[Bzzzz... bzzzz...] A graceful mosquito danced through the air, stretching her scaled wings, slender waist, and long legs. She was the beauty queen of mosquitoes, courted daily by suitors. Her eyes were sharp, her mind keen—a genius among mosquitoes, quick to spot resources and danger. Flying and flying, wait, what's that delicious scent? Her radar blared: "High energy ahead! Non-combatants retreat immediately! Combat squad, prepare for attack and commence dive-bombing!"
[BZZT!] Whoosh—the mosquito landed with the grace of a space station docking, a perfect touchdown. First, she poked the skin beneath her with her legs—so smooth, so tender, so springy. Not bad! And if you sniff... wow, there's even a hint of milky sweetness!
She could already feel the rushing hot blood—so youthful, so silky, so bursting with life, like the sunrise! Oh, she couldn't hold back any longer; it was a call from her soul, a duty of her existence!
Born with a mighty spear, tough as iron, hard as steel. Eight million germs in one body, blade drawn, cannon loaded! Watch me—stab!
Squeak—can't break the defense...
Next second—smack! The mosquito exploded, burned to ash, just like dozens of her comrades before her. Truly a tragic tale...
"That really is a tragic tale..." Jill Young said, unable to hide her glee, gloating as she turned to Maggie Monroe walking beside her. "Looks like you're O-type blood—mosquitoes just love you."
"Ugh..." Maggie Monroe rubbed her cheek, wiping away the ashes left by the incinerated mosquito. Her little face was the very picture of frustration. She was never bothered by mosquitoes—her natural internal energy handled them effortlessly. But just like in a snowball fight, the snowballs don't hurt, but getting pelted over and over is enough to drive anyone crazy.
"Why are the mosquitoes here so vicious..." Smack—her hand struck, blood spattered.
"They're practically man-eaters..." Smack—her calf got hit next.
"Spirit Vulture Palace is way better—no mosquitoes at all..." Smack! Her temple got hit in a suicide attack.
"And why do they only bite me and not you..." Bzzzz—over a dozen mosquitoes launched a squadron attack. Some distracted, some flanked, some faked; the rest, a suicide squad, charged straight for Maggie Monroe's chest.
"Aaaah! Die, die, all of you just die!" Maggie finally snapped. Who cares about fancy martial arts moves or perfect defense? Right now, she wanted total mosquito annihilation! With a wave of her delicate hand, her sleeve flared as internal energy spread out like an electric mosquito net. A series of soft crackles, and the air around her was finally, temporarily, mosquito-free.
Of course, only temporarily. Maggie was now, like Max from the underground world, especially attractive to mosquitoes. Even with her supernatural mosquito-zapping efficiency, the endless waves kept her swatting away in frustration. To bystanders, she looked just like any ordinary girl tormented by bugs.
"Why am I the only one getting bullied!" Maggie's little face was so gloomy you could almost see the bitterness drip.
"Well, it's probably because your Dragon Elephant technique is up to the fourth level now, boosting your life force big time. To mosquitoes, you're basically a gourmet feast. Plus, you just recovered all your powers, so you're not used to it yet—can't help leaking a bit of that juicy life energy." After all that training, Maggie's Dragon Elephant technique had hit level four, and her 136 years of internal energy were fully restored. Her magic points were finally maxed out.
Maggie thought that made sense. She asked, "Did you ever get bitten up like this?" She imagined Jill Young in a mosquito swarm—probably would blow her top like a volcano. Just picturing it made Maggie feel a little better.
"Uh... seems like... maybe..." Jill Young's gaze drifted. She hadn't noticed before, but now that she thought about it, nope, never happened. "Looks like you're just born this way. Accept your fate."
"Waaaah!" Just imagining dozens of mosquitoes buzzing around her head all night, Maggie felt the whole world was out to get her. "Let's just go back to the ship! I don't want to stay here!"
Right now, the two of them were weaving through the streets and alleys of Putian City.
The Celestial Arts Ensemble wouldn't arrive for another three days, but Ensemble Leader Jill Young had a sudden whim and decided to scout ahead, sneaking away from the ship to check out the destination.
Her first goal was to test the maximum remote connection range with the Venerable Holy Fetus. She didn't need physical contact—just opened a mental door and could avatar in, like something out of Avatar. After testing, the max range was unknown, but it definitely worked within a hundred kilometers.
Her second goal was to get a feel for Putian City in advance, to see what was up. She figured Yang Guo and Lenny Lama wouldn't be obvious, so finding them would take some work.
Her third goal was to give the Shadow Ops folks a break—a little shipboard vacation. So she swapped some job duties around. Rotating roles helps everyone understand each other better, right?
And the last goal? Honestly, she just wanted off the boat for some fun. Naturally, Black Charcoal was thrilled by this decision, totally hyped. Once Jill Young hopped on, it galloped over mountains in a flash—clearly pent up for ages.
Now, among the first squad, Simone, Guo Xiang, Dr. He, and Duan Xingyong all stayed on the ship—still had to rehearse for the show. The rest tagged along, unless they had some crucial role. For example, Little Furball was at the inn with Xiao Lian and the others, sorting out lodgings. The two big bosses took the lead, hitting the streets to check out the local scene.
