Overbearing and arrogant!

  Twenty or so people emerged from the grass, jumping down from the trees. Each of them had an extraordinary aura, especially eight white-clad men and one black-clad man. These nine people had cold and stern faces, with a strong killing intent surrounding their bodies, as if they were seasoned warriors who had been through many battles, or powerful figures in high positions, exuding an aura that was impossible to ignore. Despite being young, the nine of them had a steady and calm demeanor, and all of them were foundation-building cultivators. The black-clad man with blood-red eyes was particularly striking, his gaze cold and bloodthirsty, making one's heart skip a beat at first glance.

  There were also twelve men in black, robust and sturdy, with a calm atmosphere. They gave people the feeling of being mercenaries, but they felt different from ordinary mercenaries. Their strength was unfathomable, making it impossible to know their cultivation level. The five or six-year-old child followed them out with empty eyes, standing quietly beside them. What surprised him was that this five or six-year-old child's body was surrounded by the aura of demonic cultivation.

  Even if he was a seasoned person, he couldn't help but be stunned by the team in front of him. The nine men were obviously not ordinary people at first glance, and the twelve black-clad men had a calm and steady aura, which was not that of ordinary mercenaries. Adding to this was a child with a magical aura and two stunningly beautiful women, these people would cause a strong visual and mental shock wherever they went.

  And yet, these people seem to all take Tang Xin as their leader. At first, he thought that not competing with her for the three white-striped tigers was him being generous, but now looking at the people behind her, he realizes that even if they were to use force to snatch them, it's unlikely they would be a match for these people. Thinking of this, he can't help but shake his head and smile: "Tang Xin, you really are calm and composed, with so many capable people hiding behind you. I thought there were only the two of you women alone in this spiritual beast forest." As he speaks, his voice pauses, and his gaze falls on the crowd of people behind Tang Xin again: "Are they all your subordinates? Their cultivation is incredibly strong, their hidden abilities are so high-level that even we couldn't detect them. Truly exceptional."

  Tang Xin smiled and looked at the crowd behind him, saying: "They say they are my subordinates, but they are also my partners, my family."

  Everyone who heard her words saw a hint of warmth in their eyes, and a softness in their hearts. They naturally knew that she didn't just regard them as subordinates, but if it were merely a subordinate relationship, she wouldn't worry about their safety, nor would she strictly train them to be prepared for future challenges, or pour her heart and soul into teaching them and nurturing them. In their hearts, she was both the master they most respected and the family member they most cherished and wanted to protect.

  He was taken aback that she would say something like that, Lu Zhen paused for a moment before smiling: "I don't even know what to call you?" In fact, he was very curious, what kind of ability did Tang Xin have? To actually make these excellent men become her subordinates? And each and every one of them looked at her with such reverence?

  At the words, her eyes flashed, and she looked at Ba Cai and Mo, smiling: "This is Jiu Cai, some people call them Sha Shen, namely Tian Cai, Di Cai, Bai Cai, Hei Cai, Feng Cai, Lei Cai, Xue Cai and Leng Cai. And this one is Mo Ran, Yu Cai!" Her voice paused, looking at the Twelve Dragon Riders: "They are my Twelve Dragon Riders, also from mercenary origins. This is Xia Xue, that little thing can be ignored."

  Although I've never heard of their reputation, the name and the aura on them are quite a match, the name of the evil god is well-deserved!

  He adjusted his spirit and smiled: "Since we can meet in this forest, it's also a kind of fate. If you're here to practice, why not join us? This way, the forest will have someone to take care of each other."

  "Alright." She smiled and nodded, saying to the mother tiger: "Take your cub and leave!"

  The mother tiger gave Tang Xin a complex look, stood up, moved her body, and the wounds on her body had stopped bleeding. She let out a low growl, indicating that the two little cubs should leave, but one of them was biting onto Xia Xue's skirt, looking at her white skirt as if it resembled its fur, playing happily.

  Xia Xue's eyes softened as she squatted down to pet the little tiger cub: "Go! Follow your mother home." The little tiger cub licked her hand before bounding away, occasionally turning back to look at them until it disappeared into the depths of the forest.

  Lu Zhen didn't say anything, as if he had expected this to happen. He turned to the crowd behind him and said calmly, "It's getting late, let's rest here for now. Some of you go gather some branches and come back to start a fire. Bring out the fruits we picked in the forest and share them with everyone."

