Black Soil Forest, outskirts.
A group of eight was striding swiftly toward Black Soil Forest.
At their head was a tall, lean man dressed like a scholar in a green long robe. He held an iron fan, with a long narrow face, prominent cheekbones, and perpetually narrowed eyes that gave him the sinister air of a venomous snake.
The seven following behind him all carried sharp weapons. Their movements were agile and nimble, clearly marking them as skilled martial artists.
The scholarly man with the iron fan stopped as he looked at Black Soil Forest in the distance. His gaze fell upon a bald man behind him as he spoke.
"Black Soil Forest lies ahead. Huang Lao Ba, are you certain this information is reliable? Don't make me come all this way for nothing, or you know what awaits you."
Hearing this, the bald man called Huang Lao Ba immediately thumped his chest. A grin spread across his ugly, fleshy face as he answered with absolute certainty.
"Don't worry, Venerable Yan. This information is one hundred percent true. I heard it with my own ears from the Sun family men. Their party really encountered that thing, or they wouldn't have been left with only two men fleeing down the mountain, only to be intercepted by me in the end."
"That would be for the best. If this succeeds, you fellows will not be short on rewards."
At that, the man addressed as Venerable Yan smiled. Yet combined with his ill-proportioned features, even his smile gave off an indescribably awkward feeling.
"And no one is to leak so much as a word about this matter. Otherwise, I won't even need to act. With the master family's ruthless ways, not one of us will escape."
"Don't worry, Venerable Yan. We brothers aren't