Hu Die Lan

Chapter 157 Courage and Tactics

A sea of fire instantly bloomed before Gu Fei, accompanied by flaming wheels descending from the sky. Through the blaze, Gu Fei spotted a few people drinking and singing merrily, one of whom, a priest, was casually casting healing spells while glancing in Gu Fei's direction. Upon noticing Gu Fei's gaze, he casually waved a greeting with his free left hand.

"Thieves, don't bother trying to sneak past, it's useless. Archers, no volley fire, just keep him constantly harassed. Mages, keep the spells coming," Han Jia Gongzi directed the Dui Jiu Dang Ge members while smiling at Gu Fei. Gu Fei told the girls to retreat, freeing them up to fully focus on him alone.

With the girls retreating at Gu Fei's command, everyone anticipated his "Let me handle this!" moment, only to see him trapped on the other side, unable to even complete a chant under the archers' constant harassment.

"Fireball, shoot!" Gu Fei managed to squeeze out the simplest spell.

While still dealing considerable damage if it hit, the problem was that this weakest spell had extremely low hit detection. The enemy warriors could easily slice the fireball apart with a single sword swing, rendering it completely harmless.

Gu Fei dodged arrow after arrow, waiting for the magical barrier in front of him to dissipate. However, a normal mage clearly had much more mana than Gu Fei, who couldn't sustain more than four or five area-of-effect spells. During this brief delay, members of Dui Jiu Dang Ge continuously arrived from both directions. Standing on the hillside, Gu Fei had a better vantage point and noticed many members of the opposing single-file formation were moving diagonally towards the flanks and rear of the small battlefield, intending to encircle and eliminate the girls in one fell swoop.

Just as he was stuck between advancing and retreating, Gu Fei received a message. Opening it, he found it was from Han Jia Gongzi: "Compared to your martial prowess, it seems tactics are more useful after all!"

*This guy is such a sadist!* Gu Fei thought bitterly. As the enemy numbers swelled, their strategy against Gu Fei remained unchanged. Even with opportunities to flank him, no one took them, stubbornly keeping him isolated with magic.

The extra manpower was now attacking the girls. While fighting back, they frequently glanced back at Gu Fei, still hoping for his "Let me handle this!" moment to arrive quickly.

The situation deteriorated rapidly. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the girls were wiped out, after which Gu Fei would face a 700-man encirclement. No matter how skilled Gu Fei was at PvP, this was definitely not what he wanted.

A quick scan revealed a medium-sized rock behind and to his side. Gu Fei darted behind it. The archers' attacks were blocked, and they tensed up. Han Jia Gongzi smiled calmly, "It's alright, he can't attack us from there, even if he completes a chant. That rock was already within my calculations."

The mages of Dui Jiu Dang Ge were stunned, then paid closer attention. As expected, neither the Tian Jiang Huo Lun (Heavenly Fire Wheel) nor the Huo Shu Qian Zhong Yan (Thousand Flame Fire Tree) could reach the rock. This meant that even if Gu Fei suddenly peeked out from behind the rock and completed a chant, the distance would be too great for him to attack them.

As they were thinking this, they indeed saw Gu Fei briefly peek his head out.

Soon after, a Huo Shu Qian Zhong Yan (Thousand Flame Fire Tree) erupted in front of them, but the closest person was still at least two meters away. Everyone laughed, praising Han Jia Gongzi's precise calculations.

Just then, Gu Fei suddenly burst out from behind the rock, recklessly charging straight towards the magical barrier.

"He's starting to get impatient? Isn't that suicide!" Amidst Han Jia Gongzi's sneering voice, Gu Fei plunged into the flames. Given Gu Fei's speed, crossing the distance would only take an instant, but the problem was he couldn't withstand the simultaneous impact of a Huo Shu Qian Zhong Yan (Thousand Flame Fire Tree) and a Tian Jiang Huo Lun (Heavenly Fire Wheel).

Han Jia Gongzi thought he wouldn't see Gu Fei again, but to everyone's astonishment, Gu Fei's figure shot out of the flames, covered in scorched marks.

"How is that possible!" The mages who had created the barrier stared at each other, involuntarily stopping their attacks.

The non-stop barrage of spells ceased, leaving behind burning marks and the lingering Huo Shu Qian Zhong Yan (Thousand Flame Fire Tree) on the ground. In the sky, a Tian Jiang Huo Lun (Heavenly Fire Wheel) still hovered.

"Whose Tian Jiang Huo Lun (Heavenly Fire Wheel) is that? Why isn't it being dropped?" As expected of experts from a large guild, they immediately identified the problem, all turning to look at the mages responsible for creating the barrier.

