Chapter 340: The Jade-Like Youth Showing Off

"Chick, don't look so glum. It's just one drop of your essence blood. Is it really worth being so upset?" Lin Fan was a bit helpless seeing Chick's mournful expression.

Chick was a descendant of an ancient ferocious beast, and its essence blood was of the highest grade. But who would have thought that just one drop would make Chick so sad.

Was this Chick still the Chick he knew?

Stingy, just too damn stingy.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo..." Chick's crow was mournful, then it patted its belly with its wing and sadly pointed at its little thing down there.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo..."

Chick looked like it was about to cry.

Lin Fan looked curiously, then poked at that little peanut a few times.

"Hey, strange. It seems a bit smaller than before, almost invisible. Could it be because of the essence blood being drawn?" Lin Fan said in surprise.

"Cock-a-doodle..."

Chick nodded sadly. To Chick, this was a great disgrace—after that drop of essence blood was taken, it had become even smaller.

Seeing Chick so upset, Lin Fan didn't know what to say. This was the first time he'd encountered a ferocious beast that cared so much about its little thing.

Lin Fan patted Chick's head and said, "Alright, alright, don't be sad. I'll find you two hens later to cheer you up."

Hearing this, Chick's sorrow instantly vanished, and its cute chicken eyes suddenly burst with infinite light.

That light seemed to condense into substance, boring into Lin Fan's head as if to make him remember.

Seeing Chick's completely different demeanor, Lin Fan didn't want to say anything more.

Chick, can't you have a little dignity as a descendant of an ancient ferocious beast?

Two hens and you're satisfied? At least ten!

...

Just then, Lin Fan suddenly noticed some movement ahead. Curious, he hurried forward.

On a barren land ten thousand miles from the Xuan Sword Pavilion, the wind blew sand, raising a cloud of dust.

A wagon convoy had been stopped.

"Stop right there! This is a robbery..." A fierce-looking, one-eyed bandit stared at the wagons, excitement on his face.

If Lin Fan were here, he would definitely recognize this guy as Sha Dulong.

He was once one of the Desert Fourteen Bandits, a tragic figure. After a solo robbery, he was subdued and spared, then terrified half to death in the Flame Hell because it was so horrifying.

Later, they followed the Xuan Sword Pavilion crowd out of the Flame Hell, that forbidden land of terror, and after traveling for a while, arrived at the Xuan Sword Pavilion's territory.

For Sha Dulong and his gang, unfamiliar with the place, they could only take it one step at a time.

What made them even more despairing was that the surrounding area wasn't a frequent stop for merchant caravans, so robbing was nearly impossible.

After months of miserable life, they finally reached what they considered a paradise on earth.

Yellow Sand Ridge.

Here, activity was relatively lively; basically, every ten days or so, a caravan would pass through.

And Sha Dulong and his men weren't fools. Before each robbery, they would scout. If the caravan had anyone they couldn't see through, they wouldn't rob it.

If they could see through everyone, then that was their prime target.

"That's right, behave. Men to the left, women to the right. Don't resist. We, the Desert Fifteen Bandits, only take money, not lives," shouted the dwarf Sha Miexiong.

This 'men left, women right' was learned from the big brother, and it worked well—every robbery was clear, no mix-ups.

As for why the Desert Fourteen Bandits became the Desert Fifteen Bandits, it was because they had taken Lin Fan as their big brother.

Although the big brother was no longer around, since they acknowledged him, they had to keep their word.

Thus, the Desert Fourteen Bandits completely became the Desert Fifteen Bandits.

At this moment, a slight stir arose in the convoy, as if they hadn't expected to be robbed.

The convoy looked ordinary, but at the rear, a prison cart was covered with black cloth, hiding its contents.

Inside a luxurious carriage, a young man and a woman sat facing each other.

"Miss Han, I didn't expect someone would dare rob your convoy. If others found out, they'd laugh their heads off," the young man said. He was exceptionally handsome, with deep eyes like a sleeping lion; underestimating him would be a grave mistake.

The woman sneered, not taking him seriously.

"Bandits on Yellow Sand Ridge? First time I've heard of it. Just kill them," she said indifferently, not bothered at all.

The young man lifted the curtain slightly, glanced outside, and smiled. "Miss Han, the bandit leader out there has decent cultivation. Your men here probably aren't a match."

Han Mei glanced at the young man, then thought for a moment. "Kill them, and deliver that person to Tianhai Pavilion. We'll split the reward."

The covered prison cart at the back held someone wanted by Tianhai Pavilion. Delivering him would earn the corresponding reward.

The Han family, having good relations with Tianhai Pavilion, learned of the mission as soon as it was posted and began searching. Luckily, they found him.

But to Miss Han, it was just a child; she saw nothing special.

As for the young man, she had met him halfway. His background was unknown, but he knew the Han family inside out.

Han Mei wanted to recruit him. Since he was strong and also heading to Tianhai Pavilion, she didn't mind traveling together.

"Miss Han, the reward from Tianhai Pavilion is generous, but I don't care for it. However, if you do me one favor, I'll deal with those bandits outside."

"What favor?" Han Mei frowned, puzzled.

"Help me become a disciple of Tianhai Pavilion," the young man said with a faint smile.

"That's it?" Miss Han was taken aback. She thought it would be something difficult, but it was so simple. "With your strength, entering Tianhai Pavilion shouldn't be a problem."

"Miss Han, I'll enter as your husband," the young man said calmly, raising his wine cup.

Han Mei felt a surge of anger but then nodded. "Fine..."

...

Outside, the Desert Fifteen Bandits were getting angry.

"Boss, this convoy isn't showing any respect," said Sha Daotian, now the third in command.

"Should we just start robbing?" Sha Miexiong chimed in.

The current situation baffled them. Had people changed just because they moved to a different place?

Weren't they afraid of bandits anymore?

Just then, they saw a young man walking slowly toward them.

"Are you all trying to rob us?" the young man said calmly.

"That's right. Don't waste words, pretty boy. We're the Desert Fifteen Bandits—we only rob, not kill. Hand over your valuables if you know what's good for you," said Sha Dulong.

"One, two... strange. You say you're the Desert Fifteen Bandits, but there are only fourteen. Did someone get killed? Oh, and a dwarf. This is a first for me. Truly, only ugly people become bandits," the young man said with a smile.

"How dare you!" The bandits were enraged. When had they ever been so insulted?

...