  "Yes!" The neat mercenary corps responded in unison, quickly dividing the work. Some went to find branches, some processed the weeds around them, and others lit a fire. Before long, everything was ready. One of the mercenaries took out the fruit they had picked and also took out a plate from the Qiankun bag. Everyone sat on the ground, looking at their leader.

  They quickly handled it, and Tang Xin said to the Twelve Dragon Riders: "Let's roast that iron bull beast and share it with everyone!"

  Lu Zhen paused for a moment, then asked: "Tang Xin, since you are all cultivators, don't you have any taboos? Generally, when entering the foundation-building period, cultivators eat less of the five grains and worldly things, which will make it easier to enter the golden elixir period later on."

  "Are you guys used to eating those Valley Pills as meals? We still can't get used to it. One of the reasons for cultivating immortality is to have an endless lifespan, but if we can't even enjoy these mortal delicacies, wouldn't life be dull?" She said with a smile, seeing that the mercenaries were all looking at her strangely, she raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Are you guys always eating those Valley Pills? That thing has a filling effect, but it's completely tasteless, eating it is like taking medicine. Unless we really have no food, we wouldn't eat that."

  When she said that, those mercenaries and Lu Zhen's mouth corners twitched. The secluded valley pills were something only cultivators would have, and they were cheap in value, but when she said it, how could that thing be given to her for free? No matter what, the secluded valley pills were beneficial to cultivators, while the five grains were just a momentary taste, which couldn't compare to the secluded valley pills.

  Seeing them all silent with strange expressions, Tang Xin smiled and said to the 12 Dragon Riders: "Speed up, roast the meat and share it with everyone." She then turned to Lu Zhen and said: "Commander Lu, I'm going to help that little devil with his acupuncture, you guys do as you please."

  Lu Zhen nodded, watching as she got up and took the child to sit down by the fire pit. She sealed off the acupoints on the child's body, then pulled out a silver needle and inserted it into his body. With her spiritual energy assisting, she forced out the demonic Qi from the child's body. About half an hour later, a wisp of pale black smoke rose from the top of the child's head, drifting lazily upwards. Lu Zhen had never seen such a strange treatment method before, and he couldn't help but look at her with increased interest.

  Isn't she a doctor?

  Time slipped away, the sky gradually darkened, and the smell of barbecue wafted through the forest. At this moment, Tang Xin also retracted her aura, put away the silver needle, and looked at Tuoba Yi, who had broken out in a cold sweat, with a flicker of light in his eyes.

  He was practicing demonic cultivation, fortunately he was still young and had not been cultivating for long, otherwise she might have no power to pull him back from the demonic path. With a few more needles to force out the breath in his body, he could start anew and return to the righteous path.

  "Miss, the meat is done, try some." Xia Yu cut a piece of meat and threaded it onto a clean tree branch, handing it to her, and then handed a string to Tuo Ba Yi.

  Tang Xin took the dish and smelled it, then sat down beside her: "Your craftsmanship has always been the best, no need to taste to know it's fragrant, come on, don't be polite, eat!" As she spoke, seeing Lu Zhen and his mercenaries only cutting a small piece to eat, she raised an eyebrow: "Can't you usually eat these at home? Mercenaries shouldn't be so particular either, right?"

  "Haha......" Lu Zhen chuckled softly: "That's true, come on, everyone, let's eat with abandon!"

  Ba Xiao and Mo, as well as the Twelve Dragon Riders, didn't bother with such trivialities. All along, they had been following Tang Xin's lead, eating whatever was available. As for cultivation, they thought that food had nothing to do with it, and they also strongly agreed with what Tang Xin said.

  Eating meat without wine, how can it be fun? Especially for Tang Xin, who is extremely fond of good wine, she took out a wine gourd from her space and smiled to ask: "Commander Lu, would you like to have a cup?"

  "Tang Xin, in this forest it's best if you don't drink wine. After drinking, your senses won't be clear and your vigilance will be low. Generally speaking, no one who enters such a dangerous place would have the leisure to drink wine."

  She smiled and said, "It's okay, I can hold my liquor pretty well. And even if I get drunk, they'll take care of me." As she spoke, she took out a crystal cup, poured herself a glass, sniffed it lightly, then took a small sip, and tore off a piece of meat to eat.

