6 Chapter 6 – Xiao Ning’er

"That Ji Ren, he actually told me to be the bait. Simply outrageous!" Lu Piao looking at the Horned Sheep that was charging towards him. This scared the crap out of him, making him stumble as he ran backwards.

Not far away, Du Ze, Nie Li and Ji Ren were hiding in the bush. They were holding crossbows in their hands. "My goodness! This Horned Sheep is so scary! Shoot, shoot it!" Lu Piao yelled. When he saw the Horned Sheep getting closer, he ran non-stop.

"This Lu Piao, didn't we agree to have him stay still and not move? The Horned Sheep would have surely fallen for the trap. However, once he ran, the sheep deviated from the trap's direction," Ji Ren frowned. The trap is actually a small, two finger pit and once the Horned Sheep carelessly stepped into the trap, it would have definitely fractured its leg. Firing bolts at it, once that happened, would have caused the result to be much better.

Seeing Lu Piao run in a panic, Du Ze also got nervous and continuously pulled the trigger at the sheep. *shu shu shu* Three crossbow bolts shot out from the crossbow. That Horned Sheep is a demon-ized creature. it hasn't been injured so the reaction of the Horned Sheep is extremely fast. When it sensed the three bolts that were being shot at its direction, with its fast reflexes, it immediately made a few jumps and caused the three crossbow bolts to graze passed the sheep, hence, dodging the bolt. "What? Missed?"

Lu Piao was perplexed as the Horned Sheep's horn closed in on him. Thinking that his friends actually made this kind of mistake; he almost bursted into tears in his heart. He began to think that he made a mistake in making them his friends. If the sharp horn reaches him, it will instantly be able to make his ass flowering.

When he saw the Horned Sheep dodge the crossbow bolts, and continued its charge at Lu Piao, Du Ze didn't know what to do. If he tried to load another bolt onto the crossbow, he would be too late. He could imagine the scene of Lu Piao's butt being stabbed by the Horned Sheep's horn in his head.

"Nie Li, Ji Ren what should we…." Du Ze immediately went silent after looking at Ji Ren. He was half squatted and his left arm was straightened with the crossbow over his left arm. His right hand was clenching the trigger. Nie Li was just relaxing, he knew that this was Ji Ren's expertise. Ji Ren closed his eyes sensing the beast in front of him, the crossbow held by Ji Ren was so stable it was as though it was placed onto a holder.

Du Ze had an indescribable feeling that though Ji Ren had yet to fire a bolt, it will surely hit the Horned Sheep. Ji Ren was an excellent hunter like a tiger crouching in the bushes, waiting for his prey. He was releasing an awe-inspiring aura.

Although his current physique is weak and he still was not even a Bronze rank Fighter yet, the rich experience from his previous life was still there. The experience was accumulated with every hunt Ji Ren went through. Some were even near death experiences. No matter what kind of weapon, be it swords, crossbows, or even a piece of metal. In the hands of Ji Ren, they would all become deadly weapons. Nie Li also had a lot experience in the battles but compared to Ji Ren, he was far inferior. Nie Li was instead a good tactician and so he always tried to find the easiest way to win a battle which in this case he had made the traps for easy killing of the sheep.

Even though Nie Li and Ji Ren weren't Bronze rank Fighters yet, they had countless methods to kill a Bronze rank or even a Silver rank Fighter.

The surrounding area seemed to have only one person there. The look Ji Ren had in his eyes was like a hawk waiting to catch its prey.

Ji Ren's slightly significant tender cheeks, firm look, and gestures would give others a feeling of a 'Lake without depth.'

Psh!

Ji Ren pulled the trigger and a crossbow bolt was unleashed. The bolt that left turned into a silvery light and gracefully flew quickly. The angle that Ji Ren targeted was in the blind spot of the Horned Sheep's sight.

"It hit!"

Seeing the bolt fly passed, Du Ze's heart was surprised. Ji Ren gave him a weird feeling. It was as though he was a veteran shooter.

The Horned Sheep didn't manage to dodge in time.

Plop!

The bolt hit the back leg of the horned sheep.

Thud!

The horned sheep fell onto the ground wailing, landed in front of Lu Piao and raised dust all around it.

Lu Piao was gasping for air. He was extremely nervous. When he saw the Horned Sheep wailing nonstop, couldn't help thinking, 'My god, that was too scary! Good god, my butt was spared.'

If Ji Ren's bolt was slightly slower, he would have been hit by that Horned Sheep!

If the bolt was an ordinary bolt, this kind of injury wouldn't even affect a demonized Horned Sheep and it would have definitely gotten up again. However, the bolt that they were using wasn't an ordinary bolt. It was smeared with the drug mixed from Black Pool Grass and Zoysia Grass. It simply became the nemesis of the Horned Sheep. This was all thanks to Nie Li's skill in alchemy.

The drug swiftly went along with the blood vessels and reached the heart of the Horned Sheep. Soon, the wailing sound of the Horned Sheep was getting softer and softer. "So fast!" Du Ze was surprised. He never thought that the drug that Nie Li mixed would have such a strong effect. After a moment, the robust sheep completely lost its resistance.

