Tang San looked at Dai Mubai and the others, feeling a little awkward.
"What a coincidence."
"San Gui."
Ma Hongjun hurried over. "San Gui."
"What are you doing here?"
Tang San scratched his head sheepishly and gave an awkward smile.
"I suddenly missed you guys, so I came to find you."
"San Gui," Ma Hongjun said earnestly.
"Not to criticize you, but if you wanted to come, you could've just come openly. Was there any need to sneak around?"
"And you missed us? You can't even come up with a believable lie."
"Look, you still got caught by us."
Tang San lowered his head even further.
"By the way, um... you really went through with it?"
Ma Hongjun said in a low voice.
"Being hungry is one thing, but there's no need to go that far."
"Even when I'm dealing with my Evil Fire, I wouldn't seek out someone like that."
Tang San shook his head frantically. "I didn't seek out that old woman."
"But didn't I see that old woman coming out of your room?"
"He must've gone into the wrong room."
"I just heard that old woman say you're a little impotent?"
"No, no! How could I be impotent?"
Seeing Tang San like this, Ma Hongjun became even more convinced. After all, what impotent man would admit to it?
Ma Hongjun patted Tang San on the shoulder. "Besides, I never said it was an old woman. I said, 'You really went through with someone like that?'"
Tang San froze. He'd been tricked!
"Forget it, forget it."
"Let's not talk about it anymore."
"Let's head back. We've got things to do tomorrow."
Dai Mubai and the others walked side by side out of the brothel.
Tang San lowered his head and silently followed them.
How embarrassing. Today had been unbelievably embarrassing!
Why had he been impotent, anyway?
It had to be because that old woman was so disgusting. Even if she'd said it was all the same with the lights off, the thought still made his skin crawl!
Yes! That had to be it!
Early the next morning, the eight of them gathered on the training ground after breakfast. Zhao Wuji was already waiting there.
Though Tang Hao had slapped Zhao Wuji, he showed no obvious sign of injury. One person, however, had a bruised and swollen face, with two black eyes.
That person was Tang San.
Zhao Wuji was a little surprised, but didn't ask about it.
If it had been something serious, they would've told him. Since they hadn't, it was probably just a fight between students.
"Let's go!"
"Mubai, you lead!"
Dai Mubai nodded and quickly arranged their formation.
Dai Mubai and Tang San took the front, with Ning Rongrong and Oscar right behind them. Xiao Wu and Ma Hongjun flanked the group, while Ye Lin and Zhu Zhuqing brought up the rear.
"Keep formation and move out!"
Zhao Wuji followed the group silently from a short distance away.
By the first night, they had reached a small town on the outskirts of Star Dou Forest. They stayed there for the night, then entered the forest the next day.
"Star Dou Forest is extremely dangerous. At any moment, we could face an attack from a thousand-year, or even a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Everyone must stay within twenty meters of me. No one is to attack a Soul Beast without my command!"
"Understood!"
The terrain in Star Dou Forest was complex. Some areas had paths, but most had never been cleared.
Dai Mubai and Ye Lin led the way. One extended his shattered tiger claws, while the other wielded the Immortal Sword. They swiftly cut down the thorny bushes blocking their path.
The two were already powerful, and though they had the task of clearing the way, their pace didn't slow.
Before long, an hour had passed.
Along the way, they'd encountered a few ten-year and hundred-year Soul Beasts, but none of them were useful. At Ye Lin's suggestion, they bypassed them without picking a fight.
"Alright, everyone take a break."
Zhao Wuji's voice rang out.
Dai Mubai and Ye Lin quickly cleared a patch of open ground.
If a Soul Beast suddenly attacked while they were resting, the open ground would give them room to react.
Everyone leaned against the trees to rest and regain their strength. The deeper they went, the greater the danger, so they needed to be in good shape to stay safe.
Although Ye Lin knew how the story would unfold, she remained alert. Some things had already changed, so there was no guarantee that events would follow the original course.
Suddenly, Zhao Wuji sprang to his feet. "Careful! Something's approaching!"
The eight quickly formed their original formation and released their Martial Souls.
The rustling sound was rapid, revealing just how fast the approaching creature was.
Zhao Wuji said urgently, "Zhu Zhuqing, go see what it is."
Zhu Zhuqing answered with action. Her cat claws dug into a large tree as she quickly climbed toward the canopy.
A cat's eyesight was excellent.
Zhu Zhuqing's voice soon rang out.
"It's a flying snake, but it isn't flying very high—about three meters off the ground. There's a blood-red crest on its head and a fan-shaped tail."
"Its body is unsteady. It must be injured."
"It's between six and eight meters long."
Ye Lin spoke up. "A Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent!"
"Its ability is speed, and its species makes it a good fit for Oscar. Absorbing its Soul Ring should give him a speed-boosting Soul Skill. Since the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent can fly, it might even grant him flight."
"Going by its length of six to eight meters, it should be between 1,600 and 1,800 years old. That's the right age, too."
A strange light gleamed in Oscar's peach-blossom eyes.
"Sis Lin, you know so much!"
"You're practically an encyclopedia!"
"That's incredible!"
Oscar was older than Ye Lin, but he still called her "Sis Lin" with admiration.
Everyone except Tang San was astonished. "You know so much!"
"Study more, observe more, and remember what you learn," Ye Lin said with a faint smile.
Tang San closed his open mouth. He'd been about to say all of that himself.
He'd learned a great deal of theory from his adoptive father, Yu Xiaogang, and now was the perfect time to put it to use—but Ye Lin had beaten him to it.
Zhao Wuji patted Oscar on the shoulder. "Oscar, you're in luck."
Oscar grinned. "Hehe."
Ye Lin hadn't finished speaking. She continued,
"But the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's unsteady movements clearly show that it's injured."
"Even injured, it's moving so fast. It must be fleeing."
"Thousand-year Soul Beasts rarely appear on the outskirts of Star Dou Forest."
"Most likely, another group is chasing it."
"We may have a dispute on our hands."
The others were even more astonished. "You can figure all that out from so little information?"
Tang San had nothing to say. She really was better at this than he was.
Zhao Wuji snorted. Although he was surprised by Ye Lin's abilities,
he wasn't concerned about someone else showing up.
A dispute?
A dispute only counted when both sides had equal strength.
Before you continue