The young man scrutinized Xiao Man from head to toe, his gaze unwavering, a hint of hesitation in his eyes as if he was contemplating something. Suddenly, a small snake darted from the young man's embrace, swiftly slithering towards Xiao Man.
"Xiao Bai, come back quickly!" the young man exclaimed in alarm, but it was too late to stop it. The little white snake moved with lightning speed, instantly reaching Xiao Man. It climbed onto her thigh, perched there, tilted its head, and flicked its tongue as if appraising Xiao Man.
Xiao Man glanced at it and lightly tapped the little white snake's head with her index finger, as if playing with her own pet. To her surprise, the little white snake seemed to enjoy it, affectionately rubbing against Xiao Man's finger.
The young man's expression shifted from shock to disbelief, and finally, his face turned beet red with anger.
He stepped forward and grabbed his little white snake. "I apologize. It's never like this and it doesn't get close to anyone else. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. It's quite cute," Su Dan novel network.
"Is it?" The young man stroked the little white snake in his hand. Xiao Bai lay docilely in his palm, its large, wet eyes curiously observing Xiao Man. "I think it's very cute too, but the people around me don't like it."
"For your spirit beast, it's enough that you like it."
A happy smile bloomed on the young man's face. "It likes you a lot."
Xiao Man's smile remained unchanged. "I like it quite a bit too, it is rather good-looking after all."
"Good-looking..." The young man seemed taken aback by this reason. He looked at his spirit beast and nodded in agreement. Indeed, he hadn't seen a snake that was more beautiful than Xiao Bai. "It is quite good-looking. Thank you for liking it."
As they were chatting, they suddenly heard angry roars. Looking towards the entrance, they saw a group of people rush in, disheveled, with a pack of eager demonic apes outside.
"Liu Hong, what is going on?"
"Greetings, Uncle-Master Fang He." Liu Hong, seeing someone from the Lieyang Sect, quickly paid his respects. "My junior brothers and sisters and I were training in the Roland Mountain Range when these demonic apes, for some reason, went mad and chased us. We were no match for them, so we came here to take refuge."
Xiao Man stood up and looked at the demonic apes outside. The leader of the apes, upon seeing Xiao Man, became even more frenzied. It wanted to charge in but seemed to fear something, preventing it from doing so.
"Fortunately, demonic creatures dare not enter this ruin. You were wise to come here."
Xiao Man walked a few steps towards the entrance and noticed her dagger was still lodged in the leader of the demonic apes. A sense of relief washed over her.
"Someone must have angered these demonic apes," the middle-aged man said, pointing at the leader. "See? There's a knife stuck in its back."
"It wasn't us who wounded it."
The demonic apes paced restlessly outside the ruin. The leader, its eyes bloodshot, glared fiercely at Xiao Man, wishing it could devour her alive.
"Will the demonic apes lose their minds and charge in?" Xiao Man inquired.
"No, this is an ancient ruin. All the demonic beasts in the Roland Mountain Range are afraid to enter. There must be something in this ruin that they fear," the young man replied. "By the way, my name is Ze Fang. What is yours?"
"Xiao Qin," Xiao Man gave her name.
"Are you very interested in the demonic apes?"
"No, I'm interested in the dagger stuck in it." Xiao Man walked slowly towards the entrance. The already agitated demonic apes grew even more frantic, pounding their chests and baring their teeth, waiting for Xiao Man to step out so they could tear her to shreds.
"It's just a dagger. What's so special about it?"
"Demonic apes have tough hides. Ordinary weapons can't harm them, but that dagger is lodged in its body, indicating it's very sharp." As she spoke, Xiao Man had already charged out, instantly reaching the demonic ape. Using her agile movements, she climbed onto the ape's shoulder, pulled out the dagger, and then, with a backflip, used the momentum to return to the ruin.
Everything happened so quickly that those inside the ruin hadn't even reacted. Xiao Man had already gone out and returned!
"You daredevil! Aren't you afraid of death?" Fang He scolded. Outside weren't just one or two demonic apes, but dozens. Yet this youngster dared to pull a dagger from a demonic ape. It was utterly reckless.
Xiao Man sheathed the dagger, a fearless smile on her face. Even as Fang He berated her, her expression didn't change in the slightest. They couldn't stay here forever. Demonic apes were stubborn creatures. As long as she was here, the demonic apes wouldn't leave. They couldn't wait here indefinitely.
"Fellow cultivator, why did you provoke the demonic ape?" Liu Hong stepped forward.
"Didn't you provoke these demonic apes?"
Liu Hong was momentarily speechless. It was true that they had provoked the demonic apes, but they felt wronged, as they didn't understand why the apes had targeted them.
"May I see that dagger?" Ze Fang asked.
Xiao Man didn't refuse and offered the dagger to Ze Fang. However, before Ze Fang could take it, Xiao Man suddenly pushed him aside. A stone smashed where they had been standing.
Then came a hail of stones. The demonic apes seemed to have found a solution. If they couldn't get in, they would throw things inside. Coupled with their immense strength, a stone in their hands became a powerful projectile.
Xiao Man hid behind the wall, dodging the incoming stones. The others wailed in distress, and in their panic, they all blamed Xiao Man. If Xiao Man hadn't provoked the demonic apes, they wouldn't have become enraged and started throwing things at them.
"Are you satisfied now? You've enraged the demonic apes!"
Xiao Man lazily glanced at the man who spoke. "Would they have left us alone if I hadn't gone out to provoke them?"
"Once the demonic apes realize they can't enter the ruin, they'll naturally leave."
"It seems you don't understand demonic apes. Demonic apes are intelligent and resilient demonic beasts. They won't give up until they achieve their goal, unless we intend to fight them to the death." Xiao Man looked at Fang He. "Senior, there are more of us than them. There are at most thirty-odd demonic apes outside. Instead of passively enduring, why not go out and kill them? Those who kill shall keep their spoils, how about it?"
Fang He looked at Xiao Man. This youngster was truly arrogant, only at the ninth stage of Qi Condensation, yet daring to provoke high-level demonic apes. There were about thirty demonic apes outside, and there were only about fifty people inside. On average, two people would have to hunt one demonic ape. It was an utterly foolish notion, especially since some of these people were only at the fourth and fifth stages of Qi Condensation. Going out would be like sheep entering a tiger's den.