Misunderstanding! The Four Heroes of Mithril

Except for the guards on watch, Chen Jinyang and the others, who had not noticed the elven girl's disappearance, were just about to fall asleep when a shrill, miserable scream tore through the night sky. Startled awake, everyone scrambled to grab their weapons and rushed out of their tents.

Chen Jinyang and Phinia also woke up simultaneously. He stood up and said to the eager giantess, "Phinia! Stay here and watch over Alos and Mishaer!" He then turned to the two little ones, who had also been roused, and commanded, "Stay here! Don't run around! I'm going out to take a look!" With that, he lowered his head and stepped out of the tent.

Gosa was holding his longsword, questioning the guard on duty: "Dilo! What happened?"

The guard, Dilo, shook his head nervously and said, "I don't know! It's too dark outside to see clearly! I only heard a scream! There must be something nearby!"

Faced with the unknown, Gosa displayed the seasoned experience of a long-time mercenary leader. While picking up his shield, he issued steady, rapid-fire orders to his men: "Olon! Light the torches and prepare to throw them outward! Mogrem! Jadel! Ready your shields! Everyone else, watch the perimeter! Alafil! Prepare your bow! Alafil! Alafil?" No one answered. The elven girl was not there. Everyone's heart sank; something had happened to the elf.

The mercenaries stared tensely into the darkness beyond the wagons. Olon grabbed a lit torch and hurled it with all his might into the distance. By the light of the passing torch, one tall and two short black figures appeared before the wagons. The tall figure was carrying a warhammer, attempting to step over the wagon barricade. Gosa and two other mercenaries charged at the intruders with swords and shields, hoping to block them. Facing the three-man assault, the tall figure merely swung his warhammer with one hand, blocking Gosa's momentum. Then, with a single strike each, he sent the three capable mercenaries flying, along with their shields. Only Olon remained, standing foolishly in place with several torches in a throwing stance, while the four guards who had not yet recovered from their injuries were as useless as decorations.

Chen Jinyang, who had followed behind to observe the mercenaries' combat style, was stunned. These mercenaries were far too weak! They had been taken out in seconds! He had no choice but to take a few long strides, rushing forward to block the "enemies" who had already entered the camp. The still-blazing campfire allowed him to see his opponent clearly: a body almost as tall as his own, a mess of hair of an indeterminate color, and a beast-hide cloak. This is a very strong man, a thought inexplicably popped into Chen Jinyang's mind.

Swaying his body to dodge the incoming warhammer, he lunged forward, closing the distance instantly. The warhammer's handle was too long; once the distance was closed, it became a hindrance. The wielder, now in close quarters with Chen Jinyang, freed one hand to try and grab him. Chen Jinyang, unarmed, had made the fellow careless; he could never have imagined that an empty-handed Chen Jinyang was far more dangerous than one wielding a weapon. Chen Jinyang simply grabbed the opponent's outstretched fingers with one hand and gave them a light twist backward, forcing the burly man to drop to his knees in agony. Seeing that the fellow hadn't intended to kill during his attack, he didn't deliver a lethal blow. Besides, since the little elf was missing, he decided to take the intruder prisoner first.

Just as Chen Jinyang prepared to knock the man unconscious, his pores suddenly prickled, and a chilling sensation washed over him. A martial arts expert's senses are extremely sharp, especially at the Dark Energy stage, where the pores are particularly sensitive. Without a second thought, he instantly tilted his head and ducked. A fierce, vicious gust of wind grazed his hair—a battle axe had been thrown with great force. Had Chen Jinyang not achieved a minor success in "listening to energy" and possessed sharp instincts, a normal person would have been struck in the face and killed.

"Let go of my boy!" With a roar, a stocky figure clad in heavy armor and wearing a helmet with a broken horn charged out of the darkness. Seeing the opponent's ruthless methods, a murderous intent rose in Chen Jinyang's heart. The burly man kneeling at his feet endured the pain and growled, "Tempus!", refusing to give up even as he tried to stand, ignoring the agony of his fingers being on the verge of breaking. Sensing the change in force through their contact, Chen Jinyang swung his palm against the side of the man's neck, knocking him cold. He then sank his stance and kicked out at the charging armored warrior. Because he was angered by the opponent's ruthlessness, Chen Jinyang put his full strength into the kick, even channeling his Dark Energy, intending to kill the man with a single blow.

Seeing the kick, the armored dwarf, worried about his fallen companion whose life or death was unknown, did not dodge or weave, but instead gripped his steel shield with both hands and slammed into him. Chen Jinyang, who had not taken the dwarf seriously, did not expect such immense momentum; he lost his footing and retreated several steps. His left foot, which had struck the dwarf, throbbed with bone-deep pain, making it difficult to support his weight. The dwarf fared even worse; his hands, bones shattered by the Dark Energy, held the dented and broken steel shield as he was knocked backward into his own chest with a muffled groan. Standing on one leg, Chen Jinyang could do little for the moment and remained in place, waiting for the enemy's reaction.

The entire process took less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Neither side made further probes, and the camp fell instantly silent, save for the painful curses of the dwarf Chen Jinyang had kicked. The mercenaries who had been sent flying struggled to their feet, dropped their deformed shields, and stood beside Chen Jinyang with swords drawn, guarding against another attack, not daring to even breathe loudly.

