Chapter Fifteen: The Crimson Flame Herb

That wasn’t the most important thing—the true significance lay in another discovery.

He realized that when he used monster cards to slay monsters, he could earn new cards himself. This was an excellent find.

The remaining nine piglets looked to be in agony. Their bodies were little more than skin and bones, collapsed on the ground, wheezing heavily, as if death were imminent.

Lu Sheng didn’t prolong their suffering. He strode forward and swiftly dispatched each piglet, freeing them with a single stroke. When all was done, he withdrew from the sub-dimensional space.

As for the bloodthirsty mosquitoes, judging by the swollen bumps rising on their backsides, they wouldn’t be lacking for food anytime soon. Once the fang pig’s skill cooled down, he’d summon another ten piglets for them. This was a matter directly affecting his ability to grow stronger quickly; he couldn’t afford to be careless.

His consciousness returned to his body. Each time he emerged from the sub-dimensional space, there was always a strange sensation, as if his soul had wandered to the farthest reaches. The blood-hued environment quickly brought him back to reality—this was still a perilous world of monsters. To be distracted was to court death.

He remained quietly hidden beneath a rock, not making the slightest sound. The surrounding space cooperated, silent as the grave, not even the chirp of an insect.

Such silence in the wild at night was simply inconceivable. Wait... according to certain stories, an absolutely silent wilderness often meant the presence of something truly terrifying nearby.

Surely not, surely not!

At that instant, Lu Sheng’s heart jumped into his throat, his mind sharply alert. He grew suspicious of every blind spot, just as he had when he was a child walking at night, always thinking someone was behind him.

The more carefully he observed, the quieter his surroundings became. At least when he was thinking, there was the sound of his own mind.

Just as Lu Sheng was lost in paranoid speculation, a thunderous explosion suddenly rang out ahead! The sound was like dynamite blasting through a mountain, the roar echoing without end.

With the blast came a fiery bird. That was... Wang Xian’s firebird! She was here too?

As the firebird soared, he saw a colossal earth giant rise, its height twice that of the one the firebird had slain before. Its heavy stone armor gave it formidable defense; when the firebird spat fireballs at it, not even a layer of earth was stripped away.

Lu Sheng decided to retreat. The battleground between the two was dangerously close to his hiding spot. But should he flee into the jungle? He hesitated, then resolved to survive amid the cracks of the stone forest, adjusting his position as the battle shifted to keep his distance.

With that, Lu Sheng acted immediately, sending a goblin to scout ahead and began relocating. The firebird and earth giant fought continuously—from south to north, east to west. The entire stone forest was thrown into chaos, explosions resounding without pause.

Lu Sheng had changed his position three times already, still baffled as to why Wang Xian kept directing her firebird to battle the earth giant. It was clear she was provoking the fight, with the earth giant forced to respond.

Wang Xian’s firebird could withdraw at any time, yet it remained, harassing the earth giant again and again. At first, the firebird unleashed powerful attacks, but soon it settled for lobbing small fireballs to keep the earth giant occupied.

Lu Sheng was pondering Wang Xian’s motives when a clear, melodious voice rang out:

“Are you from the Wind Gathering?”

The suddenness startled Lu Sheng, and he looked up in the direction of the voice.

Wang Xian, dressed in red, stood atop a stone. Up close, her features were much clearer—even though most were concealed, her figure and exposed skin were enough to spark the imagination. Just a glimpse of her shape and a hint of skin would confirm her as a beauty; who wouldn’t want to lift her veil and see her true face?

It was like seeing a girl with a stunning silhouette—who wouldn’t want to see her front?

“Yes, I am from the Wind Gathering,” Lu Sheng replied.

Though it seemed he had many thoughts, in reality, he made his decision in a single second; only constant practice and observation could make his mind so swift.

“Very well. So these goblins around you are your subordinates?” Wang Xian eyed the goblins beside Lu Sheng. In truth, she looked down on him, thinking it a waste to use so many blank cards to capture goblins. What use were such trash? She could crush dozens with a flick of her hand.

But now she needed those goblins, so of course she kept these thoughts to herself.

Lu Sheng glanced at his goblin companions. Well, he’d been exposed.

With discovery inevitable, he could only admit, “Yes, these goblins are mine.”

“Good. Then come with me; I have a task for you. There will be a reward if you complete it.”

“Is it possible for me not to go?”

“No.”

And so Lu Sheng was forcibly led away.

Following behind Wang Xian, he couldn’t help but admire her silhouette. In modern times, it would be enough to make certain men enter a state of reverence. But at present, Lu Sheng had no mind for such things; he simply looked at her back, curious about what kind of person she was.

Wang Xian walked ahead. With her strength, she could easily sense the gaze behind her. Yet she paid it no mind; in this apocalypse, she was long accustomed to it. This was the normal reaction of a sane person.

After a while, Wang Xian suddenly turned and asked:

“Do you see that over there?”

Lu Sheng looked, puzzled. A small grass emitting flames appeared in his sight.

This was... a spirit herb?

Though Lu Sheng didn’t know much about such things, he could tell at a glance it was valuable. No wonder Wang Xian kept fighting the earth giant here—it had to be for this, otherwise there was no reason to prolong the battle.

“This is called Bloodflame Grass. It will greatly improve my firebird’s quality. I’m concerned there might be more monsters about, so I need your goblins to scout the path and also to collect the Bloodflame Grass.”

“Since you’re from Wind Gathering, you should know my status. If you bring it back to me, I’ll give you a function card. If your goblins die, I’ll compensate you with five function cards. What do you think?”

She was, undeniably, kind-hearted. If it were Li Kuang or any other leader among the seven teams, they wouldn’t offer Lu Sheng any benefit. Disobedience meant death.

Faced with Wang Xian’s generous terms, Lu Sheng could find no reason to refuse. He could easily gain another goblin card just by slaying one; even if all his goblins died, it wouldn’t trouble him. Wang Xian’s function cards were different—those were out of his current reach.

Weighing the pros and cons, Lu Sheng hesitated no more.

“Alright, I’ll send goblins to help you collect it. But is there anything special I need to watch out for, or do I just pick it?”

“No need. Just pull it out directly.”