books44 Chapter 172 Forced Cooperation
Chapter 172 Forced Cooperation
"Robbery?"
Tao Tao tilted his head, looking completely bewildered.
She had never been robbed before, and she was a little curious.
At this moment, Lu Bai had no time to explain anything, fearing that the Fanyun Village would track him down, so he quickly ordered his men to leave.
Driven by spiritual energy, the massive ship began to change direction, trying to avoid Fanyun Village as much as possible.
Just then, a thick fog rolled in, enveloping the entire ship and obscuring the surroundings.
This makes it impossible to determine direction, making it almost impossible to navigate the boat around Fanyun Village. If they try to force their way through, they might just run right into Fanyun Village.
"Young Master, what should we do?" The members of the merchant guild were all pale-faced, unable to imagine what would happen next.
On their side, only Wang Zhao and Lu Bai have relatively high cultivation levels. Some of them are even ordinary people who don't know any magic. If they run into Fanyun Village, wouldn't they only face certain death?
Seeing that his men were worried, Lu Bai was no different, but he had no choice but to look at Tao Tao with concern and ask, "Miss Le, if we really encounter Fanyun Village, with your cultivation level, are you capable of fighting them, or leading us away safely?"
"I can't guarantee it," Tao Tao answered truthfully. Although she was confident in herself, who knew if there was someone stronger than her on the other side? But even if she encountered a cultivator two levels higher than herself, she wouldn't be afraid. If she couldn't win, she could just run away.
But there are still caravan members around, and she can't possibly take so many people and escape unscathed. She can't just leave them all in the Flower Branch Space.
No, the white jade hairpin with flowers is a rare treasure. We should not flaunt our wealth, so we absolutely cannot let others know about it easily.
Tao Tao's words caused everyone's expressions to change slightly, and their hearts were filled with unease, as if their lives were hanging by a thread.
"Since that's the case, then we have no choice but to take a gamble." Lu Bai's eyes hardened. He took out a rhombus-shaped defensive magic artifact from his storage bracelet, threw it into the air, and it immediately formed a barrier around the ship, protecting them inside.
It's actually a high-level defensive magic weapon! You can't find this kind of magic weapon anywhere else. It seems that Lu Bai has been hiding his strength; at least he has quite a few treasures.
Although the barrier had been set up, the surrounding fog did not dissipate; instead, it grew thicker and thicker, making it impossible to see even a shadow.
"They're here." Tao Tao released his divine sense and clearly felt the group of people approaching; there was no way to escape.
As soon as Tao Tao finished speaking, Lu Bai threw out a talisman and struck the thick fog. The dense fog was instantly broken and gradually dissipated. In the instant the fog broke, they saw that five ships had already surrounded them.
The sudden appearance of these five ships was quite frightening, making the caravan's ships seem so isolated and helpless.
"Whose ship is this? It's the Deer Staff Merchant Guild. What, you only hired a little girl this time? You're not expecting her to protect you, are you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a middle-aged man walked out of the cabin and stood at the bow of the ship, playing with a string of prayer beads in his hand. He had a scar on his face, left from years of fighting, which made him look extremely ferocious.
Even from that distance, Tao Tao could sense that this person was not to be underestimated. He was at least at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and a head-on confrontation might not end well for him.
Moreover, the other side had a large number of people and a powerful force, with five ships arriving at once, each carrying at least one high-level cultivator. This was something that Lu Bai's caravan could not match.
“I have long admired the name of Yun Canghai, the chief of Fanyun Village. I remember that my great-grandfather had cooperated with your village. The lightning protection seal you used to cross the river was made by my Luzhang Merchant Guild.”
Knowing he couldn't win, Lu Bai resorted to emotional appeal. After all, they had made a deal, which at least showed they weren't completely unrelated. Besides, crossing the river would inevitably require the Lightning Avoidance Seal, so Yun Canghai would have to think twice before taking action.
"You mean this thing?" Yun Canghai spread his hand, and a pure white lightning-avoiding seal appeared in his palm. Lu Bai was about to nod when Yun Canghai's eyes turned cold, and he crushed the lightning-avoiding seal into fragments that fell into the Yan River.
"You..." Lu Bai was shocked and a surge of anger rose within him, but Wang Zhao pulled him back. Now was not the time to act impulsively. Yun Canghai was doing this because the Lightning Avoidance Seal was probably no longer effective against him, otherwise he wouldn't have crushed it in front of Lu Bai.
Now that there is no longer a threat, Yun Canghai will inevitably take action against them.
Yun Canghai sneered, his tone leaving no room for doubt, "I don't care about any of the goods on your ship, and I wouldn't stoop to robbing them, so you can rest assured. However, since we've met here by chance, why not invite Young Master Lu to do some business with me?"
This deal clearly doesn't give Lu Bai a choice. They are now fish on the chopping block, and if they go against Yun Zanghai, they will suffer a terrible fate.
"What kind of deal?" Lu Bai suppressed his anger and tried his best to calm himself down before asking in confusion.
"Have you ever heard of the Thousand Winds and Flowing Clouds Horse?"
"A level six demonic beast, the Thousand Wind Cloud Horse?"
"Yes."
Yun Canghai waved his sleeve and instantly appeared beside Lu Bai. His sudden appearance startled everyone around him. Wang Zhao hurriedly gripped his curved sword and was about to make a move, but as soon as he raised his hand, he was locked by an invisible force and could not move his body.
Tao Tao's eyes flickered, and he tilted his head to look. He saw three old men in gray robes appear behind them, staring at them menacingly.
They were all Foundation Establishment cultivators, two in the early stage and one in the middle stage. No wonder Yun Canghai dared to board the ship so brazenly.
The three first sized up Lu Bai, then their gaze fell on Tao Tao. Being at the same Foundation Establishment stage, they couldn't help but be a little wary.
“It seems there are indeed experts here. No wonder you dared to cross the Yan River. But this is just right. If you help me capture the Thousand Wind Cloud Horse, I can let you pass safely across the Yan River.” Yun Cang Haiye looked at Tao Tao with a slight surprise in his eyes. Although he could see through Tao Tao’s cultivation level, he could not sense what level she had reached.
Upon hearing this, Lu Bai became anxious and quickly said, "That's a level six demonic beast, what if..."
"You have no choice." Yun Canghai chuckled and placed his hand on Lu Bai's shoulder, releasing his pressure. The powerful force hit him directly, causing Lu Bai great pain. His mouth tasted metallic, but he forced himself to swallow the blood.
"A level six monster."
Just then, Tao Tao, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up and stepped forward to grab Lu Bai's wrist. A surge of spiritual energy entered Lu Bai's body, easing his tension and simultaneously shaking off Yun Canghai's hand.
This swift and decisive action surprised Yun Canghai, but he did not show any anger. Instead, he smiled and said, "Are you interested, young lady? But I don't like having my beloved taken away."
Tao Tao smiled slightly, stuck out his tongue mischievously, and said, "There are too many of you, I can't beat you, so I'm not interested."
Yun Canghai smiled slightly, "The young lady is very sensible. I'm sure this collaboration will be very pleasant."