Lu Piao was also surprised. He fully understood the strength of these sheep, which was the strength of two Bronze rank Fighters combined. It usually required a long time to defeat one, but this Horned Sheep was defeated with just a small bolt. "That was too thrilling!" Whenever Lu Piao thought of the scene from earlier, it would bring back the fear that was lingering within him.

"If you hadn't run, that Horned Sheep wouldn't have been a threat to you!" Nie Li faintly laughed. "Okay," muttered Lu Piao, with his face turning red. He didn't act according to the plan, and immediately panicked when he saw the Horned Sheep charging in his direction.

Seeing the fallen Horned Sheep, Lu Piao felt as if he was still living in a dream. Ji Ren's look and action from earlier till now was deeply engraved within his mind, leaving him with deep admiration. Ever since he was young, this was the first time Lu Piao had truly admired someone. Ji Ren's shooting skill was simply at the master level. Even if an ordinary person were to train for ten years, he still wouldn't able to reach Ji Ren's level.

"Hurry up and clean up. We do not want anything other than the horns, the fur on the neck, the demon crystal, and the demon spirit!" Nie Li quickly ordered. A Horned Sheep's demon crystal and demon spirit are located in the brain area. Demon crystals are thumb-sized crystals and most demon beasts had a demon crystal. As for the demon spirit, only one or two would appear within tens of thousands of Horned Sheep. The shape of the demon spirit is like a candle's flame. A Horned Sheep with a demon spirit would generally be stronger than the other Horned Sheeps.

Horned Sheeps are relatively low level, only 1-star Bronze rank demon beasts. The materials from them are relatively cheap. A pair of horns could be sold for five demon spirit coins, and the fur on it's neck could be sold for three demon spirit coins. As for the demon crystal, it can be sold for five demon spirit coins. Counting it this way, even if there is no demon spirit in it, it can still fetch a price of thirteen demon spirit coins.

They only took, at most, five minutes to kill the Horned Sheep. If it only takes this long, wouldn't the three of them get thousands of demon spirit coins in one day?

Du Ze couldn't help feeling excited. His family is very poor and their income would only be two to three thousand demon spirit coins annually. In order to let him enter the Holy Orchid Institute, Du Ze's family had to borrow a lot of money from relatives and friends. Du Ze is the hope of their family! If he hunts horned sheep together with his friends, he would be able to pay for his own school fees in the future!

Nie Li smiled and said, "We have to be a little bit faster. There will be no rest tonight!" "Okay!" Du Ze excitedly replied. Ji Ren nodded " no problem". Although they have yet to enter 1-star Bronze rank, their bodies are extremely strong. Staying up all night is nothing,

Lu Piao couldn't help but wail as these three guys are simply misers. They would forsake rest for the sake of money! Although he's sad, he doesn't have much of a choice. Who asked him to get on this pirate ship?

The four of them worked closely together and continuously hunted Horned sheep. After killing dozens of them, Lu Piao would transport the materials out to have it sold. In one night's time, the group had hunted a total of about one hundred and twenty horned sheep, which was sold for about one thousand and two hundred demon spirit coins. Splitting it equally, they each received about three hundred demon spirit coins.

This amount of money is simply amazing for someone that has yet to enter 1-star Bronze rank. Even for a Bronze rank Fighter, getting twenty to thirty demon spirit coins a day is already considered a lot.

Seven consecutive days was spent attending lessons during the day, while at night the four of them would come to the training grounds to kill Horned Sheep. Their money has now reached to more than ten thousand demon spirit coins, which can be considered a huge amount of wealth for them.

The students in the Holy Orchid Institute were all wondering why the amount of Horned Sheep in the training grounds suddenly dropped. In the past, they would just casually walk around and easily find Horned Sheep in groups. However, now one has to look around for a long time in order to find one. Could it be that there are beasts like tigers coming in and hunting these Horned Sheeps? The Holy Orchid Institute even specially dispatched instructors to investigate the cause, but found nothing.

On the eighth consecutive evening, Nie Li, Ji Ren, Du Ze and Lu Piao were in the dark hunting Horned Sheep. It was already midnight.

Lu Piao yawned and said, "Guys, I can't take it anymore. I'm taking a short nap on top of the tree." Seven consecutive days of nonstop Horned Sheep hunting caused him to be so tired that he couldn't continue anymore. Not only Lu Piao, even Du Ze couldn't bear it anymore. "I also have to sleep first," Du Ze said. His eyelids have been fighting to stay awake for a whole seven days. Even a man of steel wouldn't be able to endure it. Nie Li, though with incredible stamina, was also tired and started yawning. "We shall take rest and we'll pause the hunting tomorrow night. I have other plans," Nie Li said. They had already accumulated more than sixteen thousand demon spirit coins. This is their first bucket of gold. With that, they can do a lot of stuff. It was no longer necessary to hunt Horned Sheep.

