2 Years Later

Two years after Feng Bo Yu Shi's rebellion—

"Say, Lianshan."

Xu Yanwu lay lazily on a roof beam, watching Lianshan grind herbs at the table below. "Have you figured out what that herb we picked yesterday is used for?"

Lianshan looked up at Xu Yanwu, revealing a face that had gained some definition over the past two years. "Not yet. But since wild beasts were guarding it, it should be safe to say it's a medicinal herb useful for healing, detoxification, and the like."

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

His long red hair was casually tied behind his back. His body was slender without looking frail.

Since he was preparing medicine in his own room, he was bare-chested, his firm muscles clearly defined, as though they could erupt with tremendous power at any moment.

"I don't know much about Chinese herbs either, so there's no point telling me..."

Xu Yanwu lazily rolled over, sprawled across the beam with all four limbs dangling down like a salted fish hanging from the rafters. He even let out a yawn.

"Ha—" Xu Yanwu wiped away a tear squeezed from the corner of his eye by the yawn and said boredly, "Hurry up and finish making the medicine. Once you're done, I'll let our doubles out, and we can go hunt again."

Over the past two years, to keep others from finding out that he and Lianshan had been sneaking out to hunt wild game and train, Xu Yanwu had asked Danzhu to make two clay dolls to impersonate them. Xu Yanwu usually kept them stored away, but whenever the two of them went out, he would release them and ask Danzhu to control them.

Of course, the price for that was Danzhu's merciless exploitation of Xu Yanwu, as well as the share of wild game he secretly brought back for her every time they went out...

That much was obvious from the room full of figurines at Danzhu's place, along with the weight Xu Yanwu had helped her keep under control on more than one occasion...

"Alright."

After agreeing, Lianshan spoke with concern. "Brother Xu, it's been two years already. Is it really okay for us to keep secretly killing Honkai Beasts without telling Ji Lin and the others?"

"Why ask? Don't you ask that every time we go hunting?" Xu Yanwu said helplessly. "Didn't I already tell you? We can't just reveal this. Your image in the tribe is that of a shaman healer. If you suddenly say you possess immense strength, there's no way to explain it."

"Wasn't that your doing..."

Lianshan muttered under his breath.

"Hm? What did you say, Lianshan?"

Xu Yanwu narrowed his eyes threateningly at Lianshan.

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

Lianshan set down the pestle in his hand and trotted over to his bed. From a large cabinet by the headboard, he pulled out a huge bundle wrapped layer upon layer in beast hide, along with a long wooden case.

He slung the case over his back, then held the hide bundle and said to Xu Yanwu, "Brother Xu, I've got everything. Shall we go?"

Xu Yanwu leaped down from the roof beam and landed on the floor. "Alright. I'll release the puppets first, then notify Danzhu..."

Xu Yanwu pried up a section of Lianshan's floorboards and pulled out two lifelike puppets that looked exactly like himself and Lianshan. After setting them on the ground, he bent down and spoke into one puppet's ear.

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

The puppet that looked like Xu Yanwu immediately moved and opened its mouth. "Got it, Uncle Xu Yanwu. What a hassle... I'm teaching Ji Lin how to use the Xuanyuan Sword with my sister right now..."

"Hmph! Make sure you find clay for me this time!"

The little girl's tone was filled with displeasure. If she had not been using Xu Yanwu's appearance, that was...

"Alright, alright, clay, right? I'll remember."

Xu Yanwu winked at Lianshan. "Lianshan,"

"Let's go. We'll sneak out of the village—no shooting!"

"...Okay."

Xu Yanwu and Lianshan cautiously poked their heads out of the room and looked around. Once they confirmed that no one was nearby for the moment, they each carried their things and darted toward the edge of the tribe.

With their exceptional physical abilities, they moved incredibly quickly. In the brief moment when the guards outside the tribe turned their heads, they burst out of the settlement and disappeared into the nearby forest.

"Hm?"

One guard scratched his head in confusion. "Did I just see Lord Ying Long and Jiang Zhu run out?"

"You must've seen wrong." The other guard looked at him with disdain. "Jiang Zhu should be preparing medicine at this hour, and you know Lord Ying Long is too lazy to leave the tribe unless he's hunting."

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

The guard who had first spotted Xu Yanwu and Lianshan scratched his head and shook the thought away. "I should go have Jiang Zhu check my eyes later."

—Meanwhile, Xu Yanwu and Lianshan had already slipped far away—

"Ahahahahahaha—freedom outside is the best!"

Xu Yanwu leaped from tree to tree through the forest, unable to hide his excitement.

"Brother Xu! Slow down!"

Lianshan followed Xu Yanwu, continuously springing from branch to branch. His speed was not much slower than Xu Yanwu's.

Over the past two years, Lianshan had eaten quite a few Honkai Beasts and all kinds of medicinal herbs.

His physical abilities had also reached an extremely high level.

Now, even if Lianshan faced a Honkai Beast head-on in a contest of strength, he might not necessarily lose.

Xu Yanwu paused atop the tallest tree and looked into the distance. "Can't help it. If we go farther away to hunt Honkai Beasts, we'll be less likely to get discovered, right? And we can scout the surrounding terrain while we're at it. Isn't that a good thing?"

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

Lianshan also stood atop that tree and muttered quietly.

"Flying is out of the question."

Xu Yanwu said without mercy, "I have no intention of letting anyone ride me. Besides, once I reveal my Ying Long form, the Honkai Beasts will sense it."

"If the Honkai Beasts all run away, what the hell are we supposed to eat!"

Xu Yanwu punched Lianshan on the head.

"Got it..."

Lianshan covered his head, looking aggrieved.

Even though he had grown so much stronger, he still could not beat Xu Yanwu and could only obediently take his punches.

Of course, he had no intention of resisting Xu Yanwu either.

After all, during those first two years, Xu Yanwu had saved him from the jaws of Honkai Beasts more than once.

"Let's go, let's go! Today's first goal: a thousand li in one shichen!"

Xu Yanwu shouted as he jumped down from the tree and charged straight north.

"I can't do that, Brother Xu!"