Chapter 110 Chapter 109 Escape
Not sure if it was due to anemia or fear, Ji Ma’s small face was pale.
This mountain was not high at all, not dangerous, quite ordinary. There was also a hunter’s cabin up there. The reason for choosing this mountain as a treasure trove back then was precisely its plainness.
If she were to ride up the mountain, it wouldn’t take long at all.
Ji Ma was indeed scared, but her face was still calm as she said:
“I can’t be discovered now; the consequences would be dire. George will definitely interrogate and find out the entrance of the secret passage, and the great benefactor will eventually obtain the treasure.”
The only response was the sound of the mountain wind rustling through a cluster of weeds.
Seeing her lies were ineffective, Ji Ma said again:
“I know you gave me the gold coins for another purpose. If I get discovered, your plan won’t work.”
As she spoke, she crossed her arms and leaned casually against a large rock, pretending to see through the Shadow King Akanis’s joke—if the Shadow King Akanis hadn’t left.
She stared at her surroundings for nearly five minutes. The sound of hoofbeats was rapidly approaching, the crack of the whip on the horse’s rear made Ji Ma tense up.
If she got discovered, George would surely whip her backside… That guy, the Shadow King, definitely wants to see me make a fool of myself; I can’t show any flaws.
Ji Ma thought this and feigned calm, letting out a hum, remaining still.
Another difficult five minutes passed.
The hoofbeats grew closer, echoing in her heart.
“Damn!”
Ji Ma finally couldn’t hold her face, like a child secretly playing on the computer in the study at midnight, hearing the increasingly near footsteps of her parents waking up.
She looked left and right; behind her was a cliff. The left path led to the mountain top, which suffered severe soil erosion, with sparse vegetation—pretty good for suicide. The right side led down with increasingly lush vegetation, but at her pace, she would surely run straight into George’s face.
That was also why she hadn’t immediately chosen to go down the mountain but instead gambled on whether the Shadow King Akanis was still here.
What to do? What to do?
Ji Ma kicked a small stone by her feet vigorously.
She could only lie to deceive George.
She muttered to herself, “I was kidnapped by that big jerk, the Shadow King Akanis; I didn’t want to come at all. It’s the truth. If he asks me why I disguised as a dog-headed person to deceive him, I’ll just throw the blame back at the Shadow King.”
“No way,” she shook her head. “That would be a lie; even a stupid virgin wouldn’t believe that. Honestly admitting that I also want to get my hands on the treasure is normal; I am a demon after all, a little greedy is understandable. He would understand as long as I admit my mistake properly.”
“But he will definitely suspect me; the key is fake, and he will surely ask about it. That will depend on luck.” Ji Ma said, reaching for the good luck ring on her thumb.
After some analysis, things didn’t seem as dire as she imagined. As long as she could find the compass to the crown fragments in her hands, everything would be manageable.
At most, she would just get a whipping. There’s no life-threatening danger; really, I’m not scared at all, just a whipping.
Ji Ma fondly touched the black ram’s horn on her waist, which was sheathed in leather. These magical items surely wouldn’t last; they hadn’t even warmed up yet.
Suddenly, she had a flash of inspiration.
“Right, I can bury them.”
Ji Ma immediately acted, drawing her short sword from her waist and thrusting it into the loose soil. Her heart raced as the hoofbeats got closer; she was both excited and scared. She gripped the short sword tightly and dug into the ground.
As she dug, she thought about how to come up with a reason and how to disguise the digging marks.
“When I entered the treasure trove, the Shadow King Akanis pointed a short sword at my nose and said that whoever was faster than the knife gets the gold coins.” Ji Ma muttered to herself, “Yes, right. This partial truth could fool that fool George.”
“Who are you calling a fool?”
A heavy male voice suddenly came from behind her.
Ji Ma was startled, her tail stood up, her heart skipped a beat, and she jumped up in place, panic written across her face as she turned to look behind her, instinctively saying:
“No, no, ‘fool’ is just a term of endearment…”
What came into her view was a smug, annoyingly punchable silver-haired half-elf dwarf. His emerald green eyes watched Ji Ma with keen interest.
Ji Ma gasped for air and said, “You scared me.”
“I’ve been crouching behind watching you.”
“This demon is just that cunning.”
“I think you’re just scared to death of George.” He smiled directly, “Damn, that cracked me up.”
“Lord Shadow King, you really are childlike at heart.”
“Seeing a precocious kid scared out of their wits by their guardian makes me very happy.”
“I’m not afraid of him,” Ji Ma emphasized, “He’s just a tool that I control.”
“Oh really? Then goodbye.” The Shadow King Akanis said, turning around and disappearing into the darkness.
“Hey!” Ji Ma called out, afraid of being overheard, forcibly lowering her voice.
In the darkness, the Shadow King Akanis reappeared.
“What is it?”
“I’m scared, okay?” Ji Ma said.
“Why should I care?”
Ji Ma gritted her teeth and said, “I implore the king of the underground, the killer of the great benefactor, to take me to hide in the darkness, unseen by others.”
“Not bad, not bad,” the Shadow King Akanis said, “One day when I attain divinity, I’ll use these words as my title.”
In your dreams! I’ve only just touched the threshold of being a demon lord.
At that moment, the sound of hoofbeats became clear. Ji Ma could also hear the sound of a small stone being kicked away by the hooves.
“One hundred gold.”
Ji Ma quoted her price.
“Two hundred gold.”
“Delivered back to Shalin City.”
“Such generosity, it’s a deal.”
Ji Ma clenched her teeth tighter; the ordinary porter’s entire six years’ salary, without food or drinks, was just gone.
