An Encounter with Vina? Now I Can Definitely Find the Body Sect!

The night breeze was slightly cool, and the campfire flickered.

The grilled fish in Liu Yuan's hand gave off an enticing aroma, but he had no mind to enjoy it.

Within his Double Pupils, dark red light shifted restlessly. Soul Power surged through his body, ready to unleash a thunderous strike at any moment.

In the danger-filled Star Dou Great Forest, even the slightest disturbance could mean deadly peril.

"Don't! Don't attack! Little brother, don't get worked up!"

Just as Liu Yuan was about to activate Laser Eye, a hurried, rough voice came from behind the bushes.

Immediately afterward, the brush was pushed aside, and a somewhat bedraggled group emerged.

Liu Yuan did not disperse the Soul Power in his eyes. Instead, he coldly assessed these uninvited guests.

It was a seven-person squad.

Five of them were men clad in matching leather armor, well equipped and carrying obvious traces of bloodshed and travel-weariness. At a glance, they were mercenaries or professional soul-hunting teams who had spent years living by the blade.

Protected in the center by those five men, like stars surrounding the moon, were two young girls.

The two girls appeared quite young, around thirteen or fourteen.

The girl on the left wore a pale yellow dress. She was beautiful and gentle, with a noble and elegant bearing, like an orchid blooming in a secluded valley;

The girl on the right wore fitted combat clothes. Though she seemed somewhat aloof, there was a heroic spirit between her brows.

Although both of their clothes were somewhat disheveled and stained with mud in several places, their innate air of nobility could not be concealed.

"Is this... a mercenary group escorting noble young ladies to hunt Soul Beasts?"

Liu Yuan immediately made his judgment.

Such arrangements were not uncommon on Douluo Continent. Many wealthy children or nobles who wished to obtain Soul Rings would often spend heavily to hire powerful soul-hunting groups to assist them.

Although the other party did not seem hostile, Liu Yuan remained vigilant and asked blandly, "What do you need?"

A burly middle-aged man at the front stepped forward two paces, raising both hands to show that he held no weapon. A friendly smile filled his face. "Little brother, we truly apologize for disturbing you."

"We're from the Iron Blood Mercenary Group. I'm the captain, Tie Feng."

He pointed at the two girls behind him and explained, "This time, we were escorting these two... young ladies into the depths of the forest to obtain Soul Rings."

"Although the mission was completed, we ran into some trouble earlier, which delayed our journey. Our rations were also lost during the battle."

At this point, Tie Feng rubbed his hands awkwardly. His eyes remained fixed on the grilled fish in Liu Yuan's hand as he swallowed. "We passed nearby earlier and caught the scent of the grilled fish. It was simply too tempting..."

"Everyone is starving. So we wanted to ask whether little brother could spare us some? We can pay for it. Name your price!"

"So they were asking for food."

Hearing that, the red glow in Liu Yuan's eyes gradually faded, and the oppressive aura that made hearts tremble disappeared with it.

He glanced over the group. They truly did look pale and hungry. Especially the two delicate girls—although they stubbornly said nothing, their gazes kept drifting toward the grilled fish.

"No need for money."

Liu Yuan pointed at several other grilled fish stuck into the ground nearby and said casually, "There are plenty of fish in this river, and I happened to catch quite a few. Meeting is fate. Take them and eat."

Those fish had only been a casual effort for him. If he could form a good connection through them, that was not bad either.

"Thank you, little brother! You're truly a straightforward man!"

Tie Feng was overjoyed and quickly expressed his thanks.

The mercenaries behind him also breathed sighs of relief and cast grateful looks his way.

Soon, everyone gathered around the campfire and shared the grilled fish.

Liu Yuan did not move over to join them. He remained in his original spot, taking small bites of his own fish while silently observing the group.

He noticed that their relationship did not seem as simple as it appeared on the surface.

Although the captain, Tie Feng, seemed to be the leader, his attitude toward the two girls was excessively respectful.

Even while distributing the fish, he first respectfully handed the fattest and best-grilled portions to the two girls. Only after confirming that they had begun eating did the others dare take a bite.

"If they were ordinary employers, even nobles, there would be no need to humble themselves to this extent, right?"

Liu Yuan pondered to himself.

"It seems more like... servants treating their masters?"

However, Liu Yuan was not someone with excessive curiosity.

Everyone had their own secrets. Since they bore no ill intent, he could not be bothered to investigate.

The meal went fairly harmoniously.

The two girls appeared to have received an excellent upbringing, and their table manners were very refined.

During the meal, the girl in the yellow dress smiled and nodded at Liu Yuan, thanking him in a soft, pleasant voice.

After eating and drinking their fill, everyone's complexions improved considerably.

Tie Feng arranged for two mercenaries to take turns keeping watch while the others hurriedly rested.

The two girls were placed closest to the fire, in the warmest spot. One of the mercenaries even took out his thick clothes and spread them on the ground as bedding for them.

Liu Yuan also leaned against a large tree and closed his eyes. He appeared to be resting, but in truth, he had separated a thread of Spirit Power to keep watch over the surroundings.

Time passed second by second, and before long, it was midnight.

The forest temperature plummeted. The campfire had also dimmed considerably, leaving only glowing red embers to give off residual warmth.

Although the two mercenaries on watch forced themselves to stay alert, several consecutive days of travel had left them exhausted, and their eyelids kept drooping.

Just then.

"Chirp—chirp—"

An extremely faint sound came from the canopy overhead. It sounded like wind rustling leaves, yet also like the cry of some insect.

The mercenaries paid it no attention.

But Liu Yuan, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them!

His Double Pupils activated, and the dark night instantly became as clear as day in his eyes.

