Chapter 470, Page 469: Number Nine

Fifteen horses galloped swiftly along the winding dirt road, their hooves kicking up clouds of dust.

Behind him, the little creature used several mycelial tentacles to tightly wrap itself around the leather straps under the saddle, securing itself to the swaying horse's back.

Fifteen didn't like the feeling of being ridden on by Puji, so she chased Puji off several times.

In fact, after passing through the Scarecrow Abyss, there was no need for Puji anymore. Fifteen was too lazy to spend time selling Puji for two gold coins, so he released it.

But this little guy seemed to have set his sights on Fifteen, and no matter how he tried to shoo it away, it always managed to catch up with the galloping horse again at an astonishing speed.

Over short distances, its petite body can unleash agility no less than that of a fine horse, always managing to suddenly dart out at a bend and leap back onto the horse's back.

So intelligent that Fifteen eventually let it follow her.

I was thinking that I could hand it over to my master and the others to study later, and maybe they could discover something.

The scene on the way back was somber, with endless streams of refugees heading in the opposite direction from the fifteenth.

The Gaobao Fortress was breached, and Sanshan City was besieged and on the verge of collapse.

Although news from ordinary people is delayed, it has finally spread over such a long period of time.

Many people were pessimistic about the future situation and chose to flee with their families before the war reached them.

Fifteen didn't think much of these people's escape; they were just trying to survive. However, he himself would never become such a homeless dog.

If the kingdom is destined to perish and humanity is destined to be enslaved, then he would rather die on the battlefield of Three Mountains.

The only thing that puzzled him was the rather unusual behavior of the Puji Masters he encountered along the way.

Whenever Fifteen approached them, these Puji Masters would suddenly tense up, casting wary glances at him, even with a hint of hostility.

After thinking it over, the problem seemed to lie with the little dog that was following him closely behind.

Did they see that this Puji was special and had extremely high value, and thus became greedy?

That's not right either. Surely not every Puji Master you encounter will be like that?

Fifteen knows that there are no shortage of bad people in this world, but it can't be that there isn't a single good person in Pujishi, can it?

Fifteen secretly resolved that next time she encountered a Puji Master, even if it delayed her journey, she would definitely ask him for an explanation.

Half a day later, he ran into another Puji Master as he had hoped.

This Puji master seemed to be quite wealthy. While others carried their belongings on handcarts, he was followed by two horse-drawn carriages with more than twenty Puji.

It's important to know that there isn't fungal carpet everywhere along the way, and consuming more than twenty Puji magic potions is no small amount.

Sure enough, when the convoy encountered Fifteen, the well-dressed Puji Master's expression suddenly changed, and he quickly assumed a defensive stance.

What surprised Fifteen even more was that the other party did not leave in a hurry like the others, but instead ordered the guards to disperse and block the way.

"Finally, someone dares to make a move?" Fifteen sneered inwardly, his right hand quietly resting on the hilt of his sword.

Unexpectedly, the Puji Master, standing some distance away, loudly questioned, "What do you mean by this, mage?"

These words stunned Fifteen, who was preparing for battle.

What does he mean? Shouldn't I be the one asking that question?

And... a mage?

Fifteen looked down at his standard swordsman attire, with a long sword at his waist and not a single staff in sight.

He looked around again, and there was no one else on the road except him and his convoy.

"Is there some misunderstanding?" Fifteen said loudly, "I'm not some kind of mage!"

Before he could finish speaking, a flash of sword light appeared.

Everyone present only saw a blur before their eyes, and Fifteen's sword was already sheathed, while a tree as thick as a bowl beside the road slowly tilted and crashed to the ground.

"Look...it seems to be a misunderstanding..." The Puji Master's face turned deathly pale, and his forced smile became incredibly stiff. "We'll make way right away..."

Fifteen spurred his horse forward a step: "So, could you...?"

"Don't come any closer!" Puji Master retreated in terror, almost tripping over the hem of his robe.

Seeing that the other party was too frightened, Fifteen had no choice but to pull on the reins and steed back two steps.

The convoy immediately scrambled around him, kicking up dust as if avoiding some danger.

As Fifteen watched their hurried retreating figures, recalling the brief conversation they had just had, a somewhat absurd guess surfaced in his mind.

He rummaged through his bag for a moment and took out a grayish-white stone with peculiar patterns.

As magic was infused, the stone surface shimmered. He then placed the stone on the mushroom cap behind him.

Then he finally understood why the Puji Master had been wary of him all along the way.

"That guy with the crossbow could be killed with a single charge! The bald guy could be taken care of in ten seconds! That coward at the front is utterly pathetic! Run, run, you bunch of trash! I'm in a good mood today, so I'll spare your lives! Hehehehe!"

Then, as if realizing something, Puji said, "What are you still doing here, you prospective mushroom servant? Everyone else has already gone far away, why aren't you moving on? Don't touch my mushroom hat!"

As it spoke, it stretched out its tentacles, trying to push away the hand that was holding the stone.

But suddenly, he heard Fifteen's voice in his mind: "What... exactly are you?"

Fifteen felt that the world had probably gone mad, since Puji actually had a complete thought process and was constantly assessing whether he could kill the people he encountered along the way.

Considering that only the Puji Master is on guard, is it possible that the Puji Master can more easily sense the Puji's thoughts?

Upon receiving Fifteen's thoughts, Number Nine was not surprised at all; instead, she excitedly wriggled around: "You've actually learned to communicate? No wonder you're the prospective servant I've chosen! Hahahaha!"

Fifteen's face darkened, while Puji seized the opportunity to jump onto his head again: "It's good that we can communicate. And don't kick me off again, this spot is specially reserved for..."

Before it could finish speaking, Fifteen grabbed it by its short legs and lifted it upside down, its mycelial tentacles flailing wildly in the air: "Let me go! Even if you're a little bit stronger than me, you can't treat me like this!"

It wasn't until it was put back in the saddlebag that Number Nine finally quieted down, pouting all the while.

After some conversation, Fifteen finally figured out that this was a special Puji that called itself "Number Nine Puji" and belonged to a group that called itself "Mushroom Clan".

"So... why are you following me?" Fifteen urged his horse forward, unable to resist asking.

"Long Ears' place is so boring, there's never a proper fight all day long." Number Nine's mycelium curled up. "You're pretty skilled, and your name even has a number in it, you must be someone important among humans, right? If we join forces, we can definitely have a good time! Just like when you chopped off that human's head before!"

fifteen:"……"

Fifteen's resolve strengthened even further to take this Puji to her master and the bishop to see its wonders and study it thoroughly.

However, he still asked with some curiosity, "Do you know that I'm going to the battlefield? I could die at any moment there."

"Battlefield? I want to go! I absolutely have to go!" Number Nine exclaimed excitedly, his short legs bulging. After a while, he asked again, "Will we be fighting people or demons?"

...

After a long and arduous journey, Fifteen, with Puji in tow, finally saw the deafening sounds of battle from afar at the Three Mountains City—the demons' attack had begun!

Fifteen, however, breathed a sigh of relief; he hadn't arrived too late.

(End of this chapter)