Chapter 45

"It seems that the sect training of these people is somehow related to this so-called Xiao..." Yuan Ming pondered for a moment and followed them.

The group searched all night but found nothing.

"Hey, you beast slave, did you really see the Xian Xiao?" When the sky began to lighten in the east, the group stopped searching. Kuntu, somewhat displeased, asked Yuan Ming.

"What Xian Xiao?" Yuan Ming feigned ignorance.

"The monster you described last night!" Kuntu said angrily.

"If I hadn't seen the monster, how could I have described it?" Yuan Ming retorted.

Kuntu was left speechless, unable to find a reason to be angry.

"According to the information from the sect, the Xian Xiao shouldn't be active here," Bada said.

"Perhaps the situation has changed. The information from the Enforcement Hall may not be accurate," Chen Wan said.

Yuan Ming hesitated for a moment and then said, "If the Xian Xiao you're talking about is the monster I saw last night, then someone encountered it last year."

"What? Last year... where?" Chen Wan asked urgently, and the others looked at him with various expressions.

Yuan Ming then recounted the incident of Hagong being attacked.

"How is that possible?" Yang Chan looked incredulous.

Kuntu turned to look at Wubao, who nodded slightly, confirming Yuan Ming's story.

"If that's true, the Xian Xiao has been active for longer and over a wider area than the sect told us. This is not good news," Chen Wan said, her expression turning serious.

"Should we report this to the sect?" Bada asked tentatively.

"Report? Why report? Isn't it better if only we know this information?" Kuntu countered.

"If we don't report, other sect members might be attacked unexpectedly," Chen Wan said.

"Chen Wan, don't forget, this trial is crucial for us to become inner disciples. If we go back to report and delay our journey, others might get ahead of us," Kuntu mused.

He didn't directly contradict Chen Wan, but his words made her expression change.

Seeing Chen Wan fall silent, Kuntu's lips twitched, revealing a hint of disdain.

After that, the group's pace slowed down, and they began to search for the Xian Xiao while continuing their journey.

However, after spending two more days than expected, they still didn't encounter the Xian Xiao.

...

"Rumble"

A thunderclap echoed, and a bolt of white lightning illuminated the dark sky, briefly tearing a gap in the heavy clouds.

Raindrops began to fall, and the previously quiet forest was soon filled with the sound of rain, the air becoming filled with the scent of dust and grass.

Kuntu looked up at the leaden clouds that almost touched the treetops and rode his green wolf over to Chen Wan.

"Junior Sister, with these clouds, the rain won't be light. It's already late. Why don't we find a place to rest until the rain stops, and then continue our journey?" he asked.

"Yuan Ming, is there a suitable place to take shelter nearby?" Chen Wan asked, looking at Yuan Ming.

During their journey, she had come to trust Yuan Ming's ability to lead the way.

Although they hadn't found the Xian Xiao, they hadn't encountered many fierce beasts, and their time had been well utilized.

Kuntu and Yang Chan, though still looking down on the beast slave, also subconsciously turned to him for an answer.

"I haven't been to this area before, so we'll have to see as we go," Yuan Ming said.

Chen Wan, hearing this, wasn't particularly disappointed. She nodded and continued on.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the thunder grew more frequent, and the rain became heavier.

The sky in the forest had darkened, the surroundings were misty and dark, and the temperature was dropping.

At that moment, Yuan Ming saw a large black shadow in the forest ahead. He wiped the rain from his face and focused his gaze. A flash of lightning illuminated the area.

"There seems to be a house over there," Yuan Ming pointed and shouted.

He then led the group toward it.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a dilapidated building.

The lower half of the walls was made of stone, while the upper half was made of adobe. The walls were badly damaged, with numerous holes and pits.

"This house looks like a shrine that the wild people worship," Wubao, who had been relatively unnoticed in the group, suddenly said.

The shrine had no door, only an empty doorway leading to a dark interior.

Yuan Ming reached into his robe to retrieve a flint, but before he could, a fist-sized ball of fire floated into the shrine.

"Fireball spell?" Yuan Ming instinctively turned to see that Chen Wan had cast it.

