The So-Called Secret

Qin Heng turned around and saw that the guy had actually bitten through the vine with his teeth. His gums had split open, and his mouth was full of blood.

His face was dark red, and it seemed his internal organs were nearly crushed. He had only one last breath left.

Qin Heng frowned. "What are you talking about? What secret does Ling Xue have?"

Fang Lingxue was his girlfriend and also his great benefactor. In this world, she mattered even more to him than his biological parents.

Part of the reason Qin Heng and Wang Peng had reached the point of fighting to the death was Fang Lingxue.

Wang Peng knew Qin Heng cared about this, so he went straight for the key words.

With his life about to reach its end, he rasped, "She isn't an ordinary person... Save me, and I'll... tell you."

"This..."

Qin Heng hesitated.

Of course, he did not want to save Wang Peng. If this guy died, he would love nothing more than to beat drums and set off firecrackers in celebration.

But Wang Peng had brought up Fang Lingxue at a time like this. He was probably not just spouting nonsense—he truly knew something and wanted to trade it for a chance to live.

After hesitating briefly, Qin Heng saw Wang Peng looking like he was about to head for the Yellow Springs and thought, Even if he doesn't die now, he's badly injured. I'll save him first and hear what he has to say. Killing him afterward won't be too late. He then turned and ran back.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

His battle saber sliced through the obstructing vines. Most of the vines were busy dealing with Qian Feilong and Wang Peng, so Qin Heng faced little pressure and easily charged back in.

Qian Feilong was still struggling desperately. Seeing Qin Heng turn back, he said happily, "Help me too! There are really too many of these disgusting vines!"

Qin Heng ignored him completely and fiercely slashed several times, severing all the vines around Wang Peng's body.

These vines differed somewhat from the other green vines. The moment they were cut, they sprayed out large amounts of red liquid—the blood they had just sucked up.

Moreover, once they were severed, the intact vines nearby actually stopped attacking Qin Heng. Instead, they rubbed and coiled in place, trying to reabsorb the blood on the ground.

"Wang Peng, talk!"

Qin Heng used the tip of his saber to lift away the green vines around Wang Peng's face and urged him on.

"I, I..."

Wang Peng was now barely clinging to life, even weaker than before. His whole body seemed to have shrunk by a size. He had lost too much blood, and his consciousness had already become blurred.

He muttered, "Save me... save me..."

With a slash of his saber tip, Qin Heng cut through the middle of the vines that had bound him like a mummy.

Wang Peng's body was freed. His Combat Suit had been twisted to shreds, and his skin was covered in tiny puncture wounds. He looked like a corpse drained dry of blood, a horrifying sight.

"It hasn't even been three minutes..."

Seeing this, Qin Heng felt a chill of lingering fear.

If he had been the one entangled just now, his fate probably would not have been much better than Wang Peng's.

"Wang Peng, tell me about Fang Lingxue!" Qin Heng grabbed the dried-corpse-like enemy and demanded loudly.

Wang Peng struggled to open his eyes. Once he saw Qin Heng clearly, he spoke as if in a dream. "Fang... she was... born to a Cleaning Lady..."

Before he could finish, his eyes rolled shut and he passed out.

"Hey? Hey?" Qin Heng was thoroughly annoyed. He had not expected that after coming all the way back, this was what he would hear.

Fang Lingxue's parents were outside cleaning staff at a military factory. He had known that long ago. Why did Wang Peng need to tell him that?

"What a waste of emotion. Go die."

With a casual toss, Qin Heng threw Wang Peng into the midst of the Blood-Sucking Vines. He was quickly wrapped up by numerous vines and turned into a rice dumpling once more.

"Qin Heng, help me! I'm begging you!"

Qian Feilong was nearly done for as well. His legs had been twisted out of shape by the Blood-Sucking Vines, and he was only struggling in vain.

Qin Heng glanced at him without saying anything, then carefully followed the thinnest area of the Blood-Sucking Vines and swiftly escaped.

He had originally intended to find the Blood-Sucking Vine's Main Root and destroy it, but now there was no need.

Qin Heng stood outside the Forest for a while.

Only after he watched Qian Feilong's figure get swallowed by the Blood-Sucking Vines and his wails gradually weaken did he lower his guard.

