Chapter 182: A Volatile Situation (2)

Mascot gave its all and finished off the Snow Mountain Bears around them as the two of them talked. However, Shen Jingbin called it back just as it was about to prance further out to continue its hunt.

“How strange, why aren’t Pure Crane and Morning Glory Chime back yet?” Shen Jingbin asked quizzically after she recalled Mascot.

They two of them continued waiting there for a while longer. Even if Pure Crane was lugging Morning Glory Chime around, they shouldn’t be taking so long just to pick some herbs.

“They can’t have gone in already, right?”

Quiet And Steadfast shook his head. “They couldn’t have. We agreed to meet at the entrance.”

“Could they have met with trouble then?”

“Maybe.”

At that moment, a row of words suddenly popped up in the party channel.

[Party] Morning Glory Chime: SOS SOS SOS!

[Party] Nutjob: What’s wrong?

[Party] Morning Glory Chime: We’re surrounded! SOS!

[Party] Quiet And Steadfast: Surrounded? By who?

[Party] Pure Crane: We’re not sure. They’re players from the Shinra Sect. There’s three following me, and they’re probably coming after me for contribution points.

Few people knew of Pure Crane’s identity as the Lead Disciple of Swordmaster Pavilion. He was, however, one of the top players on the leaderboards. In general, PKing an expert of his level should yield a pretty good amount of contribution points.

[Party] Quiet And Steadfast: Where are they?

[Party] Pure Crane: They’re halfway up the mountain. Somewhere around 440 East, 1256 North. I’m hiding from them with Morning Glory Chime.

Pure Crane might have been able to take them head on if he were alone. However, with the baggage he was dragging around, he had no choice but to hide.

[Party] Quiet And Steadfast: You guys be careful, we’re on our way.

[Party] Pure Crane: Okay.

Shen Jingbin and Quiet And Steadfast exchanged a glance before they immediately climbed onto their mounts and rushed off in the direction that had Pure Crane mentioned.

Upon arriving at the bush that Pure Crane was hiding in, Shen Jingbin and Quiet And Steadfast hopped off their mounts and took shelter with them.

“Did you guys see anything on the way here?” Pure Crane asked.

Shen Jingbin shook her head. “I took a rough survey of the area, but I didn’t spot any tracks.”

Morning Glory Chime gripped Quiet And Steadfast’s sleeve, happy with how close they were to one another. She then looked towards Pure Crane and said, “Brother Pure Crane, maybe we managed to throw them off!”

Quiet And Steadfast immediately extricated his sleeve from her grasp, causing Morning Glory Chime’s nose to quietly wrinkle in dissatisfaction.

Pure Crane frowned. “I’m not sure. They’ve been biting at our heels the whole time, so I doubt we managed to throw them off so easily. My guess is that they’ve hidden and are waiting for us walk right into their trap...”

“Quiet And Steadfast and I didn’t hide ourselves when we arrived; we pretty much sauntered right in. Maybe they felt they couldn’t win against Quiet And Steadfast after seeing him and decided to leave?” Shen Jingbin said.

“Regardless, we can’t keep on hiding here forever. Did you guys manage to find the Angelica Ginger?” Quiet And Steadfast said.

Pure Crane shook his head, revealing a look of embarrassment. “This was why we didn’t immediately go down the mountain to look for you guys. They stole the Angelica Ginger from us... They popped up out of nowhere when we were about to pick the Angelica Ginger just now. Two of them fought against Morning Glory Chime and me, while the remaining one took the Angelica Ginger and placed it in their inventory.”

Quiet And Steadfast’s eyes narrowed when he heard that. Following that, chilling words came forth from his black veil, “In that case, let’s lure them out; but I’m not so sure about who’s going to be the hunter, and the hunted this time around,” He paused for a moment, before he turned to Shen Jingbin to continue, “Remember to summon Mascot. Since its a Divine Beast, it’ll probably do more damage against players from the Shinra Sect.”

Shen Jingbin nodded.

“Okay, now listen up. Shortly after this, we’ll split into two groups when we scatter from the bush. Pure Crane, you and the Nymph take note: getting the two of you is definitely their top priority, so you have to be especially cautious of any activity within your surroundings. Travel a little slower when you move about. Little Jing and I will make a roundabout, so you guys have to hold on till we return.”

“Brother Quiet, my name isn’t Nymph! I’m Morning Glory Chime! And why can’t you let Sister Nutty and I be the bait instead? They’ll definitely attack the two of us since we’re so weak, so wouldn’t things work out even better that way?”

Quiet And Steadfast eyed her indifferently. “If the two of you went out, anyone with a brain would be able to tell that it’s a trap. In fact, they might even attack us instead. When the time comes, Pure Crane and I wouldn’t be able to help you guys even if we wanted to.”

Morning Glory Chime shrunk back without another word of dissent and played the part of a mute.

“I agree. How about Morning Glory Chime and I run eastward, while you and Little Jing later go westward?”

Quiet And Steadfast nodded. “I’ll start counting down, and we’ll move out on the count of one… Morning Glory Chime, try your best to keep pace with Pure Crane. Even if you can't, find a way to keep up with him and don't drag him down. Otherwise, you'll be hard-pressed to stay alive.”

Morning Glory Chime shot a distressed look at him. “Brother Quiet, can I go with you instead? You’re stronger than Brother Pure Crane, and Sister Nutty is stronger than me. Won’t our strengths even out if I follow you, and Sister Nutty follows Brother Pure Crane?”

“No.”

Came Pure Crane and Quiet And Steadfast’s simultaneous rejection.

“Little Jing and Quiet And Steadfast are husband and wife. It’d be odd if the two of them were separated. Also, if they don’t come out of their hiding and instead decide to ambush us, we won’t be able to guard against them,” Pure Crane said.

Morning Glory Chime pouted.

“Okay, so Pure Crane with Morning Glory Chime will form one group, and Nutjob will go with me… Get ready; I’ll start counting down.”

“Three.”

“Two.”

“One!”

The minute he said “one”, four figures zipped out from behind the bushes. Splitting into two people per team, they dashed out in different directions.

At a distance of around twenty metres away from them, a person stood behind three ancient trees that towered in the sky. They wore a full set of black shirt, pants, and had a cape draped behind them, obscuring their appearance.

“Boss, what are we gonna do now? Which group should we go after?”

The person referred to as “Boss” looked in the direction that Shen Jingbin’s pair had run off, and then in Pure Crane’s direction, his face revealing a look of consternation.

“Go after Pure Crane!”

“But Boss, Nutjob is White Cloud Temple’s Lead Disciple. Finishing her off would yield us a lot more points than getting rid of Pure Crane and his partner,” One of the figures in black said.

The leader glared at the man and said, “Do you think you can take down Nutjob? That woman’s insane. Even if she isn’t that strong, don’t forget that she’s the owner of the Divine Beast, White Tiger. To top it off, she has Quiet And Steadfast by her side. You’ll be digging your own grave if you try to attack her! Now, listen to my orders and go after Pure Crane!”

“Yes!”

In the blink of an eye, the three figures garbed in black disappeared from sight and began pursuing Pure Crane.