Waiting for Someone to Speak First

At daybreak, the carriages were already waiting outside the old courtyard.

Besides the five who had originally come with him, Xu Sheng brought He Zheng, Song Xiaoqiao, He Gu, and Chen Tuo. The other three who had stayed that day were still in the city, waiting for their next assignment; he hadn't forced them into this group.

Shen Zhaolin, Du Wenhe, and two hall guards walked ahead, with Jin Yuan leading the way. Two level-ten Soul Scholars rode in a carriage, each clutching a bundle, so nervous they spoke in hushed voices.

Xu Sheng had made a point of seating them with Xu Lizhi.

Before noon, the three had become well acquainted.

One of them asked Xu Lizhi what level he had been at his Martial Soul Awakening. When he heard "level ten," his mouth hung open for a long moment, and then he fell silent.

Xu Lizhi glanced at him and asked in return, "What about you?"

"Level four."

"But aren't you level ten now too?"

The boy scratched his head, unsure how to respond.

The little fatty had already pulled out a waterskin and handed it to him.

"Once you get your Soul Ring, show me again. I've never seen that leaf Martial Soul of yours."

The boy nodded. After a while, he finally started talking again.

Xu Sheng rode beside the carriage, listening to the exchange without interrupting.

When they stopped to rest outside the forest at noon, another party arrived.

The Edge-Chasing Association.

Zhuo Yuan had set out several days later than agreed. The level-thirty employer had business in the city, and Shao Rong wouldn't leave, so Zhuo Yuan could only wait in the courtyard with his people.

The longer they waited, the more people asked where Song Xiaoqiao was.

Some had thought He Zheng would kick up a fuss and come back, but over the past few days, they'd heard that even the supplies for departure had been prepared at the old courtyard. Their thoughts naturally began to shift as well.

It wasn't that Zhuo Yuan hadn't noticed.

So for this trip, he had deliberately called up all ten people He Zheng had originally brought, whether they were level twenty or had only one ring. Once they reached the forest and saw a Soul Ancestor and a thousand-year Soul Beast with their own eyes, then thought about those scattered little teams outside, they ought to know where to stay.

But as soon as the carriages stopped, the first person he saw was Shen Zhaolin.

Spirit Hall really had been willing to send a Soul Ancestor.

Several local Soul Masters walked at the front, gray beast fangs embroidered on their cuffs. The man leading them had broad shoulders and a thick back, with small eyes. As he stood there, the people beside him instinctively left some space around him.

The Gray Fang Hunting Group, Shao Rong, level forty-one.

He knew Shen Zhaolin and greeted him first. The two usually took separate jobs and weren't close, but they weren't at the point of turning hostile on sight, either.

Zhuo Yuan followed behind. When he saw He Zheng, he smiled first.

"We really did run into each other."

"You're not the only one allowed on this road," He Zheng replied.

As if he hadn't heard the defiance in his voice, Zhuo Yuan turned his gaze toward Xu Sheng's group and settled on Song Xiaoqiao.

"Hope things go smoothly for you this time."

"Thanks."

Song Xiaoqiao nodded and went with Du Wenhe to look at the map, saying nothing more.

Several people on the Edge-Chasing Association's side, however, kept looking over.

They had thought that after joining Spirit Hall, He Zheng would have to spend a few days learning the rules. They hadn't expected him to actually leave the city so soon, much less with a Soul Ancestor leading the group.

What concerned them even more was the list in Song Xiaoqiao's hand.

What they were looking for, where to find it, and who was responsible for protection were all written out clearly.

Someone thought about coming over, but glanced at Zhuo Yuan and ultimately didn't take a step.

Xu Sheng didn't call out to them.

When people were still weighing things in their hearts, the harder he tried to pull them over, the more it would look like the two sides were fighting over them.

He simply stood up and smiled at the young man who had been staring the longest.

"He Zheng said your name was Qi Luo?"

The young man froze, then nodded instinctively.

