A sharp gust of wind suddenly surged from the side. Li Xiaofei dove sideways to dodge, and turned to face his assailant.
The filthy, foul-smelling man held a pale green dagger in a reverse grip, moving like the wind as he lunged toward Li Xiaofei, aiming at the arm cradling Black Emperor.
Li Xiaofei easily sidestepped the strike.
The man attacked again, his dagger swift as a gust. His movements were quick, leaving behind a trail of afterimages in the air as he moved. But he was still far too slow.
Li Xiaofei flicked his finger against the green dagger. The immense force sent the weapon flying from the man's grip, and the filthy attacker was thrown back entirely, staggering as he hit the ground.
The dagger flew back into the man’s hand in a flash of green light. Without saying a word, he turned and began to walk away. Li Xiaofei moved in an instant, appearing right in front of him. He struck out with one palm.
The gust of force lifted the man’s matted hair into the air.
"Hmm?" Li Xiaofei was greatly surprised.
There was a woman’s face beneath the tangled, filthy hair. Her fair skin was still clearly visible through the grime and stains. She looked to be in her early twenties. Her eyes were clear and bright, tinged with panic and a trace of anger.
Li Xiaofei easily subdued her.
"Who are you? Why did you try to take him?" He pointed at Black Emperor as he asked.
The woman said nothing. Her gaze was filled with wariness and guarded caution.
Something about her felt strange to Li Xiaofei. Despite everything, she didn’t give off the air of a villain. Even when she attacked earlier, it seemed like her sole aim was to retrieve Black Emperor. It was not to harm anyone.
"Your strength is far below mine. Don’t come looking for trouble again," said Li Xiaofei.
He had no intention of making things difficult for her. But just as he turned to leave, the woman silently followed behind him. She held the pale green dagger in her hand, clearly unwilling to give up.
"Woof!" Suddenly, Black Emperor woke up.
The effects of the sedative in its body had worn off, and it slowly opened its eyes. The moment it saw Li Xiaofei, it froze, thinking for a second that it must be dreaming. It even raised a paw and rubbed at its eyes.
Li Xiaofei reached out and gently stroked its head. Black Emperor immediately let out a soft whimper, then began to sob. It was like a child who had suffered countless grievances out in the world, but had finally come home and broke down the moment it received a bit of comfort. Tears flooded out like a dam bursting.
The woman trailing them was stunned. A flicker of shock appeared in her eyes, hidden beneath the mess of tangled hair.
Black Emperor leapt into Li Xiaofei’s arms, its tongue lapping excitedly at his face.
"Alright, alright—hey, you little rascal, how did you end up ?" Li Xiaofei comforted him while leaning away in mild disgust, trying to dodge the slobbery affection.
Black Emperor gradually calmed down. Then it noticed the woman standing to the side. It woofed, and jumped out of Li Xiaofei’s arms. It dashed over and began circling her, its tail wagging like an electric fan. It was acting incredibly affectionate.
The woman put away her dagger, squatted down, and scooped Black Emperor into her arms, gently stroking its head. Li Xiaofei was surprised by the scene. Black Emperor had a proud and aloof personality. Aside from a select few friends, it was never this friendly toward strangers.
It seemed they were... acquainted?
Moments later, Black Emperor trotted back to Li Xiaofei’s side. It began barking again, trying to explain something.
"What? Huang Dinggou is still inside the Purple Nebula Forbidden Zone?" said Li Xiaofei.
According to Black Emperor’s account, their group had been ambushed by a Reaper infiltration squad during a secret mission. In desperation, they were forced to flee into the Purple Nebula Forbidden Zone, where they encountered countless dangers. Only Black Emperor and the woman beside him had made it out alive out of several dozen companions. Huang Dinggou, in order to protect them, had vanished into the mists.
After hearing the full story, Li Xiaofei made up his mind. He had to go to the Purple Nebula Forbidden Zone. He had still been on the fence about the matter.
Unlike Song Yu and the old Chancellor, Li Xiaofei didn’t have a burning obsession with finding the lost Heaven. His desire to enter the Purple Nebula Forbidden Zone had always been tempered by hesitation.
But now? There was no question. He had to go. Twoman beside him was one of Huang Dinggou’s battlefield comrades. The only living being, aside from Black Emperor, to have walked out of that place alive.
However, thanks to Black Emperor’s cover, the woman’s identity had remained well protected. Unlike Huang Dinggou, she hadn’t been captured and auctioned off like some item.
Her situation was actually extremely precarious. If others learned that she had survived the Purple Nebula Forbidden Zone, she’d be an even hotter target than Black Emperor.
"A friend of a friend is a friend of mine," Li Xiaofei said. "You don’t have to worry about this black dog anymore. Come with me. I plan to reenter the Purple Nebula Forbidden Zone, to find Huang Dinggou."
A brilliant light suddenly shone in the woman’s eyes. She stared at Li Xiaofei, seemingly trying to confirm that he wasn’t joking. Li Xiaofei understood.
He spoke with quiet conviction, "You have my word. I will go, and I will find Huang Dinggou."
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The woman suddenly dropped to her knees, about to bow in gratitude. Li Xiaofei quickly reached out and caught her.
"No need for that," he said gently. "Come back with me."
The woman nodded. Her demeanor changed as she became docile and obedient. But from beginning to end, she hadn’t spoken a single word. She really seemed to be mute. Li Xiaofei brought her along and returned to the meeting place he had previously agreed on with Song Yu and the old Chancellor.
"Who is she?" Song Yu frowned as she asked.
"Someone who once walked out of the Purple Nebula Forbidden Zone alive," Li Xiaofei replied.
"What?" exclaimed the old Chancellor, even he was stunned this time.
He couldn’t understand it. After all the painstaking planning he’d done, despite how little they still knew about what lay inside the Purple Nebula Forbidden Zone, how could Li Xiaofei, who’d spent his time drinking, chasing women, and casually attending an auction, manage to stumble upon a living survivor like it was nothing more than plucking wild grass by the roadside?
"How’s the preparation coming along?" asked Li Xiaofei. He did not want to dwell on how he’d come about meeting her.
Song Yu answered, "We’ve prepared plenty of items for warding off evil spirits. We’ve also stocked up on other supplies we might need inside. It should be enough to handle whatever those things are in there... huh? This black dog, did you buy it?"
Before Li Xiaofei could respond, the old Chancellor clapped his hands in approval and said, "Excellent, very thoughtful of you, Brother Li! I’ve heard that the blood of a black dog is especially effective at countering evil spirits. It has marvelous effects! Hah, with it, we can keep drawing blood endlessly, and if it comes down to it, we could always chop off its head and drain—ow! Hey, stop that! Let go!"
Before he could finish speaking, Black Emperor had sunk its teeth into the old Chancellor’s calf.
Li Xiaofei burst out laughing. Then, he recounted the attempts by the bearded mercenary and other factions to propose a joint expedition into the Purple Nebula Forbidden Zone.
"What do you two think?" he asked.
The old Chancellor pondered for a moment before nodding, saying, "We can agree. Working together makes things easier."
Song Yu also nodded and said, "Sounds like a plan."