Chapter 105: We must leave this place now! We’ve encountered a demon!

Alexander looked at the high wall with a smile, then tossed stones wrapped in Fire Spirit Talismans into it.

Boom!

Each throw produced a sound, akin to setting off firecrackers.

Boom!

Finally, Robert and his group hurriedly emerged from the forest. The sight of the fiery explosions within the military base left them all stunned. Lanxi, upon witnessing the spectacle, promptly fainted.

Robert rushed over and blurted, "Alexander, what... what are you doing?"

Turning his head, Alexander grinned at them. "Nothing much. I was chasing the scoundrel who ambushed us, and I figured there must be a trap in there. So, I thought I’d bomb it first."

With that, Alexander tossed another Fire Spirit Talisman into the structure.

Boom!!

Robert watched, his face ashen and his heart pounding with trepidation. "Stop it, Alexander!" He frantically grabbed Alexander’s arm, stuttering, "No more explosions! It’s all a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding!"

Alexander paused. "What misunderstanding?"

Robert turned his gaze toward the unconscious Lanxi. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead. ’How do I even explain this?’

Minutes later, a thunderous noise erupted. Alexander kicked open the sealed doors of the military base, and everyone rushed in.

What they found was an ominous sight. The entire military base had been blown to smithereens, engulfed in flames and thick smoke, resembling a hellish landscape that had just suffered a nuclear strike.

’If anyone was inside just now, they couldn’t have survived,’ they all thought.

"Where is everyone? Weren’t there shouts just now?"

Alexander walked further into the ravaged base, his eyes darting curiously in all directions.

Just at that moment, amidst the blazing fire, they noticed a massive golden bowl overturned on the ground, strikingly out of place in the smoldering landscape. Lanxi spotted the bowl and rushed towards it. As she reached out to touch it, she quickly withdrew her hand.

"It’s burning hot!"

Alexander walked up to the golden bowl and tapped it with his fist. "What is this? A magical artifact?"

Rubbing her burnt hand, Lanxi whispered, "This should be the Dharma vessel of Abbot Jiesi, the Da Luo golden bowl."

She glanced around the flaming surroundings and saw no corpses, letting out a sigh of relief. "Luckily, everyone is okay. Abbot Jiesi has been traveling with our masters and senior brothers; they should all be under this golden bowl."

But still...

Lanxi looked at the scalding, glowing bowl and swallowed hard. ’Is everything really okay? Even if they are hiding underneath this, they might be roasted by now!

Robert suddenly stepped forward, staring intently at the golden bowl. "Move aside, I’m going to break this bowl. If they are really underneath it, they are likely cooked by now."

Alexander asked, "Are you sure about this?"

Robert nodded. "I must do this!"

The next moment, Robert raised a sword and, with a great shout, struck it down.

Boom!!

A deafening noise erupted, and everyone quickly covered their ears. A thin crack appeared on the surface of the golden bowl, followed by piercing screams emanating from within.

Robert was exhilarated. "It worked!"

He yelled, "Step back! A few more strikes, and it should crack open. Friends inside the bowl, I’m coming to save you!"

Robert swung down once more.

Thud!!

More agonized screams rang out from inside the bowl.

Robert raised his sword high, bellowing, "Hold on, friends! I’m coming to rescue you right now!"

Thud!!

The screams from within grew increasingly dreadful.

Thud!!

Louis and the others stood there, stunned, hands over their ears. "Why does this not feel like a rescue mission at all? Has anyone ever heard of a torture where people are trapped inside a bell, set ablaze, and then the bell is struck? They can neither live nor die..."

Eyes widened as they looked at one another.

Hearing this, Lanxi fainted once more.

"Robert, stop! Stop it!" The crowd scrambled toward Robert, dragging him away in panic. "You can’t strike it anymore! If those people inside aren’t dead yet, they will be now!"

"Robert, don’t be rash!"

Just as everyone was frantically pulling Robert back, they heard a ’crack’.The massive golden bowl had finally split open.

Alexander’s eyes widened as he looked toward the breach. A waft of roasted meat scent filled the air. Everyone swallowed hard, their gaze fixated on the aperture.

This... this... it smells cooked...Could those inside really be unharmed?

In the next moment, as everyone’s eyes were riveted on the opening, a monk walked out, his body charred and his beard aflame. He looked dazed, mumbling as his fingers caressed his prayer beads,

"Never did I think the day would come when I’d experience the torments of hell in the mortal realm. Amitabha, suffering is universal; my suffering surpasses all. If I don’t go to hell, who will?"

