Death… and me

"You b*****d!" The girl's anger exploded like a volcano, "I killed that snake for the Snake Cores in its heads! Ugh… This is infuriating. I'm really pissed right now…"

"Snake cores?" Tan Tan was at a loss. [The snakes here contain cores inside them… like apples or jujubes?]

Meng Chao Ran held his belly in order to contain his laughter while standing on the side. However, he finally came forward to mediate between those two. The girl let go of Tan Tan as she noticed a bystander's presence. She then ran over to examine the three snake heads. However, they had been turned into minced meat by Tan Tan…

Therefore, she found nothing after a thorough examination, and fell back dejectedly. It seemed as if she wished to cry, but was unable to find any tears to shed, "My Snake cores…"

"Hey Young Miss, what is your name?" Tan Tan touched his nose as he walked over. It seemed as if he had realized his mistake, "Cough, cough, Young Miss, I saved you just now. Then, won't this be considered as the scenario of a hero saving a beauty?"

"Hero saving a beauty?" The girl looked at him with teary eyes. She was unable to wrap her head around what he had just said. [You call this the scenario of a hero saving a beauty? Won't you call this showing off quite shamelessly? You are far from that scenario!]

"Yes," Tan Tan replied proudly. He completely forgot to maintain the 'shocked' expression on his face as he said, "My brother apprentice once said that a beauty devotes her life to the hero who saves her. Henceforth, she harbors deep affection towards him, and the two of them live happily ever after. They weave a charming story together, and their tales go on for all eternity…"

"To… devote my life to you?" The girl stuttered as she looked at the guy standing in front of her. She thought; [This guy is really insane. This scoundrel ruined my chances of obtaining the Snake cores by smashing them, and sent all my hard work down the drain. And, now he has the guts to shamelessly claim that I should devote my life to him. How can he be so thick-skinned?]

[From where does he borrow such shamelessness?]

"Correct! Devote your life to me!" Tan Tan stated in a 'matter-of-fact' manner, "I am a hero, and you are a beauty. Shouldn't you devote your life to me since I saved you? Moreover, my martial arts achievements are as big as your chest, and I'm as attractive as your exuberant and round buttocks. We make a perfect match, don't you think?"

Suddenly, Tan Tan came to realize something as he finished speaking. He hastily feigned to be mulling over something. Then, he said in a 'shocked' tone, "Whoa! Do you think that such a handsome and confident man like myself… isn't worthy of being with a beauty like yourself?"

"Blargh…" The girl rolled her eyes and fainted once again.

[I've really run into a disaster today…]

Meng Chao Ran's mediation calmed down both the sides eventually. So, both of them sat down peacefully while facing each other. But, Tan Tan was quite angry; [I am a hero who saved this beauty. Then, why doesn't she devote her life to me?]

The girl was also quite furious; [This guy is simply a mental case.]

Meng Chao Ran used his admirable conversation skills and profound wisdom to solve the matter. He inquired the girl who was unknowingly attracted by his amiable smile. So, she ended up providing all the information about herself…

Cough! It wasn't easy for Meng Chao Ran to fool the girl with whom his own disciple had fallen in love at first sight. However, he didn't hesitate in using his charismatic persona to gain her personal information.

Xie Dan Feng was the younger sister of Xie Dan Qiong – the Young Clan Lord of Xie Clan. Moreover, she had received the key training from the Xie Clan. So, she was a talented person with great potential…

Xie Dan Feng wasn't extremely beautiful. However, she had everything an average woman should have. Moreover, her figure was quite curvaceous.

It could be said that she had just above average looks owing to her ordinary face. However, her fiery hot figure compensated for that flaw.

In fact, it was more than compensated!

Xie Dan Feng and Tan Tan didn't get along well. However, Meng Chao Ran had 10,000% confidence in his disciple's marvelous ability to annoy others.

Tan Tan was also incomparably shameless and narcissistic…

Therefore, Meng Chao Ran was confident that it wouldn't be difficult for his disciple to get this girl… [Well, the only trouble would be from this girl's clan… However, this is not the right time to worry about that since these two young birds must agree to be together first. I will let Chu Yang worry about the other concerned parties… when the time is right.]

