Misdirecting Disaster Eastward, Encountering Flender

Xiao Qing was searching for the Shadow Wolf leader when Xiao Feng suddenly nudged closer, rubbing his head against Xiao Qing's arm.

"Xiao Feng, what is it? Did you discover something?"

"Awoo!"

"?! Someone is approaching this way, and you heard them mentioning my name!"

Xiao Qing's mood plummeted to the bottom; with wolves in front and tigers behind, escaping now would not be easy.

Of course, even so, Xiao Qing would not choose to surrender without a fight.

Xiao Qing summoned his Prism Ball and recalled A'Man from beneath the tree; it was too dangerous to leave A'Man down there any longer.

About a quarter of an hour later, Xiao Qing heard the clamor of human voices.

The source of the sound was quite far away, making the voices muffled and indistinct.

However, Xiao Qing could tell there were quite a few people—at least four or five—and they were arguing.

"Are you sure it's this way? We've been circling this forest for three days and haven't even seen a ghost."

"The bounty notice said the brat has a Wind Shadow Wolf and an Iron Armor Bear; the features are obvious. There have been signs of Iron Armor Bear activity near this coniferous forest recently, plus wolf droppings. Nine times out of ten, he's nearby."

"One hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins... damn, that's enough for us to live like kings for a few years."

"Don't just think about the money. That kid must have some skill to have a hundred-thousand-coin bounty on his head. Don't capsize in the gutter."

"What are you afraid of? Our boss is a four-ring Soul Ancestor. That kid is at most a Soul Grand Master; no matter how strong those two beasts are, how strong can they really be? The only reason he got away last time was because that damn turtle ambushed the boss. Otherwise, those hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins would already be in our pockets!"

"Enough, shut your mouths! It's not just that brat in this area; those Shadow Wolves are not to be trifled with either."

The sound of the arguing group drew closer. Perched in the tree, Xiao Qing slowed his breathing and gently patted Xiao Feng's head.

Xiao Feng understood and tilted his head to listen to what the group was saying.

The team soon walked into Xiao Qing's field of vision.

There were nine of them, wearing mismatched leather armor and carrying various weapons—swords, blades, and axes.

Leading them was a one-eyed man with an eyepatch over his left eye, his right eye scanning the surroundings gloomily.

Xiao Qing stared at One-Eye with cold eyes. He had guessed that One-Eye might be unwilling to let it go and would come looking for him, but he hadn't expected him to arrive so quickly.

"Stop."

One-Eye raised a hand, and the team halted. He crouched down to inspect the marks on the ground.

These were the footprints A'Man had left earlier. Although Xiao Qing had tried to cover them, One-Eye was clearly a veteran and still spotted the clues.

"Iron Armor Bear tracks. Fresh, no more than twenty-four hours old."

One-Eye stood up, a flash of malice in his single eye. "That brat really is in this forest!"

"Spread out and search. Use this spot as the center, one-kilometer radius. Don't miss any traces. If you find the target, don't rush to attack. Signal us and wait for everyone to gather before moving in."

"Yes!"

The eight men responded and split into three groups to fan out.

One-Eye stood in place and pulled a booklet from his robes; the page with Xiao Qing's information had a corner folded down.

"Brat, my Old Mountain Ginseng isn't so easy to take!"

One-Eye muttered to himself, tucked the bounty notice away, and chose a direction to begin his search.

Up in the tree, Xiao Qing clenched his fists involuntarily.

Nine people: four Soul Elders, and the rest were Soul Grand Masters.

There was no chance of winning a head-on fight. The best choice now was to slip away quietly before they discovered him.

But the wolf pack's territory was right ahead, and the essence blood of the Shadow Wolf King was within reach.

Just as Xiao Qing was weighing the pros and cons, a wolf pup suddenly let out a howl. Though the sound was small, it was clear in the silent forest.

"Idiot! I should have drowned you in a latrine!"

By the time One-Eye reached his subordinate, the howling wolf pup had already been killed.

Hearing from Xiao Feng that One-Eye and his men had regrouped, a plan suddenly formed in Xiao Qing's mind. He stood up and looked toward the active wolf pack in the valley.

A moment later, Xiao Qing leaped from the tree, summoned A'Man in mid-air, and whistled.

