Chapter 100: This is a poisonous mushroom
The pure lady looked at the ice crystals on the ground, madness flashing in her eyes, and then said, "Yinhuo, I will help you fight for this territory. I will let you know that with me here, the entire Cyan Great City will stand behind you, even if it's for the position of the Red Great City..."
Before she could finish her words, the man beside her sneered disdainfully, indifferent as always, and walked away.
That sneer was like mocking the dirt on the ground, trying to reach for the clouds in the sky.
Does Yinhuo still need a woman's help to fight for territory? Even if it's for the position of the Red Great City, Yinhuo will only arrogantly raise his head and use his own abilities to compete.
So, this woman has never been worthy of his attention.
The pure lady looked at the departing man's back, her teeth grinding, the pain of her nails digging into her palms seemingly unfelt.
Ah, steadfast love is admirable, but sometimes one-sided steadfast love is terrifying.
For example, the jealousy and madness in the pure lady's eyes right now are unimaginable. As the noble daughter of the Cyan Great City, she said, "I will let you know that I am your best choice. With me, even if it means risking the entire Cyan Great City, I will help you."
Outside, Chong Tong, Qinggui, and Chongtong were running away with Ant and Feng Wen. Ant was still pouting, "Ant is just taking a look."
Chong Tong's mouth twitched. If he hadn't used ice to block the pure lady's exhausted attack just now, they would probably have turned into pieces by now, and they still wanted to watch. Ant was too nosy.
The vines just now looked like they were being cut into segments by something, but actually, these vines rapidly withered every other segment, making them look like they were being cut.
The pure lady was also a well-known figure on the land, so it wasn't surprising that Chong Tong knew some of her abilities.
After they came out, they pretended to be innocent, as if they weren't the ones who had just peeped.
Although they looked innocent, their mouths were quietly saying, "I wonder who that man just now was. He actually made the noble daughter of the Cyan Great City throw herself at him and still act indifferent."
To become a man like this was quite impressive indeed.
"Who cares who he is? We shouldn't gossip about other people's private affairs. Who knows what trouble it might cause."
Indeed, they just happened to stumble upon it. It wasn't their fault. They should have found a place with no one around to talk. Besides, why should they care about what the other party was doing?
Ant blinked his eyes and looked at Feng Wen, raising his eyebrows and making faces. It must be an affair. That's what the adults in the Golden Centipede Tribe said before.
Feng Wen nodded vigorously. A man and a woman going into the woods together must be secretly having a baby.
However, there was another possibility. Feng Wen said shyly, "Maybe they are a loving couple, but later found out they are siblings, so the woman was so angry just now, but the man didn't care..."
The bodies of Chong Tong and the others all trembled. Feng Wen, you're so wicked.
Chong Tong couldn't help but look back, and with a glance, he saw a man behind them looking at him with a smile on his face.
Chong Tong was stunned. It was that man, because his temperament was too recognizable, but why was he looking at him?
The arrogant man with his head held high, his mouth curled up, and only such a beautiful face could catch my attention, everything else is just unworthy.
Chong Tong was stunned. Was this person saying something to him? But they seemed unfamiliar, so who could he be?
But Chong Tong shuddered. This man's smile seemed particularly sinister, especially those eyes, as if they were filled with some evil thoughts.
Chong Tong didn't want to cause trouble. Standing beside the pure lady, his identity must not be simple. Is he also from the Cyan Great City?
Chong Tong took Ant and Feng Wen to familiarize themselves with other places, completely putting this strange man out of his mind.
In the vast land, with green mountains looming, the students of the Crimson City chased and ran in this boundless mountain range. When they saw prey, they would hunt, and when there was no prey, they would run wild.
If viewed from the sky, they looked like a pack of wolves in the wilderness, full of wildness. This is how the world should be.
As the sky gradually darkened, the giant beasts that went out to hunt began to return one after another.
Like beasts returning to their lair, whether in the sky or on the ground, groups of giant beasts approached the camp densely, forming an ancient mythical scene.
The earth trembled, the mountains swayed, towering ancient trees collapsed one after another, and various ferocious beasts emerged between the mountains, telling the colorful brilliance of this world.
