Diligence System: From Servant to Martial King-Chapter 247 - 237: Awkward Predicament, Barely Clothed
The sea of fire roared, and the scorching waves pressed hard.
Zhao Zhiyuan, Qian Jingpeng, Xi Kairen, Su Qiuyu, and Li Quan joined forces to resist the arrows, concentrating their energy. As they heard the surrounding screams rising and falling and the fire waves surging, they thought of their aggressive advance and how they seemed sure to succeed. They surrounded their target together, yet a mere youth caused them heavy casualties, making them feel extremely vexed and frustrated.
Li Quan cursed, "If you four hadn’t been so cowardly, afraid to die, and had acted swiftly with me to capture this youngster, would there be so many troubles now?"
The four remained silent, showing resentment, but the fact was undeniable. It was all due to their mutual calculations and pretense, fearing losses, that they lost this opportunity. Li Quan vented, "Su Qiuyu, you called my brother and me stupid, saying we were tricked by a mere male consort. Now that you have acted yourself, can you easily capture him?"
Su Qiuyu, embarrassed and angry, gave a furious glare but couldn’t reply. Zhao Zhiyuan cursed, "That damned little beast! All the disciples I brought have fallen into his hands!"
"He’s quite patient! He’s determined to test our patience!" Xi Kairen resentfully said, "To be restrained by such a little beast, it’s downright embarrassing!"
After the sea of flowers exploded, raging flames surged up. Thick smoke billowed, obstructing the view. The cliffs were far apart, visible only vaguely. The five concentrated on their surroundings, determined to protect their lives. They awaited the arrows to come close, then responded accordingly.
Sporadically, arrows would fly by. After half an hour of stalemate, the sky turned black, and thunder rumbled, followed by rain.
A coolness lightly brushed over them.
The scorching waves finally showed signs of ceasing. Being drenched to the skin felt extremely refreshing. Su Qiuyu calmed down, his mind somewhat at ease, and glanced at the precipice, saying, "That kid is still hanging on the cliff. The cliff is very high, and its surface is smooth. His Lightweight Skill is average, plus he’s carrying someone; he surely can’t escape. We should detour, avoiding the arrow range, and head to the mountain top to capture him!"
Zhao Zhiyuan, Li Quan... seeing that most of their accompanying disciples had perished or were injured, felt heartbroken and indignant. They were determined not to let Li Xian escape, each saying, "This murderous little beast! I want to flay him alive!"
Then they bypassed the sea of flowers and followed the mountain path. The terrain was steep and perilous. All five had excellent Lightweight Skills, their figures soaring swiftly. Fearing Li Xian might escape again, they quickened their pace.
The mountain soared high, and after a heavy rain, mist lingered. At dozens of feet high, water vapor began to gather. As the wind blew over the mountaintop, the humidity was intense.
When they reached the top, they saw the mountain peaks interspersed. It was already evening, the golden light suffusing the scene, a magnificent sight. Yet, they were in no mood to enjoy it, all peering down. Through the hazy mist, they vaguely saw two figures. Li Quan was overjoyed and said, "They really didn’t run away!"
"Quick, pull them up!"
Qian Jingpeng, holding a Soft Whip, said, "Let me do it!" He excelled at the "Eagle Sky Exploration Skill," and the higher the place, the more at ease he was. His "Ascend" ability was unmatched by the others present.
Su Qiuyu said, "Alright, we’ll back you up!" The four stood at the cliff’s edge, holding stones, darts... ready to knock down any arrows that might fly.
Qian Jingpeng leaped out, arms outstretched like an eagle. A strong wind swirled around as he fell several feet, flinging out his whip to wrap around the two. Delighted, Qian Jingpeng gave a forceful flick, tossing them to the top of the cliff and then performed Lightweight Skill to ascend.
Su Qiuyu, Li Quan, Xi Kairen, and Zhao Zhiyuan saw Li Xian and Wen Caishang flying from the cliff, landing with a "bang" on the ground. They were all excited, but amidst Su Qiuyu’s joy, doubt crept in: "Could it really be this easy? That cunning little beast seemed to have no tricks left?"
They closed in slowly. Zhao Zhiyuan, holding his Longsword, gave a light stab, piercing only air. Everyone thought, "Not good! It’s the ’Golden Cicada Sheds Its Skin’!" They rushed near and tore off the clothing.
