Framed by Enemies, Escaping with His Life

Just as he was about to practice another round, his ears suddenly twitched. From the other side of a nearby tent came the faintest sound of deliberately hushed conversation. One voice was quite familiar—it belonged to Wang Zheng, who had invited him earlier that day and been refused.

"...That brat really doesn't know what's good for him. He thinks a streak of damned luck makes him better than everyone else!"

"Hmph, he merely got lucky and picked up a bargain. Does he really think it was his own ability?"

"Brother Sun's hand can't be ruined for nothing... We need to find an opportunity..."

"Don't worry. The mountains are vast, and accidents happen all the time... Once we head deeper into the mountains tomorrow, there'll be plenty of chances for him to have an 'accident'..."

The voices gradually faded, followed by several cold chuckles and retreating footsteps.

Li Bufan slowly drew back his stance, his gaze turning cold and sharp within the tent's shadows.

So they had come after all. Sun Yi's group, along with these people who seemed enthusiastic on the surface but harbored ulterior motives—ultimately, they could not hold themselves back.

They wanted to arrange an "accident" for him in the mountains?

A cold curve lifted at the corner of Li Bufan's mouth.

He gently flexed his wrist, feeling the surging blood and qi within him, as well as the tough membrane of his skin.

Then let them see whose "accident" it would be tomorrow.

He stopped practicing his fist technique, turned, lifted the tent flap, and went inside. Tonight, he needed to conserve his strength and prepare for tomorrow's changes.

The following morning, the sky remained overcast. The cold wind swept up flecks of snow, foretelling that the weather in the mountains might worsen. The team assembled once again. After a night's rest, everyone seemed more energetic, though their gazes toward Li Bufan carried an indescribably complicated meaning.

Nanny Wu remained as concise as ever. "Today, we go deep into Wolf Howl Ravine, where Snow Wolves frequently appear. Keep your wits sharp! Still groups of three. Assemble here before sunset!"

Once the order was given, the groups swiftly dispersed. Li Bufan noticed that Wang Zheng and the others seemed to deliberately slow their pace, their eyes occasionally drifting in his direction.

Li Bufan sneered inwardly, but his expression did not change. He chose a direction they had not explored yesterday and quickly vanished into the sea of forest. He was even more cautious today, pushing his five senses to their limits. He watched not only for traces of prey, but also remained constantly alert for hidden arrows from his "own kind."

After traveling for roughly half an hour, he gradually approached the area marked as Wolf Howl Ravine on the map. The terrain became increasingly perilous, filled with jagged rocks and twisted dead trees. Along the way, he had caught only two pheasants and found no trace of large prey.

Just as he was preparing to climb a high slope and survey the surroundings, his nose caught an extremely faint yet unusually cloying scent. It stood utterly at odds with the fragrance of grass, trees, ice, and snow in the mountains!

Beast Luring Incense?! Li Bufan's heart tightened, and alarm flared instantly within him. This was a crude but effective medicinal powder that gave off a special scent capable of attracting ferocious beasts. Hunters usually used it to lure prey into traps, but its appearance here could not possibly be a coincidence!

He immediately held his breath and sprang fiercely behind a huge boulder to one side!

Almost at the instant he hid himself, three or four crossbow bolts that had been aimed at where he stood thudded into the tree trunk behind him! Their arrowheads were black, clearly poisoned!

"What a pity!" An annoyed low shout came from behind and to the side.

Li Bufan pressed his back against the icy rock, his heart hammering. They had indeed come! And they had opened with Poisoned Crossbow Bolts—they wanted his life!

Yet before he could consider how to strike back, the cloying scent of Beast Luring Incense suddenly grew stronger! Clearly, seeing that their hidden arrows had failed, the other side had simply scattered a large amount of incense powder!

At the same time, Li Bufan suddenly sensed that the bundle on his back, which held the Snow Wolf heart, Wolf Pelt, and other items, seemed to be giving off a strange scent as well. Mixed with the Beast Luring Incense, it produced an indescribable change!

Awooo—!

From deep within the distant mountain ravine came a suddenly piercing, prolonged wolf howl! Then came a second, a third... Countless wolf howls echoed in answer, rapidly drawing nearer from afar!

"Not good!" Li Bufan's expression changed drastically! Snow Wolves were pack creatures and extremely sensitive to the blood and scent of death from their own kind! That Beast Luring Incense was likely specially made. It not only attracted fierce beasts, but could also provoke them into frenzy toward particular scents!

Wang Zheng and the others had not merely used Beast Luring Incense. They had likely tampered with him as well, smearing his clothes or bundle with Snow Wolf blood or something similar!

