Peril

"Very well. Since you've thought it through, I won't say anything more."

Li Youde nodded.

Ever since that incident, Li Xiao had become much more mature and steady. Li Youde trusted him. Since Li Xiao wanted to learn martial arts, he would naturally support him.

The three of them ate to their hearts' content.

The dishes on the table were scraped clean. Li Xiao even mixed the last bit of braising sauce into refined rice and ate every grain.

Li Youde set down his bowl and chopsticks, wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, and let out a satisfied burp, his face flushed faintly from the wine.

"How long has it been since I last ate this well..."

Several more days passed. Every day, Li Xiao went up the mountain to gather herbs and hunt. The medicinal herbs he found were all common herbs, however, and he did not have the same luck to come across mountain ginseng again.

This day, Li Xiao returned to Crescent Valley, where he had caught that roe deer last time.

More than half the snow in Crescent Valley had just melted, revealing the yellow-green grass beneath. The air carried the damp scent of earth.

With his new bow on his back, Li Xiao had just reached the mouth of the valley when a flash of snow-white caught the corner of his eye.

He jerked his head up and saw a White Fox crouched behind a cluster of short trees not far away.

The fox's fur was snow-white and silky, without a single stray color. Its tail was fluffy, and it was lowering its head to gnaw on something, moving as lightly as a drifting cloud.

Li Xiao's heart stirred.

White Fox pelts were greatly sought after in the city. A complete fox pelt could sell for quite a bit of silver.

He held his breath and slowly raised his new bow, setting an arrow against the string as he prepared to take aim—

As though it had eyes in the back of its head, the White Fox suddenly lifted its head. Its amber eyes watched Li Xiao warily, and a faint whimper came from its throat before it turned and fled.

It moved with astonishing speed. Its four paws made almost no sound on the snow, and in the blink of an eye, it had darted several zhang away, racing deeper into the valley.

"Trying to run?" Li Xiao shouted under his breath.

An arrow whistled forth, but the fox was too fast, and it missed.

He put away his bow and arrows and broke into pursuit.

That White Fox was so agile; it had surely lived for many years. Its fur had to be worth even more.

Man and fox began a chase through the valley.

The White Fox was small and nimble, deliberately darting along rugged mountain paths. At times it leaped across streams and ravines, at times it shot into the Dense Forest;

Li Xiao relied on his abundant stamina and pursued without relenting, his gaze locked tightly on that flash of snowy white.

The farther Li Xiao chased, the more alarmed he became. Not only was the White Fox fast, it seemed almost human in its cunning. Several times, it seemed able to predict his direction, always nimbly turning onto another fork just as he was about to catch it.

Before he knew it, they had chased each other for over half the day. The familiar scenery of Crescent Valley had long since vanished.

Li Xiao stopped, panting heavily, and looked up. Before him stretched a range of continuous black-gray mountains.

The slopes were steep, the strange rocks jagged, and the mountaintops were hidden in hazy gray mist, exuding an eerie air.

The trees by the road grew increasingly sparse, replaced by low brambles and exposed black stone. Wind swept through the mountains with a mournful howl, like beasts roaring.

"Black Wind Mountain?" Li Xiao frowned.

The Black Wind Mountain Range was an unbroken chain of mountains, and the largest among them was Black Wind Mountain. He usually hunted only in the Outskirts, yet without realizing it, he had come so close to Black Wind Mountain.

He had heard Old Dad say that Black Wind Mountain was the most dangerous mountain in the region. Not only did it contain fierce wild beasts, but bandits were said to haunt it as well. Ordinary hunters would never dare approach it.

Yet the White Fox showed no intention of stopping. With a flash of its body, it darted directly into Black Wind Mountain's territory and vanished behind a field of jagged rocks.

Li Xiao stood at the mountain entrance, looking at that sinister mountain forest, hesitation rising in his heart.

Li Xiao gritted his teeth. More than half the arrows in his quiver remained, and his new bow was in hand. He refused to believe he could not even catch a fox.

He took a deep breath and stepped into the depths of Black Wind Mountain.

After chasing for a while longer, he heard faint shouts of reprimand ahead.

Li Xiao lightened his steps and quietly approached under the cover of the rocks. By a mountain stream stood four men wielding blades and axes. Each wore a vicious expression; one glance was enough to tell they were no good.

