Chapter 81 (Patreon)

The earth beneath Chen Haoran’s feet cracked. The dragon screamed with terrible fury. “Xie Jin.”

“I’ll find him,” came the quick reply. Xie Jin waved his sleeve and out it unnaturally crawled his Gu. It took to the air with buzzing wings and hovered above the spot on the street Phelps and the Eighth-Layer last stood.

“You’re a shaman?” They ignored Wang Xiao’s shocked question.

The Gu shot off down the street.

“This way,” Xie Jin said, running after it.

Chen Haoran was a step ahead of him and followed hot on the tail of the Gu. His sense hyper-focused on every wingbeat. His eyes glued to it’s shiny black carapace.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Xie Jin suddenly said.

Chen Haoran didn’t turn around. He could feel Wang Xiao following them.

“That man is a criminal I’m after.” Wang Xiao said. He snorted with derision. “If you hadn’t interfered this wouldn’t have happened.”

“This bastard-”

“Who is that guy your chasing?” Chen Haoran asked. There was a brief lull, his question hung in the air. He hopped it wouldn’t stay there for much longer. If Wang Xiao made him stop and turn around to get his answer then he’d make sure the next thing the pretty boy chased was rehabilitation.

Fortunately. He spoke.“A common thief and a poacher.”

Poacher. It answered Chen Haoran’s next most immediate question after ‘Where were they?’ and ‘What would he do to the bastard when he found him?’. It was obvious now why the thief idiotically kidnapped Phelps when he knew it’d offend another Ninth-Layer cultivator on top of the one already hunting him. Xie Jin’s amazement at Phelps floating ability showed that it wasn’t common. What would someone who hunted beasts for a living think then?

He shivered, but whether it was from anger or fear he could not tell.

“Brother Chen, you can’t be thinking of letting this fucker follow us,” Xie Jin said.

“I don’t care what he does.” He really didn’t. Any problem with Wang Xiao was irrelevant as long as Phelps was in danger. “Focus.”

Xie Jin put thankfully put aside his complaints, though he did make sure to stay next to Wang Xiao and not expose his back, and the trio followed the Gu in a winding run through the streets and backalleys of Snake’s End. Into crowded inns and through old ruins of better days. It was a confusing track that twisted and turned and doubled-back in an obvious attempt to throw off any pursuers. It was futile in the face of whatever means Xie Jin’s used to track. Chen Haoran didn’t fully appreciate it back when Xie Jin first found him, but it took him being sent to a separate dimension for the Gu to be unable to locate him only to immediately lead Xie Jin to him once he left. It’s skill was a soothing balm for the panic bubbling within his heart. His composure built on the security of knowing that finding Phelps was a matter of when and not if.

The trail led them out of Snake’s End and into the jungle. Here Chen Haoran was forced to make way for Xie Jin. He didn’t have a choice. While the Gu led them on the exact path the thief took it didn’t mean Chen Haoran could cross it as easily as he did. It was better to let the experienced take the lead and keep pace than delay them all. When they swapped places Wang Xiao slowed his pace and put himself behind Chen Haoran. He could feel the Ninth-Layer’s eyes burning into his back. It was perhaps foolish to show his back to a stranger he had just been fighting.

Chen Haoran didn’t care.

Under Xie Jin’s lead the jungle didn’t prove much of an obstacle to their speed. The obstructions were overcome, the poisonous were detoured around, and the dangerous were scared off. The Gu disappeared.,

Xie Jin abruptly stopped and held up his hand. “Found him.” He pointed through the thicket of trees. Chen Haoran cycled qi to his eyes and with his sharpened gaze saw a simple wooden fence camouflaged with branches and vines. Smoke from cooking fires wafted in the air. “He’s not alone.”

“Their base of operations,” Wang Xiao whispered. It was more to himself than to them however. He began to walk forward only for Chen Haoran to hold his arm out and block him. “What do you think your doing?”

“Where do you think your going?” Chen Haoran asked, meeting question with question.

“We’ve been searching for this camp for awhile now,” Wang Xiao haughtily replied. “I will not brook anymore interference.”

“Are you law enforcement? Do you work for the Imperial Government?”

“Are you trying to insult me?” Wang Xiao looked affronted.

It seemed like he and Xie Jin had something in common. Was it a universal thing to dislike the Empire in the south?

“He doesn’t wear a law enforcers uniform or a badge,” Xie Jin said.

Chen Haoran frowned. “So you’re not an official. You’re just some random asshole that picked a fight.”

