"Is that the green clover blossom? Those are the best for treating external wounds!"
Jocefie discovered a tree with a thorn in its leaves, each leaf rough with lines indicating that it was an unusual tree. Its fruits are beautiful, both raw and ripe. Its body is as strong as steel. Unbeknownst to Jocefie, this tree is invisible to ordinary people. Only Jocefie can see it since she possesses the same power as Felisa.
Guided by Felisa, Jocefie's statement seems more knowledgeable. She ran over in joy and picked them up carefully. The green clover blossom was after a magical herb that would be worth quite a tidy sum, and it could only be found here in the deep inner reaches, never once having appeared in the outer reaches.
These magical herbs were actually the same as the most precious herbs that Felisa had. Whether it was the name or the portrayal of the herbs, they were exactly the same. The only difference was that the people in this world cultivated mystical powers and spirit auras, and their herbs were mainly magical and infused with spirit auras, enhancing and amplifying their effects.
"Swoosh!"
"What was that?" Felisa reacted first. Jocefie got her body straight to check the surroundings.
"What have you seen?" Jocefie wanted to know. She didn't see or feel anything.
At the next moment, a chilling swishing sound was shooting straight towards her. Jocefie, who was carefully picking the magical herb, did not even look up as she dodged to one side quickly. At that moment, the red clover blossom had already been picked, and she was holding it in her hands.
Jocefie was staring at the spot that she had just been squatting in, which now had a sharp arrow lodged in the ground. If she had not been quick enough to leap away, that arrow would have landed in her body.
Hearing the noise, Leonardo turned his head back immediately. The hands hanging at his sides had been raised when the sharp arrow had been flying towards the little beggar. But when he saw her nimbly dodge it, he discreetly put his hands back and turned his eyes towards the people coming from the other side.
Observing the group without making any moves, Jocefie's eyes fell upon the young girl. She saw that the girl was dressed in a pink gauze tube dress, her voluptuous chest half exposed, looking highly alluring, her slender waistline tightly bound, a mystical bow in hand, and a quiver of arrows across her back. It was obvious; the arrow that flew straight at her earlier had been shot by the girl.
"Hand over the red clover blossom!"
The young girl's gaze was filled with arrogance as she stared at the filthy and messy Jocefie and sneered:
"A mere beggar not squatting by street corners to beg, but coming out here to seek death, you must be tired of living! Ha.ha.ha."
Jocefie did not hide her scrutinizing gaze as her eyes looked at the girl from head to toe, and she copied the girl's sneering tone in a sarcastic mimic and said:
"Why are you not staying back at the brothel but have come all the way out here to put your flesh on display? Who are you trying to seduce?"
Once Jocefie's words came out of her mouth, Leonardo, who was standing in front, felt the corner of his mouth give a twitch, and inwardly, he shook his head and thought to himself, "How can I trust this girl?" he asked himself foolishly.
When the men on the girl's side heard that, their expressions hardened, and their murderous gazes threw endless daggers at Jocefie Abad. Only their leader's and the young man's expressions did not change, except that their eyes were looking at Jocefie as if they were looking at a dead corpse.
"You're asking for death!"
The young girl screamed out in humiliation, but it was not known whether it was from rage or embarrassment when her face turned bright red, and without thinking, she raised the bow in her hand once more, pulling out an arrow from the quiver on her back to take aim at Jocefie before releasing the string.
"Swoosh!"
The ruthless arrow had been imbued with a mystical aura as it sped towards Jocefie's heart with blinding speed, fully intent on taking Jocefie's life in one strike. It was chillingly merciless.
The men with the girl did not move in the slightest, and the leader seemed intentionally indulgent. After all, from what they were seeing, Jocefie was just a mere little beggar who possessed zero mystical powers and might perhaps have been extremely lucky to be able to make it all the way in here. And for a person like that, they would all be able to get rid of them easily just by barely lifting a finger.
Just a few steps away from Jocefie, Leonardo did not do anything to stop the attack this time. He wanted to see just how capable the little beggar girl was. From his observation of her, the little beggar girl was not brainless; in fact, she had shown herself to be extremely shrewd and astute, never committing something she wasn't confident of.The only thing was, it was obvious she did not possess the slightest sliver of a mystical aura within her, so from where was she getting the confidence to provoke others so readily?
As he thought to himself, his gaze steeled.
He saw her somersault with great agility to avoid the speeding arrow, shooting past her without injuring her in the slightest.
Witnessing the scene, not only Leonardo Boras but even the middle-aged man and the younger man on the other side showed a glint of surprise in their eyes. Without the slightest sign of any mystical power on the opponent, and knowing full well how chillingly fast that arrow that was shot out had been traveling, they were certain that the little beggar should not have been able to dodge it at all.
But the little beggar had done just that. That just meant that the little beggar was not as simple as he was portraying himself to be.
"Damn!"
The young girl stamped her feet in frustration and reached her hand behind her back to retrieve another arrow to string onto her bow before pulling back to shoot another one out.
