Chapter 34: The Mysterious Person

  The wildman's head rolled to the ground, tumbling across the uneven grass for several feet before finally coming to rest next to a jagged stone. His eyes were wide open, staring vacantly into the air, unable to close even in death. Blood gushed from his severed neck, flowing like a stream and staining the surrounding dirt and grass a horrifying crimson.

  Sanbao sheathed the Candle Dragon Sword, taking a step back and leaning against a tree, gasping for breath. The battle just now had nearly drained all her spiritual energy. The tension she had maintained during the fight with the wildman slowly released as she finally rexed.

  "Finally... it's over," Sanbao murmured, her voice hoarse with exhaustion. She forced herself to stand, took a step toward the wildman's body, intending to retrieve the severed head.

  Suddenly, an inexplicable sense of unease gripped her heart, lingering like an inescapable shadow. Sanbao instinctively scanned her surroundings, doing her best to calm herself. She knew she was extremely weak at the moment, and if there was another ambush, she would have little chance to defend herself.

  "I can't dey any longer, I need to take the head back..." Sanbao gritted her teeth and moved toward the wildman's body, crouching slowly to pick up his head.

  Just then, two golden chains suddenly flew from behind her, wrapping around her body in an instant, binding her tightly!

  Sanbao was shocked. She quickly channeled her remaining spiritual energy in an attempt to break free, but her energy had already been almost exhausted. The golden chains glowed with intricate runes, and a pressure surged from them, sealing off all her remaining power. She could sense a familiar presence behind her.

  Trying to turn around to see who it was, a sharp pain suddenly shot through her neck. Her vision went bck, and her consciousness was instantly pulled from her body.

  Tang Mingli sighed softly, stepping forward to catch Sanbao as she colpsed, gently pcing her on the ground with a tender and careful movement, as if afraid to disturb a sleeping person.

  He stared down at the unconscious Sanbao, a complicated emotion flickering in his eyes. He walked forward, picked up the wildman's head, and pced it into a bag.

  He raised his hand and cast a small defensive array around Sanbao. The edges of the array glowed faintly with a bluish light.

  "This is a defensive barrier. It will protect you for four hours, ensuring your safety until you wake up," Tang Mingli said with a tone of apology. "I'm sorry, Sanbao. The Four-Rank Huanglong Pill from this reward is crucial to my future, so I had no choice but to do this." He paused for a moment, looking at Sanbao with an expression that seemed torn with guilt.

  After a brief pause, Tang Mingli leapt into the air, disappearing into the forest with a few quick movements. The rustling of leaves surrounded the area, as if no one had ever been there.

  Several days ter, a series of shocking news spread throughout Pingjiang City.

  One report cimed that a mysterious cultivator had brought the wildman’s head to the Yin Family Merchant Association and received the Four-Rank Huanglong Pill and a rge sum of wealth as a reward. After receiving the reward, the mysterious cultivator quickly left Pingjiang City, and no one was able to trace his whereabouts. Multiple forces that had been waiting outside Pingjiang City to seize the Huanglong Pill failed to track him down and returned empty-handed.

  Another report was even more sensational. A previously undiscovered forest had suddenly appeared on Chongming Isnd. Upon entering, many bodies were found—mostly the bodies of the ability users and martial artists who had previously gone to the isnd to hunt wildmen. Numerous cultivation sects and families rushed there and found their missing disciples.

  Among these bodies was a beautiful woman who had not died but was unconscious—none other than Sanbao.

  When the news reached Wang Suifeng of the Hai City Wang family, the eldest son of the Medicine King Valley, he immediately rushed to the site. Upon seeing the woman, he picked her up right away, checking her pulse and spiritual energy fluctuations. After confirming that she was merely unconscious and in no danger of dying, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

  Wang Suifeng carried her back to the Medicine King Valley. Shortly thereafter, news spread that the woman was a genius from the Xu family of Moling, already promised in marriage to the Hai City Wang family. The two were soon to be wed.

  The news from Chongming Isnd quickly shook all of Pingjiang City and soon spread throughout the entire Rudy Kingdom and even the Eastern Continent. However, what garnered even more attention was the news of Hai City Wang family’s eldest son, Wang Suifeng, preparing for his wedding.

  Inside a carriage, Sanbao slowly opened her eyes. Her head still felt a little fuzzy. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, and gradually regained full consciousness. She heard Wang Suifeng’s deep, concerned voice.

  "Awake?"

  Sanbao froze for a moment, then quickly sat up, realizing she was no longer in the forest. She was about to speak when Wang Suifeng gently pushed her back down onto the soft cushion.

  "Don’t rush. Your spiritual energy is exhausted, and you were attacked in the back of your neck. You’ve been unconscious for three hours. We’re on our way to Medicine King Valley now."

  Wang Suifeng then told her everything that had happened.

  After hearing the story, Sanbao’s face instantly darkened, and her anger fred. She clenched her fists, her knuckles cracking. She could barely hold back her rage. She wanted to find the mysterious person who had ambushed her and stolen the reward that rightfully belonged to her, and break his bones.

  Wang Suifeng couldn’t help but ugh at her expression, gently pressing his hand on her shoulder.

  "Stop it. You’ve just woken up, and you’re still weak. As for the person who ambushed you, I’ve already sent people to investigate. He won’t escape."

  Sanbao’s fury had not subsided. "Whoever he is, once your people find out who it is, make sure I get to catch him myself. When I get my hands on him, I’ll make sure he wishes he was never born!"

  Wang Suifeng sighed gently. He knew Sanbao’s personality—stubborn and unwilling to back down, even when injured. He could only persuade her softly, "When we find him, I’ll let you know so you can catch him yourself. Don’t let your anger hurt your body."

  Sanbao huffed, turning her head away, refusing to speak further.

  Wang Suifeng sighed again, his gaze deep, his expression tinged with worry.

  Meanwhile, in the royal capital, Tang Mingli knelt before an ancestral hall and took a bck short sword from the hands of an elder.

  "This is the treasured heirloom of our Tang family, the symbol of our family. By taking this short sword, you will become the 33rd family head of the Tang family," the elder said.

  Tang Mingli held the short sword above his head, stood up, and turned to leave the ancestral hall. A cheer erupted from the crowd of people kneeling outside the hall.