It was obviously quite irresponsible on Meng Chao Ran's part to be thinking like that.

Everyone else had set out for Cang Lan Battlefront to participate in the war; but Xie Dan Feng had showed up here for an entirely different reason. She had run away from home in a fit of pique after getting scolded by her elder brother – Xie Dan Qiong…

[This is simply a heaven-sent opportunity.]

Meng Chao Ran was deliberately walking far ahead of them so that those two can hang out together in the back. This was a rare chance for creating a 'young couple'…

Tan Tan and Xie Dan Feng would indulge in fierce martial art battles several times a day ever since they had first met.

Tan Tan's cultivation had been progressing quickly these days, while Xie Dan Feng was a trained genius who had cultivated with the help of countless elixirs granted by her clan. However, her overall strength matched evenly with Tan Tan's. Tan Tan had been at a disadvantage in the beginning. Nonetheless, he managed to hold his own after a few rounds. He had even begun to defend himself and fight back. He finally gained an upper hand three days later… And, got hold of the winning end of the curve at last…

In fact, Tan Tan had reaped great benefits from these fights. Meng Chao Ran realized that he had underestimated his disciple after seeing his fighting capabilities and gradual progress over the past few days.

[This guy really does not believe in going easy on the fairer sex!]

Meng Chao Ran was a little worried about this since he was Tan Tan's master. However, he still admired his disciple for having such a decisive disposition.

Tan Tan could be seen roaring like a fierce dragon all along the way as he would overturn a fiery tigress like Xie Dan Feng. Then, he would suppress her under his body, and unleash his fierce punches on her. All the spots on her body were fair game in Tan Tan's eyes… except for her face.

He'd grab her chest… buttocks… thighs… whatever he could… whenever he could!

Bang… Bam… Thump… It was as satisfying and fulfilling as punching a sandbag to one's heart content!

Xie Dan Feng would continue to struggle furiously beneath him… She would even curse loudly as she'd take the beating…

The most impressive thing about her was that she didn't cry even after taking all the beating! She would continue to retaliate with all her might while thinking of all possible ways to fight back! Moreover, she wasn't the type to give up before reaching her goal…

Such disposition was indeed quite extraordinary!

Thus, the same scene could be seen unfolding almost everywhere on the way!

Meng Chao Ran's motive – to train his disciple with the help of practical battles was half-fulfilled already; and they hadn't even entered the central parts of Cang Lan Battlefront yet. And, this was all thanks to Xie Dan Feng… even if it was based on her sufferings, grievances, and tears of blood…

Tan Tan and Xie Dan Feng would rush forward whenever they encountered a spirit beast; each competing to be the first.

This was because Xie Dan Feng was on an important mission of acquiring fur and 'inner cores' of spirit beasts. Meanwhile, Tan Tan intended to hone his martial arts skills. Moreover, he also wanted to use this opportunity to get rich.

They would keep the cores separately after seizing them, and would mind their own business. They also chose to stay out of each other's battles. And, Tan Tan would deliberately refrain from gifting her anything; [I have earned these items on my own… So, why would I give them to you; especially when you still haven't devoted yourself to me!]

Tan Tan's logic was kind of appropriate… in a way…

However, his approach was poles apart from how a man ought to pursue a woman…

Moreover, Xie Dan Feng would never accept Tan Tan's gifts; [These are your items; why would you give them to me? It's not like you are my husband or anything!]

The two young individuals were adhering to their principles quite assertively even though they partly seemed like money-grubbers.

Meng Chao Ran's lips began to twitch as he continued to look at them. In fact, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry!

One thing led to another… And, it was hard to tell who raised this proposition, "Let's gamble! Let's begin the gambling fight!"

They would have to place their stakes every time they had a match. The loser would have to pay the winner in the end.

The gambling-stakes were usually one or a few spirit beast cores.

One could easily imagine what happened next— Tan Tan lost just a few times while Miss Xie continued to lose the entire way. Therefore, she was left with nothing in the end… except for grief and indignation. She had put so much time and effort into collecting those spirit beast cores, but she had still ended up losing them all in gambling. They all went inside Tan Tan's waist pouch and never came out again!