"Human lives really are fragile beyond measure in the wilderness."

Qin Heng could not help sighing.

Wang Peng, who had troubled him before, had died just like that. From a lively young man to a skin-and-bones dried corpse, it had taken less than five minutes.

Demon Plants were indeed as terrifying as the television programs said.

They were even more terrifying than television made them out to be...

Qian Feilong, an Elite Class student from one of the four great Martial Halls and a genius with hopes of reaching the Grandmaster realm, could only struggle helplessly against countless vines.

If Qin Heng had not been lucky enough to dart into an area with fewer vines and avoid becoming the Blood-Sucking Vine's main target, his fate probably would not have been much better than theirs.

After passing this assessment, I'll bury myself in cultivation at the Heavenly Dao Martial Hall. At the very least, I need the strength of an Advanced Martial Warrior before I can roam the wilderness. Qin Heng thought to himself.

He had once believed Martial Warriors were powerful, the guardians of human society and the sharpest weapons of the Base City.

But now he understood. Martial Warriors were people too. They were not all that different from ordinary people. They could die, and they could be afraid.

Yes, afraid.

When fighting people or Monsters, he would feel excited. It was thrilling.

But facing the seemingly endless vines of the Blood-Sucking Vine, Qin Heng was still a little afraid.

Although such things were not numerous in the wilderness, once encountered, they meant a nine-deaths-and-one-life situation!

A person could not always rely on luck to cling to life.

Strength was the most important support for roaming freely through the wilderness!

"I'll go back and see how Brother Huang and the others are doing." Qin Heng turned and left.

He did not know whether his companions' battle had ended. Six against five gave them some advantage, but Huang Jiancheng and Zhao Dongxing were both injured, so it was still hard to say who had won or lost.

He followed the original route back into Abandoned Town.

Before long, he arrived beneath that dilapidated house that looked ready to collapse.

"Look, Qin Heng is back!"

Before he even arrived, Jin Wenxin's voice carried over.

The brawl here had ended as well. Neither side seemed to have gained anything. All eleven people bore injuries of varying severity, and they were currently split into two groups over thirty meters apart, resting on their own.

"Qin Heng, are you okay? Where are those two guys?" Zhao Dongxing asked.

Huang Jiancheng was the most seriously injured. He lay on the ground while the others tended to him, seemingly without much strength left.

Zhao Dongxing was badly injured too, though it did not yet affect his ability to move.

Qin Heng glanced at the students from War God Martial Hall and replied, "I happened to run into a Demon Plant, a Blood-Sucking Vine. Both of them died. I was faster and didn't get tangled up, so I managed to keep my life."

"What? A Blood-Sucking Vine!"

That name gave everyone a fright.

"There's actually a Blood-Sucking Vine here?"

"Holy shit, that's terrifying! We need to leave now. We absolutely can't spend the night here!"

"Go, go, go! We're leaving right now!"

Zhao Dongxing and the others scrambled to their feet. Even Huang Jiancheng, who had looked like he was saying, "I can't go on," hurriedly got up, afraid that if he moved too slowly, the Blood-Sucking Vines would catch him and leave him with a miserable fate.

The five people from War God Martial Hall panicked too.

Blood-Sucking Vines. Wang Peng was dead. Qian Feilong was dead too!

To them, those three pieces of information were bolts from the blue!

Wang Peng was the only relative of Wang Jianming, the Vice Hall Master of War God Martial Hall, while Qian Feilong was an Elite Class student. Both were important members of War God Martial Hall!

Besides serving as sparring partners, the five ordinary students had also carried the unspoken mission of "protecting" those two important figures on this trip.

Now that both men were dead, they would certainly face severe punishment upon returning.

"What do we do..." The five collapsed onto the ground, their faces ashen.

"Qin Heng, your bag is here. Let's hurry up and leave. We can hunt somewhere else." Jin Wenxin carried over Qin Heng's backpack, not wanting to stay here another second.

Huang Jiancheng, Zhao Dongxing, Wu Ruijie, and the others all wore the same expression. They were extremely anxious to leave.

Qin Heng took the backpack and was about to leave with everyone.

At that moment, Liang Yunkai, who had always been quiet and taciturn, suddenly asked, "Qin Heng, did you see the Main Root of the Blood-Sucking Vine?"