Feng Shui Chapter 111: The Short-Statured One

Brother Li had no hesitation like Chen Xiao. He bowed politely to the girl and earnestly pleaded, “Fellow Daoist, please lend us your strength.”

His tone was almost desperate, humble to the point of begging.

The girl’s expression remained cold as she stood on the treetop, swaying gently with the breeze. She didn’t immediately agree to help but instead said coldly, “Why should I help you outsiders?”

Her words and gaze made it clear she didn’t trust Brother Li, in fact, there was a faint hint of hostility.

To Chen Xiao, she felt much like the first time he met Tong Nuonuo; guarded, wary, and on high alert. But unlike Tong Nuonuo’s stubborn defiance, this girl seemed unusually mature and unnervingly calm. Could it be that, like Tong Nuonuo, she had been betrayed before, and that’s why she trusted no one?

Brother Li hurried to say, “If you help us break this trap, there will be a generous reward afterward!”

The girl eyed him skeptically. Meanwhile, the black-tailed bat monkeys were closing in fast. Chen Xiao couldn’t help but add, “Yes, rest assured, we will keep our promise.”

She glanced at Chen Xiao a couple more times before finally nodding, “Fine.”

No sooner had she spoken than her body swayed lightly, floating up into the air. She pressed her delicate palms together, releasing a powerful burst of true energy that instantly carved a path through the forest.

Brother Li quickly helped his badly injured companion to his feet and shouted, “Move out!”

Their movement soon caught the attention of the bat monkey king. He grew angrier and louder, howling sharply. The nearby swarm of bat monkeys answered his call, rushing forward even faster.

The girl’s footsteps were light as she hovered near Chen Xiao and the others, saying, “At this rate, even if ten more like me come, we still won’t be able to break free.”

Brother Li hurriedly asked, “Do you have a plan?”

She raised a hand and pointed, “Kill that demon cultivator. Without their commander, the bat monkeys will have no orders, the siege will break.”

She looked at the three of them as if they were idiots.

Chen Xiao gave a bitter smile. Of course, he understood the logic of ‘capture the leader first.’ But with the endless tide of bat monkeys pressing them, the young cultivators were already stretched to their limits. They simply didn’t have anyone to spare to kill the bat monkey king. Besides, the demon cultivator was stronger than all of them combined. Even if they all attacked, success was far from guaranteed.

All three understood this, yet Brother Li still said immediately, “Good plan!” Then his expression turned grim. “But we’re all injured or exhausted. We really don’t have the strength to kill that bat monkey king.”

It was clear he hoped the girl would take the lead in the attack. Chen Xiao glanced at him. The way Brother Li kept things vague and hid the truth was almost as shameful as some creepy uncle tricking little girls. No wonder the girl didn’t trust anyone, she must have been burned by people like this.

Because of his own childhood experiences, Chen Xiao was especially protective and patient with young children. He couldn’t stand Brother Li’s scheming and said, “With the few of us, killing the bat monkey king is too risky. If we can just escape this white spirit fruit grove and meet up with Shiming and my big brother, we’ll be safe.”

He meant well, but the girl didn’t appreciate it. She snorted coldly, “Just because you can’t do it doesn’t mean I can’t.”

She pointed at Chen Xiao and Tong Nuonuo not far off. “You two still have strength, and that’s enough!”

Brother Li’s heart leapt, this barbarian was a real Daoist. But the girl wasn’t someone to be taken lightly. She added with a cold glare, “However, if I kill the bat monkey king, I get his demon pill. And from every ten white spirit fruits you pick, I get one.”

Brother Li was stunned. She was shrewd. He guessed she must have secretly followed them and discovered their goal, and now wanted her share. But if they could kill the bat monkey king, the bat monkey swarm would no longer dare interfere. They could pick the white spirit fruits however they wanted afterward.

So he gritted his teeth and nodded, “Alright, I agree on behalf of us.”

Then he looked at Chen Xiao. “But this isn’t my decision alone. We need Daoist Xi and the others to agree as well.”

Chen Xiao didn’t hesitate. “I can agree on behalf of my big brother too.” At worst, he’d give up his share so the girl didn’t work for nothing.

“Good! Then it’s a contract, no backing out.” The girl stretched out her palm, and Brother Li slapped it. Chen Xiao followed suit.

The bat monkey swarm was closing in fast, their time running out. If they didn’t kill the bat monkey king before the swarm arrived, they wouldn’t even have a chance to escape, they’d face certain death.

The girl’s tone grew urgent. “I’ll hold the bat monkey king in place. You two draw the swarm away and get the trap master over here to help.”

Then she turned to Chen Xiao. “You can freely use those spirit energy needles on him. Don’t worry about accidentally hitting me.”

Chen Xiao nodded seriously. “Understood.”

Without another word, the girl spread her arms like a great bird and leapt down from the treetop. She formed a hand seal with her fingers and pointed forward, sharply shouting, “Hah!”