Tomorrow's territory competition isn't like the previous martial examination; it requires bringing giant beasts inside. Although the five factions have agreements not to intentionally kill to protect their younger generation, during battles, especially with the assistance of giant beasts, who can guarantee that no one will resort to ruthless methods? Especially for opposing factions, they can simply say afterward that they couldn't control their hands.
However, each faction will also send in some specially trained individuals to prevent such incidents from happening. But it's absolutely not allowed for them to interfere in the younger generation's competition. Their duty is to safely escort their defeated kin out, and that's the only thing they can do.
Zhuang Yu didn't originally intend to let Ant and Feng Wen go in, but even Feng Wen looked at Zhuang Yu with anticipation. They are also the younger generation of the Crimson City, and they also need to contribute to the Crimson City.
Zhuang Yu couldn't help but sigh. Even Feng Wen has matured a bit.
Zhuang Yu didn't want to dampen their enthusiasm. In fact, these little guys were probably waiting for recognition from Zhuang Yu and the people of the Crimson City. Zhuang Yu said, "If there's any danger, surrender immediately."
He would instruct the guardians inside to keep an eye on them so that they could intercept the opponent's attacks and bring them out if they surrendered.
After patting the heads of the two little radishes, "Stay safe."
Ant and Feng Wen were thrilled and ran to the side like everyone else to check their weapons and equipment.
Apart from the crossbows on their arms, the large satchels around their waists, the large gourds on their backs, they also held small spears in their hands.
It's because they have these things that Zhuang Yu dared to let them experience what a real battlefield is like.
Ant and Feng Wen were busy filling the glass bottles in their satchels with oil. Originally, these bottles were for backup, but for tomorrow's battle, they filled them with oil.
The two little guys also started discussing their battle plan.
"Tomorrow, we'll follow behind the others. If we see someone knocked down, we'll go finish them off."
They were aware of their own strength. Although they had the courage to go in, it didn't mean they had to rush to the front to prove their bravery. They were clear about their role; they were support, going in to finish off those who couldn't get back up.
The two little heads were crowded together, discussing earnestly.
As the night fell, the cold arrived, and the unique temperature difference between day and night began to show its power.
People from other factions were shivering with cold, covering themselves with layers of beast skins.
But on the Crimson City side, a group of students happily moved their blazing fires together and formed a circle.
Then they rolled into their beast skin blankets between these fires, showing only their eyes, looking at the others around them who were doing the same, laughing heartily.
"Not cold at all, we're not cold at all."
"So warm, the air is so warm."
In fact, the temperature had only risen slightly, but it seemed that saying so made them feel warm instantly.
On the Crimson City side, the lights were bright, and laughter filled the air. In contrast, the places of other factions were pitch black and dead silent, all struggling against the cold.
Because of the bright lights on Zhuang Yu's side, people from other factions were surely curious to see what the people of the Crimson City were up to. "The fire technique is really good. Look, they're actually roasting themselves. If we start a fire, it'll go out in a moment, and the cold makes it impossible for the fire to start."
This is because the space inside the furnace can always maintain a certain temperature, while the outside world is so vast that cold wind keeps blowing in, causing the fire outside to go out.
The students from the Crimson City continued to banter, "It would be best to freeze them into ice pops. We'll win tomorrow without lifting a finger."
"Don't mention ice pops, just mentioning it makes me want to eat one. I wish I had brought out the refrigerator."
Laughter and joy filled the air.
In the darkness, the people of other factions were as silent as death.
Why do they feel a bit pitiful? Plug their ears and don't listen. The more they listen, the colder they feel.
The people of the Crimson City haven't come out to act together with other factions for a long time. Unexpectedly, as soon as they did, they brought so many different things, which is truly impressive.
A silent night passed, and Zhuang Yu also went to let the students rest. There's a tough battle to fight tomorrow.
The flames on the stove flickered, under the starry sky, no one could ignore such brightness.
People from other factions, looking at these flames, don't know what they're thinking, but surely something has changed.
As for whether these flames will attract wild beasts, let's ask the group of giant beasts outside first.
After Zhuang Yu fell asleep, Shao Hao also rolled around and then crawled into Zhuang Yu's beast skin blanket. "I know you're afraid of the cold, I'm warm."
This guy...
