Chapter 18

But Zhan Yi found that the only difference between the tiger spirit and the wolf spirit was that the tiger spirit was not only severely injured but also bound by a red ribbon, which tightened around him as he struggled, even cutting into his flesh.

Zhan Yi found it increasingly amusing, but he put on a compassionate act and said to Lu Bao and Lu Cai, "Brothers, look at this. How did it come to this? It’s just a friendly sparring session, no need to take it so seriously. You were supposed to just pretend to fight, but now you’re really trying to kill each other."

At this, Lu Bao and Lu Cai also reacted, running over to Lu Lang and supporting his wolf body, crying out in pain, "Brother Lang, how are you?"

Their actions confirmed Zhan Yi’s earlier thoughts: among the four spirits, Lu Lang was indeed the leader, while Lu Hu was just the nominal leader.

However, Zhan Yi’s mind was also working. He looked at the red ribbon binding the tiger spirit, thinking it must be the Spirit Binding Ribbon, a valuable treasure. He wondered if he could somehow get it.

With this in mind, Zhan Yi checked the distance between the tiger spirit and the wolf spirit, ensuring that his conversation with the tiger spirit wouldn’t be overheard by the others. He quickly ran to the tiger spirit’s side, helped him up, and said with a pained expression, "Brother Hu, are you okay? How badly are you hurt?"

The tiger spirit was surprised that among the several people present, only Zhan Yi had come to his side. Moved by this, he weakly said, "Brother Zhan, I am weak and unable to control my subordinates like you. I feel ashamed. Today, I realized that those three are not truly loyal to me."

"Brother Hu, you are so badly hurt, don’t speak so loudly. This isn’t your fault. I’ve always thought you were the most loyal. But those three are despicable and disrespectful. How can I save you?" Zhan Yi, seeing the tiger spirit’s moved expression, put on a worried act, but then glanced at the wolf spirit and his companions, confirming that they hadn’t heard him, which put him at ease.

"Brother Zhan, saving me will make you enemies with those three. Aren’t you afraid?" The tiger spirit was even more moved by Zhan Yi’s high regard for him.

"Brother Hu, life is about loyalty. I’m not afraid of any danger to be friends with someone as loyal as you." Zhan Yi shook his head, speaking with unwavering determination.

"Alas... Brother Zhan, you have a good heart, but to save me, you need to untie the Spirit Binding Ribbon, and only Wolf Three knows how to do it. You might as well leave me alone." Tears welled up in the tiger spirit’s eyes.

He had never met someone so loyal before. Although he appeared to be the leader under Bear Brother, he was never truly valued. The other three spirits who had started out with him didn’t respect him and sometimes even plotted against him. Now, after such a short time, Zhan Yi had stood by him in a crisis, making him feel that his previous life had been in vain.

"Brother Hu, don’t lose hope. I won’t let anything happen to someone as loyal as you. Even if it costs me my life, I will save you." Zhan Yi, seeing the tiger spirit’s tears, had an idea. He wanted to win the tiger spirit over, as he sensed that the tiger spirit was straightforward and frank, and his current situation under Bear Brother was not good. With his injuries, he would have a hard time explaining himself to the wolf spirit, making this a good opportunity to win him over.

The tiger spirit, moved by Zhan Yi’s willingness to risk his life to save him, tears streamed down his tiger eyes, and he said in a choked voice, "Brother Zhan, what have I done to deserve such treatment from you? If I survive today, my life will belong to you."

"Brother Hu, don’t say that. We are brothers, and saving you is my duty. Wait here, I’ll go find Wolf Three." Zhan Yi, seeing the tiger spirit’s tears, was even more determined to win him over. He placed the tiger spirit on the ground and walked towards the wolf spirit.

When he reached the wolf spirit, he saw Lu Bao and Lu Cai supporting him, shouting, "Brother Lang, how are you? You mustn’t die!" Their voices were filled with sorrow, truly touching to hear.

But Zhan Yi, observing their expressions, noticed a hint of satisfaction at the corners of their mouths, which was confusing. Were they just putting on a show?

The wolf spirit, in pain, didn’t seem particularly moved by their display. He said softly, "Brother Bao, Brother Cai, stop crying. Help me back to the mountain to treat my injuries."

This made Zhan Yi even more puzzled. What was going on with these three spirits? They all seemed to be acting. Could it be that the wolf spirit wasn’t really injured? That was impossible, as he had clearly seen the tiger spirit’s attack hit him.

But his doubts didn’t last long. Lu Bao and Lu Cai, even more sorrowfully, shook their heads and said, "Brother Lang, you are so badly hurt. We’re afraid you won’t make it to the mountain. Tell us the incantation for the Spirit Binding Ribbon first."

