Lu Ming found the aura of the person following him from behind extremely familiar. He quickly identified it—it was Qin Zhonghai!
Qin Zhonghai had secretly followed them, likely worried that Lu Ming might make a mistake on his first mission, or that the Earth Dragon Beast might set its sights on him.
It seemed Qin Zhonghai truly thought highly of him, which was why he was being so cautious.
Lu Ming felt grateful, but he did not expose it. It was enough to quietly remember this in his heart.
If he brought it into the open, it would only make things difficult for Qin Zhonghai. After all, the other Heavenly Secret Pavilion spies could not possibly receive such treatment.
With Qin Zhonghai secretly protecting them from behind, Lu Ming grew bolder. He told Li Hu not to hold back and to track the bandit Xu Sangeng with all his strength.
Gradually, the two ventured deep into Black Mountain. Along the way, woodcutters and herb gatherers became fewer and fewer, until they did not see a single person for half a day. Wolves, venomous creatures, tigers, and leopards appeared from time to time instead.
With Lu Ming's current strength, ordinary beasts could be taken down in a single move. The entire Black Mountain forest, where the weak were meat for the strong, was a hunting ground he could pick up as easily as fallen leaves.
Having spent so long in the Military Service Bureau, suddenly arriving in the wild stirred a surge of heroic spirit in Lu Ming's chest.
He now possessed great skill, yet had to conceal it at every turn. Finally out in the wilderness, Lu Ming could not help wanting to vent a little, or test his own strength.
Boom!
In the forest, a striped tiger failed to