"Zhuqing!" Su Yan shouted.
He had lost count of how many times he'd shouted that already.
Zhu Zhuqing was ready. Several cold flashes streaked by, and a Gale Giant Deer crashed to the ground.
"The three of us are invincible!" Tang Chi said excitedly.
Over the past few days, the three of them had grown more and more in sync.
They had set up camp in an open area by the river and hunted nearby. Every day, they reliably brought in at least one ten-year Soul Beast, enough to meet their basic survival needs.
Su Yan took out his dagger and quickly prepared the Gale Giant Deer. He drained its blood, dug a pit for its entrails, and buried them. Then he washed everything clean by the river to make sure no scent remained. Only after that did he singe the outside over the fire before bringing it back to camp.
Not far away, Xue Ke sat in her wheelchair, watching them. She was enjoying her freedom so much that her smile stretched from ear to ear.
Su Yan took Xue Ke along whenever they went hunting, keeping her within Zhu Zhuqing's Resonance Step range. That was much safer than leaving her alone at camp.
Xue Ke was happy to come along, too. Everything in the outside world was new to her.
"In a few days, we can start making our way slowly toward our destination," Su Yan said, dragging the Gale Giant Deer back.
"Why don't we just set off now?" Tang Chi asked thoughtfully. "The three of us could summon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon and smash our way through. There shouldn't be anything in this forest that can stand against us."
"You're oversimplifying things," Su Yan said. "Do you remember how long it took us to fully recover our Soul Power after summoning the Blue-Eyes White Dragon?"
Tang Chi narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment. "I remember we could barely move that night."
"The Blue-Eyes White Dragon is incredibly powerful, but the three of us only have enough combined Soul Power to force out a single attack. After that, we're left unable to fight." Su Yan's expression was grave, and his voice low. "If another Soul Beast showed up then, the consequences would be unimaginable."
Tang Chi's eyes widened like saucers, and cold sweat broke out across his forehead. If that really happened, even a tiny Soul Beast could take all four of their lives.
"Try using your head for once. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon is a trump card, nothing more," Zhu Zhuqing said as she pushed Xue Ke's wheelchair along.
"Who are you calling brainless!" Tang Chi hopped about in fury. "I have the highest Soul Power Level out of the four of us!"
Xue Ke's eyes crinkled with delight. "Brother Tang Chi is as lively as ever."
"Princess Xue Ke is the best. She's beautiful, and she knows just what to say." Tang Chi curled his lip and ran ahead of the group. "Unlike a certain someone. Nyah, nyah, nyah!"
He turned around, stuck out his red tongue, and held his hands beside his cheeks, flapping them rhythmically.
Princess Xue Ke's cheeks turned pink, and her clear, bell-like laughter rang through the woods.
Zhu Zhuqing snorted and ignored him.
"Cut it out. I have another piece of bad news for you. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon card hasn't responded since that day."
Su Yan's words instantly chilled the mood.
Tang Chi shuddered and hurried behind Su Yan, muttering to himself, "Life is precious. You only get one. Be careful, be careful, be careful."
"Looks like you've finally started using your head," Zhu Zhuqing remarked casually as she pushed Xue Ke past him.
"You!" Tang Chi stamped his feet in frustration, but there was nothing he could do.
Before long, the four of them returned to camp.
Su Yan expertly lit a fire and roasted the meat.
Tang Chi plopped down on the ground, exhaustion written all over him. "When will this ever end? When is the Saintess Instructor coming to get us?"
"Forget it. My master won't come for us until a year from now."
"I've been wanting to ask for a while." Zhu Zhuqing sat down for a rest, too. "Why does Brainless Tang call her Instructor, while you call her Master?"
"I really did become her disciple," Su Yan said, raising an eyebrow. "I'm her closed-door disciple."
Cold sweat broke out all over Tang Chi again. He shook his head. "Even the Pope of Spirit Hall said that anyone the Saintess Instructor takes on as a disciple is doomed to die. Only Su Yan would dare. I wouldn't."
"No wonder the Instructor only let me call her Instructor." Zhu Zhuqing stared at Su Yan with a strange look.
The next moment, her nose twitched. The rich aroma of roasted meat filled the air. "Smells amazing. Your cooking's gotten even better, Brother Yan!"
