Chapter 14: Intercepted

Having said this, Ling Mo did precisely that and rushed forward at his fastest speed.

What he was actually doing, Luo Xiao and Jiang Yao had no idea, and they didn’t really care either. They just felt relieved now that he was gone.

“If he tries something else, I will kill him,” Jiang Yao said with a stern voice, but Luo Xiao just shook his head. “I will kill him when I am stronger,” he said, “I will prove that I am capable of taking my own revenge.”

“You are quite the independent little guy aren't you?” Jiang Yao said with a chuckle, but then Luo Xiao pouted. “Aren't you too?” he asked.

“The only difference is that you have the strength to back it up,” he continued, and Jiang Yao realized that he was correct.

“You belong to me, so it’s only natural for me to take your revenge as my own,” Jiang Yao said without missing a beat. His words caused Luo Xiao's heart to beat faster before he managed to calm down again as he thought about the fact that Jiang Yao only meant he owned his soul. He had, after all, put a soul seal on him.

Jiang Yao was looking at Luo Xiao, waiting to see his face turn all red and embarrassed again, a sight that caused him great amusement and joy, but only a slight hue appeared before Luo Xiao’s face turned back to its usual pale color.

Seeing that his playful words had been disregarded, Jiang Yao felt slightly annoyed but also puzzled. What happened to Luo Xiao since the beating he received to cause this?

Did Ling Mo say something to him? The anger and hatred within Jiang Yao were fueled further. At the start, he just saw Ling Mo as an annoyance, someone that was in his way. But after seeing Luo Xiao injured twice because of him and seeing his behavior change, Jiang Yao was very unhappy.

He found great joy in teasing Luo Xiao. Seeing him getting flustered and embarrassed was a source of entertainment, but seeing him become more apprehensive caused Jiang Yao to be puzzled and disappointed.

He tried to strike up conversations a few times, but every time Luo Xiao answered tersely and the conversation died out.

Previously, Luo Xiao could be angered into speaking or embarrassed into it, but not this time. He just endured and said nothing.

Jiang Yao put all the blame on Ling Mo. If Ling Mo had just left, then Luo Xiao’s behavior wouldn’t have changed. He forgot that if Ling Mo had really left, then they would have no reason to continue behaving like lovers.

Jiang Yao didn’t care about anything other than his own amusement and benefits. Although he did not understand the feelings he had while he was with Luo Xiao, he felt more at peace than he had in a very long time, and he wasn’t going to let this feeling go.

The two were silent for quite a while as they continued forward. Their speed was swift and Luo Xiao, who tried to put his focus on the passing landscapes, quickly found that he felt nauseous because everything was moving too fast.

The last couple of days his face had been hidden in Jiang Yao’s chest as he slept peacefully, but today, he felt well rested. He had no reason to hide his face any longer. In fact, he didn’t wish to do so out of fear of becoming even more dependent on Jiang Yao.

Luo Xiao now felt that he had wasted his time recently. He could have spent these days cultivating and increasing his strength, but instead, he was in the arms of someone he feared but was forced to rely on. Someone he didn’t want to lose, but at the same time, he didn’t want to get too close to this person either.

Once again he was deep in thought, but then he noticed that they were standing still on the ground, not flying forward in the air.

“What’s wrong?” Luo Xiao asked puzzled, but Jiang Yao gestured for him to be quiet. Seeing the amused appearance on Jiang Yao’s face, Luo Xiao was even more confused.

“Since you’ve been following us, why don’t you come out already?” Jiang Yao’s voice resounded through their empty surroundings.

They stood on a road, and there wasn’t a single person around. Hearing Jiang Yao’s words, Luo Xiao looked around more carefully but no matter where his eyes went, he saw no one.

Jiang Yao put Luo Xiao on the ground and placed a finger to his lip while smiling, gesturing for the younger male to be quiet.

Luo Xiao wondered what was going on, but he did what he was told while curiously looking around.

At first, nothing happened, but soon more and more people appeared in the distance. They moved rapidly with a speed even faster than when Jiang Yao was flying with Luo Xiao in his arms.

Luo Xiao was worried. There were hundreds of cultivators! All of them looked extremely menacing and vicious. Although Jiang Yao was strong, there was no way he could handle so many people, right?

At that moment Luo Xiao regretted not being strong enough. He blamed his weak and sickly body for not being able to assist Jiang Yao.

“What are you doing?” Luo Xiao practically screamed with annoyance in his voice, “I know that you are capable of moving much faster without me, hurry up and leave! It is better than both of us dying here!”

Luo Xiao was not fearful of death anymore. He had seen his entire village eradicated and eaten right in front of his eyes. If he were to die, then he would be united with his friends and family members again.

