The Golden Dragon Qi’s protection alliance had finally been decided.
Although they were an alliance filled with inner conflict and distrust, the structure of things had been grudgingly confirmed. Of the four squads, Zhao Ziyang and Gu Ying were the strongest—at Second Changing of the Evolving Resonance Tier. The other two squad leaders were First Changing, which was a decent level as well.
It was quite an impressive lineup to roam this area with.
Which was why in the first two days, things went smoothly. Besides some reckless squads that insisted on standing in their way, nothing major happened. Those squads ended up as a little bit of extra pocket change to supplement the dao-gold from the Golden Dragon Qi.
Zhao Ziyang, Gu Ying, and their other protectors were satisfied as well. Lu Qing’er’s Golden Dragon Qi was even more of a golden goose than they had expected. Even though the earnings were split, it was far more than what they would have earned on their own.
That helped motivate them all even further.
But the good times couldn’t last. Word of the Golden Dragon Qi had started to spread, and many of the desperate and empty-handed teams were starting to converge on their location, forming their own groups.
The stronger teams came forth more directly to negotiate, asking to be allowed to join the protection alliance and gain a share of the profits.
In these negotiations, Li Luo’s squad remained silent. It was Zhao Ziyang and Gu Ying who had the strongest objections. If they joined forces with these stronger teams, how could they be content keeping the original few squads around once they tasted those profits?
Their blatant refusal enraged those teams and only made their way forward harder. Even more teams started to oppose them, and the protection alliance suffered for it.
Finally, Zhao Ziyang decided that it was most prudent for them all to keep their heads down. They no longer moved forward boldly, but kept away from the main route in order to avoid the largest groups of attackers.
…
“At our speed, and on our current route, we will reach the Reservoir in five days.”
Li Luo’s group were in a gorge. They had set up camp beside a stream that ran deep and cold with snowmelt. They had made a campfire, its merry flames keeping away the chill and filling the air with the pleasant scent of oak.
“Five days, huh…”
The rest of the alliance nodded slowly. Five days was an endurable duration.
Gu Ying nursed some angry scars on her wrist, which were still seeping blood through the bandages. Her exhaustion was plain on her face, her cheeks and brow sagging from the fatigue. The last few days had been high-intensity battles, one after another without much pause.
Li Luo smiled at her. “Let me help you treat that. We’re all travelers on the same road anyway.”
Gu Ying regarded him warily for a moment but then relented, taking the bandages off and stretching out her arm. “Thanks.”
Li Luo shook his head cheerfully. “If I might express my humble opinion, I think you guys are a little too possessive about the Golden Dragon Qi,” he said as he summoned his healing powers and started to treat her. “Like a bunch of dragons on the gold pile. What’s wrong with letting the stronger teams join? Standing apart from the others is like trying to cut down all the trees in the entire forest. Why not bend with the wind?”
“You’re a really flexible one, aren’t you?” Zhao Ziyang replied scathingly.
Li Luo should be the one troubled. After all, all those people were here for Lu Qing’er’s Golden Dragon Qi. But now he was the one at ease, while they—his bodyguards—were bleeding for the cause.
Although they were doing this for their own profit, something didn’t sit right with them.
“I hope we can get to the Reservoir quickly. Our little band can be disbanded then. I hope everyone gets the treasured artifacts they wish for and does well in the battle for the writs,” Li Luo continued cheerfully, refusing to let Zhao Ziyang’s negativity taint the conversation.
This was an uplifting thought. Once at the Reservoir, their dao-gold would come into use. After all, the battle for the Golden Dragon Mountain Writs was everything. In that battle, Golden Dragon Qi would count for nothing.
They feasted on their grilled fish and contemplated this happily.
A sudden warning whistle from their lookout broke the peaceful silence.
“Someone’s here.”
Li Luo, Zhao Ziyang, and Gu Ying looked at each other carefully. They immediately moved to extinguish their fire, then they turned to the direction of the whistle.
They swiftly moved through the light, brushy terrain and very quickly reached the whistler. He beckoned them over and pointed to where three figures were approaching.
“Just one squad?”
Li Luo’s squad looked over with a jolt of surprise. Since they had smashed their way through many of the squads, the number of individual squads trying to take them on had dwindled away.
“Li Luo, they look familiar,” Lu Qing’er whispered by his side.