The standoff did not last long. A figure wrapped in a cloak walked into the camp, carrying another petite, humanoid form in their arms. "Alafil!" several mercenaries cried out upon seeing the elven girl. "Who are you? What happened to Alafil?" At this moment, Phinia and the two little ones, who had been restless in the tent, also ran out. The newcomer paused, clearly surprised to see children in the camp, then set the little elven girl down and pulled back the hood covering their head. At the same time, a bloated dwarf supporting another injured, heavily armored warrior also walked in.

"Drow? An evil elf!" The thin face with black skin, white hair, and pointed ears revealed beneath the cloak made the already nervous mercenaries even more terrified. The eyes were as evil as burning purple flames, filled with complex pain and confusion. The injured dwarf kept shouting, "Damn it! He killed the boy! He killed my boy! Drow! Kill them! Damn it! Poor child! Kill them! Drizzt! Avenge Wulfgar!" (The plot characters have finally arrived, everyone applaud.) The injured dwarf's shouting made the mercenaries even more terrified, and they all gripped their weapons tightly, aiming them at the Drow elf. Just then, the unconscious elven girl regained consciousness. She lifted her dazed head and happened to see the dark elf standing beside her. "Ah—! Drow—!" With an even shriller scream, the terrified little elf fainted a second time.

By now, Chen Jinyang realized that this conflict was actually a misunderstanding. The other party hadn't wanted to hurt anyone at first; it was just that the hammer-wielder had been subdued by him, and the dwarf, desperate to save his companion, had resorted to lethal force. Now, they even thought the burly man had been killed by him. The Drow elf gripped his sword hilts, struggling internally; he wanted to avenge his companion but did not want to harm the innocent. After all, this was a misunderstanding.

Chen Jinyang sensed the Drow's conflict. His side hadn't suffered any major damage, and it was just a misunderstanding. With his left foot injured, he didn't want to cause further trouble. He raised his voice to stop the restless mercenaries and the dark elf, who had reached for his blades several times: "Wait! Your companion is not dead! He was just knocked unconscious by me!" Of course, if he wasn't treated quickly, he would certainly become an idiot—but Chen Jinyang didn't say that out loud.

The Drow elf was stunned at these words. The bloated dwarf even dropped the injured dwarf and ran toward the unconscious burly man. The injured dwarf, who had been cursing non-stop, lost his balance and fell to the ground with a "clatter." His broken hands hit the ground, causing excruciating pain. He screamed and cursed, "Damn you, Bruenor! I'm going to kill you! Ah—! By Paladin, I'm going to kill you! Otherwise, I'm just a bearded gnome! Ah—! Bastard! Damn it!"

The bloated dwarf, called "Bruenor," ran to the side of the burly Wulfgar, turned his body over, and placed his short, fat fingers under the man's nostrils. He then leaned down and listened to his heartbeat. Bruenor jumped up and shouted, "The boy is still alive! He's just sleeping!" After saying this, he scratched his curly hair.

Hearing Bruenor's answer, Drizzt's eyes lit up, and he immediately relaxed his grip on his twin scimitars. Only the injured dwarf continued to moan and curse the other dwarf who had pushed him over. Chen Jinyang, also breathing a sigh of relief, noticed that the mercenaries hadn't let their guard down and were still tensely wary of the Drow. He softened his tone and said, "Gosa! It's alright! Go and help Alafil over!" Seeing the mercenary leader ignore him and remain on guard, he frowned and said, "It's fine! It's a misunderstanding! Put down your swords!"

"No! That's a Drow elf!"

"So what if it's a Drow elf?"

"Drow elves are the most evil race in the Underdark! Devils in the darkness! They're capable of anything!"

Bruenor, the dwarf who was checking on the unconscious Wulfgar with the Drow, retorted upon hearing this: "No! Drizzt is different! He is a good Drow! He only kills bad guys and has never killed an innocent person!"

The heavily armored dwarf, who was struggling to turn over and lie on his back, cursed and asked, "Drizzt! How is Wulfgar? Damn it! My hands are broken! Bruenor! Come over and help me up!"

Bruenor didn't listen to his orders but instead tried to wake Wulfgar with the Drow. Drizzt replied uncertainly, "I don't know! Wulfgar has been in a deep sleep. I've tried to wake him, but it seems very difficult to do so!"

Chen Jinyang, standing opposite, said calmly, "I have a way to wake him! Let me do it!"

Before the Drow could speak, the injured dwarf shouted loudly, "Drizzt! Don't let that damn guy near Wulfgar! Oh! Damn it! He broke my bones! And he kicked my shield to pieces!" Chen Jinyang frowned again; what a foul-mouthed little dwarf.

"Powerful friend! Please help us wake Wulfgar!" Drizzt came to Chen Jinyang's side and pleaded earnestly, though several mercenaries retreated in terror. Chen Jinyang hopped over to Wulfgar on one leg, leaned down, and tapped several points on his neck, drawing out the stagnant blood caused by the Dark Energy he had previously injected. The burly Wulfgar slowly regained consciousness, shook his groggy head, and stood up.