“No, no… Please, I beg you, Young Master Norma, you’re a magnanimous man, please spare my worthless life!” The once arrogant noble youth now knew he was finished.
There wasn’t a trace of his earlier swagger left.
He was bawling his eyes out, snot and tears everywhere, just short of hugging Mo Li’s pant leg and begging.
“Why did you guys want to kill me?” Mo Li looked down at the pitiful wretch on the ground.
“I… I had no choice! It was Young Master Cain’s order, I didn’t dare disobey!” With his life hanging by a thread, he was quick to shift the blame.
“Interesting.
I noticed you tailing me from the start, and you still thought you could kill me?” Mo Li grabbed the youth by the collar and snarled.
“Spare me, Young Master Mo Li, I really had no choice!” The youth kept pleading weakly.
“I’m sick of all this fighting and killing.” Mo Li stared coldly at the youth.
“But why do you people keep pushing me?” “Don’t worry, I won’t kill you.”
Before the youth could breathe a sigh of relief, Mo Li threw him to the ground and stabbed his long blade through both his thighs.
The icy energy that spilled out pinned his legs to the ground.
“But I can’t say the same for other creatures.” Mo Li collected the three gold cards, swiped them on his own card, and instantly, the three balances dropped to zero, all transferred to Mo Li’s gold card.
“Just stay here and spend the next few days with the monsters in this danger zone.” Mo Li’s eyes were cold as he spoke.
If nothing unexpected happened, this man would be monster food by tonight.
How many monsters would show up, Mo Li didn’t know.
“Hey, wait, wait, don’t go! Don’t leave me here!…” Seeing Mo Li about to leave, the man panicked.
This was a danger zone—who knew how many monsters were lurking in the darkness? He’d thought Mo Li was being soft-hearted and would let him go, but he never expected the man to be so ruthless, leaving him as dessert for the monsters! “Bastard! How dare you!… You heartless animal, no wonder you’re a bastard! Trash born of a whore has no humanity!” Realizing begging was useless, the man gave up and started cursing Mo Li with venom.
Mo Li didn’t bother with a dead man.
He’d barely taken two steps when his pupils shrank.
He spun around, years of combat experience making him instinctively raise his blade to block.
“Clang! Clang!” The violent clash of metal rang out, and Hanxi was knocked from Mo Li’s hand.
A crossbow bolt?… Mo Li looked at the bolt embedded in a tree root nearby, rubbing his still-aching right arm.
He reached for Hanxi, but another bolt forced him back.
There are other examinees nearby?… Impossible.
With his senses, he’d have noticed if anyone was close.
What the hell is going on? Before he could think further, a squad emerged from the grass not far away.
This noble squad had five people: a spearman in front, a rope user and a sword-and-shield user in the middle, and a crossbowman and an unarmed noble at the rear.
No way.
At this distance, he should have sensed them.
Why didn’t he? Mo Li’s gaze landed on the unarmed noble at the back.
His gut told him the problem was with this guy.
Is it some kind of enchanted item that hides his presence? Or…
“What a coincidence, Young Master Mo Li.
We’ve only just entered the secret realm and already run into each other.
Looks like fate.” The last noble, refined and gentle-looking, smiled calmly.
He was the only one of the five without a weapon, so he had both hands free to strike a pose, like he was the star of the group.
“Oh? And who are you? Don’t start spouting nonsense at me—I don’t remember knowing you.” Mo Li raised an eyebrow.
“You!” The hot-tempered spearman immediately got angry, then grinned menacingly.
“You really have no manners.
We’re greeting you, and this is how you act? No wonder you’re a bastard—your parents never taught you.”
“So this is how you greet people?” Mo Li glanced at Hanxi, now stuck in a treetop.
“Shooting at me from a distance, that’s your noble way of saying hello?”
“No choice, Young Master Mo Li.
After seeing you fight, I figured your blade was a big threat to us.
If we’re going to fight, it’s best to get rid of that variable first.” The unarmed noble spoke slowly, producing a teacup and saucer from who knows where, and started sipping tea.
What a poser.
Mo Li curled his lip.
“So you’re dead set on fighting me?”
“What else? Why do you think we’ve been tailing you for so long? We were just waiting for you to slip up.” The crossbowman snorted.
“Really scheming, huh… Why? What grudge do I have with you? Did I kill your horse or steal your wife?” Mo Li grinned, enunciating every word.
“Can’t go three sentences without being crude.” The rope user frowned, his face full of disdain.
“Young Master Mo Li, as a bastard just entering noble circles, I don’t blame you for not knowing the rules, but…” The man sipped his tea calmly.
“Noble or commoner, everyone has their place and should know their limits.
When someone oversteps without self-awareness, that’s when they’re in danger.”
“So you’re all under that Cain guy too?”
“Cain? Ha, just a noble with a name and family but no strength.” The sword-and-shield user laughed.
“Let me educate this country bumpkin noble.
Ever heard of the three prodigies of the Papal State?” “Our young master is one of them—Robert of the Howard family.” The crossbowman introduced proudly.
“Oh, so you’re one of Emilia’s simps too.” Mo Li dug in his ear, looking unconcerned.
“Heh.” Robert put down his teacup and adjusted his glasses.
“Rather than ‘simp,’ I prefer the term ‘suitor.’”
“Whatever, same difference.
You guys follow Emilia around all day, and a single smile from her makes your day.
If that’s not simping, what is it?” Mo Li’s sarcasm was in full force.
“You little—!”
“…That’s twice now.” Robert looked calmly at the mocking Mo Li.
“Huh? Twice what?”
“You’ve called Her Highness the Princess by name.
Twice.”
“What?” Mo Li tilted his head, confused.
“Do you think you have the right to say Her Highness’s name?!” Robert’s face, usually calm and elegant, twisted with anger.
