It had been fifteen days since his battle with the scorpion. Since then he had slaughtered numerous grade 1 creatures. Whether it was a poisonous snake, a vicious jackal, or a ferocious leopard. He had fought all the creatures he met, coming victorious every time. Now he was very proficient as compared to the first battle with the scorpion.
He wouldn't freeze anymore in sheer terror in front of a monster. Instead, he'd rush towards it as soon as possible, so he could take it down before it could take HIM down. The blood and gore no longer disgusted him. He was reserved most of the time, but he was decisive and ferocious whenever confronting the creatures of the desert.
Just now he had slaughtered a Sand Crocodile, a gigantic lizard with a thick hide.
Qin Meng wiped the sweat off his temples and smiled. "My Martial Spirit is already on the verge of evolving. My cultivation has also started to improve once more. I'm already at the 5th Motif Stage."
He eyed the blue sky that was spreading on the Burning Wilds like a canopy. The stars twinkled and the two moons shone as they toured in the cloudless starry sky. Gildor's green light spread like the light of nature, while Elyria's blue light radiated in the sky like the light of peace and tranquility. Both complementing each other.
Then he skinned the crocodile. Its skin made an exorbitant amount of money, and Qin Meng had no source of income. He could earn something through this. Eventually, he also plucked out its teeth and claws.
After dealing with the corpse, he climbed to his feet and wiped the sand and dirt off his clothes. Although it was cold at night, he was covered in sweat. Fifteen days had passed since he took a bath, therefore his body reeked of blood and sweat.
Qin Meng examined his surroundings and stumbled towards a large rock. He placed his back against it and sat on the ground. However, at this moment, an arrow appeared out of nowhere that penetrated his shoulder.
Qin Meng screamed in agony and tried to locate the archer, but failed to do so. His shoulder ached due to injury. He started to feel dizzy and his surroundings became blurry. 'Damn it, the arrow was poisoned!' He tried to reach inside his ring but failed and soon the darkness engulfed his senses.
After an unknown amount of time, he opened his eyes. He looked around; it was fuzzy. He tried to rub his eyes, to clear the blurriness, with his hands, realizing that his hands had been tied behind his back. He looked around in startle, remembering the assault.
After his eyes adjusted according to the surroundings, he noted that it was early in the morning. The sun had yet to rise, though. He eyed his shoulder, covered in blood, but someone had removed an arrow from his wound.
Qin Meng heard nasty waves of laughter. He eyed in the distance and found a group of people, sitting around a campfire, roasting a corpse of a beast. In one hand they clasped a roasted piece of an unknown creature, and in the other hand they carried the skin of ale.
Qin Meng struggled and placed his back against a rock. The pain assaulted his shoulder, forcing him to groan in misery
One of the men turned around and spotted him. "Boss, the boy has awakened."
All the men turned towards Qin Meng. A man whose left eye was patched also glanced at him and said, "Good, we're also done here."
"Hey, why did you tie me up?" asked Qin Meng. No one replied. All of them had a mocking smile on their faces. They stared at him with amusement, as if they knew something that he was unaware of.
Qin Meng felt uncomfortable when he spotted their gloating expressions.
"Hey, tell me, who are you, and why did you capture me?" He tried to ask a few more times, but no one replied. Nonetheless, he continued to shoot them with questions. He dared not to be too disrespectful, as he could sense their strength. They were far stronger than him. Every one of them.
Nevertheless, in the end, one man still became irritated and smashed his face, making him dizzy and furious. "Don't waste anymore time, Yao Ying," said the one-eyed leader.
"Yes, boss," replied the man who whacked Qin Meng. The man dragged him towards his horse. The same breed that Qin Meng had seen previously. The man tied him with a long rope before adjusting the saddle and climbing on the horse. It didn't take long for others to become ready for the march.
"Alright," said the bandit leader from his horse. "Flaming Wind Panther comes out of its cave at noon. We are lucky to find bait, otherwise one of you would have turned into Flaming Wind Panther's lunch, instead."
Qin Meng's eyes widened. He panicked, but at this moment, Yao Ying heeled his horse, setting into motion and dragging Qin Meng behind. Although he could untie himself with the help of fire, he did not. There were people following him from behind. If he dared to run away, they might kill him on the spot.
Other than running, he didn't know what to do.
Qin Meng was surprised by the speed of these horses. Not even a camel could compare with them in this sandy desert. Due to his inability to match their speed, the horse dragged him from time to time.
Soon the sun arose from the northeast, spreading its scorching heat waves on the cold sand of Burning Wilds. Qin Meng was already in a miserable condition. The sun made it even harder for him. He had boots on his feet, otherwise his condition would have turned even more pathetic.
There was only one thing that made him sigh in relief. His ring. It was still on his finger. No bandit would imagine that a random boy that they kidnapped to be a bait would carry such a precious artifact.
Nevertheless, it didn't help him in any way to ease the hardship that he was going through. They encountered multiple creatures on the way, but without even stopping, the bandits slaughtered them. Another proof of their strength. Another reason to do as he was told.
Just like that the time passed, and when the sun was at its apex, they arrived at the outskirts of the Burning Mountain Range.