40: Chapter 40: A Chance Encounter

Aren't those four surrounding a semicircle the same group of "mining bullies" who tried to rob him of his Spirit Stones earlier, had two of their men counter-killed by him, and later brought people to block the thunder pool?

Scarface, the Seductive Female Cultivator, the Short and Thin Man, and another pretty female Cultivator.

And the one surrounded in the middle...

Xiao Yuan raised an eyebrow.

It was that woman in black who heavily injured a fellow Cultivator of the same realm with a single finger at the payment counter.

At this moment, her back was against the rock wall, and behind her was a newly excavated, glittering Spirit Stone vein!

With a rough glance, there were at least twenty to thirty thousand raw Spirit Stone ores, shining with an alluring light in the dim mine cave.

The female Cultivator's Aura was somewhat chaotic, and there was blood at the corner of her mouth, clearly having been injured.

But her hand holding the sword was as steady as cast iron, and those masked eyes were so cold they could freeze a person to death.

What surprised Xiao Yuan even more was that the four Qi Condensation 9th Layer opponents, facing a female Cultivator at the Qi Refining Stage 8, actually didn't dare to step forward rashly!

The four of them formed a fan-shaped encirclement, their eyes vigilant as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Su Li, stop holding on stubbornly." Scarface spoke, his voice carrying temptation, "You've been traveling alone for five years, and your mining time limit has piled up to sixteen years. If this goes on, don't even think about getting out in this lifetime."

He pointed at the Spirit Stone vein behind the female Cultivator: "How about this, submit to me and be my woman. I'll give you thirty percent of this vein. I'll protect you from now on, guaranteeing no one will dare to touch you. When I've accumulated enough Spirit Stones, I'll take you away from here together."

The Seductive Female Cultivator chimed in sarcastically from the side: "Exactly, what is a woman trying to act tough for in the mine vein? Isn't finding a backing much better?"

The Short and Thin Man licked his lips: "Senior Sister Su, our boss is now a Half-step Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Following him, you won't lose out."

The other pretty woman stared fixedly at the Spirit Stone vein, the greed in her eyes almost overflowing.

The female Cultivator called Su Li curved the corner of her mouth under her veil into a sneer.

"Submit? Be your woman?" Her voice sounded like ice shards grinding against stone, "Just based on you?"

Scarface's expression sank.

Su Li slowly raised the longsword in her hand, the tip of the sword tracing a cold gleam: "This vein is what I discovered. If you want it..."

She paused, a resolution bordering on madness suddenly erupting in her eyes:

"Then step over my corpse!"

As her words fell, the Evil Qi around her suddenly erupted!

That wasn't just Killing Intent; it was mixed with the despair, unwillingness, and resentment accumulated over a five-year mining career, as well as... a hint of hysterical madness.

Xiao Yuan saw it clearly from the dark.

This woman really wasn't afraid of death.

Or rather, she had long since lost any attachment to the matter of "living".

Five years in the mine vein, with another sixteen years of sentence hanging over her like a massive mountain. Rather than lingering on in a debased state, it was better to fight to the death.

Scarface and the other four were awed by her Aura and actually took half a step back in unison.

But greed quickly overwhelmed their apprehension.

"You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeiture!" Scarface gritted his teeth, "Together! Slaughter her, and we'll split the Spirit Stones equally!"

All four of them struck at the same time!

Blade light, sword shadows, and the radiance of Spells instantly submerged Su Li.

Su Li let out a cold snort, her longsword dancing into a ball of black light, actually managing to hold on firmly under the siege of the four!

Her swordsmanship was bizarre and tricky, every move risking her life, completely a style of trading injuries for injuries.

For a time, metal clashing against metal rang through the mine cave, and gravel flew everywhere.

Xiao Yuan crouched behind the cave opening, resting his chin in his hand to watch the show.

But as he watched, his brow furrowed.