More fireballs followed, illuminating the interior.

Yuan Ming entered the shrine and saw that it was empty, with thick layers of dust on the floor and walls, making it look desolate and dilapidated.

Turning around, he saw a three-foot-high altar with a clay statue on it.

The statue was unlike any ordinary statue, with a tiger's back, a wolf's waist, two heads, and four arms. It looked neither solemn nor dignified but rather sinister and eerie.

Yuan Ming examined it closely and saw that the two heads on its shoulders were not human: one was a fox's head, and the other was a wolf's head.

The statue was badly damaged, with wooden supports and straw exposed in many places, indicating that it had been abandoned for a long time.

"At least the roof is intact. We can rest here for the night," Bada said, looking around and seeming satisfied.

"Wubao, go out and get some meat. Yuan Ming, gather firewood," Kuntu ordered.

Wubao hurriedly ran out, and Yuan Ming obediently went to collect firewood.

Soon, two bonfires were set up in the shrine. One was surrounded by Kuntu and his fellow disciples, while the other was where Yuan Ming and Wubao sat.

Wubao was diligently tending to the wild boar roasting over the fire, while Yuan Ming closed his eyes and rested, saying nothing.

Suddenly, Kuntu looked over and said, "Yuan Ming, you take the first watch. Go outside and keep guard."

Yuan Ming opened his eyes, got up, and walked out.

The rain was still drizzling, and the thunder rumbled, occasionally lighting up the night sky.

Yuan Ming stood outside the doorway, leaning against the wall. The shallow eaves provided little protection from the rain, and he soon became soaked.

The cold mountain wind pierced through him, making him feel bone-chillingly cold. The drowsiness he had felt earlier was gone, and he could only stare into the dark forest.

From inside the shrine, he could hear the conversation between Chen Wan and the others. He listened closely and soon understood the situation.

It turned out that the disciples entering the Great Mountains were not just Chen Wan and a few others; over a hundred disciples from the sect were participating in the trial.

Their goal was to hunt the Xian Xiao.

From Kuntu's words, it seemed that their performance in this trial would determine whether they would be favored by the elders and become their personal disciples, or inner disciples.

Yuan Ming, though not entirely clear, guessed that this must be a great honor, which was why these people were willing to take such risks to enter the Great Mountains.

In the dark, rainy night, the moon was hidden, making it difficult to tell the time.

Suddenly, Yuan Ming caught a whiff of a rich meat aroma coming from the shrine and looked inside.

He saw Kuntu and the others sitting together, still chatting, while the wild boar roasting over Wubao's fire had turned a golden red, glistening and sizzling, making his mouth water.

"Didn't expect this guy to be so skilled," Yuan Ming couldn't help but admire.

But then he noticed that Wubao was sweating and looked nervous, his eyes darting toward Kuntu and the others.

Just as Yuan Ming was wondering why Wubao was acting so suspiciously, Wubao suddenly turned and looked at him.

Yuan Ming immediately turned around, facing the door, pretending to be on guard.

After a moment, Yuan Ming turned his head and saw Wubao trembling as he took out a small porcelain bottle from his robe, uncapped it, and sprinkled the liquid over the roasting boar.

"What is he doing?" Yuan Ming wondered.

He sniffed again but didn't detect any unusual smell. Considering Wubao's guilty expression, he realized it couldn't be a seasoning, and his suspicion grew.

"Is he poisoning it?" Yuan Ming's brows furrowed.

At that moment, Wubao's gaze shifted back to him.

Yuan Ming, already on alert, turned around, his mind racing.

"Even if Wubao is bold, he wouldn't dare to poison these disciples, would he? Unless he wants to die?" Yuan Ming thought quickly.

But clearly, someone who could lead a group wouldn't do something so reckless without a reason.

Yuan Ming's brows furrowed deeper. Just as he was about to turn back and report this, a warning bell rang in his mind.

"Right, Wubao wouldn't want to die. If he's doing this, someone must be behind it. And that person..."

Yuan Ming's gaze swept around and finally settled on Kuntu.