In a clearing more than ten meters across, deep in the forest, branches lay scattered everywhere. A faint stench of urine still lingered in the air, and strands of gray fur clung to the tree trunks.
Each strand was about two inches long.
The moment Nie Li saw the fur, he recognized it. Fox Bears!
"Who's there?" a wary voice suddenly called out.
Nie Li looked over and saw someone emerge from behind a tree. He was a little surprised when he recognized the man: Chen Linjian. A moment later, several others came out from behind him. Two were Chen Linjian's followers, and one was Shen Yue.
"What are you doing here?" Chen Linjian asked, looking at Nie Li.
"I caught a strange scent in the air while I was cultivating, so I followed it here," Nie Li replied. His gaze swept over Chen Linjian and Shen Yue. The two seemed to know each other, but they weren't on the same side. Otherwise, Chen Linjian wouldn't have killed so many members of the Sacred Family in his previous life.
Shen Yue shot Nie Li a cold look. His gloomy gaze disappeared into the darkness.
A strange scent? Why hadn't they smelled it earlier?
"My two subordinates found this place while searching the forest, so Shen Yue and I came to take a look," Chen Linjian said. For now, he and Shen Yue got along fairly well. Both were direct descendants of the Peak Family, so they maintained a friendly relationship on the surface.
Shen Yue snorted. "Coming to a place like this alone in the middle of the night? Maybe he's up to no good." Shen Yue would have loved to pin every accusation he could on Nie Li.
Nie Li couldn't be bothered to explain. Chen Linjian would have to be a fool to believe an accusation with no proof.
Chen Linjian looked from Shen Yue to Nie Li. He'd heard something about the feud between them. How could an academy student with no background dare to stand up to the Sacred Family? Was Nie Li confident, or simply ignorant?
"This demon beast's lair must have been abandoned for a long time," Shen Yue said, glancing around the area. Now that Nie Li had arrived, Shen Yue had no desire to stay any longer. There would be plenty of chances to deal with Nie Li on the way to the Ancient Orchid City Ruins. There was no need to waste words on him.
"This demon beast's lair has indeed been abandoned for a long time." Chen Linjian glanced at the scattered branches and nodded. Then, as if a thought had occurred to him, he turned to Nie Li. "What do you think?" Nie Li was quite knowledgeable, after all.
"There's some fur left on the tree trunks, and judging by how the lair was arranged, I'd say it belonged to a demon beast called a Fox Bear. Fox Bears aren't very large. An adult stands about one meter tall, and a two-meter-long one would already be exceptionally robust. This lair is so large that an entire Fox Bear pack must have lived here."
Chen Linjian and the two followers behind him stared at Nie Li, dumbfounded. With only these few clues, he'd figured out which demon beast had lived here. It was astonishing. After all, there were tens of thousands of demon beasts in the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range.
It seemed bringing Nie Li along had been a wise decision, Chen Linjian thought.
"With so little evidence, it's far too hasty to conclude this was once a Fox Bear lair," Shen Yue argued. He opposed anything Nie Li said.
"Go on," Chen Linjian said to Nie Li, ignoring Shen Yue.
Shen Yue opened his mouth in displeasure, but said nothing more. Although he and Chen Linjian were both direct descendants of their respective families, the Sacred Family had seven direct descendants in Shen Yue's generation, and he wasn't one of the favored ones. If he could marry Ye Ziyun, his standing in the Sacred Family would rise to a whole new level, and he could become a candidate for the next family head. Chen Linjian was different. From almost the moment he was born, he'd been all but confirmed as the next family head, and he had exceptional talent. Shen Yue didn't dare sour their relationship.
Nie Li treated Shen Yue like thin air and continued, "Adult Fox Bears are usually Silver Rank demon beasts. By their habits, they spend three-fifths of every year dormant in their caves, enduring the coldest stretch in the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range. When early summer comes, they emerge and move into the forest to hunt."
"You mean this is the time of year they come out?" Chen Linjian asked in surprise.
"Exactly." Nie Li nodded. "There's still a faint stench of urine in the air here. If it had been left behind last year, the scent would have faded after so long exposed to wind and rain. Fox Bears are fiercely territorial. They mark their territory with urine. I suspect they'll show up soon!"
Nie Li's meticulous mind had gleaned so much from careful observation that Chen Linjian couldn't help but admire him. He saw Nie Li in a whole new light. Nie Li was practically a living encyclopedia of demon spirits!
"What should we do, then?" Chen Linjian asked, now seeking Nie Li's advice.