As soon as they hit the streets, the folks from Tianshan got a fiery welcome from the mosquitoes of Putian City. Tianshan folks agreed: these mosquitoes were 'big,' 'thin-skinned,' 'plump,' and 'juicy.' A little internal energy—smack! The splatter was truly spectacular. And as fierce as any suicide squad. If not for protective energy, Maggie Monroe would've been sucked three pounds lighter.
Of course, they didn't forget their real mission. Putian City had its quirks. It was developed and covered a lot of ground, but you couldn't quite tell where the city ended and the suburbs began. Thanks to the natural terrain, clusters of buildings popped up here and there. One spot looked rural, a few steps later, it felt urban. With this mini city-cluster setup, there were no city walls—which was pretty rare in this era.
In this area, it was all little lanes, alleys, and food stalls everywhere.
"Betel nut, get your overseas betel nut, cheap and fresh!" "Abalone, just caught, gynecologist-approved!" "Bananas, all-purpose bananas, special supply for gynecologists!" "Grapes, Western grapes, same kind the author is eating right now!" "Coconuts, big and sweet coconuts, don't miss out if you want to be fair and beautiful!"
If you want to get a feel for the people, you have to go out and experience it yourself. So Jill Young strolled through the crowds, coconut in hand. With a pinch and a tap, she popped a perfect hole in the shell. A couple gulps later, she glanced at Maggie Monroe still swatting mosquitoes—ah, the coconut was even sweeter for it.
The next district was all wide avenues and big storefronts, full of folks shooting the breeze.
"Heard the news? That old fiend Shaun Severson, the Poison Fiend, made a comeback recently. Better keep an eye on your wives!" "Please, your wife looks like a door god—she could ward off evil spirits. What are you even worried about?"
"Word is, the Emperor himself will be coming to Putian City soon. All the big shots are getting ready to greet him." "Rumor has it they're going to enshrine Lady Niangma as a goddess. About time, really!"
"The Celestial Arts Ensemble will be in Putian City in three days! That's huge!" "I've been saving up for this. No way I'm missing it!"
If you want to get a feel for the people, you have to experience it firsthand. So Jill Young wandered through the crowd, ears perked. Lots of people were talking about the Celestial Arts Ensemble. She glanced at Maggie Monroe still fighting mosquitoes and chuckled—these oddballs were kind of endearing in their own ugly way. Even the horses seemed to enjoy the show!
Next up—wow, this area was something else: bustling but peaceful, clean yet quirky, basically the fanciest part of Putian City. Looking up and down the street, you saw servants in silk everywhere, and both sides of the road were lined with grand mansions. Clearly, this was where the rich folks lived.
Nice spot. Maybe someday we could set up a base here—perfect for the Ensemble's PR with the local ladies.
Just as they passed beneath a tall wall, Jill Young's ears twitched—she caught a woman's voice coming from inside.
"Someone, find out where the Celestial Arts Ensemble will land next!"
"Miss, rumor has it the Celestial Arts Ensemble will arrive in Putian City in three days."
Heh, looks like our fame really has sunk in. Your voice is nice, but I’ve hit my daily quota of horse gossip. No need for flattery—see you in three days!
Then, more voices floated over the wall—
"Three days? Fine! In three days, I'll see what they're really made of! I'll expose them in public, show everyone just how vulgar and crude they are! Let the world see their true colors!"
Jill Young's satisfied grin froze on her face as she stopped in her tracks, a vein popping on her forehead. Crack—the coconut in her hand split, and her smile turned stormy.
Seeing this, Maggie Monroe finally snapped out of her funk and burst out laughing: "Weren't you the one who said to stay calm? Weren't you the one who said to treat gossip like nose boogers and flick them away? Weren't you the one who said to embrace all opinions, good and bad?"
"I did say that—" Jill Young kept her smile (well, the muscles, anyway), and drawled, "But that's because I couldn't actually hear the gossip. But—now—I—can!" Crack! The coconut exploded in her hand, Jill's eyes blazing. She pointed skyward, furious: "Who the hell are you? Did I mess with you? Expose me? Expose your brother-in-law! Dammit, whoever you are, this isn't over!"
So yeah, never talk trash behind someone's back—especially if they've got super-hearing.
Watching Maggie Monroe giggle nonstop, Jill Young felt a fire rise in her chest. She rolled up her sleeves and waved: "Leah Sable, just in time! Find out who lives here! Daring to insult me to my face? They've got guts!"
Sylvia Shadows slipped out of the darkness. Most of the Shadow Ops crew had gone on vacation, but Sylvia and a few core members were still on duty. "Yes, ma'am. But, Leader, I have urgent news." She was clearly out of breath—a rare thing for a martial artist.
"Speak!"
"Yes." Sylvia Shadows kept it short: "Five minutes ago, Lenny Lama was snatched away. The kidnapper was strong—we couldn't stop him."
Maggie Monroe immediately stopped laughing. Trouble already, and they'd just arrived in Putian City? Had their cover been blown? No way—they'd been super careful. There shouldn't have been an ambush waiting for them.
Jill Young didn't care about that: "Seriously, what is it with all these bold idiots today? Every kind of monster thinks they can come for the Tang Monk? That brat behind the wall can wait—I'm pissed! Lead the way!"
End of this chapter ^.^ Click next page to keep reading!