At her command, thick green true energy vines burst from the ground, weaving into a strong net that trapped the bat monkey king’s legs.

Brother Li’s face lit up with joy as he shouted, “She’s a spirit plant master!”

Chen Xiao didn’t have time to share their excitement. He shouted to them, “Hurry over and help Tong Nuonuo break free!”

Brother Li and his companion nodded in unison, rushing quickly toward the large tree where Tong Nuonuo was trapped. Meanwhile, Chen Xiao took advantage of the moment to switch his spirit bead, then raised his hand crossbow and fired at the Bat Monkey King.

Tong Nuonuo had already spotted an opportunity, though a crowd of bat monkeys still surrounded her. There was no time to waste, she threw all the bombs she had to buy some breathing room. The close range almost backfired, nearly injuring herself. Amid the chaotic surge of spiritual energy, she solemnly pulled out a new mechanical launcher, braced it before her, and took careful aim.

Just then, Brother Li and his companion arrived before the new wave of bat monkeys could encircle Tong Nuonuo, finally freeing her hands.

“Quick! I can only hold him for a little while!” the girl shouted, sweat beading on her temple.

Chen Xiao crouched steadily and fired at an upward angle, both avoiding hitting the girl and targeting the Bat Monkey King. He triggered the mechanism, and the spirit needles rained down relentlessly on the beast.

The Bat Monkey King was furious, struggling violently. His true energy surged into his legs, snapping one free; now only one leg was trapped. He shook his body wildly, making it difficult for Tong Nuonuo to aim.

Just then, Chen Xiao’s volley of thousands of tiny quills shot into the Bat Monkey King, forcing him to hastily raise his hands to shield his face, unable to break free from the bindings beneath him.

Seizing the moment, Tong Nuonuo activated her mechanical launcher. A tri-colored spirit energy bomb flew straight at the Bat Monkey King’s head.

With a muffled explosion, it hit perfectly, blowing his skull to pieces, leaving a grotesque ruin. Even if his demon core was intact, he was beyond saving.

With the Bat Monkey King dead, the black-tailed bat monkeys cried out mournfully, then scattered instantly, unwilling to linger in battle. The newly arrived bat monkey troops on the outskirts, under relentless spirit needle attacks and bombs from Chen Xiao and the others, quickly dispersed as well.

Once all the visible bat monkeys had fled, Chen Xiao collapsed, sitting hard on the ground without caring about his posture. The battle had pushed his heart to its limits, too tense, too intense.

Except for the girl, Brother Li and the injured companion also slumped to the ground, gasping for breath. Only Tong Nuonuo was relatively steady as she came over to stand beside Chen Xiao.

The girl crossed her arms and looked down at them. After a while, seeing they still hadn’t moved, she impatiently said, “Rest for now. The danger’s passed, so I’m leaving first. I’ll come back later for my reward.”

Brother Li pushed himself up and bowed to her. “Thank you for your help, fellow cultivator. Next time we meet, your reward will be given in full.”

The girl’s expression finally softened. She glanced at them lightly, then said “Farewell” before leaping onto the treetop and running off.

Chen Xiao looked up after her and said, “That little girl’s really something, so young, yet already a cultivator.”

Brother Li laughed loudly, and the injured man chuckled too, making his wound ache painfully, causing him to groan in response.

Chen Xiao looked at them puzzled. “Why are you laughing?”

Tong Nuonuo shook her head with a wry smile. “You’re wrong, Chen Xiao. That ‘little girl’ is not really a child, she’s from a race of naturally small-statured people. The females don’t grow beyond her size, and the males are the same. They all look like children, which is very misleading. But since ‘dwarf’ sounds bad, they call themselves the ‘Short-bodied People.’”

Brother Li chuckled. “Exactly. Don’t be fooled by their under-ten appearance. She’s already at the Foundation Establishment stage, her age is probably many times yours.”

Chen Xiao was speechless, only able to express his shock with silence.

After resting a moment, Brother Li said to Chen Xiao, “Please call everyone back to the previous campsite. Now that the cat beasts have been lured away, there’s no interference, this is the perfect time to harvest the White Spirit Fruit.”

Chen Xiao nodded, having recovered some strength. “Alright.”

He originally wanted to ask Tong Nuonuo to come with him, but Brother Li said, “If possible, let Daoist Tong stay behind to watch over my companion here. I’ll go to the perimeter and inform them of our situation.”

The horn had been dropped, and Brother Li needed to tell Shi Ming so they could send people to search. Besides, there were still the demon cultivator and a large pile of bat monkey corpses to deal with. Leaving them alone would attract other carnivores or worse, ferocious beasts.

Chen Xiao frowned and hesitated, looking at Tong Nuonuo.

She nodded. “It’s alright. You can go without worry. I’ll stay here to watch over this Daoist. I’m not going anywhere.”

Chen Xiao gave a soft sound of agreement and then left with Brother Li, each running off in opposite directions.