Suddenly, a "hiss" sound erupted. Several colorful venomous snakes lunged to bite. Zhao Zhiyuan snorted, "Beasts." He grabbed a snake three inches from its head, twisting and breaking it.
With a "bang," the snake’s body suddenly exploded. Fine snake bones stuck to his face, two fangs pierced into his abdomen. Zhao Zhiyuan screamed in shock, his face covered in blood, looking extremely distressed. He stomped, shaking his body to fling away the snake bones and fangs. Though not severely harmed, he felt humiliated, trembling with anger.
"That little beast! Damn it!" Zhao Zhiyuan stabbed continuously with his sword, seething with rage. Su Qiuyu’s face turned ashen. He prided himself on being cunning, yet today, he suffered embarrassment and seemed to be mocked, feeling greatly defeated.
The five harbored resentment against Li Xian, having bested Wen Caishang. Xi Kairen cursed, "As expected, cut from the same cloth, bloody hard to deal with. And in such a dire situation, he still managed to escape!"
Li Quan, full of grievances, immediately mocked, "We were huddling for warmth in the sea of flowers, and they’ve already flown off hand in hand, free and easy under the heavens. Truly, thanks to a certain unparalleled strategist’s guidance."
Su Qiuyu, flushed with anger, had his face twitching, snorted heavily. Zhao Zhiyuan found a note in the garment’s lining, saying, "There’s a note!"
Using the Longsword to pick it up, he opened it to see. The note read: "It’s impolite not to reciprocate."
Zhao Zhiyuan felt suffocated. He knew it referred to the "Sacrifice for Righteousness" move. Wen Caishang, profound in martial philosophy, had managed to achieve something similar with just a glance.
Then it read: "No big deal."
All felt ashamed, sensing it was directed at them. Below, it further said: "Shameless."
It implied two things: the sea of flowers exploded, and the Yang Fire burned. The five’s skin was scorched and disfigured, hence "shameless"; they failed to detain Li Xian despite their siege, not even hurting him, losing face completely, thus being "shameless."
Li Quan, Su Qiuyu, Zhao Zhiyuan, Xi Kairen, and Qian Jinghao all simultaneously shouted in anger, "Impudent brat, arrogant!"
...
...
It turns out...
Li Xian had limited arrows; how could he always stalemate? He listened to Wen Caishang’s guidance, shot dozens of arrows, striking fear into the five. At this point, thick smoke rolled, and the sea of fire was vast.
Li Xian slowed down, occasionally shooting cold arrows to harass the enemy. At the same time, he pondered a strategy to escape unnoticed. The cliff was smooth, but there were rock snakes scattered around.
Li Xian caught the rock snakes and gathered them up. Then he said, "My lady, we need to take our clothes off." Wen Caishang knew that Li Xian had come up with another clever plan and said, "You want to shed the chrysalis like a golden cicada?"
Li Xian said, "Yes, the longer we can delay them, the better." Wen Caishang, with her rich experience, displayed the poise of a child of the Jianghu, yet she couldn’t hide her embarrassment. She said, "Given the current situation, you should go ahead."
Using the black smoke as cover, Li Xian reached out, loosened the waist rope, and removed the jade belt, sachet, jade pendant, and other accessories, gradually revealing the delicate, soft jade surface of her skin. In this perilous place, the scene added a tender beauty to the danger.
Wen Caishang’s heart fluttered intermittently, inexplicably thinking, "If only here..." Fortunately, amidst the chaos, Li Xian did not notice.
He wrapped the stripped clothes around the rock snakes, making the clothes appear full and hung them on the silk thread. Li Xian thought, "I don’t know how sharp their eyesight is. If they detect something amiss, it would be bad." He unleashed the Jade Palm technique, using the insights of the "Hunchback Oddity." With his hands spinning, he gathered the high-altitude mist.
The hazy cover ensured foolproof concealment! His meticulous calculations left Wen Caishang in admiration, thinking, "His intelligence and strategy surpass mine."
After accomplishing so much, Li Xian aimed for the distant river and waited for the right moment to jump.
This was the most dangerous moment. A fall from a height into the water would surely create a huge splash. If discovered, all their previous plans would be in vain. In mid-air, Li Xian used the "Light Technique" and "Seven Stars Step" to slow his descent and aimed to enter the water as lightly as possible.