  In such a dangerous place, ordinary people would indeed not dare to drink alcohol, because if they got drunk, it would be like playing with their lives. But this kind of thing wouldn't happen to her, she drank in moderation and wouldn't exceed three cups, and there were also Xiaoxue and Mo around, so even if she really did get drunk, it would be fine.

  She really drank by herself, Lu Zhen shook his head and said to his mercenary group: "Assign ten people to guard around, stay vigilant at all times!"

  "Yes!" The ten mercenaries responded in unison, standing up and dispersing to the ten locations around them, paying attention to the movements around.

  "Director Lu, no need to be so tense. As the saying goes, 'when the enemy comes, the general will resist; when the water comes, the earth will cover it.' What's meant to come will still come." Tang Xin smiled lightly, her bright eyes half-closed, and her absolutely beautiful face showed a few hints of laziness and leisure, forming a stark contrast with their tense appearance at that moment.

  But after listening to her words and seeing her carefree and leisurely expression, Lu Zhen and his mercenary group were stunned. At first glance, she was as beautiful as a celestial being from heaven, with an ethereal and refined temperament that stood out from the dust, exuding a sense of sanctity and nobility. She seemed unapproachable, yet after a conversation, her words and actions were straightforward and casual, with a carefree and uninhibited air that even men did not possess. At this moment, she was leaning against a large tree behind her, holding a wine gourd in one hand and roasting meat in the other, with an expression that exuded laziness and leisure, yet also emitted a lazy beauty that made people's hearts flutter uncontrollably.

  The next moment, the mercenary who was aware of his loss of composure quickly came to himself and averted his gaze, adjusting his mental state. Fortunately, they had undergone rigorous training, otherwise it would have been too embarrassing...

  Watching the demeanor of those mercenaries, Tang Xinyi secretly praised Lu Zhen's mercenary training for being good, not only in terms of strength or formation, but also in willpower.

  "Roar!"

  Suddenly, a loud roar came from the forest. Hearing that sound, Tang Xin's eyes narrowed and she put down her wine gourd and stood up. Lu Zhen looked at her in confusion: "What's wrong? The spirit beast's voice is still some distance away, it shouldn't be a problem." He thought she was worried that a spirit beast would suddenly rush over, so she stood up vigilantly.

  Tang Xin looked towards the darkening forest, listening to that roar, shook her head and said: "That voice is the mother tiger's." She had only heard it in the afternoon, she wouldn't be mistaken, now this low growl was filled with anger and fear, could it be that it had encountered danger again? Actually, if it were any other time, she wouldn't have gone to rescue the mother tiger, but the mother tiger still had two small cubs, and that great maternal love, just like humans, made her unable to ignore it.

  "Go! Take a look." As soon as her voice fell, before Lu Zhen and the others could react, she pulled Tuo Ba Yi along in the direction of the sound. The twelve Dragon Riders and Ba Xie followed closely behind, while Lu Zhen and the others couldn't help but show a face full of astonishment, again for the sake of that mother tiger and two cubs?

  "Leader, shall we follow and take a look?" a mercenary asked, stepping forward.

  Lu Town glanced at their distant figures and immediately shouted: "Go!" The next moment, he also led the crowd to chase after them.

  Under the night sky, in the dense forest, branches stretched out in disorder, vines entwined around branches and weeds. As Tang Xin approached closer, she made a gesture, and the people behind her all slowed down their movements and hid first, while she jumped onto a nearby lush big tree to look at the scene in front of her.

  It was a family outing, with old and young, about a hundred people, mostly middle-aged men, a few teenagers to twenty-year-old young men and women, and two sixty-year-olds. She had never seen such an old-young family before. Was it because the spiritual beast forest was extremely dangerous that they didn't dare bring so many people? Or was there another reason?

  At this time, those people were surrounded by about thirty middle-aged men and several young men and women around the mother tiger and two tiger cubs. It seemed that during the fighting process, one of the tiger cubs was injured by them, with fresh blood flowing from its hind legs, but still standing upright with its fur standing on end, staring fiercely at those humans who were eyeing them covetously. The old wounds on the mother tiger's body reopened due to the fight, and fresh blood seeped out again. In addition, several cuts were made on her body by those people, causing excessive bleeding, making her breathing weak and panting continuously. It was clear that she had no strength to fight back. If not treated in time, it is feared that she would also die from excessive blood loss.

