I Can Add Points Infinitely - Chapter 53

Shen Lian blinked, unsure of how to respond.

Luo Junyuan and Shan Qing, on the other hand, were struggling to suppress their laughter, their faces turning red from the effort.

“Hey, are you all deaf, or do you just not respect me because I’m alone?” the burly man sneered as he glared at the group.

Seeing that Shen Lian and the others remained relaxed and unfazed, completely ignoring him, his face flushed with anger.

“Alright, boys, come on out and let these fancy lads see what we’ve got!” the man shouted, waving his hand.

With a rustling sound, seven or eight more figures emerged from the forest and stood behind him.

Seeing that his numbers had increased, the man’s confidence grew. He looked at them arrogantly and said, “What now? Scared yet?”

“If you’re afraid, hand over your silver and stop wasting time.”

However, the sight only made Shen Lian and the others laugh even harder, barely able to contain themselves.

The group before them didn’t look like real bandits at all. Their ragged clothes were only a step up from beggars’, and their so-called weapons were nothing more than wooden sticks, rakes, and sickles—farm tools, really. Only the burly man had a somewhat intimidating broad-backed machete.

“Brother…” Shen Lian said with a smile after a moment of thought, “I don’t want to make things difficult for you. Since you’ve gone through the trouble of entertaining us, let’s just forget this ever happened.”

“Just leave quickly; your skills aren’t enough to pose a threat.”

“Oh? You think you’re too good for me?” the burly man snapped, not the least bit discouraged by Shen Lian’s words. Instead, he seemed even more enraged.

“You there… come over,” he called to one of his companions.

The man obeyed, bringing over half of a wooden log and placing it in front of the burly man.

“Ha!” The man took a deep breath, then swung his machete down hard.

“Crack!”

The log split cleanly in two.

“How about that?” The man looked at Shen Lian proudly.

“Little master, is your neck harder than this log?”

“I thought you all looked too fair and clean to kill, which is why I tried to persuade you nicely. But if you keep ignoring me, don’t blame me for being merciless with my blade!”

“Uh…” Shen Lian was at a loss for words.

He turned to Yun Xiong and said, “Senior Brother, why don’t you handle this?”

“Get lost. You caused this mess; you deal with it,” Yun Xiong replied irritably.

“How is this my fault?” Shen Lian protested, then added, “Did you see? That guy has the strength of at least a second or third-layer body refiner. You’re the strongest in body cultivation among us. If not you, then who?”

“Ugh, how did this end up on me?” Yun Xiong muttered, rolling his eyes before glancing at Luo Junyuan and Shan Qing.

The two of them quickly shook their heads. “Don’t look at us. You’re the senior brother, after all, so it should be you handling this.”

“Damn, now you remember I’m the senior brother. And the junior brother here is a core disciple; he’s supposed to be the leader for this task…” Yun Xiong sighed in resignation.

Seeing that no one else wanted to step in, he had no choice but to get down from his horse himself.

He strode toward the “bandits,” who looked increasingly wary. To them, Yun Xiong seemed the most dangerous—standing nearly two meters tall, with a burly frame full of muscle.

“What do you want?” the man growled.

Yun Xiong didn’t bother to answer, instead taking a large step forward. He glanced at the split log on the ground, casually picked up one half, and with a sudden burst of strength, crushed it into splinters with his hands.

“Crack… snap… boom…”

The log was reduced to debris in seconds, and Yun Xiong tossed the remains onto the ground.

“Got the message? Scram!” he shouted impatiently.

If they were dealing with real criminals, they would have likely just killed them on the spot. But Yun Xiong and the others could tell these were not hardened criminals—just common folk, really. They chose to scare them off instead.

Sure enough, as soon as Yun Xiong displayed his strength, the man and his companions were stunned, their eyes widening in shock. It took them a moment to react.

“Run for it, we’ve hit a tough one!” the man yelled, and they all scrambled back into the forest.

“Quick, signal the boss!”

“Hey, you cowards, don’t run! Wait until our boss gets here; let’s see how you handle that!”

After disappearing into the woods, the man shouted a few more threats, trying to save face.

Initially, none of them took his words seriously. They assumed it was just empty bluster.

But then—

A sharp whistle sounded, and it turned out they were actually sending a signal.

“Whoosh!”

Suddenly, a rapid whooshing noise came from deep within the forest, accompanied by a sharp female voice.

“Ugh, you idiots! I just sat down, and you’re already calling for help?”

“Uh… there’s actually a boss?”

“And she’s a woman?”

Shen Lian looked at Yun Xiong and the others, puzzled. Hearing this scolding voice, Yun Xiong and the others looked equally surprised.

The voice sounded oddly familiar to them.

After a moment of contemplation, the same image came to all three of their minds simultaneously.

“Could it be that girl…” Yun Xiong muttered.

Luo Junyuan and Shan Qing’s expressions stiffened, and they nodded. “It probably is.”

“Who? Do you know her?” Shen Lian asked, noticing their strange expressions.

At that moment, a figure dressed in bright yellow appeared before them, moving swiftly.

Shen Lian looked up and saw a stunning young woman, around sixteen years old, dressed in a light yellow silk gown, with her long hair styled elegantly. Her fair hands gripped a three-foot-long slender sword, which turned out to be a standard Azure Cloud Sect sword.

“So, you’re the ones… uh…”

The girl planted her feet, her hands on her hips, and pointed her sword at them, seemingly ready to give a commanding speech. But halfway through, her momentum inexplicably faltered, and she fell silent.

Seeing the sword in her hand, Shen Lian had already guessed the truth.

As expected, Yun Xiong glared at the girl and shouted, “Well, go on, why aren’t you talking?”

“You cheeky girl, you’ve got some nerve! You’ve become a bandit leader now? Should I report this to our master and see how he rewards you?”

“Please, no, Senior Brother!”

“There’s… there’s a reason for this. Just let me explain. Please don’t tell our master,” the girl pleaded, twisting her body and speaking in a coy tone.

“Save it. A true disciple of Azure Cloud Sect, running off to become a bandit leader? Wait until Master hears about this,” Yun Xiong scolded.

“Oh, come on…” The girl’s face flushed with anxiety. She turned to Shan Qing and whined, “Senior Sister, say something for me…”

“Yanyan, you’ve really crossed the line this time; I can’t help you,” Shan Qing said helplessly.

The girl before them was none other than Dong Yanyan, their fourth senior sister, and the true disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect’s Seventh Elder, whom Shen Lian had yet to meet.