The moment that figure came flying toward him, Li Hao instinctively tried to step back and dodge the calamity hurtling his way.
But the other person was moving too fast and was too close, leaving him no time to react.
A boy of fourteen or fifteen came hurtling straight toward him.
Li Hao got a clear look at his face.
His hair was a mess, stubble covered his face, and his peach-blossom eyes were filled with terror and despair.
Most absurd of all, the hand he was clutching tightly around held a steaming Big Sausage that gave off a strange aroma.
A name leaped uncontrollably from the depths of Li Hao's memory.
Oscar?
The future Food God, Oscar?
How had he ended up like this?
He looked like a homeless man who'd been chased for three days and nights.
"Help! Murder!"
The piercing scream made Li Hao's eardrums ache.
Before he could push that question aside, several even more vicious figures burst out of the path through the woods.
At their head was a burly man with a face full of coarse features. His Soul Power was in the thirties, making him a Soul Elder.
A few underlings followed behind him, all wearing sinister grins, looking determined to get what they wanted at any cost.
"Kid, let's see where you're going to run now!"
The Soul Elder at the front sneered, his greedy gaze fixed on the Big Sausage in Oscar's hand.
"Hand over your Mutated Martial Soul, and I might leave you with your whole corpse!"
Mutated Martial Soul?
Li Hao understood at once.
Oscar's Martial Soul was food-type, and he had Innate Full Soul Power. He could make sausages with beneficial effects.
To certain Evil Soul Masters or organizations with ulterior motives, a Martial Soul like that was practically a walking treasure trove.
They didn't want Oscar's life.
They wanted his Martial Soul.
"Dream on! I'd rather die than hand over my Big Sausage!"
Oscar was trembling with fear, but his words were unyielding.
Trouble.
A whole lot of trouble.
Li Hao's first thought was to turn around and leave, pretending he hadn't seen a thing.
Better to avoid trouble.
He was just a slacker who wanted to quietly obtain his third Soul Ring. He didn't want to get caught up in any disputes.
Especially not a clash with a sinister gang that was obviously after the secrets of someone's Martial Soul.
Go!
He had to leave right now!
He made up his mind, quietly turned around, and prepared to blend into the crowd of onlookers nearby.
But just as he lifted his foot,
a slick sensation came from beneath his sole.
He looked down.
Some inconsiderate idiot had tossed a banana peel on the ground after eating it.
This was bad.
The thought had barely crossed his mind when an irresistible momentum threw him off balance. His body slid uncontrollably in a bizarre direction.
Straight toward Oscar and the group of pursuers.
"Damn it!"
Li Hao let out a despairing yell in his heart.
In the most wretched posture imaginable, he fell right into the middle of the battlefield.
Time seemed to slow down in that instant.
Under everyone's astonished gaze,
the timing of Li Hao's fall was impeccable.
His leg shot out involuntarily and tripped the Soul Elder at the front right across the ankle.
The Soul Elder had been wholly focused on grabbing Oscar and hadn't expected a third party to suddenly burst in. He stumbled, and his massive body crashed to the ground.
The fishing rod in Li Hao's hand, disguised as an ordinary firewood stick, also jabbed forward with the momentum of his fall.
Pfft.
A soft sound.
The end of the fishing rod struck another Soul Master squarely in the eye.
"Aah!"
A piercing scream rang through the sky.
The scene descended into chaos.
Li Hao landed on the ground, grimacing in pain, but his thoughts were crystal clear.
Luck Buff!
That damn Luck Buff had activated!
He looked at the Soul Master wailing on the ground, then at the Soul Elder who'd been tripped and was struggling to get up. A thought flashed through his mind like lightning.
I'll just go along with it!
While everyone's attention was drawn elsewhere, his fingers moved almost imperceptibly.
Several needles as fine as ox hairs, coated with Cailin Snake Venom, slipped silently from between his fingers and sank into the numbness points in the Soul Masters' legs at a tricky angle.
They were one of Cailin's trump cards for saving his life. The venom could kill with a single drop of blood, but applied to numbness points, it would only make a person instantly lose the ability to move.
After doing all that, he quickly withdrew his hand and kept playing the role of an innocent passerby in agony from his fall.
The effect was immediate.
The Soul Elder, who had just managed to get halfway to his feet, suddenly stiffened, then slumped down, foaming at the mouth and convulsing violently.
The remaining underlings met the same fate one after another, tumbling onto the ground like rolling gourds.
It had taken no more than a few seconds.
The Flying Divine Pig Group, who'd just been acting like a pack of demons, had been... wiped out.
The entrance to the Soul Hunting Forest fell into utter silence.
Everyone stared in dumbfounded disbelief at the surreal scene.
To them, it looked as though an unlucky hunter had simply tripped, then somehow, by sheer accident, taken down a notorious squad of Soul Masters in an utterly baffling way.
Did that make sense?
No.
But it had happened all the same.
Oscar was dumbstruck, too.
He stared at his fallen enemy, convulsing on the ground, then at the innocent-looking hunter struggling to get back to his feet.
His brain shut down for a full three seconds.
Then he came around.
He was saved.
He'd been saved!
This man had saved him!
Overwhelming joy at surviving, along with boundless gratitude, swept over him.
He tossed aside the Big Sausage in his hand and scrambled over to Li Hao. Without a word, he fell to his knees and bowed.
"Big Brother! You're my real brother! You saved my life!"
Li Hao had just gotten back to his feet and dusted himself off. He hadn't even had time to make a quick getaway when a human-shaped attachment latched onto his leg.
Oscar clung tightly to his thigh, crying so hard his nose was running and tears were streaming down his face.
"Big Brother, take me as your disciple! From today on, you're my brother, born of different parents! I'm following you!"
Li Hao's body went stiff.
His social-anxiety alarm was blaring at the highest level.
Don't touch me!
Stay away from me!
He screamed inwardly, but all he could do was force a smile more miserable than crying as he tried desperately to shake the human leech off his leg.
Every gaze around them had focused on the pair.
Li Hao's scalp prickled. He wanted nothing more than to dig a hole in the ground and crawl inside.
Just as he was at a loss for what to do,
another piercing scream came from deep in the woods, followed by a somewhat sleazy, panting voice.
"Boss! Why are you running so fast? Wait for me!"
A round figure came rolling and scrambling out of the path.
Before you continue