Following him were more dazed individuals, their bodies scorched to a crisp, stumbling out from the golden bowl.

Whatever clothes they had worn were naturally reduced to charred remnants.

When they emerged, they were all so scorched that they were indistinguishable from one another. Lanxi, who had finally regained consciousness, rushed over and located her Master Tiansi among them.

"Master! Master! Don’t scare me! Are you okay? How are you?"

The old Taoist sat on the ground in a daze, muttering, "Indeed, I should never have been born into this world... nor should I have come to the Amazon. I should have just stayed in a restaurant washing dishes. My existence has no meaning at all."

Lanxi was stunned. "Master, please don’t scare me!"

She turned her head and eventually found her senior brother Tianheng. She asked urgently, "Senior Brother, how are you?"

Tianheng mumbled, "So delicious... the scent of roast suckling pig... it would be perfect with some wine... I smell so delicious."

Confused, Lanxi stood up and turned around to ask, "What happened to them?"

Louis lamented, "They must have gone mad."

Taken aback, Lanxi fainted once more.

"Lanxi! Lanxi, don’t frighten us! Are you okay?" Robert asked urgently.

After a long while, Lanxi woke up. She ran swiftly to Alexander, falling to her knees before him and sobbing, "Mr Alexander, I beg you, please save my master and senior brother. I’m bowing to you!"

Alexander sighed, "Ah, I never expected this outcome either. Little sister, if anything like this happens in the future, you must inform me ahead of time! When a surprise attacker suddenly appeared, anyone would have assumed they were the enemy."

Lanxi sobbed, "I was wrong. I was scared and confused. Mr, please save them!"

Alexander stood up, a look of melancholy crossing his face. "Saving them isn’t out of the question, but there are so many of you, and it poses a difficulty for me. You know that although I have many pills, these pills don’t materialize out of thin air. Making such pills requires a process..."

"What process? If needed, I’m very willing to help you complete it!" Lanxi nodded seriously as she spoke.

Alexander rubbed his chin and looked Lanxi up and down carefully. Ah, a very beautiful girl, and with an S-class talent to boot.

Lanxi caught on immediately and said resolutely, "I understand. I am willing to be your woman, and I’ve even prepared an indenture for myself."

With that, Lanxi swiftly pulled an indenture from her pocket, complete with her own fingerprint.

Everyone: "..."

Alexander widened his eyes, "I’m a bit confused. What exactly is an indenture, and why do you carry such an odd thing with you?"

Lanxi sobbed, "Mr Alexander, now is not the time for this. If the indenture isn’t enough, I have other things!"

Alexander paused, "What things?"

Quick as a flash, Lanxi unbuttoned her blouse and pulled out a thick roll of parchment from her bra, proclaiming, "The deeds to our Taoist temple!"

Alexander: "???"

Everyone: "!!!!"

Alexander was stunned, "Why do you have these things?"

Wiping away her tears, Lanxi said, "Because my master and senior brother are focused solely on their spiritual cultivation and have no understanding of worldly matters, I handle all of the temple’s affairs. These items are very valuable, so I took them with me when I set out."

Everyone: "..."

So that’s the reason? But was it necessary to carry the deeds to the temple as if they were a nuclear launch code?

Alexander took the deeds from Lanxi’s hands, "Helping others has always been my life’s pursuit, so you don’t have to worry. Your brethren will be fine."

A wave of relief washed over Lanxi, "Mr. Alexander, thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Wait, there’s also this indenture." With a slight blush, Lanxi grabbed Alexander’s hand and stuffed the indenture into it, saying, "Please take this as well; consider it a bonus."

Alexander took the indenture with a look of reluctant acceptance, ready to slip it into his pocket. "Very well, I’ll grudgingly accept this. Once we’re done with our tasks, I’ll host a grand wedding ceremony for all of you at my seaside villa."

A flash of excitement crossed Lanxi’s eyes. She said resolutely, "Sir, you truly are an exceptional man. I will definitely come to find you."

Turning around, Alexander revealed a smile, "Young girl, go fetch some water. I’ll prepare a medicinal brew for your master and senior brothers. Go on, quickly now."

Lanxi blinked and nodded at once, "Mm-hm!"

...