He managed to go unnoticed.
Moreover, with the heavy rain pouring down, the five enemies were too afraid of hidden arrows to look elsewhere. Li Xian, naked and holding the soft, white jade-like body, quietly slipped away into the river.
Although his speed was slow, he moved silently. Su Qiuyu and the others sensed something was wrong, but it was too late; Li Xian had already escaped far away, breaking through the encirclement and fleeing back to safety.
The river water was icy cold. Li Xian only felt Wen Caishang’s warm body heat, as if he were holding "warm jade," arousing youthful passions and inevitably feeling tender and warm.
Wen Caishang felt the same. After swimming for a long time, they had traveled far. But to stay safe, Li Xian dared not surface, worried about Wen Caishang running out of air. He placed his mouth on hers and passed the Jade Water Pearl to her. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Thus, they swam underwater for half an hour, unaware of where they had reached. Li Xian kicked the water with his legs, surfaced, and saw that they were still in the wilderness. It was now nighttime, and he muttered, "Su Qiuyu is meticulous in his thinking, but not as formidable as he seems. Although not to be underestimated, I shouldn’t overestimate him either. Since I’ve escaped this far, he shouldn’t be able to figure it out." Then he crawled out of the river, lying on the ground, panting heavily.
Finally, he was alive.
After resting for a moment.
Li Xian carried Wen Caishang, advancing into the forest. As the sky darkened and snakes and insects emerged, it was challenging to find a cave, so they sought shelter under a "Fragrant Barrier Tree" to spend the night.
Wen Caishang felt quite uncomfortable. Although she had previously been intimate with Li Xian, her strength gave her a superior attitude. Now, escaping in a disheveled state, inadequately clothed, and moving through the wilderness, she couldn’t help but blush.
"I, Wen Caishang, have fallen several times; losing my power is one thing, but now... I’ve even lost my clothes. If Li Xian suddenly wants something, how could I resist?"
Her thoughts were chaotic, yet she felt comforted by Li Xian’s broad back. Her body was afflicted by the "Qi-Eating Gu," and when her inner qi was depleted, she felt cold, desolate, and without a place for refuge. These few days, the situation had been unpredictable, but she felt a sense of dependency amidst the harsh coldness and danger, growing softer.
The Fragrant Barrier Tree was over four meters tall.
The tree’s sap had a unique fragrance that repelled mosquitoes, mice, and ants. Li Xian had known this since childhood and slashed the trunk repeatedly with his sword, causing sap to flow. He collected the sap with the Sinking River Sword and then ignited it with the Yang Sword Aura.
The unusual fragrance spread, driving away the mosquitoes and insects.
Sitting on the ground, reflecting on the dangers of the day, he couldn’t help but let out a long sigh and said, "There’s always a way out."
Wen Caishang shyly said, "Could you... take out some clothes for me and help me put them on?"
Li Xian chuckled, "Sure!" He rummaged through the backpack, searching for a while, then exclaimed in shock, "Ah! My lady, you have no clothes left."
Wen Caishang’s face turned red, both anxious and embarrassed. She said, "How can this be? I... have no clothes; what does this make me?"
Li Xian found it amusing that the esteemed Lady Zhe Jian was worried over such a trivial matter. Suddenly, he thought, "No matter how powerful a martial artist is, they’re still human. Human nature can’t escape the ordinary."
Li Xian said, "Then, my lady, wait here while I go steal a set for you?" Meanwhile, he dressed himself neatly.
Wen Caishang replied, "I suppose that’s the only option." Li Xian said, "Then wait here, my lady. I’m not sure if there are any villages nearby. I’ll need some time to look around."
Wen Caishang said, "Wait... are you leaving me here?" Li Xian said, "Naturally."
Wen Caishang urgently said, "Li Xian, no... I can’t move. Leaving me outdoors, what kind of propriety is that?"
Li Xian laughed, "Then should I carry you with me?"
Wen Caishang thought it over and realized it wasn’t appropriate. What if someone saw them? Even if no one did, the thought made her unhappy. If she could move, she would have gouged out the eyes of any nearby men. But now, she couldn’t instruct Li Xian, fearing he wouldn’t help her gouge them.
She found herself in a very awkward situation, feeling quite embarrassed.