Wang Xiao’s expression darkened immediately. Apparently insulting his vigilantism had been a step too far. “Watch your tongue.”

Chen Haoran pushed Wang Xiao back. “Watch yourself. If you do something and my pet gets hurt because of it then I will kill you.”

He grabbed the hilt of his sword. “You will try.”

Chen Haoran placed a single finger on his scimitar. Wang Xiao’s eyes tracked his finger and he tensed. Xie Jin’s qi quietly rose behind him. Chen Haoran pulled his finger away. Wang Xiao looked at him, the confusion and uneasiness clear on his face.

“I haven’t tried,” Chen Haoran said. “It’s the only reason you’re still alive.”

The stare down continued in silence. Any moment violence could erupt and alert the thieves camp. If Wang Xiao decided to draw his sword they would have to fight to the death.

Wang Xiao scoffed and let go of his sword. Chen Haoran heard Xie Jin quietly let out a sigh of relief.

“Has your Gu located Phelps?” Chen Haoran asked.

“Yes. It’s already snuck in. I can lead us directly to him.”

He turned to Wang Xiao. “Does this group have any Liquid Meridian realms?”

“No,” came his sullen answer. “They would not be scurrying like rats if they had any backing.”

“What are their numbers?”

“We estimate no more than thirty. There should be other Ninth-Layers among them.”

Chen Haoran looked back at the camp. He tapped his fingers against his side.

“What are you waiting for,” Wang Xiao demanded.

“You think you can take this whole camp on by yourself don’t you,” Chen Haoran said.

Wang Xiao looked startled but quickly composed himself. “Of course.”

“Xie Jin, can your Gu protect Phelps?”

“No one will come near him,” Xie Jin promised.

“We’re going through the front then.” Without waiting for a response Chen Haoran crashed through the thicket and shot toward the fence. He was spotted immediately, a high pitched birds cry screeching as he approached and broke through the flimsy defense.

In the brief second he took to reorient himself he was attacked. A long spear stabbing into his shoulder and stopping on his skin. The Seventh-Layer wielding the spear looked perplexed before Chen Haoran shattered his spear with a burst of qi and buried his fist in his gut, sending the man flying. He quickly cast his sense out and immediately honed in on Phelps familiar qi, unconscious in a cage in the center of the camp. Xie Jin’s Gu appeared there and emitted a noxious purple gas that split and struck the cultivators near the cage like snakes, causing them to spasm and collapse with purple faces.

Chen Haoran charged forward. Xie Jin and Wang Xiao flanking him from behind. He barreled past every man that stood in his way, slapping them with his superior cultivation or letting their blows fall uselessly on him. When he reached the cage he grabbed the bars and pulled.
“That cage is made of Iron Essence,” Wang Xiao said. “Even I would take-”

Chen Haoran cycled his qi and pulled. The bars bent. Wang Xiao gaped.

He picked up Phelps. He held his hand to the sloth’s nose and relaxed when he felt him breathing. A quick look didn’t reveal any outward injury. He carefully cradled Phelps in one arm and turned around to find Xie Jin and Wang Xiao facing off against the poachers. In the time it took Chen Haoran to free Phelps they’d been surrounded by the entire camp. Two Ninth-Layers surrounded by a coterie of Eighth-Layers, including the bastard who had run off with Phelps, stood in front of them.

“It looks like Phelps is okay,” he said to Xie Jin.

“I’ll have to pull my weight then,” Xie Jin said. His Gu flew in front of him defensively and more than one man among the poachers flinched when they saw it. Even the Ninth-Layers became solemn.

“I’ll give you one chance,” Chen Haoran said to the apparent leaders. “You stole my pet and I came to get him back. I don’t care about whoever you are beyond that.” He hooked a thumb to Wang Xiao. “This guy is your real problem. My friend and I are going to leave now.”

“With our merchandise?” asked one of the leaders.

Chen Haoran kept his hand.

The other leader cast the three of them an measuring look and turned to the Eighth-Layer who started this.

The bastard had the gall to shrug. “It’s a valuable beast.”

Whatever price they assigned Phelps in their minds was apparently enough. The leader waved his hand. “Attack.”

Chen Haoran grabbed the hilt of his scimitar and the leaders and their minions were crushed.

Chen Haoran’s knuckles turned white as he held his still sheathed sword and watched a wave of peach pink liquid qi flatten the entire camp  surrounding them to the ground.  In the midst of it, suddenly appearing with a burst of speed, was another cultivator decked in pure white.

Wang Xiao clasped his hands and bowed.

“Senior Brother.”