Chapter 19

A few young boys who had escaped from the forest had injuries that did not look too serious, mostly bruises, scrapes, and contusions—superficial wounds that, though not life-threatening, were extremely painful. It was evident that the person who set the trap had shown mercy.

Zhang Fengyi’s eyes slightly opened, and an intangible wave of energy emanated from his body. The dozen or so boys by the stream instantly felt a chilling and intimidating presence that pierced their hearts, causing them to hold their breath and focus. Suddenly, Zhang Fengyi let out a “hmm” with a hint of surprise in his tone.

“Continue!”

Four ropes suddenly dropped from the treetops. Before the two injured boys and the two who had crushed their amulets could cry out in surprise, the ropes had already been tied around their waists. Zhang Fengyi took to the air, carrying the four boys away from the enclosure, leaving a voice echoing in the ears of the remaining boys.

The dozen or so boys were still in shock. After a moment, one of the boys who had escaped from the forest suddenly shouted in anger, “Where’s the body of the Mountain Ram? You guys can’t hog it all to yourselves! Hand it over, everyone gets a share, or don’t blame us for being unfriendly, …”

The boys began to clamor, first arguing and cursing, and soon the dispute over the Mountain Ram’s body escalated into a brawl.

Yang Junshan swiftly moved through the forest, where thorny bushes grew abundantly. However, Yang Junshan always managed to avoid obstacles as he moved. If Su Baozhang were still with him, he would have noticed that Yang Junshan’s speed was now beyond his ability to keep up.

A sudden, chilling aura that made him feel uneasy had just emerged from within him. This was an instinct formed from past life-and-death experiences. There must be a formidable presence behind him. If his guess was correct, it was likely that the destruction of the protective talisman had summoned a cultivator from the Hantian Sect.

Although the Hantian Sect’s cultivators would not interfere in the hunting activities in the enclosure, Yang Junshan still acted on instinct to protect himself. He did not even complete the traps he had set up in the forest, and instead fled at full speed until he felt he had escaped the range of the Hantian Sect cultivator’s perception. Only then did the uneasy feeling in his heart completely dissipate, and he stopped.

Yang Junshan leaned against a large tree and took a few deep breaths, quickly calming his disordered breathing. Light footsteps could be heard from the forest ahead, and Yang Junshan’s expression tensed. The three-stone bow, which he had only been able to pull three times with all his might on the square, was now silently drawn for the fourth time, pointing in the direction of the sound.

“Brother Junshan, is that you?”

Su Baozhang’s voice came from the forest, and Yang Junshan’s expression relaxed. The ornate bow in his hand lowered to the ground, but the iron-feathered arrow on the string was not removed.

“It’s me!”

A rustling sound came from the branches, and Su Baozhang’s figure appeared in Yang Junshan’s line of sight. The iron-feathered arrow on the ornate bow had already been returned to the quiver on his back.

Seeing that Yang Junshan was unharmed, Su Baozhang finally breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m glad you’re okay. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know how to explain to Lord Masahiro!”

“Those few scoundrels want to catch me? Humph, they need to practice for three more years!”

Yang Junshan’s pride was evident, but he was secretly pleased that Su Baozhang had returned. When the boys were chasing them, Yang Junshan had let Su Baozhang take the bull gallbladder spirit and escape first, while he stayed behind to cover their retreat, partly as a test. In fact, Su Baozhang had not let him down.

Su Baozhang gave a thumbs-up and handed over the bull gallbladder spirit, his face still showing excitement. “Brother Junshan, I’m really impressed! Here, this is the bull gallbladder spirit we found in the bull’s stomach, a genuine mid-grade spirit!”

Yang Junshan saw that Su Baozhang’s eyes were clear and he showed no reluctance to part with the spirit. Without hesitation, he said, “Alright, I’ll keep this spirit. We’ve had a good start, but one mid-grade spirit is far from enough. We still have a lot to do!”

Su Baozhang was taken aback. “Brother Junshan, actually, getting me a low-grade spirit would be enough. There’s no need to take such risks like hunting the Mountain Ram!”

Su Baozhang naturally assumed that Yang Junshan would use the bull gallbladder spirit for spirit summoning, as in his eyes, a mid-grade spirit was already a highly desirable treasure.

