18 The hunter, The hunted.

Zhun Xuying felt her sweat drop as she put a huge man inside the carriage,

she tucked the naked man on a corner, looking around there's not much space. After the fastest ones reached, they started to come in groups,

making Zhun Xuying work hard. They would see the unconscious slaves and turn to run away but as normal humans with no core how could they?

Zhun Xuying knocked them asleep and brought them in.

She saw the bonfire was almost without wood.

'That means their job is about to end'Zhun Xuying cleaned her sweat with a cloth, then turned to the next slave on the ground.

due to forming a core her body has double the qualities of her old self enabling her to carry double tha weightshe could before she threw the slave on her shoulder and walked back to the carriage

"Heyhey who could imaginethere would be someone stupid enough to steal from the only slave market in thethree-nations of this empire"

Together with the voice, three uniformed guardsappearedbeside the bonfire.

Zhun Xuying froze in place, looking at the guards uniform two with two stars and the last with only one. meaning, they are two level two guards and a level one.

Thousands of things passed through her mind, but her immediate instinct was to keep the slave on her shoulder and close the carriage's door.

'use the slave as a shield, set the carriage away as a distraction

so she can use her explosive speed acquired from the mantis's core"

She felt her legs growing weak with tension when you level up your body quality doubles. That means the guards in front of her have at least, double of her actual strengths

The carriage is right behind her the bonfire is about seven to eight steps in front of her. the guards were slowly closing in.

Zhun Xuying Waited until they passed throw the bonfire to make her move.

"Hey fatty, there something in this fire" the thinguard looked at the middle of the fire.

The fat guard just answered with indifference"it's just butterfly powder, combined with fire it puts the normal people to sleep."

Izaya who was behind the two of them looked at the woman ready to bolt in front of the carriage.

'she can't possibly be the only one.' he smelled the air and turned back

the other guards saw his action and turned.

with Light steps and a silver robe covering her whole figure, Zhi Rui appeared.

"I'm Zhi Rui from the Cheng clan! And I'm here to free those slaves from suffering!"

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Zhun Xuying didn't relax, she looked at Zhi Ruiand thought about how her chances of running away just increased with someone to distract the guards

"Haha so young lady Zhi Rui the saint has come to save these slaves? by stealing?"

the fat man hit his belly in a fit of laugh

"Man let's just get these two now, I want the one by the carriage." said the thin man

"fine I get the young lady for myself"

Zhun Xuying looked as they finally decided to act, the thin man walked closer, she was ready to bolt out, but her legs wouldn't move, she looked at Zhi Rui on the other end of the bonfire; just six steps away from the guards.

if she can runaway today she can lord over some people in the slums, but that's it. But if she can grow, maybe she can really live a pleasurable life.

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Zhi Rui breathed deeply, she looked past the incoming fat man and met eyes with Zhun Xuying. Zhi Rui decided then.

She threw a light rune in the air and jumped to the forest on the right, the guards looked up by instinct and were blinded by the light.

Zhun Xuying wasn't slow and threw the slaveatthe distracted thin man and kicked the ground in Zhi Rui direction

Izaya saw Zhun Xuying take hold of Zhi Rui and run inside the forest.

'that girl probably hasamovement ability.' He then bolted to the carriage and examined the slaves inside.

"Damn it, I'm gonna get them!" the fat man yelled.

Izaya's face soured as he saw the slaves inside, immediately he stared at the fat man.

"My nose is better than beast people, sir I can track them"

"Yea? then lead! I don't wanna keep searchingthem"

"Yes sir"

Izaya just bowed and entered the forest

The thin man saw the two of them going away, he decided to just sit there.

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Running through the forest Zhi Rui could see the trees passing at a hairbreath from herself as the arms of Xuying held her tightly

"As I thought you're not dumb"she said with a wicked grin

"Is that a compliment young miss?"

Zhi Rui didn't answer, she only pointed with her finger at the left-direction With her injured arm.

"Hilda is supposed to come from there."

Zhun Xuying immediately turned in that direction.

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Hilda just took her blade out of a neck from a low-level guard.

She looked at the corpses around, with her feline eyes

"The fun part starts now" she proceeded to slowly loot each corpse.

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Zhun Xuying was getting breathless, Zhi Rui could hear the guards catching up.

"AAhh!" Zhun Xuying screamed, and without warning, she felt the ground tasting dirt and blood

Zhi Rui stood up immediately Zhun Xuying tried to but her leg hurt too much she could feel the broken bone

"Haha! my young miss, I came to rescue you" the fat man appeared in front of them "I sincerely thought you would evade my stone, but as I thought I'm still good at throwing it."

Zhi Rui looked at the man, her mind was still reeling from the fall but she Stared directly at him

'There's nowhere to go now'she thought about surrender, it was the best course of action now. She tried to bend her legs to plead

'No.'

every torment suffered passed through her mind, every pain felt at the hands of others came to haunt her the moment she tried to surrender.

She looked at Zhun Xuying who wasstill on the ground andher eyes grew red

"Xuying attack!"

Zhun Xuying was too confused to think, but she knew it was the end ifshe did not fight, she used her good leg to charge in the fat man's direction

Zhi Rui with her boiling blood jumped forward with a dagger in hand. the fat man held Zhun Xuying's charge strongly. and easilysidestepped Zhi Rui's piercing attack

Zhi Rui hit the ground, but rolled away and turned back with anotherattack

her nose was bleeding she couldnot see well iron on her mouth "AAHH!"

She felt the feeling of flesh being cut, she opened her eyes wide to what was in front of her, the dagger pierced the fat man's heart, she could not understand why, but her instincts told her to twist that knife, which she did and the guard gurgled blood from his mouth.

Only after the guard fell did she saw a man behind.

He was holding the guard's arms, that's why her attack went through

Izaya looked at the dirty and disheveled woman with cold eyes.

"the mark you put on the slaves, relief it now and I will let you go."