Li Luo nodded. From the resonant powers of the squad, he had recognized them as well. “Ning Zhao, Zhu Xuan, and Lin Suo?”
“You know them?” Zhao Ziyang asked, frowning.
This squad was pretty strong. There was even one among them who might be his equal.
“It’s the other squad from the Xia Kingdom,” Li Luo said with an enigmatic smile.
Zhao Ziyang and Gu Ying looked at each other worriedly. This alliance was getting more and more complicated. They had been ridden hard like horses, at least comforted by the fact that Lu Qing’er and her two friends were supposed to be under their control. They could always assert themselves if needed.
But now an elite squad from the Xia Kingdom was here. The power dynamics were shifting.
This was not good news for them.
While they hesitated, the squad had already arrived. Indeed, it was Ning Zhao, Zhu Xuan, and Lin Suo.
There was some staring on both sides. Zhu Xuan stepped forward. “This is what you meant when you promised President Yu you’d take care of Qing’er?” he spat disbelievingly at Li Luo.
“Trapped between stronger forces, with no will of your own?”
“Ah, strong words,” Li Luo said, unperturbed. “I prefer to think of it as a joint win.”
“You’re deluded,” Zhu Xuan snapped. “Qing’er, I apologize for arriving late. It must have been undignified for you.
“Just tell me. You can come with us. No matter how hard things get, we can take you away.”
Zhao Ziyang and Gu Ying scowled at that, shifting their hands to their weapons.
This guy would dare to snatch the Golden Dragon Qi away from right in front of them?
Lu Qing’er checked Li Luo’s expression carefully, then shook her head. “It’s just a training excursion. No need to take things so seriously. The sights here are quite pretty.”
Zhu Xuan was stunned.
Zhao Ziyang and the others heaved an inward sigh of relief.
Ning Zhao spoke up as well. “Qing’er,” he said worriedly, “if you don’t want to leave, we respect your decision. But for your safety, we have to accompany you. If anything happens to you, what would we tell the President?”
“Accompany?” Zhao Ziyang echoed. “Did you ask for our permission?”
An additional squad meant a slimmer cut of the profits from the Golden Dragon Qi.
Zhu Xuan returned his unfriendly look. “We are all of the Xia Kingdom. Do you think we need your permission?”
“Oh, is that right?” Zhao Ziyang’s eyes glittered, and his vermilion power began to seep forth.
“Lava resonance?”
Zhu Xuan noted warily. His own flaming resonant power blazed forth, and the temperature rose.
Suddenly, they were on the brink of a fight.
Li Luo suddenly stepped out between them. “Come now, everyone. There’s no need for such hostility. There are other enemies lurking around. If we fight, only they win.”
Both sides backed down a notch. Zhu Xuan smirked at Li Luo. It looked like Li Luo was in a tough spot, squished between strong forces. Clearly, he was trying to beg them to come to his rescue. Right?
But there were too many strong squads eying them sharply, and Zhu Xuan held his tongue. He led Ning Zhao and Lin Suo over to Lu Qing’er’s side.
A tentative peace being established, they all moved deeper into the forest by tacit agreement.
Li Luo hung at the back of the formation, watching both Zhu Xuan and the nondescript Lin Suo carefully.
Although they were all from the Xia Kingdom, that did not mean they were rescuers. They might even be more dangerous than Zhao Ziyang…
“Yu Lang, you never told us that there was another strong team from the Xia Kingdom,” Gu Ying and Zhao Ziyang hissed as they came flanking him.
“I don’t want to split the profits any further,” Zhao Ziyang declared.
Li Luo shrugged helplessly. “I don’t want to either, but you’ve seen for yourselves… They’re the main force, we’re just the backups. If we don’t agree to what they say, there’ll be trouble for us when we get back. I’m sorry that I can’t let you fight openly like that.”
Zhao Ziyang glowered. “So you’re going to let them stay? That’s your choice?” Li Luo showed him his best conflicted face and sighed deeply.
“They are much stronger than my squad, and they’ll just ignore whatever I say. So… if you want to do anything, don’t say it’s on my behalf. I don’t know anything.”
He let his last statement hang pregnant in the air and then quickened his pace forward.
Zhao Ziyang and Gu Ying looked at each other and broke into identical, satisfied smiles.