Xue Ke leaned forward as far as she could, greedily breathing in the scent of the roasted meat, looking utterly entranced. It smelled far better than the so-called royal food in the Heavenly Dou Royal Family.
Tang Chi took a deep breath and sighed with satisfaction.
"It's just fresh meat. I only provided the fire." Su Yan felt a little embarrassed. He gripped his dagger in reverse and butchered the Gale Giant Deer into pieces. Then he stoked the fire until the meat was thoroughly cooked and handed everyone a portion. That was dinner taken care of.
At the first crisp bite, all four of them exclaimed in unison, "Delicious!"
"I think the Saintess Instructor's suggestion deserves serious consideration!" Tang Chi stared at Su Yan. "Who knows, maybe we'll even recover our Soul Power or something."
"Get lost!" Su Yan scolded playfully, raising the haunch in his hand as if to swing it at him.
To his surprise, Zhu Zhuqing spoke up, too. "That new brain of yours isn't bad. I agree."
"Heartless monsters!" Su Yan chose to turn his anger into an appetite. He shut his ears to everything around him and focused solely on the food in front of him.
After a hearty meal, the three of them lay back on the ground, satisfied.
"I'll keep watch tonight. You three get some rest."
Zhu Zhuqing stood and walked to the edge of the camp. While the sun was still up, she first checked the area around them.
Of the other three, only Xue Ke actually rested.
Tang Chi carried Xue Ke to a pile of dry leaves, then sat cross-legged beside Su Yan and entered a meditative state.
"The Saintess Instructor really is a genius. I never knew you could cultivate Soul Power like this." Tang Chi circulated the Yi Jin Jing, and a single cycle washed away all the day's fatigue.
"I wonder what this is called. I'll ask my master later." Su Yan took a deep breath, feeling an invigorating ease in every muscle and vein. It was a kind of meditation method that almost certainly didn't originate on the Douluo Continent.
Zhu Zhuqing, who was on watch, climbed the nearest tree and lay across a branch.
The sun dragged its weary body below the horizon, and the moon sprang lightly into the sky.
Roars from Soul Beasts began to echo through the woods.
Night was a feast for Soul Beasts.
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes snapped open. She heard the crackling sound of lightning approaching from their direction.
"Hell Spirit Cat, possess me!"
She landed lightly on the ground and slipped into the dim forest. With a cat's keen eyesight, she could see everything around her.
A hound covered in brown mane was chasing a golden Soul Beast.
"Giant-toothed hound." Zhu Zhuqing sucked in a sharp breath.
Just one snap of its jaws could swallow her whole. Its fangs were twice as thick as her thighs.
Of course, that wasn't the important part.
The important thing was that giant-toothed hounds were one of the few pack Soul Beasts in the area. Spotting one was practically the same as spotting an entire pack.
Even this one would give the three of them a hard time. If it was with a whole pack, they could only pray for the Blue-Eyes White Dragon again.
Zhu Zhuqing climbed the tree beside her all the way to the top and gazed into the distance. She breathed a sigh of relief.
This giant-toothed hound was lost. It must have been chasing the golden Soul Beast ahead and gotten separated from its pack.
She had no intention of interfering in the affairs of Soul Beasts.
The strong preyed on the weak. That was the law of nature.
All she had to do was sit in the tree, watch nature take its course, and wait for them to leave. As long as they posed no threat to the camp, that was enough.
The golden Soul Beast was incredibly fast, darting like lightning and dodging the giant-toothed hound's snapping jaws time and time again.
Its long, slender ears had black tips. It listened for its pursuer's movements and anticipated its attacks again and again.
Its small limbs were not only fast but remarkably strong. It stopped and changed direction on a dime, darting from side to side and leaving shallow impressions in the earth.
Its thick tail was shaped like a lightning bolt, held taut to keep its body balanced.
Most striking of all were the red patches on its cheeks, which occasionally crackled with golden lightning.
"So cute!" Zhu Zhuqing stared at the golden Soul Beast, unable to tear her eyes away.
The giant-toothed hound's gaping jaws were about to snap shut around the golden Soul Beast. Zhu Zhuqing's palms grew damp with sweat, and her yellow Soul Ring began to glow faintly.
Humans were part of nature, too.
She decided to follow nature's law and use her strength to take down the giant-toothed hound, the weaker one.
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