"The first possibility after having your teammates die from the traps is to continue with your stubborn method. This way, the traps will become a nightmare," Hao Yu muttered while leaning his back against the tree.
He continued, "The second possibility is having the soldiers help you. In this scenario, the soldiers should be able to find all the traps, as it's not that uncommon among mortals. Either way, I have prepared something for them."
What Hao Yu had prepared was nothing special. However, that was the exact reason why everyone was so confused.
"Huh?"
"What is happening?"
"Is it only that place?"
The soldiers glanced at each other, not finding a single trap after the previous three. They had gone deeper into the forest, but they didn't find anything weird inside.
It was as if the cultivators were so unlucky that they got hit by that kind of trap and forced the soldiers to help.
Xiao Jun soon realized what was going on.
"We were just unlucky to enter through that direction and fell into those traps. But it turned out the traps were only in that area... This way, it shows how incompetent we are..." Xiao Jun clenched his fists while muttering, "If this continues, we will surely become a joke."
The other three cultivators seemed to reach the same conclusion as him. After walking for a few minutes and not finding any traps, the soldiers began to look at them with disgusted eyes.
Of course, they didn't dare to do it openly or say it right to their faces, but they could feel their sharp gazes.
The three cultivators couldn't help but look at Xiao Jun, realizing the trouble they had brought.
Xiao Jun also glared at them. Without them forcing him to call these people to help, he wouldn't be humiliated like this.
The trio could only hang their heads low, not daring to go against Xiao Jun after this.
On the other hand, Xiao Jun shouted, "That's enough!"
His voice was so loud that all the soldiers abruptly halted and turned around, wondering what kind of action he would take this time. In their eyes, Xiao Jun looked like a kid with powerful strength. He didn't have the experience nor the ability. More importantly, he loved to throw tantrums.
If they went against him, Xiao Jun wouldn't hesitate to kill them to show his strength and status.
So, they had to be careful with their actions. One of them asked, "May we know what instruction do you have for us?"
His tone was respectful. He even cupped his hands and lowered his head, showing no sign of aggression.
Xiao Jun was fuming in anger. He said, "You are not needed anymore. Go back."
The soldiers couldn't help but furrow their eyebrows. At first, he needed them to disarm the traps and act as cannon fodder to help his group survive. Now that there was nothing in his path, he dismissed them so easily.
If the soldiers had the same strength as Xiao Jun, they would have beaten him so badly that his parents wouldn't recognize him anymore.
Unfortunately, what could they do? What could a mortal do against a cultivator? They could only comply to avoid angering them.
The first soldier asked for confirmation. "Do you not need any further assistance from us, Sir?"
"Go back!" Xiao Jun stated it once more. His tone was as if telling them that the moment he repeated it again, it would be their time to die.
Without hesitation, the soldier signaled the others to retreat. Of course, it was better this way. Since the soldiers didn't need to be with the cultivators or help them with the traps, there would be no casualties.
The soldiers rushed back to their original position outside the forest.
Meanwhile, Xiao Jun raised his voice. "See? It's because of your weakness that we're being humiliated like this."
The three cultivators couldn't say anything. The mistake they had created was nothing like a mistake. Humiliation? If a cultivator was more humble and didn't really put themselves above common people, they wouldn't feel any of it. In fact, they would treat the soldiers like their comrades-in-arms.
But this was precisely the reason why Xiao Jun was so angry.
Xiao Jun wanted to punish these three, but if he lost them, there was a chance that Li Xue would take advantage of it. So, the best he could do was preserve their number.
He said, "I'll deal with you after we return to the sect. You better do your job and capture Li Xue, or I'll be very angry."
The cultivators shivered in fear. They rushed forth as if trying to do their job to appease Xiao Jun.
…
In the center of the forest, there was a continuous panting sound.
Li Xue, who was meditating on the ground, couldn't help but notice the sound and open her eyes. Her hand was already clenching the sword, ready to fight.
But her body soon froze the moment she saw who it was.
"Hao Yu?"
"Ha... Ha... Yeah, it's me." Hao Yu waved his hand, looking very tired. He had been rushing through the forest. "I can finally reach this place."
"What's wrong with you? Are you alright?" Li Xue rushed to Hao Yu and extended her hands to help him while checking his condition.
"Yeah, I'm just tired. You don't expect a mortal to reach this place so quickly, do you? Just let me catch some breaths first." Hao Yu nodded, assuring her.
Li Xue was quite surprised that Hao Yu would be coming directly. More importantly, he brought a bow with him.
"What are you doing here?" Li Xue asked.
"I'm going to help you. They should be coming here soon. But they should be fuming in anger, and their condition won't be optimal."
"How do you know? No more like, what do you mean by helping me? How can you help me in the fight?"
"That's not important. In any case, they should be enjoying a little bit of tranquility. Unfortunately for them, that little peace is another trap I have set up to lower their guard. Soon, they will be reaching the last line of defense. I want you to remain in this place if they are reaching for you, but chase after them if they choose to retreat. Continue to meditate like earlier to provoke them."
"I understand. Are you going to stay here with me?"
"I will probably move to another spot." Hao Yu shook his head. Seeing Li Xue's disappointed face, Hao Yu made a gentle smile. "Don't worry. We will succeed. I'll definitely create a stage for you to return to the sect. I still want to hear the stories about cultivators from you."
Li Xue's heart skipped a beat. She didn't understand why her calm heart would be disturbed as this was the first time she experienced something like this.
It only happened when she was with Hao Yu. Despite being a mortal, Hao Yu looked so reliable.
Li Xue nodded docilely. "Alright. I'll follow your instruction. Will we meet again after defeating Xiao Jun and the others?"
"Yeah. I'll meet you soon."
A smile involuntarily appeared on her face as she brightly nodded, "Alright. I'll be waiting for you."