The Tiger Has Run; Now We Wait for the Rabbit

Three people had appeared on the grass by the Stream at some point, standing together.

When Huo Yuhao peered through the tangled branches and leaves, his gaze immediately sharpened.

Among the three was Chai San, the one whose Life Force had been stripped away by Golden Light. Besides him were two other servants from the Firewood Room, simply named Chai Si and Chai Wu.

"Will that bastard really come here?" Chai San looked somewhat weak, utterly unlike how full of color he had been a few days ago.

He truly was weak. After being struck by Golden Light, he had spent three full days recovering in the treatment room before he could leave. The biggest issue was that although the steward had reimbursed his medical expenses—

Dai Huabin had given up on causing trouble for Huo Yuhao, so the steward assumed Huo Yuhao had already slipped away successfully. Their side had received no reward at all, meaning Steward Wang had paid for Chai San's treatment for nothing.

Chai San clearly knew the steward was unhappy. For the past two days, he had kept his head down and worked like his life depended on it.

Yet that morning, Huo Yuhao, whom they thought had long since fled, had suddenly reappeared.

Without hesitation, they immediately reported the matter to Steward Wang. The latter directed his anger at Huo Yuhao and ordered Chai San, Chai Si, and Chai Wu to handle it.

Of course, they were not fools. They had seen Old Chen leave with Huo Yuhao, so they only acted after Old Chen had returned to the residence and they confirmed that Huo Yuhao had left alone with no one by his side.

They had come here because many servants knew the exact place where Huo Yun'er had been buried years ago.

Steward Wang had merely guessed that Huo Yuhao might come here to pay respects to his mother.

"Who knows? If you ask me, that little bastard ran off ages ago. Why would he come here?" Chai Si, dressed in coarse hemp clothes, said casually.

Chai Wu, the most powerfully built of the three, said in a deep voice, "What if we don't catch that bastard? What will we do when Steward Wang questions us?"

Chai San remained silent with a dark expression, but Chai Si said carelessly, "We'll report it truthfully. We'll say that little bastard never came to pay respects to Huo Yun'er."

After considering it, Chai Wu rather agreed with Chai Si.

"Instead of standing around chatting, we should get into the woods and look for him sooner." Chai San glared darkly at the two. "If we fail to get this done, what do you think Steward Wang will think? He'll definitely take his anger out on us. That won't be easy to deal with."

At Chai San's words, Chai Si and Chai Wu's expressions both tightened.

But Chai Si soon spoke in a strange, mocking tone. "I'm afraid the person Steward Wang will trouble won't be us brothers."

Chai San's face stiffened. He was just about to demand what Chai Si meant.

Whoosh.

Just as the words reached his throat but had yet to leave his mouth, Chai San caught a flash of silver from the corner of his eye. The next instant, scarlet burst before him, and warm droplets splattered across his face.

Chai Si, who had been standing beside Chai Wu, still wore that same mocking expression, but something had pierced straight through his neck, blasting a bloody hole through it.

His main artery had been hit. In an instant, blood sprayed out in torrents, splashing over the grass and staining a large patch red.

"Urgh..."

The attack had come so suddenly that Chai San's pupils abruptly dilated. Chai Si instinctively clutched his neck as blood continued to gush from it. His mouth opened and closed, his body beginning to convulse. Confusion and terror filled his eyes. He seemed to want to say something, but air leaked through his throat, leaving him unable to speak.

The moment Chai San and Chai Wu came to their senses, the light had already faded from Chai Si's eyes, and he collapsed.

Chai San immediately turned toward where the attack had come from, only to see a vague figure silently retreating into the concealed bushes.

"It's that bastard."

Chai San's breathing quickened. Though he had not clearly seen who was hiding in the bushes, his instincts told him that person was the one they sought.

"Forget about him. Chasing down that bastard is what matters. Whether we get rich or not depends on this." Seeing Chai Wu crouched down to inspect Chai Si, Chai San could not help shouting. Chai Si's death did not stir him in the slightest.

Looking at Chai Si's miserable corpse, Chai Wu's face turned pale. He and Chai Si had been standing side by side just now. If he had been standing where Chai Si was, he would likely have been the one who died.

Perhaps Chai San's shout had worked. Chai Wu gradually came to his senses, covertly glanced at the Sleeve Arrow lodged in Chai Si's neck, then stood up and stopped paying attention. His relationship with Chai Si had never been that close.

"Where is he?" A fierce glint appeared in Chai Wu's eyes.

"He ran that way." Chai San pointed in a direction. As he spoke, he ignored Chai Wu and rushed forward alone.

Although he did not know what method Huo Yuhao had used to kill Chai Si, that instant kill had only succeeded because of the ambush. Once they were on guard, they would not be so easily caught off guard again.

Whoosh.

A gust of wind shot past Chai San. It was Chai Wu. Unlike Chai San, he had not been struck by Golden Light, so at least his body was not weak.

Watching Chai Wu gradually pull farther ahead, Chai San's lips curled into an inexplicable smile. He had not forgotten the terror of being struck by that Golden Light that night.

If that little bastard could still unleash that move, then Chai Wu could take it for him. He refused to believe that move could be used continuously.

Then he could swallow the reward all by himself. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

The outer region of the forest was not particularly complicated. Huo Yuhao wore something resembling a Sleeve Arrow on his right hand as he swiftly ran forward.

Once he learned that Chai San and the others had come, he decided to kill them all. He had originally planned to deal with Chai Wu first because of his sturdy build, but Chai Si had blocked the way, so he could only kill him first.

As for Chai San, he was undoubtedly the weakest of the three. There was no need to eliminate him first.

After running roughly four hundred meters, the forest became increasingly complicated, with wild grass growing everywhere and thorny brambles densely packed around him.

Huo Yuhao glanced back at the grass behind him, where several deeper footprints had been left. He immediately began stepping heavily, making every footprint exceptionally clear. The next moment, he stopped before a patch of weeds over two meters tall.

After another look behind him, he quickly gathered Soul Power beneath his feet, making his movements light and gentle. This time, when he stepped on the grass, he left no footprints at all. He turned and headed toward another large tree. Agile as a monkey, he climbed it with several quick kicks, then concealed himself among the leaves.

Less than eight seconds after he finished all that, a figure suddenly came rushing madly toward the place he had passed through.

Huo Yuhao sat calmly on the branch and watched, but he saw only one person. Chai San was nowhere in sight.

Chai Wu's sharp gaze swept across the ground. When he saw the string of footprints leading into the weeds ahead, he hesitated, seemingly considering whether to keep pursuing.

After all, charging in rashly would make it easy for Voldemort to ambush him. The reward might be good, but staying alive to enjoy it was what truly mattered.

Yet reason was ultimately overwhelmed by thoughts of the reward. Chai Wu gritted his teeth and followed the footprints into the weeds.

From his high vantage point, Huo Yuhao could see the grass constantly rustling as Chai Wu pushed deeper and deeper inside.

The tiger had run; now all that remained was to wait for the rabbit to arrive.