the flute, swirling in the night sky outside the cave.
"Screech!"
Soon after the sound wave, a sharp cry echoed through the night.
By the moonlight, Xiao Lei could see a gigantic, azure eagle rapidly swooping down from the depths of the mountains, circling the cliff edge near the cave entrance in a matter of moments.
"Let's go," Little Fairy Doctor said to Xiao Lei, relieved to see the blue eagle arrive. She put away her flute.
Xiao Lei smiled and said, "Now, I'm entrusting my life to you."
"I'm not the kind of person to repay kindness with enmity. You helped me just now; I won't harm you," Little Fairy Doctor said, giving Xiao Lei a sidelong glance.
"Of course I trust you," Xiao Lei smiled slightly, wrapping his arm around Little Fairy Doctor's slender waist and leaping onto the back of the gigantic blue eagle.
"Xiao Lan, let's go!"
After settling on the blue eagle's back, Little Fairy Doctor patted its neck and whispered.
Hearing Little Fairy Doctor's voice, the blue eagle immediately flapped its wings, a huge gust of wind swept past, carrying the two on its back, and soared into the sky.
The mercenaries on the cliff quickly spotted Xiao Lei and Xiao Lan on the blue eagle's back.
"Shoot it down!"
Suddenly, the leading mercenary shouted sharply.
Instantly, more than a dozen mercenaries on the cliff simultaneously drew their bows and nocked arrows.
A rain of arrows shot out, heading straight for the blue eagle in the air!
Seeing the rain of arrows coming, Xiao Lei frowned slightly, intending to strike and knock it away.
"Screech!"
Just then, the blue eagle, which was sitting on, suddenly let out a sharp cry, and at the same time, its wings flapped violently, a pale blue gust of wind blew out, instantly blowing the wave of arrows away into the cliff. The
blue eagle was very fast, and in no time it flew out of the mercenaries' range.
Little Fairy Doctor gently stroked the blue eagle's back with her jade-like hand, turning to Xiao Lei with a smile, "It's safe now."
"Your blue eagle is quite powerful," Xiao Lei praised with a smile, casually stroking the eagle's feathers.
At the same time, the system reward notification arrived in Xiao Lei's mind as promised.
[Ding! You touched the blue eagle, obtaining one Red Ginseng!]
A first-grade spiritual herb, Red Ginseng, is better than nothing.
Xiao Lei's heart stirred slightly, but he didn't show it on his face.
"If it were on land, it wouldn't be a match for you," Little Fairy Doctor shook her head slightly, still somewhat shaken by Xiao Lei's earlier feat.
Xiao Lei smiled, not continuing the topic, looking at the rapidly receding forest below, he turned to Little Fairy Doctor and asked, "Where are you planning to go?"
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With delicate fingers smoothing her wind-blown hair, Little Fairy Doctor smiled faintly, "I'm going back to the herb-gathering team. What about you?"
"Since you're going back to the herb-gathering team, I'll go back with you," Xiao Lei said after a moment's thought.
"You went treasure hunting with me, and Mu Li and his men followed us. Now that I've killed him, if I don't go back, the Wolf Head Mercenary Group probably won't let you off easily."
Hearing Xiao Lei's words, Little Fairy Doctor felt a warmth in her heart and smiled, "Besides the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, there are other mercenaries in the herb-gathering team. They shouldn't dare to make a move."
"Once we return to Qingshan Town, the Wolf Head Mercenary Group will be even less likely to do anything to me. The power of the Ten Thousand Medicines Hall is no less than that of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, and the leaders of the other two major mercenary groups both owe me favors."
After a pause, Little Fairy Doctor added with some worry, "But you, the Wolf Head Mercenary Group might retaliate fiercely. If you're not confident, perhaps you should temporarily withdraw?"
Xiao Lei asked, "Do you know the strength of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group?"
"Yes, the Wolf Head Mercenary Group has been operating in Qingshan Town for over ten years. Their core members number around seventy to eighty, and most of them are between two and five stars in the Dou Zhe (Battle Master) category."
Little Fairy Doctor nodded slightly. "Besides that, the Wolf Head Mercenary Group has three leaders: the third leader, He Meng, is an eight-star Dou Zhe; the second leader, Gan Mu, is a nine-star Dou Zhe; and the leader, Mu She, is a two-star Dou Shi."
"The strongest is only a two-star Dou Shi? Then there's no problem," Xiao Lei said casually, stroking his chin.
"If they dare to make a move, I wouldn't mind wiping out the Wolf Head Mercenary Group."
"Since you're confident, let's go straight back to the herb-gathering team," Xiao Lei said, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
"Okay," Xiao Lei nodded slightly, having no objection.
Xiao Lei didn't speak further, turning to direct the blue eagle back towards the herb-gathering team's camp.
Above the night sky, the enormous blue eagle slowly circled down, finally landing in an open area not far from the camp.
"Go," Xiao Lei said, patting the blue eagle's neck after the two jumped off its back.
The blue eagle nuzzled Xiao Lei with its wing, then flapped its wings and soared back into the sky.
"Let's go back," Xiao Lei said, raising her snow-white chin slightly as she watched the blue eagle fly into the night sky.
Xiao Lei nodded slightly, and together with Xiao Lei, they quickly returned to their respective tents under the cover of night.
Back in his tent, Xiao Lei didn't sleep or rush to take the Qi-boosting pills; he simply engaged in light-level cultivation.
After all, he didn't know if the Wolf Head Mercenary Group would attack him.
An hour later, Xiao Lei suddenly heard a commotion in the camp, so he ended his cultivation and stepped out of his tent.
There, he saw the Wolf Head Mercenary Group members who had been on the cliff edge not long ago carrying the bodies of Mu Li and the others back to the camp, their faces grim.
The mercenaries in the camp were shocked by this sight.
"What...what happened?"
"Young Master Mu Li, how could he be dead? We didn't hear any fighting!"
"I saw Young Master Mu Li leave the camp with a group of mercenaries earlier, I don't know what they were doing, I never expected...
"
Looking at the bodies of Mu Li and the dozen or so Wolf Head Mercenaries, everyone's expressions changed, a mixture of schadenfreude and growing wariness.
The atmosphere in the camp suddenly became tense.
Little Fairy Doctor also emerged from the tent, exchanged a silent glance with Xiao Lei, and then feigned ignorance: "What happened? How did Young Master Mu Li and these mercenaries die?"
The other mercenaries in the camp also looked at the remaining members of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, wanting to know how Mu Li and the others had died.
More importantly, they wanted to know if any powerful enemies were lurking in the shadows.
(End of Chapter)