“I'm sorry.” Half an hour later, Qin Feng knelt on the ground, sincerely repenting, “It was I who spoke wildly just now. Please, Senior, overlook my transgression and let us go.”
Qin Feng was defeated very quickly. Under the assault of a dozen Great Strength Vajras, he was soon overwhelmed and beaten into a pig's head.
His blade techniques, when striking the Great Strength Vajras, caused them no pain or itching. But a few punches from a Great Strength Vajra were enough to make him collapse.
He hadn't even managed a few moves before he was knocked out cold.
Originally, Qin Feng had hoped his other three good brothers would help him, but he stealthily looked up.
Goodness, his three brothers were hanging from a tree!
Qin Feng had never seen such strong straw figures. He immediately surrendered, obediently prostrating himself on the ground to beg for mercy.
He knelt without the slightest psychological burden; after all, he would forget everything once he went down the mountain!
“Weren't you very arrogant just now? Looking down on us, the Sages of Agriculture?” Zhao Xing asked indifferently.
“Senior, I was blind and spoke without thinking. It was I who was ridiculous. Senior, with your magnanimity, please do not bother with a small person like me,” Qin Feng pleaded repeatedly.
“That's right, the position of Sage of Agriculture benefits all people, striving against heaven for the populace. We all hold it in great reverence.”
“Senior, he was confused just now. Please don't hold it against him.”
“That Ganoderma lucidum rightfully belongs to a virtuous person like Senior!”
The other three, who were hanging, were also thoroughly subdued.
They hadn't even seen Zhao Xing himself, yet they were dealt with by a few straw figures. How could they not be convinced?
As for calling him Senior, they also did so without the slightest psychological burden.
Sages of Agriculture inherently don't have much combat power. To be able to knock them down with straw figure techniques, how strong must he be? He must have encountered an old official who had Cultivated for a long time.
“Letting you go is possible, but do you have money?”
“Take out all your valuable things and place them on the ground, then you can leave.”
Zhao Xing was also too lazy to get entangled with these few people. Anyway, once they went down the mountain, they wouldn't remember anything, so there was no need to worry about retaliation.
“Yes, yes, yes!” Qin Feng immediately got up and pulled out everything he had. There was no silver, but he had several second-tier talismans and a box of second-tier Medicinal Pills.
The other three were pretty much the same.
Zhao Xing instructed the straw figures to carry the items away. Then, seeing Qin Feng start to remove his soft armor, he immediately said, “A few poor devils... I don't want the knives and soft armor. Get out of here.”
The standard weapons and armor of Huzhou's Martial Division all had markings. They couldn't be sold, and taking them back to melt for Materials would not only drastically reduce their value but also be troublesome.
“Thank you, Senior, thank you, Senior!” Qin Feng and the others expressed their immense gratitude and quickly scurried away.
Fang Jie and Zhou Gang, seeing this turn of events, suddenly felt a glimmer of hope.
They were on the verge of being harmed by these villains, but unexpectedly, a master suddenly appeared and saved them.
“Zhou Gang, Huzhou Martial Division guard, thanks Senior for your assistance.” Zhou Gang cupped his hands to his surroundings.
“Fang Jie, Huzhou Martial Division guard, thanks Senior for your assistance.” Fang Jie also cupped his hands.
Several Great Strength Vajras surrounded them, and a voice soon followed: “Don't just offer verbal thanks. Bring out anything valuable you have.”
Since Zhao Xing had made a move, there was no reason to leave empty-handed.
Whether you're good or bad, righteous or evil, if you pass by Sage of Agriculture Zhao's place, you'll have to shed a few feathers.
“This…” Fang Jie and Zhou Gang were stunned.
“What, are your lives not worth more than those external possessions?”
“No, no, Senior misunderstood.” Zhou Gang said with a bitter smile, pulling out a box of Medicinal Pills and talismans from his Pregnant: “It's just that we guards are all struggling, with little money. I'm afraid these things are not enough to repay Senior's life-saving grace.”
“Heh.” Zhao Xing took a look and immediately laughed at how poor these two were.
