Soul Hunting Forest

"Urgh~"

Ye Qiu climbed out of the wooden bed, feeling uncomfortable all over. The moment he stretched, a wave of relief swept through him.

He swiftly picked up the bundle he had prepared the night before. Although yesterday's trip had been ruined by that bastard Tang Hao, it did not matter. He would continue today.

"Eh? Ye Qiu, why are you leaving in such a hurry?"

Seeing Ye Qiu about to head out with his bundle on his back, Grandma Tom, Grandpa Jerry's wife, called out to him as she prepared breakfast.

"I have something urgent to take care of. By the way, I didn't disturb you last night, did I?"

Ye Qiu was rather concerned about the elderly woman, whose health was not particularly good. After all, he had eaten quite a few of her snacks while working.

"It's nothing, nothing. When you get old, you sleep more deeply."

"That's good!"

After their brief exchange, Ye Qiu could not help worrying about Xiao Wu at Nuoding Academy.

He borrowed paper and a pen from the old couple and wrote a letter.

He also instructed Jerry that if he had not returned after three days, he should deliver the letter to a student named Xiao Wu at Nuoding Academy.

"Xiao Wu? That bratty girl who often comes here to wait for you and interrupts your work?"

Faced with Grandma Tom's assessment of Xiao Wu, Ye Qiu could not argue too much. He awkwardly scratched his head.

Seeing his expression, Grandma Tom let out an aged laugh and looked at him kindly. "Hehe! Don't worry, my old man will get it done for you!"

"Isn't that right?" Her eyes shifted as she glared sharply at Grandpa Jerry, who was squatting beside the stove and tending the fire.

"Ah, right, right, right. I'll definitely deliver it!" Grandpa Jerry nodded somewhat frantically.

Watching the amusing interaction between the old couple, Ye Qiu felt an unusual warmth. Perhaps this was what it meant to grow old together.

"Then thank you, Grandma Tom!" Ye Qiu leaned forward slightly and bowed to the two elders in gratitude, offering them the letter at the same time.

Grandma Tom nodded. There were not many children as sensible as this one.

She took the letter and gave Grandpa Jerry a meaningful look. "Go without worry!"

"Mm." Looking at the pancake the old man handed him, Ye Qiu did not stand on ceremony. His stomach really had started protesting.

As he reached the doorway, Grandma Tom's voice drifted after him.

"It's obvious. That lively little girl likes you very much!"

He turned back to look at them.

Grandma Tom merely smiled, then turned her head toward her husband, who was still squatting on the ground. The two quietly gazed at each other.

The corners of Ye Qiu's lips slowly curved upward. Without disturbing them, he gently pushed open the door, draped in a black robe, and disappeared into the surging crowd.

Xiao Wu liked him?

Mm. He knew. He had always known.

He had clearly had the chance from the very beginning to pull her out of the mire, yet for his own selfish reasons, he had still brought Xiao Wu to Nuoding City.

Come to think of it... when did I start falling for her? Was it that night? Maybe. None of that matters now. Xiao Wu is still waiting for me. I need to work harder too!

Ye Qiu's steps were swift and firm. Since it was his fault, then he would be the one to save Xiao Wu!

The Soul Hunting Forest near Nuoding City was a place where the Heaven Dou Empire raised spirit beasts. Though most of them were low-level spirit beasts, for Ye Qiu as he was now,

this dungeon was just right!

The forest was surrounded by imperial troops and Spirit Hall troops. It was guarded by the empire and jointly managed by Spirit Hall.

Although Ye Qiu wore a black robe, his height and voice still made it clear that he was just a young brat.

Yet no one came looking for trouble with him. In the Soul Hunting Forest, the humans might be more dangerous than the spirit beasts!

All around him, hawkers called out their wares.

"Take a look, have a look! A ten-year Herbivorous Snake spirit beast—just ten Gold Soul Coins, and it's yours!"

"Brother, looking to form a team for spirit hunting? Our Earth Wolf Mercenary Group is absolutely the most professional around here! Starting at fifty Gold Soul Coins, once you're inside, ten-year and hundred-year spirit beasts are yours to choose from!"

"Selling spirit beast meat! This is a three-hundred-year spirit beast, a Bronze Gong Pig, just hunted by the Earth Leopard Mercenary Group! Only one Gold Soul Coin per jin! Don't miss it as you pass by!"

Where there were people, there was noise.

Ignoring the sales pitches around him, Ye Qiu headed straight for the entrance. Hiring someone to help him hunt spirit beasts was simply unsuitable. What he intended to do could not be seen by others, and besides, he had no money!

After completing the token handover with the guards,

"Remember! Massacring spirit beasts is forbidden! If discovered, you will be executed without mercy!"

Faced with the warning, Ye Qiu nodded calmly. He tied the bundle in his hands to his back with a rope and quickly ran inside.

The farther he went, the lusher the trees became. It felt as if countless eyes were watching him from the surroundings. Ye Qiu rather enjoyed this faint sense of danger. It was thrilling!

He was already looking forward to the largest Star Dou Great Forest on Douluo Continent.

The spirit beasts on the outskirts of the spirit beast forest were all low-level. Some did not even possess ten years of cultivation.

Whoosh!

Ye Qiu leaped onto a tree branch and reached up to remove the blindfold covering his eyes. Beneath the black hood, a bloody gleam lit up—crimson at its center, tinged with violet.

"Sharingan! Activate!"

Swish! His gaze pierced through the forest, and countless images flashed through Ye Qiu's mind.

Just as he focused on observing the distance and searching for a target, a slender little snake slid down from a branch above his head.

It was a ten-year Green Line Snake. Its venom had anesthetic and hallucinogenic effects. It was not fatal, merely allowing it to painlessly bite chunks of flesh from its prey.

Flicking its tongue, it slowly extended its head above Ye Qiu's shoulder.

At that moment, a faint smile appeared on Ye Qiu's lips. He had found his target!

"Hiss~" The Green Line Snake opened its mouth wide, baring its fangs as it prepared to bite Ye Qiu's neck.

"Come to think of it, the Three Tomoe Sharingan is really useful." Still speaking, Ye Qiu suddenly turned his head.

A faint red light flashed in the Green Line Snake's eyes, and its head, which had been lunging toward Ye Qiu, abruptly stopped.

Ye Qiu extended his palm. As though it had gained intelligence, the little snake crawled into his hand and slowly coiled there.

"Illusion Technique. It really works!"

After controlling it into biting its own tail, the little snake went limp.

"You wanted to bite me? Whether you can survive this period will depend on your luck!"

With that, Ye Qiu hung it from a branch and swiftly headed toward the place he had spotted earlier!

There was a small gorge there, inhabited by a group of Violent Apes.

Violent Apes were herd-dwelling spirit beasts, most of them around the hundred-year level. They were naturally irritable and fiercely territorial. When faced with intruders, they would swarm them.

In battle, they could enter a berserk state, increasing all attributes by fifty percent. Their weakness was that they could not distinguish friend from foe.

Since enrolling, Ye Qiu had barely fought at all. Though he possessed martial skills, he could not use them proficiently. This group of Violent Apes was the whetstone he had chosen—an appetizer!