30 Sticky Situation (1/2)

In a forest close to Dragon City, two figures were chasing after a third. They thundered over the forest floor, ducking and weaving through the trees.

Though they had gone about two kilometres deep by now, this was still considered the outskirts of the forest. Strong demon beasts did not like to wander so close to the cultivator city as the outer and inner disciples of Dragon City's various sects were often led into the forest for training exercises or to capture beasts for taming. Though these disciples did not amount to much, they were often accompanied by a team of strong experts. So, unless the three servants ran over nine or ten kilometres deep into the forest, they were unlikely to be attacked by a demon beast.

Eyes pinned on the fleeing boy's back, Hans and Freya were running at speed.

Though the boy in front was not running extremely fast, he always seemed to be just out of reach.

”You little bastard! Just wait 'til I get my hands on you!” Hans roared, face red from the exertion of running. With his big, lumbering body, he was finding it difficult to keep up with Van's fleet footedness. Freya was doing much better in contrast, but her face was still flushed and her lungs uncomfortably tight.

Hans' and Freya's intent were to threaten the boy, and maybe cripple him if he didn't comply with their demands to hand over his weekly reward to them.

With a few broken bones here and there, he wouldn't be able to wield an axe for months and they would monopolise the top rewards. It was an extremely attractive scenario; due to their mediocre potential, this was Hans' and Freya's fastest path to reaching the 3rd level of Qi Distillation and becoming an outer disciple!

That was what Hans and Freya had agreed on, but Hans thought this was being too lenient, especially since...!

Unwillingly, Hans remembered his utter humiliation a few weeks ago, when he had impatiently demanded his customary weekly reward at the herbal hall – only for the surrounding servants to burst out into raucous laughter. The elder servant in charge of distributing the herbs shook his head.

”I'm afraid those herbs are not for you.”

Hans' face turned white, then red. He nearly grabbed the elder servant by the throat to shake him violently. The sarcastic words around him entered his ears.

”That beef-for-brains still thinks he's the strongest around...Look at him strutting around showing off his amazing first place rewards…oh wait, that's right, they're not his anymore…”

More laughter.

”I heard the new first place is a thirteen-year old kid. Unbelievable. What kind of trash do you have to be to lose to a brat.”

Ears burning with the words ”beaten by a brat,” Hans' face had turned white and then red. The words burned into his mind. For nights, he tossed and turned well into the night, until his obsession with regaining first place nearly became an internal demon!

Hans' pride in himself had taken a heavy blow, he had never been so humiliated in his life!

Hans' narrowed his eyes, simmering hatred overflowing from his aura.

For that humiliation, this kid was going to take all the frustration and anger Hans had built up over the past few months! Leniency was not a word in Hans' vocabulary!

Filled with sadistic glee, Hans chased after the fleeing figure.

In front of them, Van's breath imperceptibly sped up.

Before he had strengthened his body, Van had been a good long-distance runner. Now that he had? His endurance was on another level compared to the two behind him, who could only gnash their teeth from afar.

Their footfalls behind him grew heavier and less regular.

Hans started to slow down. His breathing was laboured, and his every step heavy. Sweat tricked down his temples, through his close cropped hair.

Hans shot a look at Freya. The girl nodded back.