Miss Xie blew her top and went completely frantic… She devoted herself more and more into hunting as many spirit beasts as she could for the purpose of obtaining their cores. However, she'd come back and gamble with Tan Tan after accumulating enough of them. However, she would then lose them all in the end… Then, she'd go out for hunting once again… come back with stakes… gamble with Tan Tan… And, this cycle continued on and on…

Meng Chao Ran didn't know whether to laugh or cry in the company of these two young lunatics…

[Forget it! They will learn through experience anyway. I should allow them to do whatever they feel like…]

And, thus continued this strange and noisy bunch's venture into the Cang Lan Battlefront.

… …

The Lower Three Heavens' Continent Center Citadel was enveloped in an aura of death and massacre owing to an imminent war while the Middle Three Heavens was in a chaos…

Diwu Qing Rou's purge was still ongoing.

Yet, Minister Chu was far away from the reach of all this mess at this moment. He was sitting in a small boat in Lotus Lake, and was busy fishing. He was leading this sort of simplistic life in a rather calm and easy-going manner.

The Lotus Lake wasn't extremely big, but it wasn't very small either. It had a perimeter of several hundred kilometers. It could be said that it was a fairly big lake in such an inland area.

The lands had started to unfreeze as the midwinter was coming to an end; one could see the small green grass shoots on the ground. The warm wind blowing against the willow trees was precisely hinting that…'that' period of the year… was approaching.

Lotus Lake was still in a withered state. Its semi-frozen surface was covered with lotus leaves, which floated like chunks of rag on the water. The magnificent 'summer-time' scenery of an endless bloom of lotuses that would paint the lake's surface in a tint of pink and green was nowhere to be seen…

Minister Chu was clad in a white robe; he was sitting comfortably in his small boat. He was holding a fishing rod. His small boat was floating around on the water surface, and was drifting at the whim of the ripples like duckweed.

It seemed as if a white cloud was floating atop the green water surface.

Suddenly, the wire attached to the fishing rod moved and tightened with a 'whizzing' sound. Then, it curled up before fluttering back and forth on the water surface…

It seemed like a fish had swallowed the bait. Moreover, the fish didn't seem to be small…

However, Minister Chu didn't pull the fish out of the water. He just let it struggle wildly until it began to pull his small boat. And, this eventually caused his boat to drift forward…

"This is very satisfying!" Minister Chu said while holding the fishing rod tightly. He was thoroughly enjoying the pulling force of the big fish. He was completely relaxed and thrilled, "Fishing is so much fun! But, is the fun derived from the fish itself? Nope! Is the process of fishing enjoyable? Not at all! The actual fun begins after the fish swallows the bait. You feel your heart racing when that happens since you're thrilled with excitement and pleasure…

"I am going to continue savoring this thrilling sensation until I am satisfied…" Minister Chu looked up and heaved a deep sigh of pleasure, "This is awesome!"

"Puhaha…" Suddenly, a loud sound of someone's uncontrollable laughter resounded in the vicinity. Not far away from his small boat was another boat. This second boat was slightly bigger in size. There was a young lady in that boat, and she was clad in a brocaded robe. She was seemingly fishing as well. She held a fishing rod in one hand, while her chin rested against her other.

One could easily tell by her facial expression from a while ago that she was bored to death. However, she burst into laughter upon hearing Minister Chu's fallacy, "Hey! Mr. Bookworm, have you caught a fish yet?"

Minister Chu's complexion sank as he replied in a displeased tone, "The ancients have said that men and women shouldn't touch hands when they give or receive things! They have also said that daughters must strictly adhere to their womanly ethics, and mustn't reveal their teeth while smiling. The ancients have said that… a man and a woman mustn't speak randomly when they meet for the first time. The ancients have also said that… you should call me 'Young Master'… not bookworm…"

"Haha…" The young girl burst into laughter once again, and revealed her small yet sharp pair of canine teeth in the process. She then rubbed her belly as she replied, "Oh my, you really are a pedantic scholar… I am completely confused after listening to your 'the ancients have said this… the ancients have said that'…"

"Young Lady, your words are truly lacking!" Chu Yang shook his head as he put on the air of a rotten scholar. Then, he preached to her, "This student here isn't a scholar… So, you cannot call me a 'pedantic scholar'…"