Chapter 93

During their escape, they encountered misty areas multiple times and without hesitation avoided them. When they met active humans, they would avoid them if possible, and if they couldn't avoid them, they would hide. They had recently spent half a year training in the Illusion Forest, learning many survival skills, which now undoubtedly helped them greatly.

Perhaps in the subconscious of the Spirit王府 search team, they still believed that the three Martial Kings, Tang Ba and others, were protecting Tang Yan, and deduced that they would hide in very dangerous places, thus naturally overlooking some faint auras.

Tang Yan and Du Yang moved outward in the forest with some danger but mostly luck.

At the western edge of the Illusion Forest, a group of armored soldiers with swords on their backs were scattered around. They were physically robust, with firm expressions, exuding a strong aura of killing intent. Each of them rode a thundercloud leopard, which looked fierce and menacing.

They were a hundred-man team from the Falcon Corps, responsible for guarding and patrolling this area.

"Captain, there's no sign at any of the checkpoints, just as usual, everything is calm." After the daily routine inspection, the deputy captain reported to the captain.

The captain, as strong as a tiger, exuded a formidable and fierce aura. He was currently facing the rising sun, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth: "Continue searching, don't miss any place."

"Everything has been arranged, the brothers haven't slacked off. Captain, do you really think the Tang family will escape from here?" The deputy captain frowned, looking at the vast forest, his expression somewhat troubled.

"They dare not return to the Northern Wasteland. The southern mountains are surrounded by a large number of super beasts, and even ancient fierce beasts exist. The eastern part connects to the Shaluo Empire, where the notorious Blood Burial Corps is stationed, known for their cruelty and savagery. Unless the Tang family wants to stay in the Illusion Forest forever, they can only choose here. Why did the legion commander arrange fifteen hundred-man teams here? This is the reason."

"We've been guarding here for almost a month, and there's been no movement. If they want to leave, they should have done it earlier."

"Be patient. The legion commander has sent multiple secret orders in the past few days, insisting on strict inspections and not letting any clues slip. Anyone who comes out from inside, regardless of who they are, must be detained until the Tang family is caught."

The deputy captain said no more, turning to look at the iron cages in the distance, where many idle mercenaries were detained. They had all come out of the dense forest during this time, regardless of age or gender, and were all captured.

Noticing his gaze, the mercenaries in the iron cages glared with hatred. If it weren't for the reputation of the Falcon Corps, they would have rebelled long ago.

"Who is it!! Come out!!" A sudden shout from a distance immediately caught the attention of the nearby troops. The captain's spirit was slightly shaken, and he grabbed his broadsword and rushed over first.

The iron cages immediately echoed with noisy voices.

"Hmph, another unlucky soul."

"If you have the skills, go catch the three butchers of the Tang family. Why show off here?"

"They can only bully us. If the three butchers of the Tang family really come out, they can destroy this hundred-man team with a single move."

"Ah, that old man of the Tang family is very protective. He directly threw the three Martial Kings to the young master, and the Spirit王府 keeps dispatching strong forces to participate in the hunt, afraid of losing more tributes if they're not careful."

"Stop shouting, just bear with it for a few more days. The Spirit王府 is not to be trifled with. I guess they will catch the Tang family soon."

Deep in the dense forest, three or forty soldiers surrounded two people with frightened faces. One had gray hair, a face full of wrinkles, and looked extremely old. The other was pale and thin, a teenager.

"What are you doing here?" The captain rushed over, his tiger-like eyes glaring, emitting a fierce light, looking very intimidating.

"Gentlemen, we... we... are gathering herbs." The old man trembled, untying his medicine basket and handing it to the soldier in front of him.

The soldier snatched it away, rummaged through it carelessly, and shook his head at the captain.

The captain looked at the teenager: "What's in your basket?"

"Herbs." The teenager took a step back in fear.

"Let me see."

"No... no!" The teenager quickly hugged the basket, looking nervously at the officer in front of him.

"Hmm?" The faces of the crowd gradually turned cold.

The old man hurriedly smiled and bowed: "Gentlemen, those are a few precious herbs we guessed at. Please let us go, don't take them. We've been in these mountains for more than two months, and my husband unfortunately fell to his death. We finally found those herbs, please... please be merciful."

