Disturbance in the Forest

Three days later!

Qin Qing found Qin Yan, looking somewhat haggard. His lips moved for a moment before he finally spoke.

"Eldest Brother is dying! He wants to see you one last time!"

Qin Yan was taken aback. He hadn't expected Qin Zhao's illness to be so serious.

Even so, he merely shook his head indifferently.

Seeing Qin Yan's unconcerned attitude,

Qin Qing gave a bitter smile. "I know you hate the two of us as your brothers.

But Eldest Brother is dying, after all. The old grudges should be wiped clean.

I hope you can see him off one last time."

"Forget it! Out of sight, out of mind."

Qin Yan refused outright. There was the grudge of his murder in his previous life, compounded by Qin Zhao's attitude toward him.

That night!

Zhao He's wailing was especially piercing in the darkness.

Song Bao sent Qin Yan word that his so-called eldest brother hadn't made it through the day after all.

Qin Yan's state of mind didn't stir in the slightest, as though someone inconsequential had died.

Quite a few villagers shook their heads and sighed when they saw that Qin Yan wouldn't even come to pay his respects after Qin Zhao's death.

They couldn't help feeling rueful that brothers from the same family had fallen out so badly they would never see one another again, even in death.

Even when the old village chief intervened in person, Qin Yan refused without hesitation.

At the training ground.

The atmosphere was oppressive. Song Bao and the others silently worked their bodies, cautiously watching Qin Yan.

Qin Yan shook his head helplessly at what was on their minds. He couldn't be bothered with it, so he simply put them through a grueling drill.

"Practical combat today!"

Qin Yan showed a kindly smile, his gaze fixed on the eleven people before him.

As soon as he said it, everyone shuddered.

After training for this period, Qin Xiaoyi was the strongest of the eleven, followed by Song Bao.

Next was Shi Hu, who was about the same age as Qin Xiaoyi. He was one of the two oldest people who had thrown in their lot with Qin Yan.

Of the three, Qin Xiaoyi and Shi Hu had the advantage of age. Song Bao was the most talented, followed by Qin Xiaoyi, then Shi Hu.

Even so, each of the three was strong enough to take on at least two grown men single-handedly.

The fundamentals of Unlimited Combat, as well as surrounding and beating down opponents in group fights, were all areas in which the three excelled.

[Practical combat training: Unlimited Combat proficiency increased by 3%]

[Practical combat training: Dragon Wandering Step proficiency increased by 5%.]

[Dragon Wandering Step upgraded to Entry Level]

A skill comprehended by the host through his own understanding, through running and leaping, and through a great deal of combat against enemies.

Effect: Evasion increased by 20%, movement speed increased by 20%, stamina increased by 30%.

A flash of delight crossed Qin Yan's face as he glanced at the group, exhausted like a pack of dead dogs.

"Still too weak."

Qin Yan felt regretful. Although he occasionally managed to obtain some meat, it was nowhere near enough to meet the group's needs.

What was more, many of them, like him, were in a period of rapid physical growth.

That was also why he didn't dare rush things, for fear of ruining their bodies through training.

"Qin Yan!"

A graceful figure appeared before everyone on the path beneath the shade of the trees.

Jiang Wan's appearance immediately made Song Bao and the others' eyes light up. Excited as monkeys, they sprang to their feet.

"What, am I not welcome?"

Jiang Wan smiled, her eyes curving as she studied the frowning Qin Yan as though she were looking at something amusing.

"This isn't a place you should come to."

Qin Yan spoke with extreme coolness. This woman was trouble, and he would avoid dealing with her whenever he could.

Especially because of the way she looked at him. It wasn't as though she were looking at a person who intrigued her, but at an object.

He hated being looked at like a monkey on display.

He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the underlings staring fixedly at Jiang Wan. They were damn near hooked like fish, mouths turned upward.

Not an ounce of self-control!

Qin Yan sighed inwardly. These fellows really hadn't seen many beautiful women.

Fortunately, in his previous life, he had been bombarded with countless videos of beauties of every kind, with makeup and beauty filters thrown in.

Every one of them looked like a heavenly fairy, though offline, some were beautiful and some were not.

And there were the AI-trained beauties. Qin Yan had seen who knew how many of those.

His outlook and state of mind were naturally different from others'.

"What, am I not allowed to come here?"

Jiang Wan's smile was radiant, and it made the fellows beside them stare blankly.

"You young ladies from distinguished families wandering around everywhere, especially in a place like ours where all we have is a lot of people...

"It reflects badly on you.

"And you're already distracting them!"

Expressionless, Qin Yan pointed at the fellows making spectacles of themselves beside him.

Jiang Wan's bright eyes fixed on Qin Yan, and shallow dimples appeared. "What about you, then?"

Qin Yan bared a mouthful of white teeth and said with a faint smile, "I think you're in the way!"

Qin Xiaoyi and the others instantly widened their eyes and gave him a thumbs-up in their hearts.

Faced with such a pretty girl, they would probably have stammered just trying to speak.

That's our boss for you!

"You...!"

Jiang Wan's smiling face instantly fell, and her youthful, radiant air vanished.

Instead, she gave off an overbearing air.

"You country bumpkin! I thought you were interesting, so I came to play with you, but I never expected you to be so tactless."

Qin Yan didn't care in the least. He shot back, "Look at yourself now. You don't come across as much better.

"What are you? What standing do you have to criticize me?"

"You, you, you...!"

Jiang Wan raised a hand and pointed at Qin Yan, trembling with anger. Her fair face flushed crimson, and tears welled in her eyes.

Qin Yan's last words were like a sharp blade stabbing into her heart.

Her status was a thorn in her heart, and this had struck him right in the lungs.

Bean-sized tears streamed down her cheeks as she left the training ground, sobbing.

"Is there something wrong with that woman?"

Qin Yan was utterly baffled, but it was just as well that she had left in anger. He couldn't be bothered with her anyway.

He turned to look at the dumbstruck fellows.

"You've got too much time on your hands, huh?"

Qin Yan's shout jolted Song Bao and the others awake, and they all gave him a thumbs-up.

"Forget it. I'm going hunting in the mountains!"

Qin Yan looked at the rolling forest. At his speed, he could easily reach places ordinary people couldn't.

Especially the place where he had caught that large venomous snake last time. Its gallbladder could improve his attributes.

Could I try my luck again?

He said a word to the others.

Taking his saber and bow and arrows, Qin Yan raced into the forest.

He used Dragon Wandering Step.

His speed instantly rose to another level, and he darted through the woods like a phantom.

The forest's complex terrain kept taking shape in his mind, and every step was incomparably steady.

As nimble as a spirit ape, he treated every obstacle before him as though it were nothing.

With overall attributes more than five times those of an ordinary person, he was like a fish in water in the forest.

It took him less than half the time it had last time.

He arrived at the place where he had encountered the Withered Ghost Hand. The entire forest was dim and silent, without even the sound of birds, beasts, or insects.

The moment he stepped into the area, the hairs on Qin Yan's arms stood on end. A chill put him on high alert.

A faint smell of blood also lingered at the tip of his nose.

He nocked an arrow and drew his bow into a full moon.

Qin Yan opened his mental perception to the fullest and followed the smell of blood forward.

He went around a dense thicket.

A large, muscular wild boar lay on the ground, its bristles like steel needles.

A gash had been cut in its chest, and something inside the cavity was writhing incessantly.

Squeak, squeak!