A Familiar Face

Deep within the dense forest, several disheveled figures stumbled toward the outer perimeter, trailing blood as they ran. "Huff... puff..." "Damn it! Aren't Golden Core demon beasts supposed to be fiercely independent and never hunt in packs? Why are there so many Golden Core beasts here?" Song Hua grumbled as he ran. "Ghost knows! Is complaining going to help right now? Just run!" "It's all your fault! You didn't bother buying new Directional Teleportation Talismans after using ours up last time, and then dragged everyone back into the forest anyway!" "Who could have guessed we'd run into this? Ask these two bodyguards—have they ever seen Golden Core beasts teaming up like this?" "Young Masters, could you please stop arguing for a moment? Our top priority is reaching the outer woods. Once we're out of danger, we can discuss who's to blame!" The two bodyguards were drenched in sweat. They had known all along that these young masters would be a nightmare to escort. Last time they had stumbled upon a Nascent Soul stage Six-Tusked White Elephant, and this time, for reasons unknown, they had provoked several late Golden Core demon beasts. What terrible luck! In all their years working as bodyguards, they had never encountered anything so absurd. One of their companions had already perished beneath the claws of their pursuers. "Awoooo—" Among the pursuing beasts was a one-eyed lone wolf with fierce, bloodthirsty eyes. It was this very creature that had torn their fellow guard to pieces. Its four paws were crimson red, and it ran as though riding the mist, moving with terrifying speed. Howling once more, it accelerated and lunged toward Song Hua and the others. "Damn it, that's a Red Cloud Wolf! It must be a former pack leader that got beaten and driven out by a new alpha!" Song Hua cursed loudly. Hearing Song Hua's curse, the one-eyed lone wolf's gaze turned even colder. Kicking off with its hind legs, it leaped high into the air and snapped its jaws straight toward Song Hua's neck. Looking back and witnessing the strike, Song Hua's face instantly drained of color, pale with despair. Just when he thought his death was certain, a sword hummed beside his ear. *Weng—* The sword's ring was brief and sharp, carrying an indefinable elegance that could only come from a master swordsman. The thrust streaked straight toward the one-eyed lone wolf, giving the beast such a fright that it frantically twisted around. Yet the strike was too swift and the wolf's reaction too slow—there was no dodging it. It had no choice but to snap open its bloody maw and take the strike head-on. The Green Blade Sword clashed against the wolf's fangs with an ear-piercing screech that set one's scalp tingling. The wolf's mouth filled with blood; half of its razor-sharp teeth had been sheared away. Lu Yang swung the Green Blade Sword once more, striking at the one-eyed lone wolf. At the same time, three other figures intercepted the remaining three demon beasts. Song Hua and his companions were caught completely off guard by their sudden saviors. Should they help? Keep running? Or stay put? Before they had time to think, the one-eyed wolf's head went flying, dead as dead could be. Lu Yang sheathed the Green Blade Sword, a few drops of wolf blood spattered across his face. "Watch out! There's another beast in the sky!" Song Hua shouted a warning. Once cultivators reached the Golden Core stage, they gained the ability to fly through the air. Song Hua and his group had initially intended to flee through the sky, but a demonic bird was circling overhead; anyone who took to the air would immediately become its target. Noticing Lu Yang, the demon bird snapped its wings and plummeted toward him like an arrow shooting across the sky. Lu Yang had long noticed the creature. Without even looking up, he casually raised the Green Blade Sword. The motion was so nonchalant that it looked like a morning stretch, yet the demon bird crashed straight onto the sword's tip, its skull pierced clean through. "Are you all right?" Lu Yang asked with concern. "Who are you...?" Song Hua and the others were shaken. The cultivation realm Lu Yang displayed to the outside world was only late Foundation Establishment, but how could someone at late Foundation Establishment possibly slay both the one-eyed lone wolf and the demon