The teenager clung tightly to the basket, standing behind the old man, looking frightened and tense.

"Don't worry, we don't want your herbs. Has anything suspicious happened in the mountains recently?" The captain originally wanted to check again, but seeing the pitiful state of the old and young, he didn't insist.

"We only gather herbs, we don't care about other things." The old man smiled and nodded, pitifully reaching out for his basket from the soldier.

"Here, take it." The soldier found it amusing and threw it over.

"Thank you, sir, thank you, sir." The old man repeatedly thanked him, carefully packing the herbs, as if guarding his treasure.

"Alright, nothing to worry about, go wait over there." The captain waved his hand, not wanting to make things difficult for these two pitiful people.

"Ah? We need to go home, we still need to arrange the funeral for my husband."

The soldier shouted: "Go where we tell you, no more nonsense."

"Yes, yes." The old man glanced at the iron cages in the distance, leading the teenager over.

"Wait!" The deputy captain suddenly called out.

The old man and the teenager's eyes flickered slightly, then returned to normal: "Sir, is there anything else?"

"You gather herbs? There doesn't seem to be any village around here." The deputy captain dismounted from his thundercloud leopard, came to the old man, and carefully examined his body, even touching his withered skin to confirm if it was a disguise.

The old man explained: "We live in the south, where there are fewer fierce beasts and venomous insects. We usually go out from here and then head south."

"Alright, don't make things difficult for them. Disperse and return to your posts." The captain waved his hand, they were looking for the Tang family, the three Martial Kings, and two teenagers, not these two old and young, no need to waste time.

The deputy captain looked deeply at the two, feeling something was off. His thundercloud leopard was also baring its teeth, full of alertness. After a moment of hesitation, he said: "Let me see your basket!"

"This is what my father traded his life for, I won't give it!" The teenager stubbornly hugged the basket.

"I'm not asking, give it to me!!" The deputy captain grabbed the basket.

"You bandits, you only know how to steal our herbs!" The teenager shouted in anger, holding on tightly and refusing to let go.

"Alright, don't make things difficult for them." The captain was getting impatient.

"Captain, this basket... is very heavy! Not just a little heavy!" The deputy captain was slightly surprised, his sharp gaze fixed on Du Yang.

Hmm? The captain paid attention, and his thundercloud leopard also became restless.

"It contains my father's ashes, in a porcelain jar. Gentlemen, please don't make things difficult for us." The old man pleaded.

"I'm not asking, let go, or I'll use force." The deputy captain's face was cold.

"Gentlemen..." The old man pleaded again.

"Give it to me!" The deputy captain snatched it, but the basket hit the ground with a loud thud, sounding like a large rock rather than a basket full of herbs.

The soldiers who had not gone far stopped, turning to look at them.

"It must weigh a few hundred pounds, you young man have quite a bit of strength." The deputy captain looked at the teenager with caution, sneered, and reached for the basket.

The old man and the teenager looked tense, neither of them spoke, and their hands slowly clenched inside their tattered sleeves.

"Besides the two leaders, the rest are Martial Spirits. If we fight to the death, we have a chance." Du Yang whispered a reminder.

"Don't act rashly, my body is too weak, and there must be a powerful figure nearby. If things get messy, it will be bad for us."

"If we don't act soon, we'll be discovered."

"Only as a last resort, we can't act." Tang Yan didn't expect the soldiers to be so alert, but his body was too old to withstand intense battles, and Du Yang's meridians were not yet restored, only able to exert two-tenths of his strength. They were not a match for these iron-blooded soldiers.

"What are you nervous about?" The captain observed their expressions, his hand slowly reaching into the pile of herbs, but in the next second, he suddenly screamed, pulling his hand back, his right hand, covered in leather armor, was bloody and mangled.

The nearby soldiers' faces changed, all placing their hands on their sword handles, the atmosphere in the forest becoming tense.

The captain's face turned pale, gasping in pain. "What's inside?"

The teenager quickly brought the basket back, hiding behind the old man: "I warned you, don't touch what's inside."

"Who are you, and what are you doing here? Take them down!!" The captain shouted, and three soldiers immediately pounced.