The Shadow King Akanis handed her a glass bottle. Ji Ma could see in the dark that the bottle was empty, but it was heavy. She opened the bottle neck, didn’t discard the cork, bit her lips, and drank the invisible potion.
A strange feeling spread from inside her body. At the same time, she sensed her supernatural abilities were starting to lose control.
Ji Ma was calm, knowing this was a normal phenomenon. Drinking too much powerful magical potions could lead to a period where one became increasingly prone to losing control. There were cases of weak-willed idiots who drank too much potion and exploded themselves right where they stood before their enemies could even strike.
“Stick close to me, tread lightly, and if the rope loosens, stop.” Saying this, the Shadow King Akanis tossed her a rope, which Ji Ma caught and held tight.
Then she saw the Shadow King disappear with the rope.
The rope tightened; Ji Ma bent at the waist, walking lightly, following the rope.
A light appeared ahead. When the rope slackened, Ji Ma immediately stood still.
Ten seconds later, several riders holding torches appeared on the mountain road in front of her. George, carrying a massive sword in one hand and a torch in the other, rode a white heavenly warhorse without a helmet. His face was cold, appearing a bit frightening in the flickering firelight.
Ji Ma tensed up, her eyes fixed on the approaching George. He rode past her less than a meter away, a small stone kicked up by a hoof hit Ji Ma on her short boot.
Her heart tightened; at that moment, George turned his head, his gaze like two sharp knives, piercing right into Ji Ma’s eyes.
Discovered!
Her heart raced as she froze in place, motionless.
After George passed, Ji Ma silently prayed that the naive virgin wouldn’t notice the details. Although he could see in the dark, he wouldn’t pay attention to a small stone.
“Stop!”
“What are we waiting for?” another rider said anxiously.
“We’re already late.” George said, “We can’t rush; I suspect an ambush.”
As soon as those words were out, everyone halted their warhorses, gripping their curved blades, looking around.
George jumped off his horse, and Ji Ma watched helplessly as he walked toward her direction. Suddenly, George bent down, grabbing a handful of small stones to throw towards Ji Ma’s position.
Damn, is this guy a devil?
In a moment of panic, Ji Ma’s fingers brushed the cold good luck ring on her thumb. Magic flowed from her fingertips into the ring, making it heat up.
Ji Ma turned to the side as the scattered stones flew past her, none hitting her. Not a single one exhibited an observable deviation due to the effect of her attracting power.
Ji Ma sighed with relief, confirming she was protected by good luck.
George approached, holding the massive sword with both hands, swinging the back of the sword a few times in Ji Ma’s direction. Fortunately, he was still quite a distance away, just as he was about to get closer to Ji Ma’s position.
A black raven flew in.
“We must hurry; that guy Chamberlain already knows we found the treasure location.”
“I understand.” George put down the massive sword, “Maybe I’m just too sensitive.”
After George and his companions left.
Ji Ma’s excited heart gradually returned to its normal rhythm.
Protected by good luck, facing George’s probing, she was not afraid at all; instead, she felt an indescribable joy. She now understood why the Shadow King Akanis liked to observe people from the shadows; it was truly delightful.
As the rope tightened in her hand, Ji Ma moved forward again.
From then on, Ji Ma had a smooth journey.
Before returning to Shalin City, she found a prominent tree, walked fifteen steps toward the sea, dug a hole in the ground, and buried two magical items.
As the gray soil covered the golden good luck ring.
Ji Ma thought: This way, my luck shouldn’t change before I put on the ring.
Ultimately, under the guidance of the Shadow King Akanis, Ji Ma successfully returned to her room half an hour later.
First, she quietly took a bath, with the water in the tub prepared in advance. After returning to her room, she changed into pajamas, drank a refreshing beverage, and tried hard not to show a hint of fatigue before lying down in bed, closing her eyes in pretended sleep.
To avoid accidentally waking up late and raising George’s suspicions.
Not a single flaw could be allowed.
Golden morning light fell on the curtains of her room.
…
…
On the other side.
Golden morning light shone on George’s face.
George bowed his head, half-kneeling before the rising sun, gripping the cross-guard of his massive sword tightly, silently reciting prayers. He felt much relief from the fatigue and lingering pain in his body.
The outcome of tonight’s operation could not be said to be very poor.
Although he wasn’t the first to find the treasure trove, he had little confidence in finding the Demon Lord’s treasure to begin with, especially since in the end, the green dragon Tylis did not retrieve the trove. Otherwise, with a dragon tribe’s greed, burden capacity, and talent for carrying multiple magical items, by the time the great benefactor summoned the troops, much of the treasure would have been taken away.
Legally speaking, though George didn’t fully complete the task, he had accomplished a substantial part of it.
However, he still felt anxious.
Because for the big boss, this wouldn’t count as an achievement, even less like a good thing. The treasure hoard being sealed meant hearing that entry required digging through mountains and using humans to fill the magical defense mechanism of the treasure.
In the short term, no one would be able to attain the treasure’s wealth. Moreover, the first person to enter the treasure was the Shadow King Akanis. From the great benefactor’s perspective, this was undoubtedly bad news.
In summary, for the big boss, this outcome was hard to leverage as a bargaining chip to ascend into nobility.
He understood that even if an agreement had been reached in advance. If one party felt they were at a loss, the agreement would be difficult to enforce.
A gray-clad shadow thief appeared under a tree five meters in front of him, saying:
“The boss has agreed to your request and found you a mage to customize magical items.”
“What about the other arrangements?”
He asked.
“The boss is quite unhappy,” the shadow thief said, “He said that to get the agreed-upon items, you’ll have to work for him again.”
George felt relieved; this was actually better.
“Alright, I’m going to get my custom magical items right now.”
George thought of Ji Ma; she would definitely love it.
A smile involuntarily crossed his face.
