I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense

With the lesson of the Little Yellow Chicken fresh in their minds, all the Sects and Dynasties dared not slack off in the slightest, honestly sending one Disciple with a generous amount of Immortal Stones to wait in the wilds for the arrival of the four notorious characters.

For them, safely bringing their Disciples back to the Sect to reassure them was of utmost importance, ensuring it didn’t affect their performance in the Sword Sect trials. There could be no more accidents, and as for capturing the cultivator named Li Xiaobai, they could slowly investigate it later.

Li Dynasty.

Li Xiaobai took a Storage Bag from the hands of a young cultivator, nodded in satisfaction, and released several people confined within the Purple Gold Gourd.

“We have principles. Once we take the money, we will release the hostages. Take them away.”

“May I ask your honorable name, sir? Are you one of the four notorious characters?”

The young cultivator inquired.

“I am the leader of the four notorious characters, Li Xiaobai. Go back and tell your steward that if the young talents of the Li Dynasty fall into my hands again, there will still be opportunities for us to work together.”

Li Xiaobai tossed the Storage Bag in his hand, saying cheerfully.

The young cultivator: “…”

We’d be better off without such opportunities for ‘cooperation’. Farewell!

On a certain mountain range.

An old beggar in ragged clothes received a Storage Bag from a female cultivator with a beaming smile. Looking at the piles of Immortal Stones inside the bag, his eyes suddenly ignited with passion.

“Goodness, Immortal Stones really do come quickest by theft!”

“These days, who makes an honest living by working?!”

“May I ask who are you, venerable sir? Could you leave behind your honored name? If my Sect Disciples meet you in the future, they will definitely treat you with respect,” the female cultivator asked. This was what her Sect Master had asked her to inquire, to get some information from him.

“I am one of the four notorious characters, Elder Tianwu. Remember this name, for soon, it will shake the heavens!”

The old beggar’s eyes twinkled with a divine light, his body radiating an invincible spirit.

“So it is Elder Tianwu, I shall remember,” the female cultivator said respectfully, bowing and preparing to leave. She felt that there was something off about this old man and didn’t dare to interact more. She had heard that if one kept company with such a demon head, bad luck could be contagious.

“Hehehe, little girl, don’t rush off. Are you interested in working with this old beggar? I guarantee to make you comfortable every day.”

“What does a Sect have that can compare with the carefree life of an old beggar?”

The old beggar ogled the female cultivator, as if trying to see right through her.

“Th-thank you for your generous offer, sir, but I have already decided to devote my life to the Sect and can only disappoint you with my refusal,” said the female cultivator, her complexion turning pale from the old beggar’s gaze. Being targeted by such a demon head gave her the creeps, and she hurriedly fled.

The old beggar carelessly picked at his dirty toenails, looking indifferent, “Too bad.”

Elsewhere.

A small white dog appeared directly in the city where many Sects were converging.

With fifteen hundred points of golden Merit Value over its head, it drew the attention and gathering of onlookers. A dog with fifteen hundred points of Merit Value was unheard of, the highest Merit Value they had ever seen was just shy of a thousand.

The little dog’s presence made them feel utterly overshadowed.

“What are you standing around for? I am Nicholas Er Gouzi, one of the four notorious characters. Hurry up and have those Sect Leaders come and pay Immortal Stones to ransom their people, or else your Lord Ergouzi might just tear up the tickets!”

The white dog spoke in human language, cursing fluently, causing the surrounding crowd to frown. This thuggish, gangster-like attitude didn’t match the shocking Merit Value at all.

“This little dog is actually one of the four notorious villains, and it’s the one that kidnapped the disciples from the nearby sects?”

“It seems so, but I really didn’t expect this little dog to have so many Merit Value points. Isn’t it supposed to be one of the four notorious villains, someone who’s done nothing but evil deeds? How could it possibly accumulate Merit Value?”

“I feel like my worldview is collapsing. I am living a life that’s worse than a dog’s!”

“Stop talking, the disciples from the various great sects are coming!”

The crowd stirred into turmoil. Kidnappers usually arrange to meet in desolate places to secretly conduct exchanges, terrified of being discovered. So why did this dog directly enter their stronghold for the transaction?

This is just too brazen!

“Cough cough, we are the disciples from the various great sects coming to ransom our fellow disciples. Here are the Immortal Stones. May I ask if my junior brothers and sisters are still well?”

A young cultivator stepped forward and spoke.

“They’re all here. I, the Buddha’s son, am very principled. Everyone goes back to their own homes, and everybody finds their own mothers!”

Ergouzi’s face lit up with joy as he received the Spirit Stones, releasing a group of disciples from the Purple Gold Gourd.

“Many thanks, fellow Taoist!”

The young cultivator clasped his fists in thanks, but he did not seem to have any intention of leaving. Moreover, the surrounding cultivators were subtly beginning to encircle Ergouzi.

Although the higher-ups of the sects had repeatedly instructed against provoking the kidnappers, their hostages had now been released, and the kidnapper had even dared to break into their stronghold. It would seem unreasonable not to take action.

“Hm?”

“What, you want to take action against the Buddha’s son?”

“Open your muddy eyes and see clearly. The Merit Value above the Buddha’s son’s head, if you dare to kill me, these fifteen hundred points of Merit Value will instantly transform into fifteen thousand points of Sin Value added to your heads. Then you will become the top targets of the Enforcement Team’s manhunt, hated and despised by everyone in the world like rats crossing the street!”

Ergouzi looked down upon them with disdain and spoke arrogantly.

Killing a living being with Merit Value would cause the Sin Value to multiply tenfold, which was something the upright and well-known sects absolutely could not accept.

“This…”

The group of cultivators immediately started to hesitate. Perhaps, the leaders of their sects had also taken this into consideration, which is why they dared not act rashly. After all, killing a being with great Merit Value would cause endless trouble afterward.

“Heh heh, a bunch of fools, Lord Ergouzi is off!”

At the moment of everyone’s hesitation, a scornful smile appeared on the corner of Ergouzi’s mouth as he swiftly grabbed a golden talisman. Turning into a streak of light, he vanished from the spot.

“Damn it, it got away!”

…

Within the Sword Dynasty.

In the depths of the prison, a small yellow figure was lying quietly, completely lifeless.

Two figures stood by, discussing something.

“Holy Master, look, this chicken right here. I personally saw it swallow the Immortal Stone, but when we killed it, indeed no resources came out of it. Not only that, but my nine hundred points of Merit Value were instantly wiped clean, and I even gained a hundred points of Sin Value!”

“I suspect it must be the trickery of that Li Xiaobai, deliberately enticing me to kill this chicken!”

A middle-aged man said.

“From the looks of it, there’s nothing special about this chicken; it truly is dead. It seems that the cultivator named Li Xiaobai intentionally raised it to become a tiny demonic beast with sky-high Sin Value, destroying the Merit Value of our Sword Dynasty’s cultivators!”

“What a cruel and despicable schemer this person is!”