Half an hour later, everyone who had drunk a bowl of the tonic Alexander had prepared with pills showed a noticeable improvement in their injuries.

Of course, Alexander wasn’t generous enough to offer an pill to each individual. He only took out two pills in total; one given in consideration of Lanxi and the other in view of the temple’s property deeds.

Two pills, rendered into a half-ton of medicinal brew.

"Master, how are you feeling now?"

After feeding her master the medicinal brew, Lanxi looked worriedly at the elder Taoist who appeared as if he had been burned to charcoal.

Finally, the elder Taoist weakly opened his eyes. Seeing the anxious face of Lanxi, he asked, "Lanxi... what are you doing here?"

Lanxi burst into tears and threw her arms around her master, sobbing uncontrollably, "I got separated from my master and brothers and was nearly killed by the scoundrels of the Order of the Wandering Oracles in the forest. But luckily, I encountered a group of kind-hearted people and survived."

The elder Taoist patted her back weakly and comforted her, "It’s good you’re safe...it’s good..."

Suddenly, as if remembering something, the elder Taoist sat up abruptly, his eyes widening, and he said urgently, "No! Lanxi, hurry! We must leave this place now! We’ve encountered a demon! If we don’t go now, we will surely be killed!"

Lanxi looked puzzled, "Master, what demon?"

The elder Taoist’s face was a mask of terror, his hands shaking as he spoke, "A rascal who can control hundreds of spirit swords simultaneously! Without the abbot’s assistance, your senior brothers and I would’ve been burned to ashes!"

Grabbing the bewildered Lanxi by the shoulders, he urged, "Lanxi, you must remember, if you ever encounter a rascal who can control hundreds of spirit swords at once, steer clear of him. He devours people without even spitting out the bones!"

Lanxi blinked, "Master, are you talking about Mr. Alexander?"

The elder Taoist was taken aback.

Lanxi then sprang up jubilantly and dashed towards Alexander, who was sitting atop a large boulder. Grasping his sleeve, she beamed, "Master, it was Mr. Alexander who saved you!"

The elder Taoist stared at Alexander, his eyes trembling. Then his gaze fell on the spirit sword in Alexander’s hand. Indeed, it was identical to those that had soared through the sky earlier.

And then—a blackout. The elder Taoist fainted.

"Master! Master! What happened? Don’t scare me like this!"

Alexander stroked his chin and turned to look at Robert and the others, "Am I really that frightening?"

Robert swallowed hard, "Any person who’s been bombarded for half an hour would have a psychological scar from you!"

Alexander rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "I had thought that by saving them, they’d be quite grateful to me..."

....

An hour later, everyone slowly regained consciousness. Their reactions were swift. Almost in an instant, dozens of people huddled together, staring at Alexander and the spirit sword in his hand with palpable fear.

Baffled, Alexander stood and approached them, saying, "Why are you all so afraid of me? I won’t harm you!"

"Don’t come any closer!!" Daoist Tiansi screamed in horror, the crowd clinging to each other even more tightly, teeth chattering in apprehension.

Lanxi hurriedly ran over, declaring, "Master, senior brothers, and venerable abbot, don’t be afraid! Alexander saved you!"

Daoist Tiansi swallowed hard, speaking in a trembling voice, "Lanxi, come to your master’s side quickly! He is a demon; he will devour you!"

Alexander moved closer, announcing, "It’s all a misunderstanding—everything that just happened."

"Don’t come any closer!!" The crowd shrieked.

Louis sighed. It seemed there was a true psychological scar. Who wouldn’t be wary after enduring such an ordeal?

Feeling somewhat incensed, Alexander thought, I’ve shown you kindness, yet you repay me with insolence. What a waste of my valuable pills for that soup!

He spoke sternly, "Can you all please listen while I explain the situation?"

"No!" The crowd screamed in unison.

Fed up, Alexander thrust his spirit sword into the ground, roaring, "This is absolutely intolerable! I have been nothing but polite, and you respond with such rudeness!"

Extracting a stack of fire talismans from his ring, he slammed them onto the ground, bellowing, "Everyone line up! Or I will stuff ten fire talismans into each of your behinds and set you off like fireworks! Do you hear me?"

Half a minute later, everyone stood in a tremulous line before Alexander, scarcely daring to breathe audibly.

Robert and the others stared at this impeccably orderly queue, utterly gobsmacked.

Indeed, sometimes a stronger attitude could produce miraculous effects.