But not a single one of those arrows was carefully aimed at the little beggar. After her next several successive attempts hit nothing but the air, she stared at the little beggar looking smilingly at her with his chin resting nonchalantly in his palm, seemingly saying to her in ridicule:
"Is that all you've got?" This time, Jocefie challenges Felisa Adonis, as she wants to experience her strength and power. Deep inside, that was her first time fighting for her life with an arrow.
"Hmm," Felisa said, she just let Jocefie do what she wanted to do, not only for the herbs but for her to fight to save her life.
And so, in the eyes of others, the girl who wanted to kill Jocefie got so angry that she kept her mystical bow before pulling out the dagger at her hip to charge straight at the little beggar.
"Are you sure you want to do this? I will not hold back," Jocefie told Felisa, as she wanted her approval. If someone notices her clearly, she is not just a beggar but a crazy person who is talking to herself.
No more words nor voices from Felisa Adonis, meaning she is being allowed.
The smile on Jocefie's face suddenly looked strange as her eyes swept over the girl's ample bosom briefly, and Jocefie charged straight towards the dagger being thrust at her instead of avoiding it.
"Damned beggar! You shall die!"
Leonardo Boras gaze was fixed on Jocefie Abad as she moved, and he only saw Jocefie disarming the young girl with her dagger in a blink. The speed at which it had been carried out was too fast for him to even see how she had accomplished the feat.
The next moment, the dagger was already in Jocefie's hand, and with a quick step, she was suddenly behind the young voluptuous girl, and Jocefie's hand had even slid over the young girl's snowy white exposed skin in a soft caress, which made him suddenly find himself at a complete loss of words.
"Woo hoo, so smooth."
With one hand around the young girl's slim waist and the other holding the dagger in a reverse grip pressed against the smooth white neck, Jocefie Abad exclaimed in praise, her eyes narrowing lustily. She appeared to intentionally tease the girl, bringing her face close to the trapped girl's neck to smell it and putting on an intoxicated expression.
"That smells just absolutely heavenly!"
This time, even the stoically stone-faced middle-aged man's face changed, turning a few shades darker.
The young man beside him was filled with rage, his eyes aflame in anger, and his hands within his sleeves clenched tightly into fists. If not for the young buxom girl trapped in the enemy's hands, he would not have been able to contain himself and would have charged straight in.
Leonardo Boras was still speechless, and he averted his eyes, unable to make himself watch any longer.
The young girl was stunned at that moment, her face one of pure disbelief, unable to accept as a fact that she had been overpowered by a little beggar who stole the dagger from her and that she had been caught. That made her shocked, and even more shocking was that the little beggar had been so brazen as to have taken advantage of her before so many pairs of eyes!
"This niece of mine has been spoilt, and I have gotten too used to her willful ways. If she has offended you in any way, I implore the Young Master to forgive her."
A deep voice filled with inspiring awe sounded, and Jocefie Abad raised her eyes to look at them. Her eyes narrowed. The one who had spoken had naturally been the middle-aged man. He had spoken not in threat but in apology. The fact that he had been able to suppress the rage in his heart and maintain a composed expression despite his displeasure to speak to her in such an amicable manner was really surprising!
"So when you are used to being spoilt and willful, you can indiscriminately take the lives of others? If I had not been quick to dodge, I am guessing I would have reported you to the Datu of Surigao already."
Her mouth curved up in a mirthless smile as she gazed icily at the middle-aged man.
"It would be impolite not to reciprocate in kind; in fact, I should really repay the lovely lady."
The knife held on the little girl's neck was lowered down a notch as she spoke, and a drop of blood poured out, bright scarlet against the fair white skin.
"Ouch!"
The young girl snapped back to consciousness from the sudden pain. As the dagger was pressed against her neck, she stiffened her body and did not dare move an inch, her face filled with fear and panic to say, "Are you not mistaken in your intention to rush?"
"Oh, I'm really sorry. I got frightened by the arrow you shot at me earlier, and my hands are still trembling," Josefie replied calmly with care.
"It seems like I have made you bleed!" Jocefie added.
Watching the scene before her, the middle-aged man's face darkened. His previously amicable expression quickly faded. He stated this at Jocefie's and asked in a deep voice,
"I noticed that you were faster than the wolves around here. Tell me, what do you really want?"
Hearing that, Jocefie's eyes smiled, and she said, "I'm not that kind of demanding, but I was thinking if I had something golden or those silvery things to calm my nerves, my hands might not tremble anymore."
When the middle-aged man heard that, his face relaxed a little instead as he signaled the young man beside him. The young man nodded and strode forward before retrieving an inconspicuous little bag from his hip and taking out two solid pieces of gold.
"To help you relax, how about we give the Young Master these two golds?"
Jocefie's gaze swept over the young man's unassuming small satchel at that very time. This collection of people doesn't appear to have a straightforward history. She sneered as she focused on the two gold coins in the man's hand.
