When Moli shouted out at the top of his lungs that he was a disciple of the Misty Cloud Sect, Qi Yan'er, who was feigning unconsciousness, realized how utterly stupid he truly was.
Did he not see the murderous intent flashing in the eyes of this towering brute?
It would have been better if he had said nothing.
By revealing his background, wasn't he practically digging his own grave?
An absolute idiot!
"The Misty Cloud Sect? Heh, never heard of it!"
Hemeng's eyes narrowed, his murderous intent surging even higher as he threw a vicious punch downward.
Terrified, Moli threw himself sideways with every ounce of strength he had.
*Bang!*
The solid fist smashed into the ground, directly blasting out a huge crater.
Cold sweat covered Moli's head. Facing imminent death, he hurriedly blurted out:
"Commander Hemeng, you can't kill me! Not only am I a disciple of the Misty Cloud Sect, but I am also a young master of the Mo Clan. If you kill me, it will bring great trouble to your mercenary corps!"
"Heh."
Hemeng sneered.
"Kid, do you take me for a fool? If I don't kill you right now, *that* is what will bring me big trouble! Go to hell!"
With those words, Hemeng charged toward Moli once again like a tank.
Seeing this, Moli was paralyzed with terror.
*Thud—*
Hemeng had already reached Moli's front, but upon seeing Moli suddenly drop level to the ground, he immediately stopped his attack.
He... he had actually gone limp?
"Brother Hemeng, please don't kill me! As long as you spare my life, I'll do anything you want."
Moli begged for mercy, his voice choked with tears.
At that moment, a thought suddenly struck him. He raised a trembling hand and pointed at Nalan Yanran and Qi Yan'er, who were slumped over the table:
"Brother Hemeng, you probably don't know this! The girl traveling with me is actually the personal disciple of our Misty Cloud Sect's sect master, the future sect master Nalan Yanran!"
"We came down the mountain this time to break off an engagement in Wutan City. If you get to play with a woman like that, your life won't be lived in vain!"
"Oh, right—and this little girl! She's so tender! If you—"
*Slap!*
Before Moli could finish, Hemeng rewarded him with a fierce backhand slap.
"Bastard!"
Hemeng roared in fury:
"Even though I'm a mercenary and I like women, I still have enough decency not to lay a hand on a child so young! But you! As a disciple of the Jia Ma Empire's sacred cultivation ground, the Misty Cloud Sect, you are so utterly shameless. You truly deserve to die!"
*Ugh—puke!*
Hearing this, Moli coughed up a large mouthful of dark blood.
A man like Hemeng was actually calling *him* shameless!
"What you said isn't entirely unreasonable, though. She really is worth a try."
Hemeng stared at Moli with a strange, eerie look in his eyes.
"Lads, he's all yours to deal with. Just make sure you clean up properly when you're done!"
"You got it!"
Hearing their commander's command, a group of burly, thick-waisted mercenaries stepped toward Moli one by one.
Seeing this, Moli was struck with sheer terror.
He scrambled backward on his hands, struggling desperately across the ground:
"What are you doing? Don't come near me!"
"Hehehe—as expected of a Misty Cloud Sect disciple, your skin really is delicate!"
One mercenary rubbed his palms together, greedily licking his lips.
Then, he grabbed Moli by the collar and hoisted him up.
The instant he hoisted Moli onto his shoulder, he and several other burly men sprinted into the grove of trees by the roadside...
Words cannot begin to describe what Moli would experience.
To put it simply:
The only way to describe it would be "flowers blooming in full splendor."
Once Hemeng had Moli taken care of, he strode over to stand behind Nalan Yanran.
His eyes flashed with a crimson, bloodthirsty gleam as he let out a weird, mocking laugh:
"To think I'd stumble upon such a treasure out here! A future young sect master of the Misty Cloud Sect who's already betrothed? How interesting!"
*Sigh...*
Qi Yan'er let out a helpless sigh in her heart.
She didn't care about a shameless wretch like Moli, but she couldn't just ignore Sister Yanran.
