Chapter 49

At noon, Yu Qing, who had been resting under the shade of a tree, finally regained his energy and stood up. The first words out of his mouth were about continuing the journey, seemingly more eager than the group from Miaqing Hall.

There were several reasons for this, one of which was the task entrusted to him by Asheng. This was the most important mission of his journey.

With the reduced concern for safety, the longer he stayed away from the examination convoy, the more uneasy he felt, fearing that something might go wrong.

Tie Miaqing and her group were naturally delighted by this and fully cooperated, ready to set off at a moment's notice.

After about an hour of crossing mountains and valleys, the forest ahead became lush and dense, with more and more vines, some of which were quite thick, indicating the presence of a rainforest. Sun Ping waved his hand a couple of times, leading the group to a relatively hidden mountain hollow before stopping.

Yu Qing looked around but saw no entrance to an underground passage. Just as he was about to ask, Sun Ping explained, "We can't rest for the next stretch; we need to push through in one go, which will take about an hour and a half. We should adjust to our best state here and then push through in one go."

"What do you mean?"

After spending some time with them, Yu Qing found that the boss, Tie Miaqing, seemed less experienced than her subordinates in certain aspects. Still, he couldn't help but turn to her and ask.

Sun Ping explained again, "Ahead is the 'Ancient Xie Old Forest,' the territory of a creature called the 'Unicorn Xie.' These creatures have sharp teeth and claws, and are very strong, capable of splitting stones with their claws. Fortunately, they are lazy and sleep a lot, but they can be easily awakened by our passage. We need to move quickly and not stop, and there's no need to tangle with them or provoke them."

Yu Qing looked around, feeling a bit uneasy about the need to rest here. He hesitated and asked, "Just a group of mountain monsters, is it really necessary to be so serious?"

Zhu Shangbiao waved his hand, "Brother Yu, a group of mountain monsters is nothing to worry about, and they can't do much to us, but they have a leader. Among the Unicorn Xies, there are a few 'Non-Demons' with considerable cultivation, one of which may have reached the Upper Xuan realm. If we provoke them, none of us might survive this rainforest."

Non-Demons? Xu Fei's lips twitched. Is he going to see the creatures described in books again?

Yu Qing frowned slightly. He naturally knew about Non-Demons.

They are considered cultivators of demons, but their nature is hard to describe. Some say they are noble, some say they are reclusive, some say they are independent, and some say they are peculiar.

In short, they are cultivators of demons who refuse to transform into human form.

Of course, this is from a human perspective.

In their own eyes, they do not consider humans to be the pinnacle of all beings, do not aspire to be human, and do not transform into human form. They don't want to be called demon cultivators; they are just themselves, always showing their true form, even if their bodies are as large as mountains.

With sufficient cultivation, they do not transform into humans and do not become demons, hence they are called 'Non-Demons.'

Normally, those with such 'integrity' who can survive are indeed not easy to provoke.

Yu Qing was also somewhat wary. As Zhu Shangbiao said, no one here could confidently stop them. He advised, "If that's the case, we should detour. It's better to be safe."

Zhu Shangbiao chuckled, "Brother Yu, it's not as dangerous as you think. We are just passing through. As long as we don't harm their kind, those few Non-Demons won't attack. If they didn't let anyone pass, they would eventually bring trouble upon themselves and wouldn't have survived this long. They don't have the power to be so tyrannical. They won't attack unless provoked."

Sun Ping nodded, "That's right. First, we can cross directly in about an hour, and it won't take long to reach the next destination. If we detour, it will take about four hours. It will be dark in another hour, and we would have to travel at night. It's best to avoid night travel in places like ancient tombs and desolate lands."

Zhu Shangbiao patted Yu Qing's back, "Don't worry, we're not just talking about it. We've been through this route before and know what to expect. Nothing will happen."

Hearing this, Yu Qing felt much more at ease and nodded, "Alright, I'll follow your lead."

The group immediately began to rest on the spot.

After sitting in meditation for about half an hour, they prepared to set off. Sun Ping took out a box containing the 'Blue Demoness' and applied a light blue substance to everyone's eyelids except for Xu Fei and Chong'er, to help them avoid the 'Unicorn Xies' with demonic aura during the journey.

They entered the forest, moving rapidly through the trees, either leaping over the grass or using tree branches to gain momentum.

Sun Ping and his wife each held Xu Fei and Chong'er, and everyone knew that Cheng Shanping, who had a grudge against Yu Qing, volunteered to be the rear guard.

Soon, Yu Qing, Xu Fei, and Chong'er got to see what the 'Unicorn Xies' looked like.

They resembled apes, covered in long brown fur, with a three-inch-long blood-red horn on their heads. They had short legs and long arms, and their blood-red claws allowed them to leap through the forest, grabbing branches and vines to swing far distances, and they chased after the group with low roars.