  "Dad, after you killed that tigress, can I have those two little cubs as pets?" A lovely young girl said, clinging to a middle-aged man's arm, her bright eyes staring at the two adorable cubs, with an excited look in her eyes, as if she had just discovered new toys.

  "Alright, when we catch them, I'll give you one." The middle-aged man said indulgently and instructed: "It's getting dark, hurry up."

  "Father, kill that tigress and take its skin off. The white tiger skin would be a perfect gift for grandfather, don't you think?" The girl asked with a bright smile on her face, but the words she spoke were extremely cruel.

  However, the middle-aged man smiled with a smile: "Hehe, it's really worthy of your grandfather's favorite, so much like your grandfather's heart, he must be very happy to know, well, let's follow your words, and peel off the mother tiger's skin intact."

  Some people behind them looked at them as if it was normal, and such things had become ordinary. With a command from the middle-aged man, more than 30 middle-aged men simultaneously took action, their sharp blades simultaneously attacking the exhausted mother tiger who was panting heavily. Just as one of the men's swords was about to pierce the mother tiger's neck, Tang Xin's eyes narrowed, and a silver needle flew out silently.

  "Psst! Ah!"

  The man let out a painful cry, the sword in his hand slipping from his grasp and falling to the ground. His body swayed forward uncontrollably, just as the mother tiger crashed into him, sending him flying. This sudden scene caused everyone to pause, stopping their movements and retreating cautiously to the side, looking around warily.

  "Who's there? Come out!"

  The surroundings were quiet, with only the rustling of leaves and weeds in the wind, and the chirping of birds and insects. No one was seen coming out of the dense forest, nor did I feel any human presence hiding around me.

  Tang Xin looked at the white-striped tiger, a divine beast with a spiritual rank. Normally, releasing its divine pressure would be enough to intimidate those people. However, this tigress's aura seemed weak from the start. She estimated that it had probably been attacked by another spiritual creature or humans shortly after giving birth to her two cubs, which made her so weak. Otherwise, not only could she not fight, but even the pressure of a divine beast would be something that foundation-building cultivators below a certain level would fear. Moreover, some newly-promoted foundation-building cultivators who had not yet adjusted would also find their breathing and spiritual energy hindered when facing a divine beast's pressure, reducing their combat effectiveness by half.

  At this time, a majestic divine beast was forced to become like this. She sat on the lush branches, looking at the scene below, and her heart couldn't help but let out a soft sigh. If the mother tiger had abandoned her two cubs and left to escape, she might have been able to get away, but instead, she chose to stay for the sake of her cubs, willing to fight to the death for her children, even if it meant sacrificing herself as a divine beast. This kind of maternal love was also instinctual and selfless.

  The next moment, she floated down from the tree, wearing a green dress and white skirt, her figure fluttering, and as soon as she landed on the ground, she attracted the amazed gaze of the crowd. However, she didn't look at them, but instead cast her clear eyes on the injured mother tiger and two tiger cubs, sighed and said to the mother tiger: "How did you get hurt again? Didn't I tell you to go home? Xiaoxue, come and help Xiaohu tie up its wound, it's also injured."

  "She's here." A white-clad, slender figure slowly emerged, and before everyone could recover from the stunning beauty of the woman in green, another beautiful woman in a white dress appeared. The faces of both women were rarely seen beauties, and seeing such beauties at the same time left them momentarily stunned, staring blankly.

  The two old men in their sixties coughed and glanced at the crowd, while the middle-aged man who was the head of the family also came to his senses, cautiously sizing up the two women. It's only natural to be cautious when encountering such stunning beauties in the Spirit Beast Forest.

  The lovely girl who had been staring at their stunning faces earlier, with a twinge of jealousy, shouted in a soft and delicate voice: "Who are you two!"

  "Rong'er." The middle-aged man held up a hand, signaling her to retreat and not act rashly. This was the Spirit Beast Forest, an extremely perilous place where even high-ranking cultivators at the fifth stage of foundation building didn't dare enter with just a few people. Yet these two women appeared here, making one wonder what their background was or if there were others backing them up.