And in their hands, they held that snow-white fox!

The White Fox was bound with thick rope, its snowy fur pulled into disarray.

"Haha, what good luck! Never thought we'd catch this beast! It'll fetch plenty of money in the city!"

A man with a face full of beard cursed and laughed as he reached out to seize the White Fox by its tail.

"Our big brother is amazing!" Skinny Tall Guy beside him said with a fawning grin.

"Once we sell this fox pelt at the foot of the mountain, we'll go have a good few drinks at the Drunken Immortal Restaurant!"

As the men laughed and talked, the Bearded Man's gaze suddenly turned sharp. He shouted toward where Li Xiao was hiding.

"Who's there? Get out here!"

Li Xiao's heart jolted. Knowing he could not stay hidden, he forced himself out from behind the rocks, his hand unconsciously tightening around his bow.

The Bearded Man sized him up for a moment. Seeing the bow and arrows on his back and that he looked like an ordinary hunter, the vicious gleam in his eyes intensified.

"Where did this Wild Boy come from? Running into us means your luck has run out. Kill him!"

Before his words had even faded, the four men charged at him with their blades raised.

How could Li Xiao dare fight them? He turned and plunged into the Dense Forest.

He knew the Mountain Path well and ran lightly, but the bandits behind him were clearly accustomed to charging through mountain terrain and pursued relentlessly.

"Trying to run?"

The Bearded Man roared, moving a full beat faster than the others. He was about to catch up.

In his desperation, Li Xiao came up with a plan. He snatched an arrow with his backhand, turned, nocked it, and fired—fast and fierce, the arrow flew straight at the Bearded Man's face.

To his surprise, the man gave a savage grin and did not dodge. He swung his blade in a vicious chop!

With a sharp clang, the arrow was cleaved cleanly into two!

"A Martial Master?!" Li Xiao's heart turned ice-cold.

Anyone who could split an arrow in half with a single stroke was no ordinary bandit. With such strength, he was simply no match for him.

Despair seized him in an instant, yet his feet did not dare slow. He rushed forward with every ounce of his strength.

Blade wind howled behind him, and the Bearded Man's voice was like a death warrant.

"Run, little brat! Let's see where you can run to!"

At that very moment, a deafening roar suddenly erupted from a cave on the side!

Everyone turned toward the sound and saw a Mountain Imp nearly a zhang tall burst from the cave. Black fur like needles covered its body, its fangs protruded, and its eyes burned red as it blocked the road like a small mountain.

The Mountain Imp had clearly been disturbed. It pounded its chest and roared, its gaze sweeping over the fleeing Li Xiao and the pursuing bandits before finally locking onto the Bearded Man closest to it.

"What kind of monster is that?!" The Bearded Man jumped in fright and swung his blade at it.

Yet the Mountain Imp moved with an agility that belied its size. It twisted aside to evade the blade, then its palm, broad as a fan, shot out and struck the Bearded Man squarely in the chest.

With a crack, the sound of bones shattering rang out clearly.

The Bearded Man flew backward like a rag doll, slammed into the rock wall, and fell silent.

The remaining three bandits were scared out of their wits. How could they still care about chasing Li Xiao? They turned and tried to flee.

But how could the Mountain Imp give them that chance? With a flicker, it caught up to one of them. Its huge hand seized the man's head and gave a light twist—the Screams of Agony came to an abrupt halt.

Li Xiao took the chance to plunge deep into the Dense Forest. Looking back, he saw the Mountain Imp raging beside the mountain stream, tearing the remaining two bandits apart amid their screams.

As for the bound White Fox, it had somehow broken free of the rope and immediately darted into another patch of woods, disappearing from sight.

Li Xiao's heart pounded wildly. He did not dare look any longer and lowered his head, running desperately out of Black Wind Mountain.

Only after he burst from the mountain entrance and stepped onto the familiar ground of Crescent Valley did he dare stop. Bracing himself against a tree trunk, he gasped for breath, his back already soaked in cold sweat.

A Martial Master, a Mountain Imp... The dangers of Black Wind Mountain far exceeded his imagination.

He touched the bow and arrows over his shoulder, only to find his palms ice-cold.

If that Mountain Imp had not appeared so suddenly today, he would already have become a dead soul beneath their blades.

Once again, the cruelty of this world had slammed into his face.