Versatile Mage

—

“I’ve already released the girls as you requested. Isn’t it time for you to tell me where the Earth Pistil is?” Shi Qianshou said deliberately.

“They have nothing to do with this, I don’t want any of them to die,” Lin Feili said.

“I know you want to save them all. You just need to tell me where the Earth Pistil is. I can’t be bothered killing them, either,” Shi Qianshou said.

“General, I mentioned there’s still another guy on the loose. That young man is quite strong. If you let these women go, they might go and find him,” Zheng Tong said.

“Is he a Super Mage?” Shi Qianshou asked.

“No, he’s just an Advanced Mage.”

“Should I waste my time on him then?” Shi Qianshou asked rhetorically.

“No, you’re right, General!” Zheng Tong said with a stiff expression.

“Lin Feili, you should at least tell me which direction the Earth Pistil is at. I know it’s somewhere here…” Shi Qianshou said.

“In that direction,” Lin Feili pointed at some jagged rocks.

Shi Qianshou waved his hand. A soldier immediately went over to the rocks and took out a device to scan the area.

The device started to glow soon. Shi Qianshou’s eyes flickered with excitement.

Lin Feili was not lying to him. The Earth Pistil was indeed in the direction that he said. The jagged rocks must be different from the black rocks nearby.

“Let them go, or you will never find the Earth Pistil,” Lin Feili said.

“Sure, but just so you aren’t trying to trick me, I’ll be holding him hostage still,” Shi Qianshou grabbed Zhang Xiaohou and smiled.

Lin Feili clenched his teeth. He went up to the jagged rocks and placed his hands on them. A dark brown energy rippled, spreading toward the surroundings as an invisible magic formation was withdrawn. The thick rocks suddenly softened and turned into mud.

As the mud continued to pour out, it revealed a long passage.

“So it’s a magic formation. The old captain is pretty cunning. It turns out that he was suspicious of me a long time ago,” Shi Qianshou smiled. He had an extremely greedy look in his eyes. “Tong Zhuang, you’ll keep an eye on this man. Lin Feili, take the lead. We are going in together.”

Tong Zhuang escorted Zhang Xiaohou and followed Lin Feili into the dark passage. Shi Qianshou waved his hand, signaling a team of soldiers to go on ahead before he also went into the passage.

Shi Qianshou turned around and looked at the rest of the soldiers when he was about to enter the passage. He glanced at the rest of the hostages and said, “Zhang Qihu, stay here. Kill anyone that shows up!”

“Affirmative!” Zhang Qihu saluted sharply.

“General Shi, are you seriously going to let the girls go? I know they won’t pose any threat to us, but they might cause some trouble…” Zheng Tong said with a menacing expression. It was obvious that the man did not want any potential risks.

The truth was, he was not happy that Mu Nujiao had run away. She was the kind of woman that he always wanted to get his hands on. In this unoccupied desert, strength and numbers were everything. No one would ever learn of their crimes!

“Do you really take me as the merciful kind? Don’t worry, they won’t be alive for long. Something else will take care of them,” Shi Qianshou showed his palm. A faint, poisonous light was glimmering on it.

Zheng Tong was astounded as soon as he saw the light. “I heard General Shi is able to control insects. Could it be that you were the one commanding the Sandstorm Demon Locusts to attack the relay station?”

Shi Qianshou smiled without answering the question.

“So the two girls…” Zheng Tong asked in a low voice.

“They won’t live for long.” Shi Qianshou looked at Zheng Tong and grinned, “You’re the typical kind of man that can’t achieve greatness. Women are great, but they can only satisfy your desires temporarily. When you have lots of power, you will understand the women are just a mere appendage.”

“You’re right, general. I just feel that it’s quite a pity for such a beautiful woman to die like that,” Zheng Tong said.

“You have done well this time. Without your help, we might have struggled to get into the desert safely. You will get all you want after I got my Earth Pistil. However, make sure those that are supposed to die are dead. Only the dead in the desert can reassure me,” Shi Qianshou said.

“Affirmative!”

——

Outside the basin, Mu Nujiao and Jiang Shaoxu were sprinting toward the Burning Mountains.

They had to tell Mo Fan what had happened. They had to find a way to rescue Zhang Xiaohou and the others at all costs.

“Right, Lingling, we haven’t seen her yet. Is she alright!?” Mu Nujiao blurted out when she remembered something.

“She’s smart; she must be hiding somewhere. I’m only worried that she couldn’t bear it, she’s only a little over ten years old…” Jiang Shaoxu murmured.

The two immediately panicked. They were wondering if they should look for Mo Fan or Lingling first.

A small figure with a pair of ponytails suddenly showed up. She was wearing a wind coat. Her eyes seemed calm and collected despite the odious environment. She was looking at the two girls.