Zhan Yi cursed inwardly. So these two cared about the wolf spirit only for the Spirit Binding Ribbon. It was indeed a valuable treasure, but this also revealed their true nature. They were opportunistic and untrustworthy, thinking of their own gain even when their companion was severely injured.

The wolf spirit, hearing their words, seemed to reach his limit and spat out a mouthful of blood. "You... don’t even think about it. Brother Zhan, help me back to the mountain. If I can recover, I will reward you greatly."

"Brother Lang, how are you? Why are you spitting so much blood? Brother Bao, Brother Cai, you should go check on Brother Hu. He seems badly hurt." Zhan Yi took two steps to the wolf spirit, squatted down, and supported him, speaking sincerely.

"Brother Zhan, help me back to the mountain. As for Lu Hu, let those two take him. I need to return immediately to treat my injuries." The wolf spirit, looking at Zhan Yi, now regretted his earlier impulsiveness. They had intended to test Zhan Yi, but now they were in this mess before even fighting him.

"Brother Lang, don’t rush. I need to ask Brother Bao and Brother Cai." Zhan Yi saw that Lu Bao and Lu Cai had no intention of leaving and were even more focused on the wolf spirit, their eyes filled with resentment.

This made Zhan Yi’s mind race. He slowly supported the wolf spirit’s head and, while speaking, activated the strange ability of the Yin-Yang Five-Element Soul Furnace within him. He felt a mysterious vortex appear in his mind, and then he sensed energy and memory fragments being drawn in through his arm.

"Brother Zhan, leave Brother Lang to us. Don’t trouble yourself. We will take him back to the mountain. You should go check on Brother Hu. He’s so far away, if anything happens, we won’t hear him." Lu Bao and Lu Cai, surprised that the wolf spirit preferred Zhan Yi’s help over theirs, were already cursing in their hearts and refused to leave.

"You... guys..." The wolf spirit, hoping for Zhan Yi’s help, suddenly felt his soul being pulled by a powerful force when Zhan Yi touched his head. His soul energy rapidly drained out of his body, and he shouted in panic upon hearing their conversation.

But with his severe injuries and Zhan Yi’s ability at its limit, he couldn’t break free.

Since absorbing Xiao Jiao’s soul energy, Zhan Yi had carefully studied his ability. He discovered that he could absorb the soul energy of ghosts and spirits but needed physical contact. The vortex in his mind only activated when his hand touched the other person.

This vortex was controlled by his will. The stronger his desire to absorb, the more focused his mental energy, and the faster the absorption. Conversely, if he didn’t want to absorb or shifted his focus to something else, the absorption would stop.

Now, he had to absorb the wolf spirit’s soul energy while dealing with Lu Bao and Lu Cai, ensuring they didn’t notice the wolf spirit’s condition. Seeing the wolf spirit trying to speak, he quickly interrupted, feigning difficulty, "Brother Lang, don’t worry. I’ll talk to the two brothers. Let’s follow Brother Lang’s arrangement."

"Brother Lang, do you really not trust us?" Lu Bao and Lu Cai, looking at Zhan Yi and the wolf spirit, thought he was angry at them and their faces grew colder.

But just as they finished speaking, the wolf spirit spat out another mouthful of blood and weakly said, "You..." before his head fell to the side and his hand dropped.

"Brother Lang, what’s wrong? You mustn’t die!" Zhan Yi, having absorbed all of the wolf spirit’s soul energy, saw his unwilling eyes and immediately hugged him, crying out in pain.

"Brother Lang, what... happened?" Lu Bao and Lu Cai, slightly stunned, realized the wolf was dead and quickly joined in the fake mourning.

"It’s all your fault. Why didn’t you help Brother Lang back to the mountain? You’ve made him so angry that he died." Zhan Yi, after shouting for a while, looked up at the two spirits with anger.

In reality, he was elated because he had found the method to use the Spirit Binding Ribbon in the wolf spirit’s soul memory. The treasure was so valued by the spirits because it could be used to bind any spirit with a spell, and the bound spirit couldn’t escape, only tightening like handcuffs. The only drawback was that it required a three-second incantation, making it more suitable for ambushes.

With the method to use the Spirit Binding Ribbon, Zhan Yi knew he needed to deal with Lu Bao and Lu Cai next.

"Brother Zhan, you can’t blame us. You saw that Brother Lang was already severely injured and couldn’t make it to the mountain. We were trying to help him by asking for the incantation, but he died so quickly." The two spirits, blushing at Zhan Yi’s words, quickly defended themselves, but their arguments lacked conviction.