In fact, the bull gallbladder spirit, known for its detoxifying properties, was a highly sought-after treasure among mid-grade spirits. Many of the second-round entrants and the majority of the young nobles in Yu County used mid-grade spirits to open their spirit channels and perform spirit summoning, and some of these spirits might not even be as good as the one Yang Junshan held.

If it were someone else, they might be satisfied with such a spirit, but Yang Junshan had far greater ambitions!

Yang Junshan smiled. “Let’s go!”

This time, Yang Junshan led the way, but their pace was much slower. The previous hunt of the Mountain Ram and the escape from the boys had taken a toll on both of them, and the slower pace was to help them recover their strength.

This time, they headed west. Su Baozhang noticed that Yang Junshan seemed very familiar with the terrain of Bai Que Mountain, rarely hesitating about the route, as if he had already planned their next move.

After about half an hour, Su Baozhang could no longer contain his curiosity. “Brother Junshan, where are we going?”

Yang Junshan kept walking and smiled lightly. “We should be close. You’ll see soon.”

Su Baozhang had to suppress his curiosity and followed Yang Junshan. After a while, a breeze blew through the forest, and Yang Junshan suddenly stopped. Su Baozhang was taken aback, seeing Yang Junshan standing still, the atmosphere suddenly becoming tense. For a moment, Su Baozhang didn’t even dare to breathe.

After a moment, Yang Junshan suddenly asked, “Brother Baozhang, did you hear anything?”

Su Baozhang was taken aback but focused his attention. He only heard the wind blowing through the trees and the chirping of birds and insects, nothing else.

Yang Junshan smiled at Su Baozhang’s expression and continued walking. Su Baozhang, still puzzled, followed.

However, after they had walked another few dozen feet, a faint “buzz” sound finally caught Su Baozhang’s attention.

Yang Junshan motioned for him to be quiet and whispered, “Did you hear that?”

Su Baozhang nodded, but his eyes still held a questioning look.

Yang Junshan didn’t explain, but his cautious movements made it clear to Su Baozhang that there was danger ahead. Su Baozhang tightened his grip on the Hundred-Refined Cold Light Dagger.

As they continued, the “buzz” sound became clearer, as if something large was vibrating. After each vibration, a rapid “huffing” sound could be heard, and from this sound, Su Baozhang strangely detected a sense of joy!

This was truly bizarre!

The two crouched behind a bush. Yang Junshan turned to Su Baozhang and made a gesture indicating he should be mentally prepared. Then he slowly parted the branches in front of him. Su Baozhang’s eyes widened in disbelief.

About fifty feet away from their hiding spot, a tree as thick as a man’s waist lay on the ground, with only a five-foot stump remaining. The stump’s broken end showed that the tree had been forcefully pushed and broken.

This was not the most surprising part. What truly astonished them was a giant bear, nearly eight feet tall, standing next to the stump, shaking its limbs and making “huh” sounds, seemingly very… “joyful”?

As Su Baozhang stared in shock, the bear suddenly extended its two front paws, grabbed the stump, and pulled it towards itself. The five-foot stump bent slightly under the bear’s strength, and then the bear released its paws. The stump suddenly snapped back, producing a loud “buzz” sound. The bear seemed to be listening to the most beautiful symphony, dancing joyfully.

“This, this, this, …”

Su Baozhang stammered, unable to make sense of what he was seeing. The scene was beyond his comprehension, and even Yang Junshan looked surprised and deep in thought.

“This bear looks like a Ground Stepping Bear, but Ground Stepping Bears are not this large. Moreover, this bear seems to have, have…”

After the initial shock, Su Baozhang quickly regained his composure and tried to identify the bear. A bear of this size was likely to have a spirit within it, and the quality of the spirit could be very high.

“Spiritual intelligence!”

Yang Junshan directly completed the thought that had momentarily eluded Su Baozhang. Su Baozhang nodded. “That’s right, this bear does seem to have intelligence. But animals act on instinct, how could it have spiritual intelligence? Therefore, this bear might not be a Ground Stepping Bear.”

Yang Junshan’s gaze was deep as he looked at the bear. “You’re right, this bear is indeed a Ground Stepping Bear, a high-grade fierce beast. And it has spiritual intelligence, or perhaps it has another name: a demon!”