Chapter 221: The Minefield
Taotie was truly a humanoid beast. Wielding a massive black blade, he swung it with such force that the air itself seemed impenetrable. As soon as a dozen starving wolves lunged out of the underbrush, his blade descended like a storm of death, slicing through flesh and bone. In mere moments, the ferocious wolves were reduced to shattered carcasses.
Behind Taotie, Fang Xiaocao watched in horror, heart pounding. She silently rejoiced that back then, Tom had been strong enough, and that Taotie had lacked a proper weapon. Only under such circumstances had their scheme succeeded in defeating and capturing this terrifying warrior.
At the same time, Fang Xiaocao felt a sense of pride in her own intelligence. Her quick thinking had led to the successful hypnosis and recruitment of Taotie into her ranks.
Otherwise, facing Taotie in his prime—this monster in human form with unparalleled combat prowess—was enough to send shivers down anyone’s spine.
No one wanted to be enemies with such a fearsome existence.
Fang Xiaocao, for one, certainly did not.
“Ha!”
With a furious shout, Taotie swung his blade once more. The black sword cut through the air and struck a wolf’s head with a sickening crack. The skull shattered instantly, and the sharp edge of the blade cleaved through the beast’s body, splitting it clean in half.
The wolf’s remains flopped to the ground, spilling its colorful entrails in a messy, putrid pile. The stench of blood and gore filled the air, an overpowering wave of nausea-inducing rot.
“Ugh—”
The foul smell made Fang Xiaocao gag violently. “Damn it, Taotie, do you have to be so brutal? Ugh—” She dry-heaved again, barely holding down her stomach’s contents.
Taotie wiped the blood off his blade with a disposable cloth and grinned menacingly. “Heh, got carried away.”
Fang Xiaocao: “…”
This guy was as dense as they came.
Ignoring him, Fang Xiaocao turned away from the carnage. Thanks to the relentless efficiency of Taotie and Tom, two world-class killing machines, the wolf pack had been reduced to nothing more than a mess of dismembered limbs and bloodstained dirt.
Fang Xiaocao wrinkled her nose and stepped back. The combined stench of wolf guts and spilled blood was worse than rotten herring soaked in mustard.
Her eyes watered from the overwhelming scent.
“Let’s go, let’s go!” she urged.
Naturally, Taotie and Tom followed Fang Xiaocao’s lead without question. After a brief discussion, Tom took the front as the pathfinder while Taotie stayed behind to guard their rear, ensuring Fang Xiaocao’s safety.
The trio moved swiftly in the direction of Wan Xiaozhou.
After half an hour of trekking, they finally rendezvoused with their scout.
“Your Highness!”
Wan Xiaozhou dropped down from a tree and bowed respectfully.
“You’ve worked hard, Xiaozhou~” Fang Xiaocao said with a cheerful smile.
“What’s the situation ahead? Any threats?” Tom asked in his usual serious tone.
“The path ahead is rugged but doesn’t appear to have any immediate dangers,” Wan Xiaozhou replied.
Tom nodded. “Continue scouting.”
“Understood!”
With long, agile strides, Wan Xiaozhou sprinted away, vanishing into the shadowy forest in the blink of an eye.
Fang Xiaocao blinked but chose not to stop him. She just felt that Tom was a little too harsh—at least let the poor girl rest and drink some water first!
“Your Highness, we need to keep moving,” Tom said sternly. “Otherwise, we won’t reach our destination before dawn.”
Fang Xiaocao nodded. “Alright.”
Tom pulled out a tablet, checked the safe route mapped out by Wan Xiaozhou, and, seeing no issues, continued leading the way.
Fang Xiaocao shrugged and followed closely behind.
Taotie trailed them, looking utterly unconcerned. Unless they encountered heavy artillery, he doubted anything could actually kill him.
That was the confidence that came with absolute power.
After another half-hour of travel, Tom suddenly stopped in his tracks and made a silent hand gesture.
Fang Xiaocao instinctively crouched down.
Taotie’s expression darkened as he silently drew his weapon, preparing for battle. His sharp gaze flicked to Tom, questioning him with his eyes.
Tom waved a hand, signaling them to stay put. From his multifunctional pack, he retrieved an intricate toolkit.
“Taotie, protect the princess. Fall back—this area is a minefield,” Tom whispered. “Either an old battlefield or a trap meant for us.”
Both Taotie and Fang Xiaocao’s expressions changed.
Taotie reacted instantly, pulling Fang Xiaocao back step by step.
“Wait, what? Didn’t you follow the route Xiaozhou scouted?” Taotie asked, frowning.
He referred to Wan Xiaozhou by the nickname “Maid,” a name he had given her.
“You really think I’d make such a rookie mistake?” Tom replied coldly.
Taotie shook his head. He knew just how professional Tom was—making a blunder like misreading a map was as likely as choking to death on a grain of rice.
Which meant there were only two possibilities:
Wan Xiaozhou had betrayed them.
Or Wan Xiaozhou had been captured, and the enemy had fed them false information.
Either way, it meant an ambush was waiting for them.
Tom turned to check on Fang Xiaocao and Taotie.
Seeing that Taotie had already moved Fang Xiaocao to a safe distance, Tom exhaled in relief.
Then, he got to work disarming the mines.
Fang Xiaocao held her breath, watching Tom’s careful actions with growing anxiety.
Taotie, meanwhile, kept one hand on Fang Xiaocao’s shoulder, shielding her while scanning their surroundings for potential enemies.
One by one, Tom defused the deadly explosives.
By the time he had uncovered ten of them, he paused and frowned.
“This won’t work,” Tom muttered. “There are too many mines. I’ve barely moved a few steps, and I’ve already found over ten. We have no idea how many more are buried in this area.”
“If I try to clear a path, it’ll take too long,” he continued. “And the worst part? We don’t know where the enemy is. If they attack while I’m in the middle of disarming…”
“Even if we survive, we’ll be in bad shape.”
Taotie nodded in agreement.
“We should retreat and find another way around,” he said firmly.
“But what about Wan Xiaozhou?” Fang Xiaocao asked.
“Forget that traitor!” Taotie grumbled.