More and more sleeping Unicorn Xies were awakened and joined the chase, but they couldn't keep up with the group's speed. However, the sight of a large group of these creatures chasing them was enough to make Xu Fei and Chong'er feel terrified, fearing that they might be surrounded if they slowed down.

The Unicorn Xies chased for a while, and those who were tired and couldn't catch up stopped, while the others continued to chase, unwilling to give up.

After a long while, Yu Qing turned to Tie Miaqing, who was accompanying him, and asked, "Did I hear wrong? I feel like there's a sound of fighting behind us."

He faintly heard the rumbling of a battle.

Tie Miaqing, who had been looking back frequently, said, "You're right, there is a fight. Someone else must have entered this area, possibly unaware that the Unicorn Xies have been awakened by us. Could someone be following us?" She turned to ask Sun Ping and the others.

Sun Ping, who was holding Chong'er, said, "It's unlikely. If they were following us, they would know the Unicorn Xies have been awakened and wouldn't have entered. They must have entered by chance."

Zhu Shangbiao, who was holding Xu Fei, said, "Boss, don't worry. With the Unicorn Xies blocking the way, even if someone is following, they can't keep up. They must have entered by chance and are in trouble now. It will be hard for them to leave the Ancient Xie Old Forest unless they can defeat those few Non-Demons. It's fortunate that we went first; if they had gone first, we would be in trouble."

Sun Ping added, "It could also be an enemy of the Unicorn Xies."

Cheng Shanping, who was at the rear, kept looking back.

After a while, the sound of the battle faded away.

The group discussed that either the fight had been resolved, or they had moved far enough away that they couldn't hear it anymore.

As the sky grew darker, Yu Qing, who had been flying non-stop, was starting to struggle, slowing down.

Such a long and rapid journey was indeed too much for his cultivation level.

Tie Miaqing noticed this, hesitated for a moment, and then, without any hesitation, offered to help by pulling Yu Qing's arm to assist him.

In fact, Tie Miaqing and the others had been controlling their speed, matching Yu Qing's pace.

As the sky grew darker, a light mist began to rise in the forest.

After the sky turned dark, the forest ahead became more desolate, and the Unicorn Xies chasing them disappeared.

Tie Miaqing called out, "We should have left the Ancient Xie Old Forest. Let's take a break."

In the light mist, the group gradually stopped. Cheng Shanping, who was still at the rear, continued to observe the area behind them, doing his job diligently.

After such a long journey, everyone except Xu Fei and Chong'er sat down in meditation.

Yu Qing, who had the habit of looking around, or rather, the habit of those who practice the Word Observation Technique, paused when he looked back.

Cheng Shanping walked behind a large rock, seemingly to relieve himself. No one commented, but Yu Qing noticed something was off. The change in the surrounding mist caused by Cheng Shanping's movements was too obvious, and with his experience, he didn't need to use the Word Observation Technique to see what Cheng Shanping was doing.

Behind the large rock, Cheng Shanping looked around, quickly picked up two stones, and then leaned against the rock, using a small, sharp stone to carve on the large rock.

Yu Qing, sensing the unusual movement, subconsciously used the Word Observation Technique to focus on the subtle changes in the mist.

The carvings on the rock formed an arrow, and then a square frame was drawn around the arrow.

After finishing, Cheng Shanping threw the small stone he used as a carving tool, leaned against the large rock for a while, and then walked out, playing with a fist-sized stone in his hand.

Yu Qing frowned, puzzled, and couldn't understand what it meant.

As Cheng Shanping passed a waist-high rock, he casually placed the stone on top of it.

Yu Qing's breath caught, and as Cheng Shanping walked back, he immediately turned away to avoid eye contact. After Cheng Shanping rejoined the group, Yu Qing's gaze returned to the carved stone, and then he looked back at the 'Ancient Xie Old Forest,' his expression deep and thoughtful.

Cheng Shanping, upon arriving, did not sit down but said to Tie Miaqing, "Boss, it's only about two hours to the next destination, and it's getting dark. Let's reach the destination first and then rest."

It made sense, and Tie Miaqing looked at Yu Qing, "Are you okay?"

Yu Qing, instead of answering directly, said, "I need to relieve myself," and ran off. Tie Miaqing and Sun Ping looked away, saying nothing.

As he passed the stone, Yu Qing glanced at it and saw that the carvings matched his suspicions. What he wanted to see most was the direction the arrow in the square frame pointed to, which Cheng Shanping had obscured by playing with the stone.

After seeing it clearly, he quickly hid behind a large rock to relieve himself.

After finishing, he ran back and waved, smiling, "Let's go."

His smile was warm and inviting.