After all, she was the one she had chosen in her heart to be her first stepmother!
While feigning unconsciousness, Qi Yan'er's small hand quietly opened the Hundred-Treasure Box and retrieved a bottle of "medicine"!
It was a very ordinary-looking small porcelain vial.
"Daddy said this medicine is extremely precious—a potent knockout drug. The moment it's thrown on the ground and shatters, it turns into a thick mist. Aside from myself, even a Dou Shi will pass out from it!"
Qi Fan's Maxim:
"When you're weaker than your opponent, fighting dirty is also the best way to solve the problem!"
Meanwhile, back in Luofan Village.
"Ding! Warning!"
Qi Fan, who was frantically stir-frying vegetables in the kitchen, suddenly heard a prompt ring in his mind.
[Your daughter Qi Yan'er is in danger and requires a bottle of potent knockout drug. The system has selected a specific drug for the host: Venomous Fog of Calamity. Redemption price: 1,000 points.]
[Venomous Fog of Calamity: An extremely toxic knockout drug created by the owner of the Epoison Body. Within five minutes of its release, anyone who approaches whose cultivation has not reached the Dou Shi realm will be poisoned and fall unconscious!]
"Redeem it! What am I waiting for?"
Hearing the prompt, Qi Fan didn't hesitate for a second.
[Ding! Redemption successful!]
Qi Fan stared at the stir-fry in the wok, suddenly losing all appetite.
It had barely been any time at all, and his precious daughter was already in danger!
How could he possibly set his mind at ease?
"Damn it—it's burnt!"
Over at the tea pavilion.
Hemeng had already reached out his wicked hands, preparing to grab Nalan Yanran!
"Stop right there!"
Suddenly, Qi Yan'er, who had supposedly been knocked out, stood up.
Hemeng: Σ(⊙▽⊙"a!
"Y-you... how are you awake?!"
Hemeng stared in shock at the little kid before him, his large face full of disbelief.
Even the young sect master of the Misty Cloud Sect beside her hadn't woken up, so how was this little girl awake?
Surprise aside, however, Hemeng didn't care in the least.
After all, she was just a little girl—what kind of threat could she possibly pose to him?
"Little Yan'er, is it?"
Hemeng squeezed an excessively doting smile onto his ferocious face:
"I'm actually a very good person, you see. I'll buy you some sugar balls—how about you call me Daddy?"
"Bah!"
Qi Yan'er put her hands on her hips, her face full of disgust:
"With a mug like yours, you want to be my daddy? You aren't even a tenth as handsome as my real dad!"
"..."
Having her looks insulted by a little girl made Hemeng's face darken.
Yet the more he looked at this adorable little tot, the more his mind spun as he tried to scare her:
"Little Yan'er, since your daddy hasn't come out to look for you after all this time, he must have abandoned you! Hurry up and come back with us!"
"That's right, little girl, hurry up and come back with our commander!"
"Our commander is a wonderful person. He's always wanted a daughter, but never had one."
The other mercenaries chimed in from the side.
They were all extremely fond of this little beauty-in-the-making!
"Hmph!"
Qi Yan'er let out a cold snort and suddenly flicked her delicate little hand.
*Bang!*
The instant the porcelain vial shattered, a plume of white fog billowed outward.
"What is this?"
The mercenaries wore blank looks.
"Oh no, it's poison!"
Hemeng sniffed the air, instantly feeling a wave of weakness wash over him as he cried out in terror.
But his warning came too late...
*Thud! Thud! Thud!*
Like bowling pins, the dozen-odd mercenaries all collapsed to the ground.
"Hmph, is that really it?"
Qi Yan'er looked smugly at the mercenaries lying in a heap all over the floor.
As expected, the pills Daddy gave her were real, and so powerful too!
"You wanted to be my daddy? You're not even worthy!"
Her face puffed up with anger, Qi Yan'er walked right up to Hemeng and gave him a few vicious kicks with her small boots.
"Sister Yanran? Sister Yanran?"
……………………