Combined, they only had four Medicinal Pills for restoring Origin Qi and two talismans for effortless travel, all first-tier, not worth much money at all.
The valuable items were their weapons and armor, but Zhao Xing couldn't take those.
He also had no mind to exploit a few poor devils and was about to leave.
Unexpectedly, Fang Jie heard this cold laugh and thought the Senior was displeased, so he immediately said, “We two might have another way to repay Senior.”
“Oh?”
Zhao Xing immediately stopped, wanting to hear what the two had to say.
Fang Jie and Zhou Gang exchanged glances and immediately said, “Before, we two passed a mountain cave, and there was a spiritual essence within that cave. I remember the location and can take Senior there.”
“This spiritual essence might not be easy to obtain, right?”
Zhou Gang said, “To be honest, Senior, the cave is a fierce beast's lair. We knew we couldn't defeat it, so we left, planning to try again when our strength had improved.”
Zhao Xing asked, “Do you know what kind of fierce beast it is?”
Fang Jie said somewhat awkwardly, “Our strength is low, and the beast's roar was terrifying, so we didn't go in to investigate.”
Zhao Xing was silent. Zhou Gang and Fang Jie, one at the fifth stage of Gathering Origin and the other at the sixth stage, could be scared out of their wits? How fierce must it be?
“At least above the eighth stage of Gathering Origin, possibly even the ninth stage of Gathering Origin.”
“However, if I'm afraid of this and afraid of that, I wouldn't have come up this mountain.”
“In any case, with the straw figures scouting ahead, there's no harm in going to take a look.” He deliberated in his mind and made a decision.
“It seems being a good person has its advantages.” Zhao Xing chuckled softly, “Saving your lives was just a matter of convenience. If I truly obtain the spiritual essence in that cave, I naturally won't treat you unfairly.”
“But I'll also speak frankly: if you two don't take me there, so be it. But if you harbor any other intentions or are hiding anything, don't blame me for turning a good deed into a bad one.”
Zhou Gang and Fang Jie's hearts trembled: “We would never dare to deceive you.”
“Lead the way.”
Zhao Xing sat steadily in his rattan chair. Two li away, Zhou Gang and Fang Jie accompanied the straw figures, clearing the path.
He only trusted things by a third; even though Zhou Gang and Fang Jie were full of assurances, he never fully believed them, let alone showed his face or got close.
After walking for about three-quarters of an hour, the mountain path became increasingly steep, and the surrounding forest was so dense that they almost had to cut a path with their knives.
Just as Zhao Xing was gradually losing patience, Zhou Gang in front whispered to the straw figure, “Senior, it's just ahead.”
Fang Jie pushed aside a leaf. Zhao Xing looked through the scouting straw figure and found that there really was a cave ahead.
“Senior, our heartbeats are accelerating, and we can already feel the spiritual essence. I wonder if Senior can sense it?” Zhou Gang asked cautiously.
“Hmm, you didn't lie to me.” Zhao Xing naturally felt it too. Even though he was farther away than Zhou Gang and the other, his strength was greater, and his perception was sharper.
“Senior, we don't dare to hope for any reward. If we can repay Senior's life-saving grace, that would be a great fortune,” Zhou Gang said.
His meaning was that he didn't want to stay here.
Zhao Xing understood: “You two don't need to overthink. My word is my bond. Since we've arrived, I have some healing ointment here. You two find a secluded place and tend to your injuries first.”
Zhou Gang and Fang Jie heard that he wouldn't let them go, fearing they might leak information, so they could only agree. Fortunately, the mysterious person didn't make things difficult for them and even ordered a straw figure to bring ointment, which relieved them.
For now, it seemed this Senior's temperament wasn't the type to turn hostile and disown people.
He sent two straw figures to keep an eye on Zhou Gang and Fang Jie, while Zhao Xing himself went around to the opposite side of the cave entrance to observe.
“Thump-thump ~ Thump-thump ~” The closer he got, the faster his heart beat. Zhao Xing understood that there was at least a Medium Grade spiritual essence inside, possibly even stronger than the Pure Origin Vermilion Fruit!
“First, send a scouting straw figure to take a look.”