  They saw the two of them bandaging the injured mother tiger and her cub as if they were nobody, but the mother tiger did not resist, and could even be said to trust them. The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes, took a step forward, and said: "Two girls, what should I call you?"

  However, the response they got was just air. Tang Xin and Xia Xue didn't even lift their heads, completely ignoring her. The middle-aged man's face sank, his eyes hinting at a storm brewing, as he was blatantly disregarded by the two women in front of everyone.

  But the eyes of several young men in the team were fixed on Xia Xue, who was following Tang Xin. They had seen beautiful women before, but not as beautiful and stunning as her. The extraordinary aura around them made people feel like celestial beings from outside the world. With just a frown or a smile, they naturally exuded an enchanting charm that really moved people's hearts.

  "Surround them!"

  A middle-aged man let out a low shout, and the crowd behind him immediately surrounded Tang Xin and Xia Xue, their hands resting on the hilts of their swords, their bodies radiating a fierce aura, ready to draw their blades at any moment. The air pressure in the atmosphere seemed to drop instantly, weighing heavily on everyone present.

  "Little guy, it hurts, doesn't it?" Xia Xue gently stroked the little tiger's head after bandaging it, and the little tiger seemed to be very happy when it saw her. After being bandaged, it kept licking her fingers and rubbing against her hand, while its other paw stepped on Xia Xue's white skirt, leaving muddy paw prints on it with its dirty paws, making Xia Xue laugh heartily.

  Mischievous.

  She smiled and tapped the little tiger's head, revealing a delicate smile like a flower. Her eyes shone with soft charm, and her hair was blown back by a gentle breeze, releasing a beauty that left all the men stunned. The crowd of men swallowed hard, their hearts racing with excitement, unaware that half of the spiritual energy they had prepared for battle had dissipated.

  After Tang Xin finished bandaging her mother's wounds, she finally raised her eyes to scan the people in front of her. Her clear gaze swept over them, and she saw that except for two elderly men who were peak Foundation Establishment cultivators, the middle-aged man was a high-ranking Foundation Establishment cultivator at the fifth stage. The rest were mostly newly entered Foundation Establishment cultivators, and some young men and women were only in the Qi Refining stage. Having roughly understood their strengths, Tang Xin wondered how much weaker this group of people would be compared to her own if they were to fight. Without a doubt, they would win, but it wouldn't be an easy victory.

  "Do you know what a contracted spirit beast is? Or are you planning to rob us openly?" Her clear eyes swept over the crowd, falling on that delicate-looking girl: "These two tiger cubs are ours, you're too late."

  "Father, look at her!" The girl glared at her with anger in her eyes and then looked at the two adorable little tigers again. She pulled on her father's sleeve: "Father, those little tigers obviously don't have a contract, you must help me get them back, don't let them be snatched away!"

  Tang Xin smiled lightly and glanced at her: "You're not young anymore, are you? Why do you only know how to call for your father when something happens? Even a three-year-old wouldn't behave like you."

  "You!"

  "Rong'er, step down." The middle-aged man said in a deep voice, hinting that she should not get angry, and stepped forward, his eyes filled with pressure as he looked at Tang Xin: "You say this tiger is yours, what evidence do you have? Moreover, this tiger was clearly our first target, and they are all forest tigers without contracts, where does the ownership come from?"

  "Isn't the truth right in front of you?" She gently stroked the mother tiger's head, while the mother tiger stood tamely by her side, and at a glance, it really did seem like her contracted beast.

  "A clever and resourceful woman, just relying on you two, even if this White-striped Tiger is really yours, what can you do about it?" One of the old men snorted coldly, with a face full of disdain: "In the world of the strong, only the strong have the right to speak. Even if they rob by force, the strong are in the right, and the weak can only be bullied! This is the eternal truth!"

  Upon hearing this, Tang Xin burst out laughing: "Oh? So if we win against you, that means everything on your bodies can be taken as our own?" Her eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief, but those people had no idea what she was thinking.

  "You think you can? You must have the ability to do so!" The old man said in a low voice, glancing at her and Xia Xue, then turned to the middle-aged man: "Isn't there still someone missing to take care of Hong Ran's side? These two women are born with good looks, capture them and waste their cultivation to let them serve Hong Ran, it's just right."