More than ten black shadows were silently circling among the treetops dozens of meters above the group. Then, they abruptly tucked in their wings and dove downward like black lightning!

They were... Bloodthirsty Demon Bats!

Though they only had several decades or perhaps a century of cultivation, these Soul Beasts excelled at sneak attacks. Their fangs also carried a paralytic venom. If someone was bitten, the consequences would be unthinkable.

"Watch out! Enemy attack!"

Liu Yuan shouted sharply. Before he even had time to stand, a blazing red light burst from his eyes.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two crimson, high-temperature rays instantly shot from his eyes, striking the first two demon bats rushing toward him with perfect precision.

"Pfft!"

Before they could even cry out, the two demon bats had their heads pierced by the high-temperature rays. They turned into charred lumps and fell to the ground.

Although Liu Yuan's warning had been timely, the bats were simply too fast. They had dived directly from above in the dead of night, which was a nightmare for the vision-limited mercenaries.

"Ah!"

A scream rang out.

One of the mercenaries on watch reacted just a fraction too slowly. Though he swung his blade at the black shadow, a demon bat still viciously bit his shoulder.

"Beast! Get away!"

Tie Feng instantly woke. As a Soul Ancestor, his reaction was extremely swift. His Martial Soul possessed him in an instant, and he sent the demon bat flying with a punch.

However, the bitten mercenary's face immediately turned deathly pale. The blood flowing from his wound had taken on an eerie purple-black color, and his body swayed before collapsing.

"Form a circle! Protect the young ladies!"

Tie Feng roared. The remaining mercenaries swiftly formed up, shielding the two girls in the center. The lights of various Soul Skills lit up as they battled the diving swarm of demon bats.

Yet there were quite a few demon bats, and they were extremely agile. If one attack missed, they immediately pulled upward, appearing and vanishing unpredictably in the darkness.

The mercenaries were forced to hold back, and for a moment, they fell into a difficult battle.

Several bats even slipped through the mercenaries' defensive ring with their small bodies and pounced directly at the two pale-faced girls!

At that critical moment.

"Bzz—"

A strange humming sound rang out.

Liu Yuan, standing some distance away, pressed one hand through the air. It was as though two blazing suns burned within his eyes.

Boom!

Two crimson pillars of light swept out like two gigantic flaming swords, instantly cutting through the darkness.

The demon bats rushing toward the girls were like flies smashing into a bronze wall. The instant they touched the beams, they vaporized completely, leaving not even scraps behind!

Immediately afterward, the beams from Liu Yuan's eyes did not stop. Instead, they tilted slightly and swept through the area where the demon bats were most densely gathered.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Like mowing grass, another seven or eight demon bats were killed on the spot.

The remaining bats seemed to sense the terror of this human. They released a wave of piercing shrieks, flapped their wings, and fled in terror into the depths of the night sky, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

The crisis was resolved.

Everyone stared dumbfoundedly at the young man who slowly withdrew his Soul Power.

The terrifying attack power that had erupted in that instant was truly frightening!

And looking at the Soul Rings beneath his feet, there were only two of them. That meant he was merely a Soul Grandmaster?

That was rather absurd...

Ignoring everyone's gazes, Liu Yuan quickly walked over to the poisoned mercenary lying on the ground.

"Let me see."

He crouched down and examined the wound. "The poison isn't deep. He can still be saved."

As he spoke, he extended his right hand and pressed his palm against the wound. His Second Spirit Ring lit up.

"Undying Body—Healing!"

This was a special application of Liu Yuan's Second Soul Skill. As long as he had enough Spirit Power, he could heal others as well, provided their injuries were not too severe.

Very soon, a gentle green light flowed from his eyes. The mercenary's blackened wound began healing at a visible rate, while the poisonous pallor on his face gradually faded.

A moment later, Liu Yuan withdrew his Spirit Power. "It's done. The poison has been forced out. He'll be fine after resting for two days."

"Th-this is a healing-type Soul Skill?!"

Tie Feng was completely stunned.

That terrifying ray attack had clearly been an ability of the Power Attack System or perhaps the control system. How could it suddenly heal people as well?

What kind of Soul Master was he?

"Thank you for saving his life, little brother!" Tie Feng practically admired Liu Yuan beyond measure.

At this moment, the two girls, who had remained shaken by the fright, finally came back to their senses.

They exchanged a glance, composed their appearances, and then slowly walked over to Liu Yuan.

They had not introduced themselves to Liu Yuan earlier because they had merely met by chance and did not expect to have much interaction.

But now, Liu Yuan had saved them. It would be improper not to give their names.

Thus, the girl in the yellow dress slightly bent at the waist and performed a standard noble's greeting. Her eyes were full of gratitude and curiosity.

"Thank you, young master, for saving us just now. Without you, tonight we likely would have..."

"It was nothing," Liu Yuan said with a casual wave. "Besides, you ate my grilled fish, so that counts as fate between us."

Hearing that somewhat humorous response, the girl in the yellow dress could not help covering her mouth and laughing softly.

"No matter what, we will remember your kindness, young master." She raised her head and looked earnestly at Liu Yuan. "May I ask your honored name?"

"Liu Yuan."

"So you are Young Master Liu." The girl in the yellow dress nodded and said softly, "My name is Vina."

As she spoke, she pointed to the heroic-looking girl beside her. "This is my good sister, Mu Xue."

"Vina... Mu Xue?"

Upon hearing those two names, Liu Yuan's previously calm expression changed as his pupils abruptly contracted.

He instinctively examined the two girls before him once more.

Vina... the princess of the Heaven Dou Empire?

Mu Xue... the princess's guard?

So it was actually them?

If it truly was them...

Liu Yuan was ecstatic inside, and the corners of his mouth could not help rising slightly.

Then finding the Body Sect would be easy!