"Got it!" Xiao Yi Xian replied.
The night passed quietly. At dawn, the two set out for Mo Shui Town, a border settlement in the Chu Yun Empire. To avoid attention, they disguised themselves. Xiao Heng draped a black cloak over his cyan robes, topping it with a black conical hat. Xiao Yi Xian wore a white robe over her purple dress, her face veiled by a white hat with gauze.
Mo Shui Town wasn't far. In just over two hours, they arrived. Unlike Jia Ma's cities, Chu Yun's towns were adorned in purple, with poison masters everywhere, as if a faint toxic mist cloaked the streets.
They strolled through the town, pausing at its largest herb shop, Chun He Hall. "Chun He Hall? That name doesn't scream Chu Yun style," Xiao Heng remarked, eyeing the shop's sign.
"Chu Yun may favor poison masters, but not everyone's like that," Xiao Yi Xian said.
"Makes sense. Let's check it out." They entered, Xiao Yi Xian suppressing her Dou Zhi Qi to match Xiao Heng's Da Dou Shi level.
A Da Dou Shi's strength was neither too strong nor weak. Bandits targeting them would need a Dou Ling or a group of Da Dou Shi. Dou Wangs, with their higher status, wouldn't bother with Da Dou Shi's meager wealth.
"Greetings, what herbs do you need?" A middle-aged man approached with a practiced smile. Their disguises suggest they're no ordinary folks—big spenders, maybe, he thought.
"Show me your best herbs," Xiao Heng said.
"You don't seem like Chu Yun locals. Need an introduction to poisons?" the man asked.
"Go ahead," Xiao Heng nodded.
"You're in luck! Just days ago, we got a fifth-tier and a fourth-tier poisonous herb. We've got common herbs too. What do you need?" the man said.
After consulting Xiao Yi Xian, Xiao Heng bought most of the shop's poisons and some ingredients for third-grade pills. High-tier herbs were scarce, so the cost was reasonable.
"Here's your change. Safe travels!" The man handed Xiao Heng a gold coin card, smiling. Xiao Yi Xian stored the herbs.
"Mm." Xiao Heng nodded, leading Xiao Yi Xian toward a horse vendor.
"Hey, boss, check those two!" a sleazy man whispered on the street, pointing at Xiao Heng and Xiao Yi Xian leaving Chun He Hall.
"They're not from Chu Yun. Could be a big score," a black-faced man with a nose ring said.
"Let me see," a pale, sinister man between them said. "Both Da Dou Shi, around Five-Star level."
"Boss, you're a One-Star Dou Ling, and we're Six-Star Da Dou Shi. With our Dou Shi brothers, taking them's a breeze," the black-faced man said.
"Look at that woman. Even through the robe, I bet her waist's tiny. After you're done, boss, we can have some fun," the sleazy man added.
"Should be fine. Take the brothers and cut them off via the backroads," the pale man ordered the black-faced man.
"I'm on it, but boss, let me have the black-robed guy first. Don't let the others fight over him," the black-faced man said, blushing shyly.
"Get going! Not everyone's into men like you," the pale man snapped.
"Heh, I'm off!" The black-faced man grinned, darting into an alley.
"Having a lackey like that's embarrassing," the pale man muttered.
"Different strokes, right? Let's follow them," the sleazy man urged.
The trio were elite bandits operating across nearby towns, with ten cultivated underlings. Since their pale-faced leader broke through to Dou Ling, they'd become the area's top bandit crew.
After the black-faced man left, the pale man and sleazy man tailed Xiao Heng and Xiao Yi Xian. When the white-robed woman glanced back, they ducked into an alley.
"Boss, they didn't spot us, right?" the sleazy man asked.
"Shouldn't have. We hid the moment she turned," the pale man said.
"Good."
"Xiao Yi Xian, what's up?" Xiao Heng asked.
"Someone's following us," she said.
"What strength?"
"One-Star Dou Ling and Six-Star Da Dou Shi," she replied.
"They think we're easy marks," Xiao Heng chuckled.
"What's the plan?" Xiao Yi Xian asked.
"Two tailing us means more are likely waiting to ambush. Let's play along. They want to rob us, but I'm thinking of fleecing them for gold," Xiao Heng said, smirking. Who's robbing who?
They bought two horses and rode slowly out of the small town. An hour later, they entered a forested road.
A black greatsword shot from the woods, striking the ground like dark lightning. Xiao Heng and Xiao Yi Xian were unfazed, but their horses reared.
As they calmed the animals, the black-faced man emerged with ten black-clad men, blocking their path.
"Kid, this road's closed!" the black-faced man bellowed, hoisting his sword onto his shoulder.
Before Xiao Heng could respond, another voice came from behind. "This way's blocked too!" the sleazy man cackled, his grin grotesque.
"Are you after our money or our lives?" Xiao Heng called out.
"Surrender, and I'll make your deaths quick," the pale man said from behind.
"Let my blade answer that!" Xiao Heng's cyan storage ring flashed, and the Crimson Dragon Fang appeared in his hand.
"Take this!" He shed his black cloak, draping it over the horse, and leaped, slashing at the black-faced man.
"Boss, let's grab the woman," the sleazy man said, stepping forward. Noticing no one followed, he turned. "Boss, you're not coming?"
"Boss, you…" The sleazy man froze. His leader stood motionless, a purple dot inexplicably on his forehead.
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