The mages looked at each other, suspecting one another. Gu Fei, still wreathed in light smoke, smiled and said, "Are you talking about this Tian Jiang Huo Lun (Heavenly Fire Wheel)? Sorry, everyone, I apologize for the display… It's mine." With that, Gu Fei said "Fall," and the Tian Jiang Huo Lun (Heavenly Fire Wheel) descended from the sky and crashed to the ground.

"You…" Everyone realized, "How treacherous!"

"Oh, so he's not all brawn and no brains after all!" Even Han Jia Gongzi couldn't help but praise him.

Gu Fei's sudden insertion of a Tian Jiang Huo Lun (Heavenly Fire Wheel) disrupted the mages' spellcasting continuity. In coordinated team play, to maintain continuity, they would wait for one Tian Jiang Huo Lun (Heavenly Fire Wheel) to be halfway through its descent before casting the next. Gu Fei's Tian Jiang Huo Lun (Heavenly Fire Wheel), which he summoned but didn't move, bought him a moment of hesitation. That brief window created a gap in the barrier with only a single Huo Shu Qian Zhong Yan (Thousand Flame Fire Tree), which Gu Fei seized, enduring the damage to charge through.

This method was actually quite risky. It was fortunate that the members of Dui Jiu Dang Ge were skilled mages who knew how to coordinate. If it were the girls from Chong Sheng Zi Jing (Rebirth Purple Crystal), they would have cast their own spells without thinking about coordinating with others to create the most effective offense.

The previously excellent coordination had now become a loophole that Gu Fei exploited.

"Attack quickly!" The awakened crowd realized the enemy was upon them and quickly organized an attack.

"Too late!" Gu Fei had already flashed in front of the mages who had been giving him so much trouble. The mages raised their staffs, but before they could finish their incantations, Gu Fei used a Shuang Yan Shan (Dual Flame Flash) to wipe them out in a single sweep.

"Damn, what kind of mage is that!" The others were dumbfounded. The archers had assumed Gu Fei was going to chant an area-of-effect spell to attack them and were preparing to interrupt his chant with arrows. Who would have thought Gu Fei would actually dash forward, dodging their attacks while using a close-range Shuang Yan Shan (Dual Flame Flash) to instantly kill the mages?

"That spell damage is insane!" Everyone exclaimed, finally understanding why Han Jia Gongzi regarded this mage so highly, not daring to let him get close or let him chant. Indeed, his spell damage was terrifying.

The archers scattered, firing Tracking Arrows at Gu Fei.

Gu Fei wasn't afraid of this move, but it annoyed him greatly, as it couldn't be dodged and had to be knocked down with his sword, significantly disrupting his attack rhythm.

Gu Fei swung his sword to deal with the Tracking Arrows as the melee fighters rushed up to entangle him.

Gu Fei had used Huo Shu Qian Zhong Yan (Thousand Flame Fire Tree) and Tian Jiang Huo Lun (Heavenly Fire Wheel) earlier, then seized the opportunity to charge out, leaving him no time to eat a fruit to recover mana. He had then used Shuang Yan Shan (Dual Flame Flash) to take out a few mages, leaving him with little mana. It was impossible to instantly kill everyone who was swarming him.

Han Jia Gongzi seemed to sense Gu Fei's predicament, retreating to the side with a smirk.

Gu Fei immediately turned his head and roared, "What are you all staring at? Go take out that priest!"

Everyone involuntarily turned their heads, only to see empty air. They looked back at Gu Fei, wondering if he had lost his mind.

Who would have thought that a figure would gradually appear in the empty air, its speed increasing as it became fully visible, reaching within two meters of Han Jia Gongzi in the blink of an eye.

Xi Yao Wu (Dance of the Slender Waist).

Gu Fei had noticed someone stealthing around from the girls' direction while he charged through the magical barrier. Before the person revealed themselves, Gu Fei wouldn't have known who it was, but the speed of their movement made it impossible not to immediately guess. Besides Xi Yao Wu (Dance of the Slender Waist), Gu Fei couldn't think of anyone else who could move so fast while stealthed.

Han Jia Gongzi was now without any nearby allies, and he wasn't a constitution-based priest. With Xi Yao Wu's (Dance of the Slender Waist) formidable speed and damage output, he probably wouldn't even be able to use healing spells to stall for time. Gu Fei felt gratified, returning Han Jia Gongzi's smirk with a smile of his own.

Unexpectedly, Han Jia Gongzi didn't panic, meeting Gu Fei's smile with a cold sneer.

Before the smile could fade, Xi Yao Wu (Dance of the Slender Waist) cried out, "Ouch!"