“Don’t worry about me, just tell me what happened,” Lingling came over and said.

“It’s such a relief that you’re fine. Otherwise, we wouldn’t know what to tell Mo Fan!” Mu Nujiao was overjoyed.

Lingling suddenly disappeared when the military showed up. They did not know how she was able to tell something was wrong so quickly.

Luckily, Shi Qianshou, Zheng Tong, Tong Zhuang, and the others did not really consider Lingling a threat. They simply assumed the little girl was going to be eaten by the demon creatures when she was wandering on her own. Mu Nujiao and Jiang Shaoxu had the same worry. To their surprise, Lingling was perfectly fine. She even had the time to tidy her hair. She was indeed worthy of the title of Hunter Master. She was able to find the safest spot, even in the worst environments.

“Was Shi Qianshou behind it?” Lingling asked.

“Yeah, we didn’t expect he was responsible for the tragedy at the relay station. Why would there be such a deranged man!?” Jiang Shaoxu snapped furiously.

“So that means the Earth Pistil is real?” Lingling asked further.

The two girls were stunned. They were curious why Lingling knew about the Earth Pistil.

“What’s happening inside?”

“Lin Feili brought Shi Qianshou into a passage. It should lead them to the Earth Pistil. They must have taken Zhang Xiaohou and Ge Ming as hostages. Lu Fei, Yang Bao, Xu Pingdong, and the rest of the members of the Golden Battle Hunters were still in the basin being guarded by the soldiers,” Jiang Shaoxu said.

“Something’s strange,” Lingling murmured.

“Strange? What is?” Jiang Shaoxu was confused.

“There’s no way Shi Qianshou would spare anyone’s life. It’s just too strange that he let you go so easily…” Lingling said.

“…Girl, do you want us to be killed instead!?” Jiang Shaoxu snapped.

Mu Nujiao had the same suspicion.

Even though Shi Qianshou was quite full of himself, he was still a general. If someone knew what he had done here, he would still be sentenced to death. His private army would be put on trial, too!

A noisy sound was heard coming from the mountains. It was getting clearer gradually.

Lingling lifted her gaze and looked toward the mountains. She immediately realized what was happening when she saw a huge cloud approaching them.

“As I thought, Shi Qianshou never planned to let you live. The man is a Super Poison Mage. He is most likely the reason why the Sandstorm Demon Locusts built their nest here,” Lingling said.

“Oh Heavens, why are the Sandstorm Demon Locusts here? Aren’t they supposed to stay away from the relay station?” Jiang Shaoxu screamed.

The two girls were utterly terrified after seeing the Sandstorm Demon Locusts. They could clearly tell that the demon locusts were coming after them, but they could not understand why!

“Shi Qianshou must have marked you with some Poison Seals that are attracting the Sandstorm Demon Locusts. You can try running toward the Burning Mountains. You might have a chance to save yourself if you can make it to the Burning Mountains before they catch up with you, and if the Burning Mountains are still on fire… I’ll be going first. Best of luck,” Lingling immediately turned around and left.

The two girls were stunned for a moment as they watched the little figure disappearing into the distance.

Did Lingling really just abandon them like that?

The numbers of the Sandstorm Demon Locusts were too overwhelming. They quickly ran toward the Burning Mountains when they saw the Sandstorm Demon Locusts approaching from the distance.

—

Lingling ran in the opposite direction. She was surprisingly quick, as if her boots were enchanted with magic.

Lingling ran to a hilltop and watched Mu Nujiao and Jiang Shaoxu running in the distance.

“Mo Fan wouldn’t blame me for leaving them to die, right?” Lingling sighed.

There was no chance of survival after they were targeted by the Sandstorm Demon Locusts. Shi Qianshou did not want them to leave the desert in one piece. He was only putting up an act in front of Lin Feili.

“Mo Fan is going to avenge you,” Lingling promised.

Lingling did not have any other choice. The Sandstorm Demon Locusts would kill them in an instant. She could only hope that Jiang Shaoxu and Mu Nujiao had some trump cards up their sleeves to survive the situation.

—

“Hehe, little girl, that’s very smart of you. You actually managed to escape from our surround!” a strange voice came from behind the rocks.

Lingling turned around and saw a tall, skinny man wearing a gray-blue military jacket coming out from the shadows.

The man had a ghastly appearance. His eyes were poking out from his eye sockets. The vicious look in his eyes meant he had no intention of showing any mercy to the little girl.

Lingling was taken by surprise. She did not think Shi Qianshou would be sending someone after Mu Nujiao and Jiang Shaoxu. Even if they managed to stay alive from the Sandstorm Demon Locusts, this man would still make sure they were dead in the end!

This Shi Qianshou was utterly vicious, yet extremely cautious, too!