Chapter 50: Useless Husband!

"No way, I have no desire to enjoy such a blessing. You should find someone else instead," Lin Chen said, feigning nervousness as he vigorously shook his head.

"It has to be you." With that, she leaped agilely onto the donkey's back and tightly wrapped her arms around him from behind.

Her sudden weight caused the old donkey to sway, and it took a moment before it slowly resumed its steady pace.

Lin Chen froze slightly and said, "Don't tell me you're cold again."

"Mm-hm, I'm freezing!" Xie Mengmeng replied without a moment's hesitation.

"That is pure nonsense. This is Nanyang City, how could it possibly be that cold?" Lin Chen ruthlessly exposed her excuse.

Situated at the southernmost tip of the Jing State, Nanyang City boasted the warmest and most pleasant climate. Lin Chen would never believe that anyone could be truly cold here.

Xie Mengmeng gave an awkward laugh. "Hey! Don't be ungrateful. If I want to hug you, I'll hug you. Why do you have so many questions?"

Fine, Lin Chen realized there was no point in asking. He shook his head helplessly and allowed her to hold him.

He muttered to himself, "Consider it repaying a favor, just let her hold me."

With such shameless hypocrisy, Lin Chen happily accepted the advantage while pretending to be reluctant.

Outside the dense forest, a group of people was gathering. Clearly, these individuals were assassins who had come specifically to kill Lin Chen.

One of them spoke up, "This bounty of ten thousand merit coins is not easy to earn! Without exception, all my previous subordinates died in Xining Town."

"As far as I know, he is merely a fifth-realm cultivator. If that's the case, there must be an expert protecting him," another person chimed in.

"How about this? Each of our factions will send a sixth-realm cultivator to test the waters before deciding our next move."

Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement, indicating their consent.

These three groups of people belonged to various branch divisions of the Shadow Pavilion.

The Shadow Pavilion was an underground organization within the Jing State, frequently engaged in the assassination business.

Rumor had it that as long as the price was right, there was no one they dared not kill.

Consequently, no one dared to easily provoke the Shadow Pavilion, not even the Yaoguang Sacred Land, which had to weigh the risks repeatedly.

As for the pavilion master, no one had ever laid eyes on their true appearance. Some said it was a fickle old witch, while others claimed it was a sloppy old codger.

Meanwhile, a man and a woman were also hurrying toward Nanyang City.

"Senior Sister, I don't think we need to dirty our own hands. He's just a fifth-realm cultivator," the man said with a look of utter disdain.

"If you don't want to go, then turn back and return," Xue Chan said coldly, not showing any politeness.

In her heart, she thought about how Senior Brother Fu's attitude toward her had recently changed. If she helped him kill Lin Chen, perhaps her relationship with Senior Brother Fu could progress even further.

"No... no... no, Senior Sister, you've misunderstood me. How could I possibly not want to go? Whatever concerns Senior Sister, I will personally attend to it."

The man was named Gu Yu, and he was considered a proud genius of the Yaoguang Sacred Land, possessing quite refined features.

Ever since he entered the Yaoguang Sacred Land and laid eyes on Xue Chan, he had resolved to pursue her for the rest of his life.

Yet, Xue Chan seemed to treat him merely as a lapdog that could be utilized at any moment.

"Hmph, consider yourself still somewhat useful. Pick up the pace, and don't let the Shadow Pavilion beat us to his head," Xue Chan sneered.

Meanwhile, Lin Chen and his companion deep within the dense forest were entirely unaware of these undercurrents.

The next moment, however, his gaze turned sharp, and he warned, "Careful! Someone is approaching."

Xie Mengmeng was slightly startled, though she didn't react too dramatically, well aware that this journey was destined to be turbulent.

At that moment, three figures emerged from the shadows, and one of them said coldly, "Brat, kneel down and beg me, and I'll grant you a quick death."

From his perspective, the person before him was merely in the fifth-realm and was bound to die. As for the woman behind him...

When his eyes landed on the woman, however, he found himself unable to look away, for she was gazing at him with an extremely alluring and seductive look.

Thus, an evil thought arose in his mind, and he maliciously proposed, "However, if you hand the woman behind you over to me, I might consider sparing your life."

Lin Chen asked with a suspicious expression, "Is that a promise?"

The man in black sneered, "Naturally!" With that, he beckoned to Xie Mengmeng with his finger.

Xie Mengmeng was quite cooperative; she jumped off the donkey and walked toward the man in black.

Before leaving, she cursed at Lin Chen, "Marrying a cowardly husband like you is the biggest mistake of my life."

Right under the gaze of the other two men, she vanished from sight.

Another man sneered mockingly, "Trading one's own woman just to save his own skin—he truly is a shameless coward. That makes it all the easier and guilt-free for me to kill him."

"Stop wasting breath, let's strike now and kill him early so we can claim the reward," another person nearby said impatiently, moving to attack.

Suddenly, an out-of-tune voice pierced their ears.

"This head, I'll take it."

The men turned their heads to look, and the newcomer was none other than Xue Chan.

"Little girl, don't you even understand the principle of first-come, first-served?" a man in black roared in dissatisfaction.

"I said, I want this head. If any of you try to stop me, I don't mind killing a few more," Xue Chan said, unreservedly unleashing her seventh-realm cultivation aura.

The two men in black looked at each other in dismay, whispering, "Let's go, go back and report to the elders."

Seeing the two leave, Xue Chan sneered, "Hmph, ants will always be ants."

Lin Chen paid them no mind, continuing forward on the old donkey.

Seeing this, Xue Chan flew into a rage and scolded, "Ant! Did I say you could leave?"

Lin Chen frowned slightly, muttering to himself, "This woman is seriously deranged."

Realizing she was being ignored once again, Xue Chan glared at Gu Yu and snapped, "What are you waiting for? Kill him right now, or don't ever bother me again."

"Understood! Senior Sister, I'm on it." With that, Gu Yu immediately lunged at Lin Chen to kill him.

Seeing the man charging straight at him, Lin Chen muttered to himself, "A simp! A truly hardcore simp."

However, these words reached Gu Yu's ears, driving him into an instantaneous fury. His face flushed beet red as he roared, "Talk trash! This is called pure love, you wouldn't understand! A piece of trash who would betray his own woman, what right do you have to say such things?"

Xue Chan's expression suddenly shifted. "Gu Yu, you useless piece of trash, stop yapping and attack already!"

Pure love? You're not even worthy! What kind of person am I, Xue Chan? I am certainly not someone a piece of trash like you deserves to possess.

"Senior Sister, rest assured, he is a dead man," Gu Yu patted his chest with absolute confidence.

"Hahaha... so this is what they call pure love?" Lin Chen laughed derisively.

"You're courting death!" Gu Yu gnashed his teeth in incandescent rage, drawing his longsword and thrusting forward furiously.

Clang!

Lin Chen unsheathed the long saber at his waist, a chilling flash of light erupting as he strode forward several feet.

Raising the saber high above his head with a sharp, whistling tear through the air, he leaped violently and brought it down in a fierce chop.

Bang!

The deafening crash of metal colliding caused the surrounding air to vibrate violently.

The gleaming longsword in Gu Yu's grip was knocked completely out of his hand like a kite with a snapped string, tracing an arc through the air before embedding itself deeply into the soil several feet away with a dull thud.

Gu Yu staggered backward, his boots scraping two deep gouges into the ground before he barely managed to regain his footing.

His face instantly turned as pale as paper, a trickle of blood slowly seeping from the corner of his mouth, while his eyes were filled with sheer terror and disbelief.