"Run!" Wang Zheng and the others shouted from afar, sounding somewhat panicked yet pleased, followed by the rapid sound of their retreating footsteps. They only wanted to lure in a wolf pack and create an "accident"; they had no intention of burying themselves along with him.

At this moment, Li Bufan had no time to pursue them, because scalp-numbing rustling sounds were rising from the snowy woods on all sides!

Pairs of cruel, ghostly green eyes lit up amid the shadows of the trees. Low whimpers and the scraping of claws against the ground sounded without end!

In the blink of an eye, the area where he stood had been completely surrounded by more than twenty hulking Snow Wolves with bared fangs!

These Snow Wolves were clearly in an extreme frenzy. Saliva dripped from the corners of their mouths as they stared fixedly at Li Bufan—especially the bundle on his back!

"Damn it!" With his back against the rock, Li Bufan slowly drew his saber. In this close-range encirclement, his powerful bow was difficult to use. The blood and qi within him circulated madly, and the strength of Minor Success in Skin Refining suffused his body. A faint bronze sheen surfaced over his skin.

Roar! The largest alpha wolf let out a shrieking battle cry and pounced! It was swift as lightning!

Li Bufan's eyes hardened. He neither dodged nor evaded, his saber drawing a flash of cold light as it cleaved precisely toward the wolf's head!

Splurt!

Blood burst forth! The alpha wolf let out a miserable howl, half its skull nearly split open, before crashing heavily to the ground and twitching. Yet its death did not frighten the pack away. Instead, it further stirred their ferocity!

In an instant, seven or eight Snow Wolves pounced from different directions at once! Claws and fangs tore through the wind, and their stench assailed his face!

Li Bufan roared and incorporated the force-generating method of the Mighty Ox Fist into his saber technique. His saber whirled so tightly that not even water could seep through! At the same time, his footwork shifted constantly as he did everything possible to evade attacks from his blind spots!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The sounds of the blade entering flesh rang out one after another! Snow Wolves were continuously sent flying or slashed open, releasing miserable howls. But there were simply too many wolves, their attacks surging without end like the tide!

Li Bufan was soon wounded! One Snow Wolf's sharp claws tore through the leather armor on his arm, leaving three palm-sized bloody gashes! Another nearly bit into his calf. Fortunately, he twisted away in time, and it only ripped off a piece of his leg armor!

The intense pain stimulated his nerves, while the scent of blood drove the wolf pack even madder!

He fought as he retreated, trying to break out of the encirclement, but the wolves clung to him relentlessly! When his saber's edge curled, he seized a thick branch snapped off by a wolf's claws, poured blood and qi into it, and swung it down viciously!

Bang! A Snow Wolf was smashed so hard that its bones cracked and tendons snapped!

But the wounds on his body continued to multiply, and his blood and qi were being rapidly drained! At this rate, death was inevitable!

I have to break out! A ruthless glint flashed through Li Bufan's eyes! He suddenly hurled the bundle on his back, stained with Snow Wolf blood, toward the densest part of the wolf pack!

The bundle burst open. Deer hearts, Wolf Pelts, and other items rolled across the ground. The rich stench of blood and that strange scent instantly drew the attention of most of the Snow Wolves!

"Now!" Li Bufan seized this fleeting chance. The blood and qi within him burned at an unprecedented speed. He kicked violently against the ground, blasting the snow apart! Like an arrow loosed from the string, he charged madly toward the weakest point in the wolves' encirclement!

Two Snow Wolves tried to intercept him, but he smashed them aside with his nearly ruined saber and fists!

Charge! Charge! Charge!

He ignored everything else, knowing only that he had to run forward with all his strength! The roar of the wind filled his ears, along with the wolves behind him fighting over the bundle, then their furious howls and pursuit once they discovered his escape!

Branches lashed his face, leaving bloody marks. Thorns tore at his leather armor, but he felt none of it! He simply ran desperately, squeezing out every last ounce of strength he possessed!

He did not know how far he ran before the howls behind him gradually faded and finally disappeared. Li Bufan staggered and fell to the ground. His entire body felt as though it had fallen apart. Wounds covered him everywhere, blood staining his clothes red, and his blood and qi were nearly exhausted.

He struggled to turn around and look back. Only after confirming that the wolf pack had not followed did he finally let out a breath, panting violently as his chest burned with pain.

After resting for a moment, he gritted his teeth, tore off part of his garment, and crudely bandaged several of his worst wounds. After getting his bearings, he limped toward the assembly point.