But Shao Hao is right, he's like a stove, always warm, even in the coldest weather.
Zhuang Yu snuggled up next to Shao Hao, feeling like he's next to a warm stove indeed.
Shao Hao's lips curled up, "Comfortable, huh?"
Zhuang Yu: "Stop talking."
It's like they're doing something secretive, but it's just keeping each other warm.
Zhuang Yu hugged this warm bear tighter and whispered after a while, "I hope everyone comes out safely tomorrow. Even if we don't get the territory, it doesn't matter."
Shao Hao nodded, "Crimson City has always been dominant, but injuries are probably inevitable."
This guy, can't he say something nice for once?
Zhuang Yu also knows his thoughts are a bit too idealistic, sighed, "If only this world had no hatred or war, everyone could laugh and develop together, living good lives together would be so nice."
Shao Hao didn't say anything. The world Zhuang Yu described was too idealistic. In his view, it's impossible.
But even he couldn't help but have flashes of such a peaceful world in his mind. Who doesn't long for peace? Who doesn't want to live a good life? But in this world of hatred, fighting for territory, and swallowing each other up, to end all of this, it would take nothing less than the rebirth of the Three Great Citys.
Shao Hao thought for a moment. He wasn't as foolish as that bear-like creature of his, so he said, "Anyway, I'll be by your side no matter what."
Indeed, Zhuang Yu hugged him even tighter.
Shao Hao's lips curled up. Zhuang Yu liked to hear nice words. He was getting quite slick with his words, saying, "Go to sleep. Tomorrow isn't just about those students; we also need to watch out for any trickery outside."
Yes, they couldn't just focus on the students. It wouldn't be impossible for someone to cheat.
Zhuang Yu hummed in agreement and started to fall asleep while hugging the warm stove.
Perhaps because of this warm stove, sleeping felt particularly comfortable.
The next morning, early in the morning, a group of students with red faces from the cold got up, rubbing their hands.
But there were many others who had it worse.
For example, those from other factions, their bodies stiff, probably unable to stretch for a while.
The students replaced the coal in the stove with new honeycomb coal, then gathered around the stove, laughing heartily at the frozen outsiders. "Not cold at all, not cold at all."
"They're not even as cold as them, haha."
Then they started cooking.
After a night, drinking a bowl of hot meat soup felt especially comfortable, warming their stomachs.
Meanwhile, people from other factions didn't bother to gather firewood. Instead, they ate dry rations. They had planned for this. There was no time to gather firewood and cook. They thought everyone would be the same, but it turned out people from the Crimson City were actually drinking meat soup...
It looked so warm and smelled so good.
Even the little mushroom seemed interested in the dry rations of other factions.
With a cute and innocent look, it ran to the White Great City side, staring at others without blinking, afraid to reveal its true identity as a poisonous mushroom.
The people being stared at felt embarrassed and handed a new dry ration to the little mushroom.
The little mushroom tilted its head, took a bite, and then its eyes widened. It threw the dry ration away vigorously. Poisonous! Poisonous! It's so disgusting, this person must want to poison the little mushroom.
It turned around and ran to Zhuang Yu, reporting with all its might, pointing over there. The little mushroom was almost murdered by someone just now, so sinister.
Zhuang Yu twitched at the corner of his mouth. Clearly, you were the one who liked it and went there to act cute for food.
Zhuang Yu put his meat soup near the little mushroom's mouth, and after a few sips, the little mushroom came back to life.
Then, with a provocative stance, it pointed towards the person who had given it the dry ration earlier, refusing to be poisoned. No way!
And the person who had given it the dry ration earlier, along with a group from the White Great City, were all dumbfounded.
Is their dry ration really that bad?
Even though they couldn't understand what the little mushroom was babbling about, they could tell it was disdainful, thoroughly disdainful.
Looking at their dry rations, why did it feel like chewing on rocks, tasteless and bland the more they ate?
Zhuang Yu glanced at the little mushroom. That's enough from you. They were just trying to be kind and give you something to eat.
The little mushroom was even more fierce than Zhuang Yu, "I don't care. I'm just an emotionless poisonous mushroom."
And, yes, he really did want to poison the little mushroom just now. Really, if you had eaten that dry ration, you'd have collapsed on the ground with your legs kicking.