bird? "Tch, still one step behind you." Meng Jingzhou finished off a demon beast as he spoke, his fists dripping with beast blood. "Meng Jingzhou?" Song Hua's eyes widened as he recognized him. "You're... Song Hua from the Song Family?" Meng Jingzhou asked uncertainly. The young man before him looked so thoroughly battered and disheveled, like a refugee on the run, bearing little resemblance to the Song Hua of his memory. Though the Song Family could not compare to the Meng Family, they were still a prominent clan in the imperial capital and lived lives of privilege. The last time Meng Jingzhou had seen Song Hua, the latter was singing and dancing aboard a pleasure barge, dancing even better than the courtesans. "Yes, it's me!" Song Hua had never expected that one of his saviors would be Meng Jingzhou. He had heard that Meng Jingzhou had been missing for over a year, nowhere to be found. Yet judging by the Meng Family's unbothered attitude, the rumor of his disappearance had always seemed doubtful. "He's Eldest Young Master Meng Jingzhou of the Meng Family?" The people behind Song Hua gasped in low voices. As collateral kin of the Song Family, they had never met Meng Jingzhou in person. "Have you done so many wicked deeds that you even run into enemies out here?" Lu Yang asked, amused. Meng Jingzhou rolled his eyes. "Enemy my foot. Let me introduce him—this is Song Hua, third young master of the imperial capital's Song Family. He's a few years older than me, and we hung out a few times back in the capital. My guess is they came to the dense forest for experiential training just like us—or maybe just to pad their resumes." "A pleasure to meet you. I'm Lu Yang of the Dao Seeking Sect." "The Dao Seeking Sect?!" Song Hua blurted out. He quickly composed himself, cupping his fists in thanks. "So you are a fellow Daoist from the Dao Seeking Sect. No wonder your skills are so remarkable." So Meng Jingzhou hadn't vanished after all; he had gone to cultivate at the Dao Seeking Sect! Good heavens. The Meng Family was already a major menace, and the Dao Seeking Sect was an even bigger menace. With both behind him, wouldn't Meng Jingzhou's enemies cover the entire world in the future? Meng Jingzhou frowned. "Why do I feel like you're thinking something very rude?" "I wouldn't dare, not at all." "We're done on our end too." Before long, Tao Yaoye and Man Gu had also dispatched their respective demon beasts. Song Hua noticed that both of them were also at late Foundation Establishment, and neither had so much as a tear in their clothing after slaying their foes. The four of them had already been training in the dense forest for two months. During that time, they had only returned to Demon Quelling Pass three times, spending the rest of their days honing themselves in the woods. By now, ordinary late Golden Core demon beasts no longer posed any threat to them. "All right, Young Master Song, spill it," Meng Jingzhou asked lazily. "What outrageous crime did you commit to have so many Golden Core beasts hunting you down?" Song Hua wasn't like Man Gu, whose Ancient Barbarian bloodline naturally provoked hatred. Provoking one or two Golden Core beasts was one thing, but how could five beasts be hunting them at once? Song Hua and the others gave helpless, bitter smiles. "We honestly have no idea what happened. We only ventured a little deeper than usual, hoping to hunt a few higher-grade Golden Core beasts so we'd have something good to show for ourselves back home. "Come to think of it, it was strange. The deeper parts of the forest ought to have more Golden Core beasts, but we walked for a long time without running into a single one. Then, when we finally did, well, you saw what happened—five appeared all at once, and one of our bodyguards was swallowed whole. "Thank goodness you stepped in to help, or I'm afraid my life would have ended right here in this forest today." Song Hua felt the profound relief of surviving a brush with death. After this catastrophe, he firmly resolved that as soon as he reached Demon Quelling Pass, he would board a flying boat back to his clan. Their gains from this trip were already enough to report back to the family; there was no need to take further risks. Lu Yang and his friends exchanged glances. Something unforeseen had definitely occurred deeper in the forest.