"There's a trap here!" Xi Yao Wu (Dance of the Slender Waist) was furious. The archers who had missed shooting Xi Yao Wu (Dance of the Slender Waist) at high speed were now adjusting their postures. Shooting a stationary target was a piece of cake for them, and they were now completely at ease.

"This is troublesome!" Gu Fei sighed, using the last of his mana to create an opening in the encirclement with a Shuang Yan Shan (Dual Flame Flash) and dashing out.

The arrow and Gu Fei reached Xi Yao Wu (Dance of the Slender Waist) almost simultaneously. Gu Fei bent down and swept at her ankles, causing Xi Yao Wu (Dance of the Slender Waist) to stumble forward, conveniently dodging the arrows. Gu Fei was already waiting for her, and Xi Yao Wu (Dance of the Slender Waist) fell right onto his back.

"Damn!" Gu Fei couldn't help but exclaim, "How come you women are all so heavy!"

Heavy, fat, obese, ugly, old—these words and their related terms were absolutely forbidden in front of women. Gu Fei's bold utterance caused the always-competitive Xi Yao Wu (Dance of the Slender Waist) to not get angry; she replied with embarrassment, "Sorry! I have a lot of stuff in my pockets."

"Throw it away! Throw it away quickly!" Gu Fei straightened up with Xi Yao Wu (Dance of the Slender Waist) on his back, wobbling a few steps and almost vomiting blood.

Gu Fei wasn't planning to fight with Xi Yao Wu (Dance of the Slender Waist) on his back, just helping her move while she was immobilized. After all, once the trap's duration was over, Xi Yao Wu (Dance of the Slender Waist) would be back to normal, with no other damage. This was a lesson he had just learned yesterday from expert hunter, Beautiful Expert.

As for how to know when the trap wore off… just look down! The trap was still clamped to Xi Yao Wu's (Dance of the Slender Waist) foot!

"Oh!" Hearing Gu Fei's shout, Xi Yao Wu (Dance of the Slender Waist) quickly rummaged through her pockets, tossing things out.

Gu Fei indeed felt his back lighten slightly, and his steps became more nimble. Looking back, he saw the pursuers were coming even faster, and the trap was still on Xi Yao Wu's (Dance of the Slender Waist) foot.

"Don't worry about me, you run!" Xi Yao Wu (Dance of the Slender Waist) said valiantly.

"How could I!" Someone actually chimed in for Gu Fei, "He's trying to prove that comrades are important."

Gu Fei turned his head and saw Han Jia Gongzi looking at him teasingly.

Gu Fei smiled faintly, "I'm not trying to prove anything, sometimes it's just instinct."

Although Xi Yao Wu (Dance of the Slender Waist) had thrown away quite a few things, Gu Fei was still overweight, and they didn't gain much speed. The pursuers were easily catching up.

He was fine, even without mana, but Xi Yao Wu (Dance of the Slender Waist) couldn't move… Gu Fei sighed.

Unexpectedly, the crowd that had been eyeing the two suddenly shifted their gaze, focusing on the ground with even more eagerness.

"These…" the crowd muttered vaguely.

Gu Fei glanced down. Many of the things Xi Yao Wu (Dance of the Slender Waist) had thrown were shimmering brightly. Gu Fei suddenly realized that the person on his back was the most powerful RMB (Renminbi, Chinese currency) warrior in history. The things she carried on her person were clearly not ordinary. Regardless of whether he could use them, they were still money.

Faced with such a windfall, how many people would refuse? The Dui Jiu Dang Ge players in front of him clearly didn't want to refuse, but…

*Should I pick them up? What if no one picks them up and I get looked down on?*

*Should I not pick them up? What if someone else picks them up, and I miss out?*

Everyone had such a subtle thought plaguing them, and everyone hesitated.

How long did the effect of a hunting trap last? Gu Fei had managed to stumble a few steps with Xi Yao Wu (Dance of the Slender Waist) on his back, and now that everyone was collectively distracted, the trap finally fell off Xi Yao Wu's (Dance of the Slender Waist) foot.

"I'm okay!" Xi Yao Wu (Dance of the Slender Waist) said softly.

"Go take care of them!" Gu Fei and Han Jia Gongzi said at the same time.

Xi Yao Wu (Dance of the Slender Waist) jumped to the ground, full of confidence, "What about you?"

"I'll eat a banana first," Gu Fei said.

"Damn! It's always like this…" Xi Yao Wu (Dance of the Slender Waist) grumbled, already flitting away.

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Uh, two hours late, but it finally arrived~ Heh, 4000 words, consider it a small big chapter, anxiously seeking votes!! Monthly and recommendation votes have dropped quite a bit~~ Don't be lazy, classmates, remember to vote!