Su Li was indeed strong, but fighting four against one was still a disadvantage. In just over a dozen moves, two more wounds were added to her body, and fresh blood dyed her black clothes red.

Meanwhile, Scarface and the other four cooperated tacitly, gradually forcing her into a dead end.

"If this goes on, this woman is really going to meet her end here..." Xiao Yuan rubbed his chin.

Although he didn't want to meddle in other people's business, but—

First, these four had a grudge against him.

Second, he coveted that Spirit Stone vein.

Third, this Su Li... was quite interesting. That ruthlessness bursting forth from despair was a bit like when he was forced into a desperate situation back then.

Moreover, his yin-yang creation cauldron was extremely lacking in energy here; perhaps he could cooperate with this woman to push his cultivation level up.

"Forget it," Xiao Yuan stood up, patting the dust off his body, "Consider it doing a good deed for the day."

Just as he was about to walk out—

Inside the mine cave, a sudden change occurred!

Su Li's sword momentum suddenly changed; instead of defending, she thrust toward Scarface with all her might!

This sword strike was fast and fierce, completely abandoning her own defense.

"Courting death!" Scarface sneered savagely, his long blade hacking toward her neck.

At the same time, the Seductive Female Cultivator's stone spikes, the Short and Thin Man's Talisman, and the new-faced man's fist wind all blasted toward Su Li's back!

Four attacks caught her in a pincer movement from front and back.

A flash of determination crossed Su Li's eyes—she actually wanted to trade her life for his!

Right at this moment—

"Tsk, four against one, do you still want any face?"

A lazy voice suddenly sounded in the mine cave.

Everyone's movements paused. Their attacks were also shaken away by an invisible energy.

The expressions of the five changed slightly as they turned their heads at the same time to look toward the source of the voice—

In the shadows of the mine cave corner, an extra person had appeared at some unknown time.

His green robes were tattered, his hair was tied up casually, and his face wore a smiling expression.

It was none other than Xiao Yuan.

He leaned against the rock wall, crossed his arms, and watched the five of them, his gaze just like looking at monkeys fighting under a theater stage.

"Who the hell are you?!" The pretty woman shouted angrily. Clearly, she had already forgotten about Xiao Yuan. Or rather, she hadn't remembered him for a moment.

But Scarface's pupils constricted.

He recognized him.

This set of clothes, this face... Although his temperament was completely different, this was clearly the kid from a year ago at the "Qi Condensation 4th Layer" who had counter-killed two of their men!

"It's you?!" Scarface gritted his teeth.

"Yo, you still remember me." Xiao Yuan smiled, "It seems last time didn't hurt you guys enough."

Su Li stared vigilantly at this suddenly appearing stranger, slightly adjusting the direction of the sword in her hand—now it was five against one, although this newcomer looked a bit... weird.

The Seductive Female Cultivator sneered: "A trash at the Qi Condensation 4th Layer dares to come out and play the hero? Courting death!"

Raising her hand, she shot three stone spikes toward Xiao Yuan! Although she had suffered losses under Xiao Yuan's hands before, during this period of time, their progress had also been tremendous, which also boosted her confidence.

Xiao Yuan didn't move at all.

When the stone spikes flew within three chi of him, with a sudden "pop" sound, they shattered into powder.

"What?!" The Seductive Female Cultivator widened her eyes.

Xiao Yuan patted the non-existent dust on his shoulders, walked leisurely forward, and stood by Su Li's side.

He turned his head to look at Su Li and grinned:

"Senior Sister, do you need help?"

Su Li didn't speak, only tightening her grip on her sword.

But in her eyes, an imperceptible fluctuation flashed past.

Scarface's expression was as gloomy as water: "Kid, do you think that relying on just yourself, you can change anything?"

Xiao Yuan extended a finger and shook it.

"To make a correction."

"First, I am not alone."

He paused, his smile brilliant:

"Second, I never planned to change anything either."

"I am simply here..."

"To collect a debt."