  "What a great idea, Old Master! My brother has always lacked someone reliable to serve him!" The lovely young girl immediately clapped her hands in approval, raising her chin and looking at Tang Xin with a provocative gaze.

  "You're a ruthless old man, aren't you? As soon as you open your mouth, it's about crippling someone's cultivation. It seems that your own cultivation came easily to you. In that case, I'll help you cripple yourself and start over from scratch, how does that sound?"

  Her careless words carried an air of authority that couldn't be ignored. As the middle-aged man listened to her arrogant tone, he furrowed his brow involuntarily and released his spiritual sense to probe her cultivation. However, he couldn't detect anything. A hint of deep thought flashed across his eyes. Perhaps these two were hiding their true abilities, but was that possible? At this age, how strong could they be?

  "You arrogant and insolent little rascal, I won't be able to quell the anger in my heart if I don't teach you a lesson today!" The old man bellowed, his spiritual energy surging out of his body. In an instant, his figure flashed out, and at the same time, a cold light flickered in his hand as he grasped a short knife. The sharp blade was still clearly visible despite the darkening sky, and with a hint of murderous intent, the knife slashed towards Tang Xin. At the same time, Tang Xin's agile figure also darted out like a ghost.

  The figure in blue darted forward with an eerie gait, dodging the old man's attack while swiftly turning around, and with a mysterious hand movement, seized the short knife from the old man's hand in one move: "Not bad knife, it's still a treasure! But how come this thing can't unleash its potential in your hands? Or maybe it should change owners." She smiled mischievously, playing with the sharp short knife she had snatched from the old man.

  "You, you..."

  In one move, the old man's weapon was snatched away from his hands. He was shocked and looked at his empty hands again, then at her short knife and her carefree expression. For a moment, he was so startled that cold sweat broke out on his back, and he couldn't say a word.

  Incredible! Too incredible! What kind of technique did she use? She actually managed to snatch the dagger from his hand...

  It wasn't just the old man who was shocked, but also the crowd that thought the woman's cultivation would be destroyed by the old man. They were all staring at the scene in front of them with their eyes wide open. That was the Second Elder, a famous fast knife user, but now his knife had been snatched away by the woman in green clothes in just one move. This...this was too bizarre!

  Another elderly man saw this scene and fell into deep thought, his gaze at Tang Xin also had a hint of inquiry and solemnity. Seeing her playing with the short knife in one hand, the next moment, a green figure flashed out, and the short knife flying in her hand emitted a cold light, attacking the two elders. The blade had a murderous intent and was extremely sharp, instantly making him greatly shocked, and he hastily shouted: "Miss, spare your mercy!"

  "Hiss!"

  The icy and sharp blade was now placed on the neck of the two elders, and with just a slight press downwards, the sharp blade would cut through his carotid artery. At that time, even the most skilled doctor in the world wouldn't be able to save him...

  The two elderly men stiffened their bodies, not daring to move a single inch, fearing that any movement would cost them their lives. The onlookers, including the middle-aged man, gasped in unison as they witnessed the defeat of the renowned fast knife-wielding Second Elder at the hands of a young woman. It was a crushing defeat... Who was this woman? How did she possess such an eerie and ghostly technique? If not for the Fourth Elder's intervention, the Second Elder would likely have fallen to his own blade by now. The thought sent a shiver down their spines as they realized that a family elder was no ordinary person; if he were to fall, even the family head would be held accountable upon his return.

  "Miss, please spare our lives..." The middle-aged man hastily spoke up, heaven knows how shocked he was in his heart? Without bothering to save face, he hurriedly stepped forward to apologize: "It was our fault earlier, please don't mind it, Miss. I, Guo, apologize to the two of you here and beg of you to spare the lives of these two old men."

  Cold sweat, dripping from his forehead, trickling down his cheeks. The two elders, stiff and motionless with fear, now looked like a pair of scrawny grandsons, where was the haughty air they had just now? For cultivators on the verge of entering the Golden Dan period, life was extremely precious. At this moment, he was terrified that the knife resting on his neck would move at any time and lightly slash his throat.

  Digression

  Dear everyone, don't wait for updates at night, I probably won't be able to update at night recently. Go to bed early and sleep beautifully, get up in the morning to see it. I will try my best to code, let's see when I can give you a second update, hehe~