Xiao Feng received the signal and jumped from the tree, caught by A'Man's outstretched arms.

One-Eye, who was still scolding his subordinates, heard the whistle and immediately turned to run toward Xiao Qing.

The moment he saw Xiao Qing, a flash of ecstasy crossed One-Eye's face, but he didn't rush to attack, instead quickly assessing the battlefield.

"You brat, you really are here!"

Xiao Qing stood before A'Man, drew his short blade, and locked eyes with Matthew.

"Kid, come with me quietly, and you might suffer a little less."

One-Eye said in a measured tone, but the killing intent in his eyes could not be hidden. His life motto was to always pay back every slight.

After Xiao Qing had caused him such a massive loss and inflicted such heavy injuries, how could he possibly let him go?

Previously, he had spent a high price to have a healing Soul Master treat his injuries as soon as he returned, then immediately led his men back to the Star Dou Forest without a moment's rest.

Xiao Qing did not respond to One-Eye. Xiao Feng stood by Xiao Qing's side, baring his teeth at One-Eye while a threatening low growl emanated from his throat.

A'Man also activated his Rock Armor and stood behind Xiao Qing, forming a triangular defensive formation.

"If you won't drink the toast of friendship, you'll be forced to drink the forfeit of punishment!" Seeing that Xiao Qing ignored him, One-Eye sneered, "Then don't blame me for being ruthless..."

Before One-Eye could finish his sentence, a sudden change occurred.

A long, drawn-out wolf howl echoed from the depths of the forest.

Immediately following, a second, a third... dozens of wolf howls erupted from all directions, rapidly closing in from afar to surround them.

The Shadow Wolf Pack had been disturbed.

One-Eye's expression changed. Even with four Soul Elders on their side, facing a Shadow Wolf Pack of dozens would result in a heavy price even if they managed to win.

Moreover, this Shadow Wolf Pack had a Wolf King; if they truly clashed, most of his men would likely be killed or wounded.

Yet, the howl of that small wolf alone could not have disturbed the pack, and One-Eye had not let that small wolf return alive, so it shouldn't have triggered the pack's retaliation.

"Retreat!"

One-Eye made a prompt decision, swinging his fists to force back two approaching Shadow Wolves before turning and charging back the way they came.

The remaining eight subordinates could no longer care about Xiao Qing and scrambled to follow him in a sorry state.

Part of the wolf pack pursued them, while the other part remained on the spot; their target seemed to be every creature that had intruded upon their territory, including Xiao Qing.

But Xiao Qing breathed a sigh of relief. Compared to One-Eye, he would rather face the wolf pack.

At least, a wolf's heart was not as filthy as a human's.

He glanced at Xiao Feng, and Xiao Feng looked back at him, his wolf eyes filled with resolve.

"A'Man, clear the path. Xiao Feng, let's go!"

Xiao Qing took a deep breath, put away his short blade, and took out a well-maintained slingshot and a piece of meat soaked in lure agent.

The reason the wolf pack had come was inseparable from the piece of meat Xiao Qing had shot out with his slingshot while in the trees earlier.

"Awoo~"

As the Wolf King of the Shadow Wolf Pack issued a howl to retreat, the Shadow Wolves that had been chasing Xiao Qing stopped their advance, turned around, and ran back.

"Finally survived the hands of the wolf pack!"

Xiao Qing, riding on Xiao Feng's back, let out a long sigh. Just moments ago, the Shadow Wolves had relied on their familiarity with the surrounding terrain to stick firmly behind Xiao Qing, impossible to shake off.

However, before Xiao Qing could rejoice for long, a strange voice appeared behind him.

"Interesting. You must be that child with a bounty of one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, the one who can control a Wind Shadow Wolf and an Iron-Armored Bear, right? I recall your name is Xiao Qing, am I correct?"

Xiao Qing drew his blade and turned around, shielding A'Man behind him, his eyes locked onto the middle-aged man flying in the air, who was holding a young boy.

"Yo, not much age, but quite a lot of killing intent! But rest assured, as a Soul Saint, I wouldn't stoop to attacking an eight-year-old child."

"I'm just curious, how did you manage to provoke the Shadow Wolf Pack? They aren't soft persimmons like the Soft Bone Charm Rabbit."

"Oh, right, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Flender!"