Chapter 149: The Highest Realm of Kidnapping

Chapter 149: The Ultimate Realm of Kidnapping

While the forces of the Moon Wheel Temple were indeed vast, the Death Desert was even vaster.

The influence of the Moon Wheel Temple was primarily concentrated within the oasis cities. Otherwise, how could it be that after hundreds of years, they had still failed to wipe out that group of Loulan survivors?

Ning Xiu lay across the back of a camel, pondering his next move.

Before departing, he had briefly watched from a distance as Jiuniang fought against one of the temple envoys.

In his estimation, Jiuniang's strength was likely inferior to Shen Sanqian's. Without resorting to the Seven Limits, it would not be easy for Ning Xiu to defeat her with his current power, but retreating unscathed should not be difficult.

However, if he were to fall into an encirclement, it would essentially spell doom.

Among that group of Loulan survivors, Jiuniang was not the only expert.

Therefore, rather than seeking them out directly, he chose to lead Wang Danfeng on a merry chase first.

Ning Xiu glanced back at Wang Danfeng, who was glaring daggers at him—yes, a merry chase.

Having decided to run circles around them, Ning Xiu followed no fixed route along the way, nor did he have a predetermined destination.

Heading east today, he would travel west tomorrow, and by the day after, he would find himself heading north.

He had thoroughly disoriented Wang Danfeng throughout the journey.

Initially, she had secretly plotted to leave markers so that Jiuniang and the others could track her down, but after a few days, Wang Danfeng's mental state had completely collapsed.

Another few days drifted by in a blur.

A sensational piece of news gradually spread across the Death Desert, becoming the biggest talk of the town in recent days.

The grand battle outside the Loulan ruins had finally been made public, and the victors were none other than the Moon Wheel Temple.

It seemed the strength of the Moon Wheel Temple truly could not be underestimated.

Ning Xiu furrowed his brows slightly. He had not expected Jiuniang and the others to fall short at the final hurdle. Indeed, in the face of absolute strength, all schemes appeared so pale and feeble.

The Moon Wheel Temple had employed an open strategy from the very beginning.

In other words, they had never feared that group of Loulan survivors who lurked in the shadows and lived away from the light of day. Of course, they had also paid a painful price for their miscalculations.

Several temple envoys had fallen in this battle, while most of the key members of the Loulan faction had managed to retreat safely.

"Worried about your people?" Ning Xiu asked, looking at Wang Danfeng's worried expression.

"Don't worry, you'll be seeing them very soon."

"If you dare lay a finger on my people, I will never let you go even as a ghost!" Wang Danfeng clenched her fists, glaring at Ning Xiu while trembling all over, speaking through gritted teeth.

Ning Xiu gave Wang Danfeng a peculiar look.

"You'd better pray that you don't turn into a ghost after you die. Besides, didn't the bulletin say that several of your core members didn't get caught?"

"If they all got captured by this Moon Wheel Temple, it would become quite troublesome for me as well."

Ning Xiu looked up at the distant sky and murmured softly.

......

The Chaos Hills.

If there was any place in this Death Desert that the divine light of the Moon Wheel Temple could not reach, the Chaos Hills was certainly one of them.

In the desert, almost all cities were built around oases because only thus could they gather the surrounding populace.

The Chaos Hills, however, was an exception. They had no need for such things; this place was a paradise for all kinds of crime.

The largest slave trading market in the entire Death Desert was also located here.

Looking at the undulating sand dunes in the distance, Ning Xiu reined in his mount and stopped.

Wang Danfeng naturally knew what kind of place the Chaos Hills was, and she was equally aware of what it meant for a woman to be sold here.

She felt that she had once again underestimated the malice of the despicable man before her.

If Ning Xiu knew what Wang Danfeng was thinking at this moment, he would surely sigh that this foolish woman truly had no inkling of her own worth.

And she still underestimated him far too much.

In this world of mortals, there were things one should do and things one must not.

The reason Ning Xiu chose this place was purely because it was a lawless zone completely beyond official control.

Here, he could effectively elude the spies of the Moon Wheel Temple while preventing himself from falling into the encirclement of the Loulan survivors.

Yet, if his calculations were correct, Jiuniang should have almost caught up to him by now.

Could it be that she lost the trail?!

If that were truly the case, Ning Xiu would die of frustration. Throughout the journey, he had been terrified that they would take the wrong tracking direction, deliberately allowing Wang Danfeng to leave markers along the way.

Ning Xiu reckoned that playing a kidnapper to this extent was already humiliating enough; if Jiuniang and the others still couldn't find him after all this, he could only question whether their IQs were online.

Or perhaps, he had overestimated Wang Danfeng's standing in the hearts of the Loulan survivors? But that didn't seem right either; he had personally witnessed the murderous look in Jiuniang's eyes back then.

At that moment, a burly man suddenly blocked Ning Xiu's path, interrupting his train of thought.

"Brother, how much for the cargo behind you? Name your price."

Ning Xiu was already feeling irritable. Looking up at the wretched and greasy-looking big man before him, he was about to strike and send him packing.

Suddenly, he halted his movements.

He looked ahead, his gaze passing over the bulky man to stare at whatever lay behind him, the corners of his lips curling upward to reveal a genuine smile.

"Sorry, she has already been sold to someone else."

"No matter who you sold her to, I'll give you double the price!" The man stared at Wang Danfeng, a look of infatuation washing over his face.

"That's a price you can't afford."

Hearing Ning Xiu's words, the burly man flew into a rage and shouted at him, "Then tell me where the buyer is, and I'll go tear him apart right now so you won't have to bother!"

The smile on Ning Xiu's face grew even more radiant.

"How coincidental, that person is right behind you."

The big man instinctively turned his head, only for a slender, fair hand to tear through the air and directly press down upon his head.

Internal energy surged, and the man's entire head exploded with a loud bang.

Like a watermelon dropped upon the ground, red and white matter splattered everywhere.

"Sister!"

Seeing the slender figure that had suddenly appeared before her, Wang Danfeng felt a surge of joy and cried out loudly.

The woman standing before them was none other than Jiuniang, who had tracked them all the way here.

Jiuniang glanced at Wang Danfeng, then slowly shifted her gaze to Ning Xiu standing beside her.

"You deliberately let Danfeng leave us markers, leading me all the way here. What on earth is your purpose?"

By this time, Jiuniang already knew that Ning Xiu was not a member of the Moon Wheel Temple, which made it impossible for her to fathom his true intentions.

Hearing Jiuniang's words, Wang Danfeng's heart trembled violently as she looked up at Ning Xiu, her face filled with absolute shock.

She had originally thought her actions along the way were sufficiently covert, but it turned out she had never escaped Ning Xiu's notice. Moreover, looking at it now, the man had actually done it on purpose, solely to lure Jiuniang over.