"You wanted to dismiss a beggar for two gold, and you think it can calm my nerves?"
The young man's face tensed as he stared at the little filth-covered beggar in front of him. Although he was filled with disdain, his countenance did not reveal it as he pulled another ten golds.
"The question is; will this be enough?" Leonardo Boras softly turned away after taking a quick look at the various golds. Such silver and gold would only be able to provide them with tangible goods. Without crystal cash, it would not be possible to purchase items for cultivation. These gold coins actually paled in relation to the highly valued crystal money. However, in that instant, the tiny beggar opened her mouth; all she wanted was gold and silver objects, which was plain stupid.
Jocefie Abad was unconcerned about what people would say. She raised her attention as she spoke and observed the pieces of gold.
"We will be even after this. After I let her go, all of you must not come after me."
Naturally. The middle-aged man agreed in his deep voice.
"What do you say?" The young girl says. She leaned close to the Beggar's face and asked smilingly of her. The Beggar replied,
"As long as you let me go, I will not make any moves against you." After hearing that, Jocefie signaled the young man to bring the gold over.
The young man walked over, gave the young girl a glance, and handed the gold to the beggar. Jocefie received it and immediately shoved it into her robes before moving the dagger away and tossing it towards the young man.
The young man stepped slightly back to catch the dagger, and at the same time, the young girl turned back and raised a leg to kick out at Jocefie.
"You damned little Raskal! You dare touch me!" The young girl's teeth were tightly clenched as she nodded.
Jocefie had not let her guard down. After receiving the gold, she immediately retreated, and the young girl's kick had been in vain.
The young girl wanted to rush forward, but at that moment, the middle-aged man's deep voice boomed out:
"Guada, come back."
"Second Uncle!" The young girl stamped her feet, unwilling to let the matter end just like that. But when she saw her Second Uncle's gaze in warning and her elder brother's signal with his eyes, she bit down on her lip and slunk her way back to the group.
On the other side, Jocefie Abad was finding the ten gold coins in her chest rather heavy, and afraid that they would crush the magical herbs kept in the same location, she took the gold out and showed them off to Leonardo Boras, saying:
"Uncle, look at all of my money! How about I treat you to some wine when we get back to the city?"
She caught Leonardo Boras's eye as he turned to go, and Jocefie Abad followed rapidly behind him while shouting:
"Hey Uncle, will you perhaps move a bit more slowly?" Jocefie said as they started to walk away.
While the group of people was also preparing to leave, the young man's eyes suddenly gave out a murderous light as he saw the two people leave, one behind the other. He then asked:"Second Uncle, why don't we shoot that snothead?
"That blank-robed man is no ordinary man. Even I was unable to fully ascertain that man's level of cultivation, and that little kid is also very strange. He obviously had not practiced any cultivation but still possessed such skills; he's definitely not just a mere beggar."His voice paused for a moment before he continued.
"We have more important things to take care of on our trip. So do not stir up unnecessary trouble, and this matter ends here. Do not bring it up again."
"Yes!" Although deeply disgruntled, they could do nothing but agree to it. After all, compared to the mission at hand on this trip, the matter with the beggar was really insignificant.
When she recalled the purpose of the mission at hand, the young girl finally swallowed back her resentment and rage and then asked in excited anticipation.
"Second Uncle, have mythical beasts really been born into the forbidden forest?"
"Mm, I believe that the respective families will get wind of the news in turn and come to this forbidden forest, or they might already be somewhere around. So, we will have to move fast to not miss out on the opportunity."
The middle-aged man nodded as his gaze turned to look deep into the forbidden forest, his eyes strongly determined. Hearing his Second Uncle's words, the young man thought on it a moment and asked:
"Could it be possible that those two people are here seeking the mythical beasts as well? I saw them going in a deeper direction, and I am guessing that they are targeting the same goals as us."
The middle-aged man's eyes were suddenly filled with vicious malice as he said in his deep voice, "If that is true that we're after the same thing, then we will look for an opportunity to kill them along the way!" And he led the team forward, going deeper into the woods as he spoke.
Up front, Leonardo Boras, who had not gone much further, suddenly stopped in his tracks. The gaze in his set of deep eyes turned sharp and cold as he scanned the surroundings cautiously.
Jocefie Abad saw him stop and took the chance to remove the outer coat on her, quickly twisting it up into a simple makeshift bundle before taking out the herbs she had picked along the way all this time from inside her robes to put them in. Next, she retrieved the gold and stuffed it in after that, before finally tying the sack bag tightly across her body.
Although the clothes she was wearing were the tattered clothes of a beggar, she had worn several layers of them; hence, removing a piece or two of them did not matter much to her.
But when she finished tying up the sack bag and lifted her head, she was suddenly startled. From in between the trees surrounding them, she saw several sharp-fanged, unidentifiable bestial forms, their bodies big as oxen, stepping out warily, and she blinked her eyes as she asked:
"Uncle, do these things eat people?"