The Little Red Deer

Originally, Jia Ruo thought it would be difficult for a hound to track a scent from five days ago.

But when he learned it was a distant relative of dragons, he felt it made sense.

At this moment, the Marshal was walking ahead, leading the Wyrm Hound.

The Wyrm Hound lowered its large head, sniffing around. Before long, it identified a direction and began to trot with its four long legs.

It was clear the Marshal had put a lot of effort into the leash to prevent everyone from having to run.

"Fayton has left Gayo Town, or rather, he is no longer in the town."

Lyle said as he watched the group walk out of Gayo Town.

"My Old Pal's behavior indicates he hasn't gone far; he's likely hiding in the mountains and forests."

The Marshal wiped sweat from his brow and continued to wrestle with the leash. It had to be said, the Wyrm Hound, with its dragon bloodline, was very energetic.

They gradually veered off the main road and entered a wooded area.

"Grrr~"

A low growl came from the Wyrm Hound's throat.

"Shh~"

The Marshal quickly tried to calm it down, so as not to alert their target.

The Wyrm Hound calmed down. The Marshal turned his head and whispered to the three behind him, "It seems Fayton is nearby. My Old Pal has found him. What should we do next?"

Lyle looked towards Jia Ruo.

"Neeko and Brother Lyle, move to the flanks and prepare to provide support. Then, you'll directly release the hound and let it charge..."

Jia Ruo hadn't finished speaking.

"But Fayton knows magic! It, it can't beat him."

The Marshal's face showed a look of nervousness.

"Don't worry, I can keep up with it. I'll engage Fayton before it does."

"Alright."

He bent down slightly and whispered into the Wyrm Hound's ear.

"Old Pal, be smart. You're just leading the way, understand?"

The Wyrm Hound bent its limbs, its claws digging into the ground.

It was already prepared.

As Lyle and Neeko had already flanked to both sides, the Marshal unfastened the buckle between the collar and the rope.

Swish.

The Wyrm Hound displayed the explosive power it had suppressed all along, charging forward like lightning, and while sprinting, it also avoided the trees in the forest.

Jia Ruo also moved, his speed no less than the Wyrm Hound's. He maintained a position parallel to the Wyrm Hound, ensuring he could attack the enemy at the first opportunity.

In a matter of seconds, they had already traversed a hundred meters through the forest.

Suddenly, the Wyrm Hound galloping beside him let out a low growl, and Jia Ruo also became alert.

He sensed an anomaly in the magic elements about fifty to sixty meters ahead: under a tree, the fire element was excessively concentrated.

Is that Fayton?

Purple Cherry petals drifted down as Jia Ruo drew You Meng.

Just as he was preparing to accelerate past the Wyrm Hound and launch a surprise attack, an unexpected situation occurred: the Wyrm Hound seemed to be frightened by You Meng, letting out a whimper.

Wow, you have dragon blood, don't be so jumpy. What if you disturb him...

Jia Ruo was thinking this when he noticed the fire elements ahead beginning to ignite.

Damn it, Fayton has already discovered us.

But the arrow was already on the string, and there was no turning back.

After exhaling, Jia Ruo pushed his Mana circulation to the limit, and the elemental world in his eyes became even clearer.

Jia Ruo's speed surged. After two breaths, his distance to that tree was less than ten meters.

And that mass of fire element stopped expanding.

Originally, Jia Ruo was already holding You Meng horizontally. He was prepared to pierce both the tree and the person hidden behind it with a single sword strike.

But he smelled danger.

As expected, a figure emerged from behind the tree, and a ball of blazing red flame was surging from that person's hand.

Seeing this, Jia Ruo pushed off the ground forcefully, soaring over the flame without losing speed.

Even without touching the flame, the moment he brushed past it, Jia Ruo felt like he was in a furnace.

His clothes instantly became extremely dry, and they could burn at any moment.

"Bang!"

Without looking back, Jia Ruo knew what a terrifying mark would appear in his original position.

Without hesitation, he approached the figure by the tree.

Amidst the explosive firelight, Jia Ruo saw clearly. This person was their target: that unremarkable middle-aged man, Fayton.

Jia Ruo swung You Meng, scattering the several tongues of flame that Fayton subsequently spewed from his hands. Passing through the sparks that filled the air, You Meng aimed straight for Fayton's brow.

Fayton's face contorted in ferocity. He raised both hands, condensing a crude flame shield to block the attack.

Another burst of sparks erupted, simultaneously obscuring Jia Ruo's vision.

When he lowered the arm protecting his eyes, Fayton had already turned and fled.

Not only that, he was continuously setting the surrounding trees ablaze. Fayton intended to block his pursuers by starting a forest fire.

Suddenly, Fayton, who was fleeing into the distance, tripped and fell to the ground.

It was the Wyrm Hound.

Unlike ordinary animals, it wasn't afraid of flames. It darted directly into the burning forest and bit Fayton's thigh.

"Well done!"

Jia Ruo exclaimed, quickly catching up, and kicked Fayton in the head.

Although the Bounty List noted that life or death was irrelevant, Jia Ruo still left him with a breath. It would be best to hand him over to the council for judgment.

As he walked out of the sea of fire with the Wyrm Hound, carrying Fayton, Neeko and Lyle were already drawn by the large fire.

"It's good that you caught him."

Lyle stared at Fayton on Fayton's shoulder.

Jia Ruo wiped his soot-blackened face, blackened by smoke and fire: "Now we should think about how to put out the fire."

In the end, it was thanks to Neeko. (She) manipulated the trees not yet touched by flames to avoid the ones already burning, preventing the fire from spreading further.

The fire was finally extinguished after the trees in the center were burned to ashes.

Even so, the group was covered in ash, looking quite disheveled.

By the time they returned to Gayo Town, it was already evening. The empty streets were only swept by a cool night breeze.

Fortunately, they caught Fayton before he could kill the next person.

Gayo Town's peace remained undisturbed.

Jia Ruo rinsed himself briefly before he and Lyle began searching the unconscious Fayton.

A money pouch containing about twenty gold coins, a sharp little knife, and a small notebook.

Jia Ruo picked up the notebook and flipped it open. The pages were slightly thick, not like paper.

Each page contained only a short, fragmented sentence, such as "Mischievous young lady," "Rude bitch," "Docile lamb."

As Jia Ruo reached the last page, his arm suddenly froze.

"Were the victims in Gayo Town red-haired?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly.

The local Marshal, who was wiping ash from his body, replied, "Yes, the deceased was Old John's daughter. They all have vibrant red hair."

"This... this notebook is made of human skin."

The last page had rough edges from imprecise cutting, traces of tanning that hadn't faded, and a short phrase: "Little red deer."

These details pointed to one fact: Fayton seemed to collect victims like stamps.

The one from Gayo Town was the last page added.