Chapter 196 The Villain Lady Arrives 24
Chi Meng stepped on the morning dew and entered the ancient and mysterious magic forest. The sunlight shone through the dense tree canopy, scattering on the ground in a mottled manner, covering the deep forest path with a layer of golden veil. The air was filled with the fresh fragrance of soil and flowers, and the occasional bird calls added a bit of vitality and vigor.
She took a deep breath and felt the breath of nature. This time she went deep into the magic forest not only to collect those rare herbs, but also to relax.
Chi Meng walked slowly along a sparsely traveled path, her eyes searching for her target among the dense vegetation around her.
Deep in the forest, all kinds of exotic plants are competing for beauty. Some have leaves like swords, pointing straight to the sky; some have huge flowers, colorful, emitting alluring light.
While carefully avoiding plants that might contain poison, she used the small shovel and cloth bag she carried with her to carefully dig out the herbs that would be of great benefit to the practice of magic.
As time went by, the sun gradually rose higher, and the light in the forest became bright and dazzling. Chi Meng also harvested a lot of precious herbs, and was secretly happy in her heart. However, just as she was about to go deeper, a burst of hurried and messy footsteps broke the tranquility of the forest.
She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a group of armored and armed mercenaries running in panic not far away, their faces full of fear and despair. Behind them, a huge thunderbird with feathers flashing with lightning was chasing them closely. Every swing of its sharp beak and claws was accompanied by a deafening roar, as if it could tear through space.
"It's a Thunderbird!" Chi Meng was shocked. This kind of monster is known for its speed and strength, and even experienced mercenaries can hardly match it. She wanted to avoid it immediately to avoid being involved in this unprovoked disaster, but when her eyes fell on the two injured and staggering teammates among the mercenaries, her kindness and sense of justice were instantly aroused.
Chi Meng then flashed and hid in the bushes nearby, quietly observing the development of the situation.
The mercenaries' battle scene was extremely tragic. Among the five of them, three were responsible for holding the Thunderbirds head-on, while the other two tried their best to support their injured teammates and try to escape from this deadly place. However, the Thunderbirds were too fast, and every attack almost put their lives on the line.
"Hurry! Hold on, everyone. If we run a little further, we'll find a safe place!" The leading mercenary shouted loudly, with unquestionable determination in his voice. But even so, their situation was still critical.
At this moment, an accident happened. A young mercenary accidentally fell to the ground while avoiding the attack of the thunderbird, and the weapon in his hand fell out of his hand. He looked at the thunderbird that was about to pounce on him in horror, his eyes full of helplessness and despair.
However, just as she stood by and watched, an unexpected voice suddenly rang out: "Little girl over there, come and help! Otherwise we will all die here!"
Chi Meng was startled, and looked in the direction of the voice, only to see that the person who spoke was the young mercenary who fell to the ground. His eyes were full of cunning and determination, as if he had already made plans for the worst.
"He wants me to be his shield?" Chi Meng immediately understood the other party's intention, and a surge of anger rose in his heart. But then he thought, if he didn't help, these mercenaries might really die here, but what does this have to do with him? He just won't go out.
As a result, due to the voice of the young mercenary just now, Flamingo's gaze had already shifted to the deep bush where he was hiding.
"Humph, how shameless!" Chi Meng cursed in her heart, but on the surface she remained calm. She quickly jumped out of the bushes, the magic dagger in her hand flashing with cold light, pointing directly at the thunderbird.
"Everyone hold on, I'll attract its attention!" Chi Meng shouted loudly, and at the same time, she suddenly jumped up and rushed towards the thunderbird. Her speed was so fast that everyone looked at her sideways.
The Thunderbird was obviously enraged by this sudden enemy, it let out a deafening cry, then turned around and pounced on Chi Meng. Chi Meng cleverly used his body skills to dodge the Thunderbird's attack while looking for an opportunity to counterattack.
"Hurry! Now is the time!" The leading mercenary saw this and immediately shouted to his teammates to take the opportunity to escape. The two injured mercenaries also stood up with the help of their companions and staggered away.
However, the thunderbird's attacks became more and more fierce. Each of its attacks carried a force that could destroy the heavens and the earth, forcing Chi Meng to deal with it with all her might. Her magic dagger drew silver tracks in the air, colliding violently with the thunderbird's claws and beak, making waves of metal-on-metal sounds.
"Hmph, a mere thunderbird dares to act so arrogantly in front of me!" Chi Meng snorted coldly, and the magic power in her body surged, and a powerful aura emanated from her body. She suddenly rose up, flying through the air like a nimble swallow, and every attack was precise and deadly.
Finally, after a fierce battle, Chi Meng found the weakness of the Thunderbird. She flashed and appeared on the side of the Thunderbird. The magic dagger in her hand turned into a dazzling silver light and stabbed into the wings of the Thunderbird fiercely.
"Ah!" The Thunderbird screamed miserably, lost its balance, and fell from midair. Chi Meng took the opportunity to land, holding a dagger, ready to give the Thunderbird a fatal blow.
However, at this moment, an accident happened. The young mercenary took advantage of the thunderbird's fall and quietly went behind it, raised the long sword in his hand, and stabbed it fiercely into the thunderbird's neck.
"You..." Chi Meng looked at this scene in shock, her eyes widened in disbelief. She didn't expect that this seemingly shameless mercenary would actually steal his own things.
"I'm sorry... I... I'm just too scared..." The young mercenary said with a trembling voice, his eyes full of guilt and fear.
Chi Meng was silent for a moment, looking at him with cold eyes. "You better give me an explanation," she said, putting away the magic dagger, walked to the side of the thunderbird, and took a few precious magic beast crystal cores from its body.
The sunlight danced in patches through the woods, adding a discordant shadow to this sudden conflict.
The middle-aged man in the lead had a resolute face. Although there was some displeasure between his brows, he knew that the grace of saving his life was as heavy as Mount Tai. He observed everything silently without saying a word.
Beside him, several mercenaries were sitting or lying, carefully taking out the healing potions they carried with them. The potions emitted a faint blue light and were gently applied on the wounds, bringing a hint of coolness and relief.
"Captain, this..." An older mercenary whispered, his eyes full of confusion and helplessness about Chi Meng's behavior. He hesitated to speak, obviously not wanting to anger the mysterious woman who had just saved their lives.
However, the young noble mercenary in the team, named Arthur, ignored all this. He was dressed gorgeously, with arrogance and unwillingness in his eyes, and was obviously extremely dissatisfied with Chi Meng's behavior of taking the crystal core of the Thunderbird monster alone. He strode forward, with a bit of provocation in his voice: