Chapter 52

Amidst the cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

As the sea of fire raged behind him with astonishing speed, Zhou Lu felt so wronged that he was on the verge of tears. He spurred his horse to gallop with all his might, cursing in his heart: "Damn, I really attract fire, no matter where I go, there are all kinds of strange fires following me..."

Zhou Lu's plump body was arched at an odd angle, bouncing up and down with the swift gallop of the bay horse, perfectly in sync with the horse's rhythm, achieving a state of unity between man and horse. His plump body seemed weightless, allowing the bay horse to run at an astonishing speed.

"Yah!"

Zhou Lu still thought the horse was running too slowly and whipped it again. The bay horse shot forward like a bolt of pale green lightning, instantly leaving the pursuing figures far behind.

Faster, faster...

Zhou Lu still found it too slow; he was racing against the fire sea for time and speed.

Although he had escaped a bit earlier than the others like Tie Mitao, Zhou Lu had no idea if he could outrun the spreading fire. The heat behind him was intensifying, and on one side of the mountain path, a withered tree stump began to emit wisps of smoke, suddenly bursting into flames.

The tree stump was being scorched by the distant fire sea.

Zhou Lu was so frightened that his whole body shuddered. He half-bowed his legs, almost standing up on the horse's back, and pulled the reins hard. The bay horse leaped several yards into the air, jumping over the fire on the tree stump, and then landed, dashing forward like lightning again.

Only then did Zhou Lu realize the source of the warning in his heart.

Magma fire is a violent fire energy, just like the demon fire sensing the violent crystals in the Xiao Luan Cauldron. The demon fire could sense the magma fire about to erupt from the ground in that direction from a great distance.

The closer Zhou Lu got to the magma fire, the clearer the demon fire's perception became, and the stronger the warning became.

The demon fire is a fire-attribute life form; it is not afraid of magma fire, but Zhou Lu's physical body is.

At this moment, Zhou Lu could not even consider whether he would be separated from the group behind him. He just ran for his life in a panic, not caring about the direction.

Zhou Lu ran at a life-or-death speed, covering over ten miles in one breath, zigzagging through the mountains, using the terrain to consume the energy of the fire sea.

Behind him, the leading edge of the fire sea had spread over ten miles of the mountain path and was gradually cooling into stone, with the spreading speed slowing down.

Zhou Lu was panting from running, but he noticed that the rumbling sound behind him was gradually subsiding, and the burning sensation on his back was slowly fading. Still uneasy, Zhou Lu spurred his horse for a few more miles until he could no longer hear the rumbling behind him. Only then did he realize he had finally escaped the fire sea, and the magma would not spread any further.

Stopping in an uninhabited mountain hollow, both man and horse were exhausted. Zhou Lu fell off the horse and lay on the rocks, panting heavily.

He didn't know if Tie Mitao and the others had escaped, but in the panic, no one knew which direction they were running. Probably, the dozen or so people had all scattered.

Without a fixed meeting point, it would be almost impossible to regroup. In the vast, wild wilderness, where could he find his teammates?

After panting for a long time, Zhou Lu finally regained some energy.

The bay horse was so tired that it was almost foaming at the mouth. Zhou Lu was very concerned. Without this fine steed, he probably couldn't have escaped the fire sea. Zhou Lu stood up and gently stroked the horse's mane for a while, then jumped off the rock and looked around. After searching for a long time, he squatted on the ground and picked several large pieces of wet moss from the bottom of a rock crevice to feed the bay horse.

Seeing the horse eating the moss with relish, Zhou Lu sighed with relief and patted the horse's back, saying, "Brother Horse, you're in luck. You can always find something to eat wherever you go. Look at me, this poor fat guy, still hungry."

Zhou Lu's eyes were brimming with tears. "I can't find anything to eat on this road. Sigh, I can only indulge in my stock."

Zhou Lu took out a meat pie from his storage ring and started eating it voraciously. The storage ring was a great help, with a space of about ten square meters. Before setting out, Zhou Lu had conveniently put three meat pies inside, enough to sustain him for two days.

In this dire situation, he was sweating and drooling as he ate.

With a long neigh, the bay horse, which had been munching on the hard moss, raised its head and neighed in dissatisfaction.

After eating and drinking their fill, both man and horse were well-rested. Zhou Lu led the horse to a high slope and sat down, gazing at the sky, which was slowly darkening. He was deeply worried.

He never expected to be separated from the iron guards on the first day of entering the wilderness. Without those powerful high-level hunters, what could he do alone in the vast wilderness?

Zhou Lu was feeling very anxious.

In fact, Zhou Lu had his own plan before setting out with Tie Mitao and the others.

His bandit grandfather had told him stories about the wilderness, mentioning the Bullhead Mountain, which was once occupied by his old band.

So many years had passed, he didn't know if Bullhead Mountain had changed, or if the bandits still remembered the old chieftain. Zhou Lu carried a talisman given by his bandit grandfather—the Bull Bone Demon Chain, which was once the symbol of the Bullhead Mountain chieftain. Zhou Lu wanted to use the Bull Bone Demon Chain to visit Bullhead Mountain and try his luck. If those people still remembered the old chieftain, they might know which band of bandits had robbed the miners.

Wouldn't this reconnaissance mission be much easier then?

Originally, Zhou Lu had planned to use the strength of the dozen or so high-level hunters with Tie Mitao, and he was full of confidence. But now, he was suddenly on his own.

Zhou Lu looked at the setting sun in the valley, feeling both melancholy and wronged. He struggled with his thoughts:

"Damn, the vast Tianyao Clan has many capable people. Even if the bandits who robbed the miners are scoundrels, what does it have to do with me? What if the bandits at Bullhead Mountain don't remember the old chieftain? Why should I take the risk alone..."

Zhou Lu's teeth were grinding.

He really wanted to find a sheltered place to have a good sleep, then ride the bay horse leisurely back to the Western Border and return to his tribe. After all, he was just a translator on this trip. If he couldn't complete the mission because of the magma, who could blame him?

But no matter how determined Zhou Lu was, he couldn't stand up and turn around. He felt as if there were always a pair of eyes watching him, preventing him from carrying out his thoughts.

Zhou Lu smiled bitterly, knowing he was almost obsessed.

Was he just being stubborn?

Zhou Lu suddenly felt a surge of anger.

"I'm a little rascal, I'm fat, I have less talent than you, I only summoned a lowly demon fire war soul in the sacrifice, but does that mean I'm worthless? Do you think it's an insult to have been your friend in the past?"

Zhou Lu sat on the rock, feeling indignant.

"Go back to the tribe now? No..."

The fat man felt his body start to tremble, some gland secreting something that made him feel an inexplicable emotion, which grew stronger and stronger, making his eyes turn red.

He suddenly gritted his teeth, jumped up, and pulled the bay horse's reins, mounting the horse.

"Alone, so what? I'll show you how one person can accomplish something great, how one person can complete this reconnaissance mission. Hmph, when I become a hero, I won't even acknowledge those who come to me."

Zhou Lu sat on the horse, hesitating for a while, then finally, with a determined heart, he spurred the horse and galloped into the distant mountains.

Zhou Lu's bandit grandfather was named Kusuru, a famous wilderness knife fighter in his time.

Kusuru had told him about Bullhead Mountain, where about one or two hundred people, including primitive tribes, wandering hunters, and habitual criminals from neighboring tribes, had gathered.

They usually hunted demon beasts, dug plant roots in the swamps, and sometimes banded together to raid neighboring tribes for supplies.

Kusuru was once the undisputed leader of Bullhead Mountain, with unchallenged authority.

Under him was a fierce bandit named Ertu, who was brave and always led the charge in battles. Ertu was cruel to enemies but very loyal to his brothers, saving many lives in the mountains. He often helped weaker and poorer bandits.

Kusuru greatly admired Ertu and intentionally cultivated him, building his reputation among the bandits and gradually promoting him from a minor leader to a deputy chief.

After Kusuru was injured and became disabled, he retired to the Thirty-Seventh Hunting Ground. So many years had passed, and he imagined that Ertu must be the leader of Bullhead Mountain now.

Ertu was Kusuru's protégé, and with his loyalty, he wouldn't forget the old kindness. If Ertu was still at Bullhead Mountain, Zhou Lu had a good chance of finding the information he needed.

Bullhead Mountain was Kusuru's home in the past, and the old bandit had a deep nostalgia for the area, often drawing maps on animal skins to remember the past. Zhou Lu had studied these maps daily and knew the wilderness around Bullhead Mountain very well.

The map in Zhou Lu's mind was far more detailed than the one Tie Mitao had.

Riding the horse, Zhou Lu used the remaining light to determine the direction, chose a path, and with a determined heart, spurred the horse, disappearing into the mountains and wilderness.

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**End of Chapter**