Qian Family Acting Skills (Part 2)

An hour passed in the blink of an eye. Beneath the night sky, Misty Trace Grand Canyon was utterly silent. Jin Yuetian and Tuoba Yun had already set out. The second group was Xie Yue, Hu Liena, and Yan. Qian Yuxi planned to wait a little longer.

Five minutes later, the instructors had already begun searching the forest for the children. Before long, large numbers of wounded children, each bearing injuries, were brought out of the forest and settled down for treatment.

As he extended his spiritual power, Qian Yuxi's eyes lit up slightly. He had not expected the injured group to receive such decent treatment. Not only were the instructors personally treating their wounds, but they were also given nourishing meals and time to rest.

He had spread his spiritual detection too widely; an instructor was already close to discovering him. Qian Yuxi's expression shifted, and in the end, he hardened his heart, pulled out a dagger, and viciously stabbed it into his thigh.

Squelch!

Flesh tore open at once. Cold sweat broke out on Qian Yuxi's face as he gritted his teeth, pulled out the dagger, and tucked it back into his bracelet. Then, limping, he headed toward the forest exit.

"Mm..." A low groan escaped his lips. The instructor quickly spotted him, verified his identity, and took him out of Misty Trace Grand Canyon.

Outside the canyon, numerous trainees were already resting. More and more wounded students were being settled down. Supported by an instructor, Qian Yuxi sat on a rug and brought out the Qian Family Acting Skills he had learned from Sister Xue—his wife. Leaning there as if completely exhausted, he looked utterly drained.

"Thank you, Instructor..." Qian Yuxi smiled "with difficulty."

"Rest and recover well. The Chief Instructor thinks highly of you." The Deputy Instructor patted Qian Yuxi's shoulder, left behind bandages and medicinal herbs for his wound, then departed.

While enduring the pain, Qian Yuxi observed the surrounding students from the corner of his eye. As an injured person, his every move was least likely to attract attention.

Qian Yuxi suddenly frowned. His spiritual power detected something unusual nearby. The feeling was strange, as if something were watching him.

As he bandaged his wound, Qian Yuxi quietly scanned his surroundings.

In the nearby wounded students' rest area, a pair of venomous eyes was indeed staring fixedly at him.

Drawing back his gaze, he saw the red-haired boy comforting his sworn brother's younger sister.

"Nana, it's all right. Believe in the instructors. They'll definitely be able to heal you."

Hu Liena paid no heed to Yan's words. Veiled as she was, her eyes were filled with bloodshot veins and boundless hatred.

Beneath the veil was her pitted face. Her once neat and adorable features—though of course not as adorable as their Little Angel—were nowhere to be seen. There were nearly ten bloody pits on her face, her lips could not even close properly, and she was even missing teeth.

Under the treatment of a healing-type instructor, the lingering poison and injuries in both her and her brother's bodies had been completely cured. Yet what could not be changed were the scars and ugliness left all over their bodies by the Poisonous Miasma Fierce Python's deadly venom. Perhaps she would never recover for the rest of her life.

All of this was because of Qian Yuxi!

At least, that was what the little girl believed right now.

A woman's face was her second life, let alone for this fox born with seductive bones. Her features had been corroded rotten by the Poisonous Miasma Fierce Python's venom. Without a high-level soul master with the Nine Heart Begonia martial soul, she would never recover in this lifetime.

She had already paid him for his help, but she intended to settle the score for the disfigurement separately.

Still, the instant she saw Qian Yuxi emerge, she was somewhat taken aback.

"Hmph, he's injured too... Just you wait!"

"Nana, Yan."

Xie Yue had returned, though he too wore a bamboo hat over his face. Seeing that his sister was upset, he followed her gaze.

"Qian Yuxi?!" Xie Yue was also slightly shocked. He quickly returned to sit beside his teammates, but his restless gaze kept drifting toward Qian Yuxi.

"Nana, forget it. Brother has already allowed you to act willfully..."

Before Xie Yue could finish, Hu Liena covered her beloved brother's mouth. "Brother... We're already even. This is a personal grudge now..."

A childish killing intent surfaced in Hu Liena's eyes. Xie Yue could only sigh helplessly and look toward Qian Yuxi, only to find him sitting cross-legged on the rug with his eyes slightly closed. He did not look well, his complexion somewhat pale.

Little did they know that aside from his initial self-inflicted injury, Qian Yuxi was perfectly fine. He was merely using the wound he had deliberately created to conceal the release of his spiritual power, making others think he was seriously injured.

Qian Family Acting Skills—this was what he had learned most over the past nine years while living beside Qian Renxue and her family.

Xie Yue did not dare disturb him casually, so he pulled Nana back to their group. He also needed some time to adjust his condition.

Qian Yuxi slowly opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing through them. He could sense that the chill he had felt earlier had come from the direction of Xie Yue, Hu Liena, and Yan.

Those three... have a problem!

"Brother Qian Yuxi!" Two calls rang out as Tuoba Yun and Jin Yuetian came to see him.

Quickly composing himself, Qian Yuxi opened his eyes and casually squeezed the wound on his knee with his left hand, making the act seem real.

"Mm... Brother Yuetian, it's you two." A smile tugged at Qian Yuxi's lips, his expression looking as though he truly was in great pain.

Jin Yuetian asked with concern, "How are your injuries? Can you still stand?"

"It's nothing serious, just a little exhaustion." Qian Yuxi smiled and shook his head.

Jin Yuetian and Tuoba Yun exchanged a glance.

"Brother Qian Yuxi, how did you get hurt?"

"Ah... After you two left, I waited a few minutes before following behind. But unexpectedly, a thousand-year-old highly venomous soul beast appeared out of nowhere and got the better of me. If the instructor hadn't discovered me in time, the poison would probably have seeped into my bones by now."

Tuoba Yun reached into her clothes, took out a medicinal herb, and handed it to Qian Yuxi. "It's nothing. Get well soon."

"Thank you." Qian Yuxi accepted it, while at the same time beginning to think.

He had spent three days in Misty Trace Grand Canyon and had been subjected to several coordinated ambushes. Though he had always repelled the attackers alone through sheer strength, the toll on him had been considerable. Besides, there was no one to look after one another, take night watch, and so on.

Perhaps all schemes and tricks were meaningless before absolute power, but he did not yet possess that kind of strength.

It's time for me to find a few companions... This thought surfaced deep in his heart, and a smile appeared in Qian Yuxi's eyes.

After exchanging a few more words of concern, Tuoba Yun and Jin Yuetian left. Qian Yuxi continued listening to every movement around him, but after that, he detected nothing else amiss.

Pope's Palace.

With a mixture of unease and excitement, Bibi Dong followed behind Qian Xunji, maintaining a distance of fifty meters at all times in case Qian Xunji suddenly attacked and she could not escape immediately.

Qian Xunji did not turn back, but his steps remained steady and powerful.

Bibi Dong followed behind him, secretly peeking ahead. It was late at night, and far fewer soldiers guarded Pope's Palace. The place was exceptionally quiet.

Just as she was hesitating over whether to flee midway, the doors of Pope's Palace suddenly opened.

Qian Xunji coughed lightly, clasped his hands behind his back, and called out calmly, "Yu Xiaogang."

Inside the hall, a middle-aged man dressed in a black scholar's robe turned around and respectfully bowed to Qian Xunji. "Greetings, Your Holiness the Pope."

"Little Gang!" Upon hearing that familiar voice, tears welled in the corners of Bibi Dong's eyes, and her heart surged with even greater emotion.