Two Years Later

Two years after the Feng Bo Yu Shi's rebellion—

"Hey, Lianshan."

Xu Yanwu lay lazily on a roof beam, watching Lianshan sit at a table below, grinding herbs. "Did you figure out what that herb we collected yesterday is for?"

Lianshan looked up at Xu Yanwu, his face showing the slight sharpness it had gained over the past two years. "Not yet, but since beasts were guarding it, it's likely a medicinal ingredient beneficial for healing or detoxification."

After two years of training under Xu Yanwu, Lianshan had changed significantly from when they first met.

His red hair was casually tied back, and his body was slender yet not frail. Since he was making medicine in his own room, his upper body was bare, revealing well-defined, solid muscles that seemed capable of unleashing immense power at any moment.

"I don't know much about traditional Chinese medicine, so telling me won't help..."

Xu Yanwu lazily rolled over, draping himself over the beam like a salted fish, even letting out a yawn.

"Haa—" Xu Yanwu rubbed a tear from the corner of his eye caused by the yawn and said listlessly, "Hurry up and finish making the medicine. Once you're done, I'll release our clones, and we can go hunting again."

For the past two years, to keep their secret excursions for hunting and training hidden from others, Xu Yanwu had asked Danzhu to create two lifelike mud puppets to impersonate him and Lianshan. He usually kept them stored away and released them when they went out, relying on Danzhu to control them.

Of course, the price for this was Danzhu's relentless exploitation of Xu Yanwu and the wild food he had to secretly bring back for her every time they went out…

This was evident from the countless figurines filling Danzhu's room and the weight Xu Yanwu had repeatedly helped her suppress…

"Okay."

Lianshan agreed, then asked with a worried expression, "Brother Xu, it's been two years. Is it really okay for us to secretly hunt Honkai Beasts like this, hiding it from Ji Lin and the others?"

"Why are you asking? Didn't you ask the same thing the last time we went hunting?" Xu Yanwu said speechlessly. "I already told you. We can't just reveal this. Your image in the tribe is that of a shamanic doctor; suddenly claiming to have great power would be too difficult to explain."

"It's all your fault..."

Lianshan muttered under his breath.

"Huh? Lianshan, what did you say?"

Xu Yanwu narrowed his eyes, threateningly.

"N-nothing. I'll get ready now."

Lianshan put down his pestle and trotted over to his bed. He retrieved a large bundle wrapped in layers of beast hide from a large cabinet by the head of the bed, along with a long wooden box.

Strapping the box to his back and holding the beast hide bundle, Lianshan said to Xu Yanwu, "Brother Xu, I've got my things. Shall we go?"

Xu Yanwu leaped from the beam, landing on the ground. "Alright, I'll release the puppets first and then notify Danzhu..."

Xu Yanwu pried open a section of the floor in Lianshan's room and pulled out two incredibly lifelike puppets resembling himself and Lianshan. He placed them on the ground and crouched down, speaking into the puppets' ears.

"Hey, hey, hey! Danzhu! Lianshan and I are going out! Remember to cover for us!"

The puppet that looked like Xu Yanwu on the ground suddenly moved and spoke, "Got it, Uncle Xu Yanwu. So troublesome... I'm currently teaching Ji Lin how to use the Xuanyuan Sword with my sister..."

"Hmph, remember to find me some clay this time when you go out!"

The voice was filled with a young girl's displeasure, if it weren't for it coming from Xu Yanwu's puppet...

"Okay, okay, okay. Find clay, right? I remember."

Xu Yanwu winked at Lianshan. "Lianshan, let's go. We'll sneak out of the village, no loud noises!"

"...Okay."

Peeking cautiously out of the room and confirming no one was around, Xu Yanwu and Lianshan, each carrying something on their backs, dashed towards the outskirts of the village.

With their strong physiques, they moved quickly. In the brief moment a guard outside the village turned away, they had already slipped out and disappeared into the nearby forest.

"Hmm?"

A guard scratched his head, puzzled. "Did I just see Lord Yinglong and Lady Jiang Zhu run out?"

"You must have seen wrong," another guard said with a look of disdain. "Lady Jiang Zhu should be making medicine at this hour, and you know how Lord Yinglong is—he rarely leaves the village except for hunting."

"Hmm... maybe I really did see wrong..."

The guard who initially thought he saw Xu Yanwu and Lianshan shook his head, dismissing the thought. "I'll go see Lady Jiang Zhu about my eyes later."

—Meanwhile, far away with Xu Yanwu—

"Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha! It's so much freer out here!"

Xu Yanwu leaped and ran across the trees in the forest, a look of uncontrollable excitement on his face.

"Brother Xu! Slow down a bit!"

Lianshan followed Xu Yanwu, treading on the trees, his speed not much slower than Xu Yanwu's.

Over the past two years, Lianshan had consumed a considerable number of Honkai Beasts and various medicinal herbs, which had also elevated his physical condition to a very high level.

Now, even in a direct confrontation with a Honkai Beast, Lianshan might not necessarily lose.

Xu Yanwu paused on the tallest tree, gazing into the distance. "What can we do? It's less likely to be discovered if we hunt Honkai Beasts farther away, right? Plus, we can scout the surroundings. Isn't that good?"

"Wouldn't it be better if we just flew there..."

Lianshan also stood on the tree and muttered softly.

"We can't fly."

Xu Yanwu said without mercy, "I have no intention of letting anyone ride me, and once my Yinglong form is released, the Honkai Beasts will sense it."

"The Honkai Beasts have all run off, what the heck are we supposed to eat!"

Xu Yanwu punched Lianshan on the head.

"Got it..."

Lianshan clutched his head, looking wronged.

Even though he had grown so much stronger now, he still couldn't defeat Xu Yanwu and could only obediently take a beating from him.

Of course, he didn't have any intention of resisting Xu Yanwu either.

After all, in the early days of the past two years, Xu Yanwu had saved him from the mouths of Honkai Beasts more than once.

"Let's go, let's go! Our first target for today, a thousand miles in one hour!"

Xu Yanwu shouted and leaped from the tree, charging directly north.

"That's impossible, Brother Xu!"