The little mushroom was still struggling there, exhibiting symptoms of paranoia, thinking everyone was out to get it, "You must protect me."
Zhuang Yu placed the little mushroom on his shoulder and let it fuss around.
When people from other factions finished their meal with a resentful expression, they really felt like their rations were as tough as tree bark, especially when they caught a whiff of the lingering aroma of meat soup in the air.
They used to be able to eat several pieces of dry rations, but today they couldn't even finish one or two.
Even the members of the Coffin-Bearer Tribe from Crimson City were suspicious, wondering if this was a conspiracy by Crimson City?
Their people from Crimson City were full and energetic, while they could hardly swallow their food. It would definitely affect them later in battle.
But even if it was intentional, what could they do about it?
With grim faces, the main force headed towards the territory of the Ancient Iron-Eating Beast nearby.
It wasn't far at all.
Arriving at the edge of the territory, there was a hint of gunpowder in the air, but no one wasted words. They began instructing their respective youths to enter.
Zhuang Yu also checked on their Crimson City students, "Are you all ready?"
A group of students patted their equipment, especially the bunch from the Golden Centipede Tribe, whose crossbows were ready on their arms, the waist pouches had enough arrows and little black bottles for using fireball spells, and the large gourds on their backs were filled with oil.
Zhuang Yu said, "Go in, stay safe, and if you can't win, shout surrender. Our people from Crimson City will bring you out safely. Only if you're alive can you continue to contribute to Crimson City."
Zhuang Yu was actually a bit worried that these chuunibyou kids wouldn't be willing to surrender even when they should.
The teams entered one by one, and other factions were mobilizing too, but compared to Zhuang Yu, it was a bit bloodier. Sometimes they valued glory more than life.
All the teams entered the territory in front of them, and the defenders from various Tribes went in to protect it.
Representatives of the five factions glanced at each other and said, "That's it. Until the time ends, no one is allowed to enter. Only exits, no entries."
But before they finished speaking, a figure in green suddenly rushed in from the side.
Zhuang Yu was stunned and looked at the person-it was the daughter of the Cyan Great City, Su Nü?
How did she get in?
Su Nü turned back, "I'm also part of the younger generation of the Cyan Great City. Our agreement has never stated that the young masters of the Five Great Citys cannot participate."
Zhuang Yu's face darkened. Su Nü's strength surpassed that of ordinary prodigies, and he was about to step forward.
But he was stopped by members of the Coffin-Bearer Tribe and those from the Cyan Great City. "Young prince of Crimson City, Su Nü entered at the last moment before the oath ended. It's in accordance with the rules. The oath has ended now, and no one is allowed in."
Zhuang Yu: "..."
What did this guy go in for?
Instantly, Zhuang Yu's eyes narrowed.
All the teams had gone in just now and dispersed to avoid clustering for battle.
But two very lazy guys, without any sense of participation, dropped behind and ended up being the last. They were the laziest duo in Crimson City School, Jin and Yin Brothers.
They probably never thought someone would enter even later than them.
After Su Nü finished speaking, she suddenly reached out without warning and pierced the chest of one of Jin and Yin Brothers with her hand, sharp like a weapon, blood dripping from her arm.
The flesh around the wound quickly withered, this was Su Nü's withering power.
She had said she would do everything to seize this territory for herself.
Zhuang Yu was dumbfounded. Was this woman crazy?
Jin and Yin Brothers were also dumbfounded. They... they had just stepped in.
They thought that by being the last, they could quietly slip in without anyone paying attention.
The one who hadn't been injured among Jin and Yin Brothers pushed Su Nü away.
Looking at the wound, it had necrotized as if it had been dead for a long time, a pile of withered flesh. His face also turned pale, falling into a pool of blood.
Fortunately, the uninjured Jin and Yin Brother reacted quickly and ran with the person on his back.
They disappeared into this soon-to-be bloodbath territory with no owner.
In the distance, two beams of moonlight descended from the sky.
Zhuang Yu's face was so dark it was indescribable, his voice filled with anger, "Su Nü!"
This former ally of theirs actually attacked people from his school. Perhaps even Jin and Yin Brothers hadn't expected Su Nü to suddenly attack like that. In the past, it was always the four factions united against Red City.