Also, no matter the reason, Jiang Yao had treated him well. He would loathe seeing this person wounded because of him.

Hearing Luo Xiao admonishing him, Jiang Yao's heart turned warm, and the smile on his face turned even softer.

“You think that this group of bandits are enough to do away with this lord?” Jiang Yao's words were harsh, and cruelty was evident in his voice. His eyes glistened, and he was in a great mood.

He had felt bitter ever since Ling Mo had beaten Luo Xiao, and he was unable to do anything about it. It wasn’t because he feared the aftermath of killing Ling Mo, but that he respected Luo Xiao’s words. Luo Xiao wanted to take revenge on his own, so he would respect the younger man’s wish.

Because he had pent-up frustrations that were mixed with his confused emotions about the younger man, Jiang Yao suddenly felt the urge to kill all the bandits that had set him and Luo Xiao as their prey.

Jiang Yao was not dumb; he knew that Ling Mo had to be behind the bandits attack, but he could not prove anything. Since they had decided to step into these muddy waters, then it was their own fault for wasting their lives.

Luo Xiao was shocked when he heard Jiang Yao’s arrogant words. He didn’t actually know how strong the latter was, but they were up against hundreds of experts! This could not be easy to handle.

But when Luo Xiao saw Jiang Yao's excited expression, he just shook his head, “Well if we are going to die, then we shall die together. I guess it’s not too bad to have someone to keep me company,” Luo Xiao murmured with a sigh in the end.

His voice was low, but Jiang Yao heard the words, and his cruel face twitched slightly, “Have some faith in me at least,” he said with a laugh.

At this point, the advancing experts had reached and encircled them. They all had very worn clothes and eyes glistening with ferociousness.

“Hey you, give us the little boy, and we'll let you go,” the man who appeared to be the leader stepped forward and said. His eyes looked greedy as they glanced at Luo Xiao, causing the younger boy to shiver. He suddenly understood that if he ended up in the hands of this man, then he would be in for a world of pain and wish that he was already dead.

At this point, Jiang Yao’s eyes were dark from anger. He still had a smile on his face, but this smile had turned chillingly cold.

“The kid? Sorry, he’s mine,” Jiang Yao said with a smile. His voice was calm and collected but contained a royal air that seemed impossible to defy.

“Then don't blame us for being ruthless!” The leader of the group said and started laughing as if he had heard the funniest thing in the world, but he indeed had the capacity to be arrogant. They absolutely had the advantage in numbers.

“You really believe you can take down this lord with only this many cultivators?” Jiang Yao said as he started chuckling and shook his head, “Come at me then, show me what gave you the guts to talk about taking what belongs to me!”

Hearing this, the bandit leader finally felt that something was wrong, but he knew that he could not back down.

“Everyone, split into two groups! One attack the Qi cultivator; the others kill the kid then withdraw! Our only task is to get rid of that punk nothing else matters!” the bandit leader commanded.

He didn’t believe that they would be incapable of dealing with a kid with this many people, but Jiang Yao was losing his patience. He waved his hand, and a strand of Qi shot out.

The strand moved like a snake, and it took the shape of a dragon roaring to the sky before it rushed towards the many experts.

The first four were devoured before they even had time to react. These were all amongst the strongest in the group and their miserable deaths shocked the others to their core.

But, the dragon did not stop there. It continued forward, killing and devouring one person after another. It did not seem to grow weaker; instead, it seemed as if every person it devoured invigorated it and caused it to grow even stronger.

Soon half the bandits had perished to this Qi dragon. Witnessing such a sight, the bandits panicked. They tried to retreat, but they all got eaten one after the other.

Luo Xiao watched silently behind them. He stood behind Jiang Yao's body, holding onto his robes with sweating hands.

Once more he felt nauseous as he saw people die one after another. He felt uncomfortable and unhappy. Death was all around him, but he finally realized something and accepted this fact.

To survive, he had to accept that others would die. Ling Mo was willing to do this much just to kill him, so one day he too had to kill Ling Mo, or it would never stop.

Swallowing hard, Luo Xiao felt sick. He clutched Jiang Yao’s clothes and felt that he was getting some strength from the man who stood tall in front of him. Although he was scared and worried, he found that he still depended on Jiang Yao a lot. Yet, in this situation, he was relieved to have the stronger man by his side. Who knew what would have become of him without Jiang Yao.

Jiang Yao felt the hands that were clutching his robe, and a gentle smile spread on his face. He stood protectively in front of Luo Xiao, and he ensured that no one could get close to them.

He killed everyone, one after another, until only the leader was left.

By then, Luo Xiao understood Jiang Yao enough to know that this leader was in for a world of pain. He wasn’t going to have a happy ending, nor would he be able to beg for death.