"We should leave as soon as possible and travel through the night. Fox Bears have an exceptionally keen sense of smell. If they discover strangers in their territory, they may fight us to the death. We're strong enough to wipe out the whole pack, but we'd likely suffer casualties. Our goal is the Ancient Orchid City Ruins." Nie Li recalled that in his previous life, Ye Ziyun had told him that their party had been attacked by Fox Bears on the way to the Ancient Orchid City Ruins, and several people had died or been injured. That made him even more certain this place was dangerous.
Chen Linjian considered it for a moment. "All right. We'll leave tonight."
"Young Master Chen, don't listen to his nonsense. If the place is empty, there's no way Fox Bears are going to show up. Traveling at night is even more dangerous. We should wait until morning!" Shen Yue immediately objected.
Nie Li spread his hands. Chen Linjian could decide however he wanted. Whether they stayed or left, it made no difference to him.
"Let's go!" Chen Linjian said decisively. There was no doubt he trusted Nie Li's judgment more.
Chen Linjian was a shrewd man. He knew whose words he could trust and whose he couldn't.
Back at camp, Chen Linjian immediately roused everyone from their sleep.
"Young Master Chen, what happened?"
"Yeah, why are we traveling through the night?"
Everyone was baffled.
"Don't worry about it. Just follow my orders!" Chen Linjian made his decision on the spot. Ignoring everyone's protests, he led them toward the edge of the forest.
Nie Li walked with Ye Ziyun. She was a little puzzled, too, but didn't ask many questions.
As soon as they reached the edge of the forest, the ground began to tremble with a rumble. Behind them, deep in the woods, came a series of bear roars. In an instant, everyone understood.
"Young Master Chen is brilliant!"
"Thank goodness Young Master Chen led us out. Otherwise, we'd have ended up fighting those Fox Bears!"
Everyone praised Chen Linjian. But Chen Linjian knew all the credit belonged to Nie Li. If he hadn't listened to Nie Li, they would definitely have been attacked by the Fox Bears. They could have beaten them, but some of them would likely have been injured or killed.
By now, Chen Linjian admired Nie Li wholeheartedly. He'd been an outstanding leader among his peers ever since he was young, but for the first time, he had to admit that Nie Li knew far more than he did. And Nie Li was several years younger than him!
Shen Yue was seething. He hadn't expected Nie Li to be right: Fox Bears really had been lurking there. He'd lost every clash with Nie Li, and his resentment kept growing.
Luckily, the deacon elder had sent three Silver Rank experts to follow behind them. Shen Yue's expression turned dark. The moment Nie Li fell behind the group, he would find a chance to kill him!
Nie Li walked quietly at the back of the group with Ye Ziyun. He glanced behind them, a cold smile touching the corner of his mouth. He'd sensed someone following the group. Seeing Shen Yue looking distracted, he could guess who those people were: they had to be from the Sacred Family.
They were probably waiting for a chance to strike at him!
Ye Ziyun and the others hadn't noticed they were being followed, but nothing escaped Nie Li's keen senses. If he couldn't detect three Silver Rank experts tailing them, he might as well have been blind.
"One, two, three... Three Silver Rank experts." Nie Li kept walking as if nothing were wrong.
Dawn gradually broke on the horizon. Chen Linjian fell into step beside Nie Li, looked at him, and said, "Thanks to your foresight, Brother Nie Li, we avoided the Fox Bears. We might not have been wiped out, but we would've suffered casualties. I owe you one." Casualties on the very first day would have badly affected the group's morale.
Hearing Chen Linjian's words, Ye Ziyun glanced at Nie Li in surprise. She hadn't realized he was the one who had discovered the Fox Bears first.
"You're too kind, Young Master Chen," Nie Li replied evenly, without the slightest hint of pride.
Chen Linjian nodded slightly. From the moment he'd met Nie Li, he'd known the young man had ability. Seeing him take both praise and blame in stride only made Chen Linjian admire him more.
Nie Li lowered his voice. "Young Master Chen, we're being followed."
Chen Linjian's heart lurched. He turned to look at the forest behind them.
"Don't look. There are three Silver Rank experts. I don't know who sent them," Nie Li quickly said.
Chen Linjian immediately looked away, forcing a casual smile. In a low voice, he asked, "What do they want?" He furrowed his brow. He hadn't made enemies with anyone in the City of Brilliance!
"They might be from the Dark Guild," Nie Li said. He could tell the three men belonged to the Sacred Family, but he still claimed they were from the Dark Guild.
A chill flashed in Chen Linjian's eyes at Nie Li's words. The Dark Guild was infamous throughout the City of Brilliance. It was a secret organization founded by a group of criminals. Its members rarely dared show their faces in broad daylight. In the shadows, they killed and robbed without restraint, making them the enemy of every family in the City of Brilliance!
"Leave this to me." Chen Linjian patted Nie Li on the shoulder, then walked ahead.
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