Chapter 78: Refusing to Save a Life?

  Following him into the pavilion with seats on the boat, which was actually a cabin, and sitting down at the table with Xue Xiao, he hastily introduced her to his four brothers. Zheng Ning then said, "Big brother, Xiao Yao is also going to the Kalos Forest. He's alone, so it must be very dangerous for him. I've invited him to travel with us. Is that okay? After all, we're all on the same road."

  He glanced at Zheng Ning, who was tall and strong with a goatee, making him look more refreshing. Zheng Wanjun turned his gaze to Zuo Xiaoyao, carefully examining her again. She looked slender and weak compared to her age, similar to Zheng Ning's. Her temperament was warm and gentle, and under his gaze, she remained calm and composed, but didn't seem like someone who could withstand the long journey, overcome dangers, and successfully arrive at the Kalos Forest.

  Anyway, Zheng Wen didn't think much of Zuo Xiao Yao who seemed to be able to lift with his hands but not with his shoulders, looking like he had no masculinity at all. However, overall, his impression of her was still quite good. With a slightly serious expression, he said: "Since we've met, it's fate that we travel together, which is no problem. But Xiao Yao little brother might be away from home for the first time and not know much about other states' situations. I'll explain some things in advance so you can prepare yourself mentally. Don't think I'm being tedious."

  Unexpectedly, Zheng's eldest son, who looked rough on the outside, was actually meticulous. Zuo Xiaoyao smiled and nodded "Please, Brother Zheng, teach me more!"

  "It's not about teaching, but if you've been living in Caozhou all along, you might have gotten used to the peace and quiet here. However, once you cross the Luoning River and enter another state, you'll find that the differences between states are quite significant. In Caozhou, it's rare to hear of cases where people get robbed or mugged on the road. But in other states, almost all remote roads have a high chance of encountering bandits, especially in Luoshan State, which is closest to the Kalos Forest. Without any martial skills, no one dares to travel far. We're about to pass through Mengzhou next, which is slightly better than Luoshan State, but not by much. So, I'd say your plan to head to the Kalos Forest alone is quite reckless. Didn't your family try to stop you?"

  Later, Zheng Wen said with a hint of emotion, apparently thinking that she was overestimating herself, just like Zheng Ning, and that's why she dared to think about going to the Kalos Forest alone. After all, they had never sensed any aura related to martial arts from Zuo Xiaoyao.

  At his current age, Zheng Ning is basically considered an adult, but it's no wonder he still has that kind of pure enthusiasm. It's clearly related to his family environment. From the reactions of the other four brothers in the Zheng family, who bluntly expressed that her decision to go alone to the Kalos Forest was too reckless, yet were willing to bring this "drag" along without hesitation, it can be seen generally.

  Xiao Yao shook her head and replied calmly, "No one stopped me, it's just that I needed to, so I made this decision. I didn't think too much about other things. Although I've heard people mention that the road to Kalos Forest is a bit rough, those bandits seem to be targeting people who are returning from Kalos Forest. The road going there is still relatively safe."

  His slender figure looked somewhat like a scholar, Zheng Jia's fourth brother sighed and said, "That was several years ago. It was easier to get good results because of the people who came back from the Kalos Forest. Now, things are getting worse upstairs, and the various domains below are becoming increasingly unstable. If it weren't for special circumstances, we brothers wouldn't be willing to take this trip either."

  As soon as "on top" was mentioned, the atmosphere on the scene suddenly became a bit heavy, and the interest of several Zheng family brothers was not high, so they didn't continue this topic that was not good to talk about.

  In the following days, everyone didn't entangle with this topic again. After all, Zheng Ning had brought her over and they also saw that Zuo Xiao Yao was a good person to get along with, warm and polite, although her knowledge was 'limited', she was still a good companion. The Zheng brothers naturally accepted her without any reservations.

  Without her having to ask, Zheng Ning candidly revealed the situation in his household. It turned out that he and his brothers came from a mid-sized family of moderate standing in Caoyang City, who had inherited a decent intermediate-level martial arts manual called "Tiger-Subduing Fist". There were seven brothers in total, including Zheng Ning himself, all of whom showed great aptitude for martial arts and achieved considerable success in that field. As a result, they enjoyed the reputation of being the "Seven Tigers of the Zheng Family" in Caoyang City. Zuo Xiao Yao had heard whispers about this during her travels to Caoyang, but she hadn't paid much attention at the time, never expecting to meet them and even become acquainted with them now.

  When Zheng Ning asked about her background, Zuo Xiao Yao hesitated for a moment in her heart and then smiled back saying "Zheng Ningtai."

  Zheng Ning furrowed his brow and said, " Zhengning stage? I've never heard of it before. It's really obscure."

  "Caozhou is such a vast territory, there must be many places you don't know about!"

  "That's right, by the way, have you heard? The fifth prince of Feng Luan country has just ascended to the throne recently. It is said that he was able to ascend to the throne with the support of the Holy Maiden!"

  When Zheng Ning heard Zuo Xiao Yao's joking yet factual words, he felt slightly uncomfortable and touched his head, then mysteriously leaned in close to her and whispered.

  "Who would have thought that this guy is also a supporter of gossip and rumors? As early as in Cao Yang City, I had already heard about this 'new' news. Zuo Xiao Yao was just about to respond when she saw Zheng Ning's head being slapped open by a large palm, and a loud voice said "Old Seven, how could you do such a petty thing again? If you have something to say, say it out loud, don't whisper, what are you doing with your murmurs, it doesn't look like the behavior of a man."