When he finally emerged from the forest around sunset and returned to the gathering clearing, drenched in blood, clothed in rags, and dragging his utterly exhausted body, he once again drew everyone's attention.

This time, however, the meaning in their eyes was entirely different. Shock, confusion, and even a trace of schadenfreude.

Wang Zheng and the others were also among the crowd. When they saw that Li Bufan had actually returned alive, an almost imperceptible flicker of panic and disappointment crossed their faces.

Li Bufan did not look at them. His gaze went straight to the silent carriage, and to Nanny Wu standing beside it like an iron tower.

Step by step, he walked into the center of the clearing. Facing the carriage, he dropped to one knee with a thud, his voice hoarse yet incomparably clear. "Miss! This subordinate was plotted against and nearly died in the jaws of wolves. I ask Miss to uphold justice for this subordinate!"

The entire area erupted in uproar!

"Plotted against? What happened?"

"Judging by his appearance, he must have gone through a vicious battle..."

"Who would dare do such a thing?"

Nanny Wu furrowed her brows and stepped forward, saying coldly, "Explain clearly! Who plotted against you? How?"

Li Bufan raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Wang Zheng and the others like a blade, taking in their faces as they instantly turned pale. He said in a deep voice, "While hunting near Wolf Howl Ravine today, this subordinate was suddenly attacked by several Poisoned Crossbow Bolts! Though I narrowly evaded them, the attackers immediately scattered a large amount of specially made Beast Luring Incense. This incense seemed capable of reacting with Snow Wolf blood, drawing in a large number of frenzied Snow Wolves to besiege me! Only after fighting desperately did this subordinate barely escape! Wang Zheng, Liu Wu, and Zhao Mazi are the prime suspects! After this subordinate refused to join their group yesterday, I overheard them plotting revenge!"

"You're spitting blood!" Wang Zheng's face changed drastically. He hurriedly leaped out and shouted, "Miss, please see the truth! We have been hunting in the east all day and never approached Wolf Howl Ravine! Clearly, he provoked the wolf pack himself due to his lack of skill, and now he wants to falsely accuse us! Miss, please uphold justice for us!"

The other two also hurriedly echoed him, crying injustice without end.

For a moment, the situation was deadlocked.

Just then, the carriage curtain was gently lifted at one corner, and Lin Zhiyan's cool voice came from within. "Nanny Wu, search them."

Nanny Wu immediately understood. Her figure flashed, and she appeared before Wang Zheng and the other two like a ghost. Before the three could even react, Nanny Wu searched their bodies with lightning speed.

Very quickly, Nanny Wu found a small black oil-paper packet in Wang Zheng's inner pocket. When she opened it, there were traces of dark red powder inside, giving off an extremely faint cloying scent. Then, from Zhao Mazi, she found a small Military Crossbow. A half-fired short bolt was still lodged in its groove, its arrowhead black!

The evidence was conclusive!

Wang Zheng and the other two instantly turned ashen. With a thud, they dropped to their knees, their entire bodies trembling like sieves. "Mercy, Miss! Mercy, Miss! It... it was Sun Yi... Sun Yi ordered us to do it! He promised us benefits... We were blinded by greed..."

"Silence!" Nanny Wu's cold shout cut off their attempts to shift the blame.

The carriage was silent for a moment before Lin Zhiyan's voice rang out once more, cold and devoid of the slightest emotion. "Plotting against fellow companions is an unforgivable crime. In consideration that you have not yet caused death or serious injury, your lives will be spared for now. After the Winter Hunt ends, return to the Disciplinary Hall yourselves to receive a Hundred Lashes. All your benefits will be stripped, and you will be demoted to Hard Labor."

Wang Zheng and the other two looked as if they had been struck by lightning. They collapsed limply to the ground, their faces gray with despair. A Hundred Lashes would leave them crippled even if it did not kill them! And Hard Labor meant they would never again have a chance to rise!

Lin Zhiyan paused, then continued, "Li Bufan was innocently attacked and narrowly survived. His courage is commendable. In this Winter Hunt, all the prey obtained by Wang Zheng, Liu Wu, Zhao Mazi, and the teams under their command shall belong to Li Bufan as compensation."

This judgment clearly distinguished reward from punishment. It was fair and harsh, instantly silencing everyone. No one dared raise the slightest objection.

Li Bufan's heart settled. He cupped his fists and said in a deep voice, "Thank you, Miss, for upholding justice!"

He knew that after this incident, his position in the Guard Camp would change completely. And that generous compensation was precisely the cultivation resources he desperately needed.

Within danger often lay the greatest turning point.