"If you need anything, just go to him. He hasn't grown a second face, and it's not as if he stops recognizing people just because he's somewhere else."

He Zheng gave Xu Sheng's boot a kick.

Xu Sheng dodged with a laugh and turned to find Jin Yuan.

Qi Luo's tense face couldn't help relaxing a little.

After entering the forest, the two groups took separate paths.

Shen Zhaolin led his group slowly along the outskirts, first looking for first rings for the two Soul Scholars. The Gray Fang Hunting Group was heading north to find a thousand-year Soul Beast for a level-thirty employer.

Jin Yuan glanced at the other group in the distance and quietly cautioned Xu Sheng.

"They're taking Old Badger Gully. It's a shortcut, but it isn't easy to travel at this time of year."

"Why?"

"Lots of beasts. I saw some freshly dug spots a few days ago. But there are enough of them that they should be able to get through."

Xu Sheng made a note of it, but didn't conclude that the other side meant to harm anyone just because of a gully.

Things went smoothly for them on the first day.

The first boy obtained a white Soul Ring suited to him. His hands shook throughout the absorption, and afterward he showed it to his companion with a silly grin.

Standing behind him, Xu Sheng saw the circle of white light and suddenly remembered that he hadn't been much calmer when he absorbed his first ring.

It was just that he'd had more on his mind then.

On the afternoon of the second day, the other boy also found a suitable target.

Shen Zhaolin left the two hall guards and Jin Yuan on the outskirts to escort the boys outside the forest and wait there. The rest continued toward the slope where the vine beasts grew. Chen Tuo was in charge of identifying tracks, while Mo Yifan only flew up to take a look at intervals, rather than letting the One-Ring Soul Master fly the whole way and drain his Soul Power.

Toward evening, He Zheng suddenly stopped.

A message had come from Qi Luo.

[Are you still in the forest?]

He Zheng replied that they were.

After a while, another message came from the other end.

[Group Leader Shao says we're moving camp tonight. Earlier he told us to go close the net, but now he wants us to stay on the back slope, and we have to smear something on ourselves. Is hunting for rings like that on your side too?]

He Zheng raised his head and looked at Xu Sheng.

After reading it, Xu Sheng didn't immediately tell Qi Luo to run.

He first asked exactly what they were being told to smear on themselves, who had handed it out, and where the back slope was.

Qi Luo didn't know its name, only that it was an oil with a strong, rank animal smell, kept in several earthenware jars. None of the local hunters had put it on; only their group of otherworlders had to use it.

He Zheng read the messages to Du Wenhe one sentence at a time. When he heard that only the otherworlders had to apply it, Du Wenhe's expression changed slightly, and he reached for the route map they had brought.

"Tell him to describe the things he can see nearby clearly. Don't wander around, and don't argue with anyone right now."

He Zheng's fingers sped up as he typed.

Before long, several terrain features had been marked on the map.

Old Badger Gully, which Jin Yuan had drawn before leaving, lay right below them.

The back slope, however, was farther north.

Du Wenhe crouched down, pinched up a tuft of dark hair caught on the grass roots, and smelled it. Then he looked at a small tree snapped by a collision not far away.

"Steel-Bristled Boars. There are traces of them passing through here."

This was a range they had originally planned to skirt around.

Xu Sheng looked at the map, his brows slowly drawing together.

The level-thirty employer wanted a thousand-year ring. They had taken a group of otherworlders with only one ring to the back slope, made them smear themselves with something that had a strong smell, and left all the local hunters on the other side.

This job probably wasn't about closing the net.

He turned and found Shen Zhaolin, then repeated the messages exactly as they had come.

Shen Zhaolin didn't rush to anger. He only looked up and asked, "Can you reach the person who gave that order?"

"Yes."

"Ask him who promised to keep them alive, and who's waiting behind to back them up."

He Zheng soon received an answer.

[Brother Zhuo said we can come back even if we die. As long as we run fast enough, we'll be fine.]

This time, none of the three spoke immediately.