  His loud voice attracted the attention of the surrounding crowd, Zheng Ning covered his head and glared at the young man with a loud voice, complaining: "Third brother, why are you always like this? You pat people's heads at every turn. I was just talking to Xiao Yu in a low voice, what's wrong with that? Can't you tell the difference between situations?"

  "Alright, alright, what's there to argue about? Whether your voice is small or not, it doesn't matter. It's not right to discuss other people's business here. What happened in Fengyuan Country has nothing to do with us. We just need to think about how to complete this task. With your second brother and fifth brother not here, it's just the five of us. If we want to go and do that thing, it's still a bit too forced. From now on, you all must tighten up and not fall behind in your martial arts training. Every bit of strength gained is a valuable asset."

  Although somewhat reluctantly, Zheng Ning also followed the other brothers in responding loudly and clearly. It can be seen that Zheng Wen still has a strong presence as the eldest brother in front of his own siblings.

  About a month ago, the fifth prince of Feng Luan country might have been able to ascend to the throne smoothly with the help of the Holy Maiden. Although this news was spread during this period, it did not cause as much sensation as when the "Holy Maiden" appeared in the world a year ago. Since it involves the secrets of the Feng Luan royal family and also implicates the "Holy Maiden" who possesses mysterious powers, the discussions were relatively small and basically circulated privately, without being openly brought to the table for discussion.

  After all, this is a world that worships supernatural powers. As ordinary people rarely dare to discuss the private affairs of those mages in private. Regarding the topic of the Holy Maiden, although it has not been explicitly prohibited, everyone has an unspoken agreement not to openly discuss it.

  Five days later, the group rode their horses to a gorge that they had to pass through on their way from Mengzhou to Luoshan Prefecture. From afar, they could already hear the sounds of intense fighting coming from up ahead, accompanied by occasional cries of pain and shouts of abuse.

  "Big brother, why stop? Surely the people ahead have encountered bandits. We should hurry up and go help!" Zheng Ning protested with a surge of hot blood in his chest.

  "No, the movement is too big. The sound can be heard two miles away, and both sides are definitely not simple. We rashly go up, and we may not have a good result. Old Fourth, you first sneak over from this side of the forest to investigate, after confirming the situation, we will discuss again!"

  Zheng Wen's expression turned solemn as he replied, familiar with the route to the Kalos Forest.

  Through these days of interaction, Zuo Xiao Yao has come to know that Zheng family's fourth son may not have the same natural talent as his brothers in terms of mastering the Tiger Fist, a traditional martial art passed down through their family. However, he is exceptionally skilled at a light body technique he learned by chance during his childhood. His speed when running through the woods is extremely fast, and he can hide himself according to the surrounding environment in a timely manner. In the first two instances when they encountered bandits on dangerous road sections, he was able to successfully scout ahead and grasp the situation beforehand, allowing several people to pass through safely without a single hair out of place, completely not needing her to use her spiritual awareness to detect the surroundings beforehand.

  Of course, with Zuo Xiao's current spiritual awareness, which is only comparable to the foundation of a perfect circle, the range that can be 'seen' is at most only over 100 meters. It can only be used to clarify the situation in advance when approaching the ambush circle, and it is not as practical as the gains obtained by intentionally going nearby to investigate.

  In less than a minute, Zheng Jia's fourth brother appeared before several people. After flipping onto his horse, he replied with a serious expression, "Big Brother, you were right. The situation ahead is indeed complicated. It looks like 40 or 50 ordinary bandits are robbing 8 or 9 travelers, but I feel that something is off. Both sides have unusual skills, and there are two mages dueling each other. Moreover, the bandits are unlike any we've encountered before - they're highly disciplined and fearless!"

  Zheng Wen listened, not showing any sign of pride or satisfaction on his face despite his accurate judgment. Instead, his expression became even more serious. He clearly knew that a Taoist priest would only appear in certain situations, and this did not include bandit gangs. At the same time, he also knew that most Taoist priests were quite perceptive and would prioritize their own safety when they saw an unfavorable situation. They would immediately retreat to protect themselves, rarely engaging in a life-or-death struggle with their opponents. This was also why there were so many bandits emerging one after another.

  "Master!"

  He muttered to himself and then raised his head with a determined expression, saying "This might be a personal vendetta, we can't get involved. Let's retreat for now and continue on our way once things have calmed down here!"

  Several people were about to retreat, not wanting to move forward. The situation ahead was shocking, and Zheng Ning, who hadn't fully grasped the situation, responded dissatisfied with his brother's words: "Brother, how can this be? More than 40 of us against 8 or 9 bandits, those bandits are too despicable! How can we just stand by and do nothing?! You're not going, I'll go!"

  Before his words had even faded, Zheng Ning was already galloping forward on horseback, leaving his four brothers unable to stop him. Zuo Xiao Yao watched this and silently sighed that this guy had a lot of hot blood but wasn't very clear-headed about reality. Even she, who didn't understand this world very well, knew that things definitely weren't so simple and the danger was too great. Although she was somewhat speechless, she could only follow along with the other four Zheng brothers, subconsciously keeping up immediately.

  After all, she still had a good impression of this somewhat overly simple and enthusiastic young man, and couldn't just stand by and do nothing.