Death... and me

Only after Luina calmed herself a bit did she finally thought about what just happened. Didn't Rean just heal her injury easily? What was the Light Energy? She had never seen anything like that before. So far, she only thought that Rean's White Energy color was because of some cultivation arts variation. She didn't pay much attention to it. However, now she understood that it wasn't his cultivation art, but the type of element he has an affinity with.

'What kind of element was that? Light? Is that one of those super rare element affinities my master talked about? Such a pity... Even though his healing ability is impressive, the lack of a cultivation technique for his element will eventually halt his cultivation path. As time passes, he will only fall behind.'

Still, she couldn't help but remember how good Light Element felt. Her last moan was more than enough to prove how arousing and pleasurable it was. Of course, as soon as she thought that, she immediately shook her head vigorously.

'What the hell am I thinking?!'

She quickly put those thoughts on the back of her head and focused on the task ahead.

Rean and the others were circling around the small Gold Hands Bandits' groups. From what they heard from each bandit leader of those camps, they were separated into thirteen groups at the moment. Three of them were big ones, led by the three bandit leaders. As for the ten small ones, they had at least two or Foundation Establishment cultivators in their midst.

By the end of the night, Roan's group had already sent the bandits in five campsites to the next world. However, one thing caught Luina's attention. Those bandits confessed that they had captured women during their attacks, but they hadn't found a single one of them until now.

"Is that really weird? These small groups were made to be fully mobile. If they were found by the City Guard's or the Country's Army, they must flee straight away and warn the main groups. If they bring those women with them, they would only hold themselves back. If things go wrong, these women, who definitely hate them to the bones, might even reveal their locations with their screams."

"This bandit group has continued to act for years already. They aren't your run of the mil organization. Their leader knows very well the situation they are operating in. That being said, it goes without saying that he won't allow women to be carried to those small groups. Without a doubt, they are being held in the main nest."

Rean and the others nodded. That indeed made a lot of sense. Still, Luina couldn't help but feel more and more impressed with Roan's knowledge. It's not that it was something hard to guess. She would come into this conclusion sooner or later. However, Roan seemed to be only 11 to 12, but he was obviously much more intelligent than anyone in their group. It was as if she was talking with one of the Divine Soul Realm Core Elders of her sect. No, even they didn't give such an air. She felt that she would be well off believing Roan's ideas than anyone else.

Of course, she wouldn't say that out loud.

"In that case, we are going to find them once we began to attack the three main groups, right?"

Roan shook his head.

"No. Even if the three main groups have them, it will only be one or two at most. Also, they are probably their leaders' exclusive property. The main nest that I'm talking about is the place where the group will retreat when they are not out attacking the merchants' caravans."

Luina nodded.

"I see. Then there isn't much to worry about."

However, Roan looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"What you talking about? There had never been a reason to worry about to start with. Even if the women were there, so what? We would not change our plans anyway."

Luina was taken aback.

"Are we going to abandon them?"

Rean sighed helplessly after hearing that.

"Don't worry, Roan is just terrible with his choice of words. We are not abandoning them. Once we kill all the bandits, we will definitely release those women. It's just that before we can guarantee our victory, we will not risk our lives for them either."

Luina couldn't help but ask.

"What if they take one as a hostage?"

Roan snorted at that idea.

"That's even better. The bandit's hands will be occupied while holding a hostage. That will be the best opportunity to strike. Just use your weapon and pierce right through her body, talking down the bandit on her back. I couldn't ask for a better chance."

Luina and her two companions' expressions changed. That was really ruthless. Obviously, as a woman herself, Luina's was furious at such thought. What if she was the hostage then?

"I understand that we cultivators don't care too much about ordinary people. Still, could you really kill those girls as if they are just tools to hold your enemy back?"

Once again, Rean could only helplessly step forward and explain what that 'block of ice' really meant.

"That's not what this idiot of a brother meant. Did you hear he saying to kill the hostage together with the bandit?"

Luina, Oritis, and Rolim were taken aback once again. Indeed, Roan had never said that they should kill the hostage and the bandit together.

"Could it be..."

Rean nodded as he raised his hand. Immediately, they saw a burst of white light coming from it.

"The lower the cultivators' level, the easier it is for me to heal them. We are talking here about ordinary people who probably haven't even reached the Energy Gathering Realm. If I can heal an injury like yours before, do you think I would have problems healing an ordinary person?"

Luina and the others shook their heads. Rean smiled at that and continued.

"That being said, what that 'block of ice' meant is that you can pierce right through those women without worry. Just avoid their heart, neck, or head. As long as they don't die straight away and can stay alive for a few minutes, that will be more than enough for me to completely heal them up. That's why he said. The bandits taking hostages would only give us advantages. Even better than that. The moment we kill a bandit holding a hostage, they will think that we don't care about the hostages' lives at all. Obviously, any bandit holding a hostage will immediately release them and flee or attack. After all, to hold those extra bodies would only put the bandits at an even more risky situation."

Rean then pointed his finger at Roan.

"If just the gloomy guy there knew how to express himself, things would be much easier. But he has to make his words easy to be misunderstood. I wonder if it is on purpose or if he is just as dumb as that."

Obviously, Roan heard those insults.

"Hmph!"

Roan then looked away and pretended he didn't care. Luina, on the other hand, giggled a little. For some reason, this Roan just now was quite cute.

As they moved, the sky began to turn into blue color.

Seeing that, Roan smiled.

"Alright, one last small camp, and we are done for today."

Oritis looked at the sky as well and asked.

"Isn't it too risky? It isn't that dark anymore."

Roan shrugged his shoulder and answered that question with another one.

"Do you think bandits are like an army? Would they wake up early, assume their posts in an orderly manner, and efficiently prepare for the day?"

Oritis and the others understood what Roan meant. If the bandits were that organized, they would be better off entering the army straight away instead of being here.

"They will first wake up, then spread around to pee, poop, eat, wash their bodies, etc. I can guarantee that none of them will pay attention to anything important before the sun is completely out. Even better, this is the best opportunity to take them down one by one since quite a few will move out of their camp to relieve themselves."

Roan then looked at Luina.

"The girl over there won't step back just because you see them while they were peeing or pooping, right?"

Luina's heart skipped a bit. It was what she was thinking exactly! She was still a girl, after all.

"Hm-Hmph! Of course not! Why would an Inner Sect Disciple like me care about such ordinary things."

Roan nodded, pretending that he didn't notice her hesitation at all.

"It's good that it is so."

Roan had chosen this camp to be the sixth one for a reason. Even though it is considered one of the ten smaller ones, it was still bigger than the other nine. That meant they would have more targets to get rid of. But thanks to what Roan said about the bandits' habits during the morning, it proved to be even easier than the previous ones. Most of the bandits went out to relieve themselves in the forest and died there silently. By the time the others noticed something amiss, it was already too late. Rean's group quickly got rid of them and took all the spoils for themselves, leaving just the leader of the group alive for interrogation.

However, while Roan was making questions to the bandit, Rean felt a faint Life Energy reaction from one of the tents.

"Hey, there is still someone there."

They quickly surrounded the tent. Rean then opened it carefully. However, what they found there took everyone aback.