Lu Piao and Du Ze climbed up a towering tree, lied down on a branch and fell asleep immediately. Both of their childish faces were full of exhaustion. Although they both belonged to the premature-type, in the end they're still just two teenagers. Ji Ren looked at Nie Li "you go ahead and sleep, I want to stay up a bit more". Nie Li yawned "Shouldn't you be tired, after all you did all the shooting,". "I just want to spend some time alone,". With that Ji Ren sped through the woods.

Nie Li watched him go, something wasn't right he thought, he was sure that something was bothering Ji Ren, so he fought his sleepiness and followed him.

Some area in the training grounds,

The round moon hung in the sky. The sounds of various insects would be heard from time to time, causing the surrounding area to be increasingly quiet. There's no large sized demon beast around, so it's extremely safe.

All Ji Ren wanted to do was find a place to do some star gazing and fall asleep looking at them, As he was running through the woods,

Ji Ren heard an abnormal sound from the distant jungle. There seems to be someone else here. "Who is still in the training grounds at this time?"

Ji Ren's brows frowned and ran towards that direction. He hid in the woods while looking at the field that's covered in moonlight. Using the moonlight to see, he saw a slender and slim figure standing in the middle of the moonlight. She had brownish orange hair, was wearing a leather jacket, and was exuding a faint blue light.

This is the light of soul force! Although it hadn't step into Bronze rank, it should be entering Bronze rank soon.

Using the light from the soul force, Ji Ren's eyes landed on her face. Her eyes were shut, her long eyelashes slightly trembled along with her slender eyebrows. She had flawless, white skin glowing a healthy pink, and rich, delicate lips. "Xiao Ning'er, I never would have expected her to be here," Ji Ren whispered to himself, slightly surprised for a moment. Xiao Ning'er was more hard working than he imagined. She was still training her soul force at this time of night.

Thinking of his previous life, when Xiao Ning'er entered 1-star Bronze rank, she fell sick for more than two years and her cultivation regressed a lot. Although she had to re-trained herself from scratch, it's said that since then she had been pain ridden. Although she had been ill, in the eyes of others, she had been like a dazzling star. She was a strong woman! When he made first contact with Xiao Ning'er in the first week of class, he didn't know who she was and despite all the other students telling him not to bother her, he sensed a great sorrow within Ning'er similar to his own. Casually, Ji Ren just walked up to Xiao Ning'er and said "hi, my name is Ji Ren and I see you don't have many friends, so I would like to be the first!" She was so stunned that she didn't even know how to react, no one had ever just walked up to her and greeted her before. He recalled the first thing she had told him, she had coyly said "uhh..mm.my name is Xiao Ning'er and I..I guess I accept your offer of friendship" and from there, their relationship went on. During their time together she always disappeared in the night, and now Ji Ren had discovered the reason for it. Although Xiao Ning'er is very hard working, she was treating her life as a joke.

After thinking awhile, Ji Ren walked towards Xiao Ning'er.

"Who!?" Xiao Ning'er suddenly opens her eyes, and frailly shouted, while retrieving a short dagger. She warily looked at Ji Ren. Her facial expression was chilling cold. Through the moonlight, those deeply alert eyes had an indescribable charm in them.

Although she was only thirteen years old, the current her can definitely be considered a beautiful teen. The leather jacket's front chest area was slightly bulging. At this age, she can definitely be proud of it.

"Hi, I am Ji Ren!" Ji Ren said. Although he had decided not to let Xiao Ning'er become close to his heart, he did not want her to go through the same pain in his previous life.

Xiao Ning'er put down her short dagger, but still kept her guard up as she looked at Ji Ren and said, "What are you doing here?"

Ji Ren faintly smiled, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to train my soul force," Xiao Ning'er said, looking at Ji Ren through the moonlight. Ji Ren's eyebrows were sharp. He was handsome, but looked as if had a great burden on his shoulders. Without knowing why, her heart began racing, 'what's wrong with me' she blushed. She shook her head to clear her mind and said "now answer my question".

Ji Ren shrugged his shoulders and said, "I hang out around here."

"You're lying. Don't think I don't know. During these last few days, you guys have been the ones killing those Horned Sheep," Xiao Ning'er said. She had already seen Ji Ren's group, but she didn't take any initiative to greet them. What Xiao Ning'er was curious about was something that Ji Ren's group smeared onto the bolts that was able to take down a Horned Sheep with one bolt, but she wouldn't take the initiative to ask other people's secrets.

"So you knew since long ago," Ji Ren said, looking at Xiao Ning'er. When she pouts her mouth, her rich delicate lips had an indescribable charm to them. He could barely suppress the urge to hug her. He remembered her fragrance when she was in his embrace. He had truly missed her. He knew that even now with Xiao Ning'er's appearance alone, she can stand at a very high position, yet she chose to rely on her own strength to change other people's view towards her.

Not far away, Nie Li was hiding in a dark space between a tree and a giant bush, carefully watching the ongoing scene. He was an expert in hiding his aura, even Ji Ren could not sense him. All people have a sixth sense that allows them to identify auras and if studied extensively you gain the control of your own aura as well as being able to hide them from other people. Nie Li was simply a master at this.