He looked around, his face blank with confusion.
According to his memories of his previous life, Tang San should have encountered the Datura Snake somewhere around here.
But he searched the entire area and didn't find so much as a trace of a snake, let alone a Datura Snake.
"Did I remember wrong?"
Yu Xiaogang scratched his head and decided to widen his search.
Another half an hour passed.
Yu Xiaogang's brows furrowed even more deeply.
He still hadn't found it.
Forget Tang San—there wasn't even another person in sight.
"Strange..."
He muttered to himself and continued onward.
As he walked, his foot suddenly stepped on something soft.
Yu Xiaogang looked down—
A huge, dark green snake was coiled in the grass, staring fixedly at him with a pair of vertical pupils.
A Datura Snake.
A hundred years of cultivation.
Yu Xiaogang's mind went blank for 0.3 seconds.
Then he turned and ran.
"Hiss—!"
The Datura Snake was furious.
This human had stepped on its tail and still dared to run?
After him!
Yu Xiaogang ran for his life, his legs spinning like wheels.
Behind him, the Datura Snake gave chase, its tongue hissing.
Fortunately, after nearly being killed by a Datura Snake in his previous life, Yu Xiaogang had researched them and learned their habits—they were fast in a straight line, but clumsy when turning.
He chose winding paths, swerving left and right, darting up and down.
After chasing him for a while, the Datura Snake gradually fell behind.
Yu Xiaogang's heart leaped with joy.
This might work!
He sped up, preparing to lose the snake for good.
And then—
A commotion came from up ahead.
"Eek! Eek! Eek!"
A group of furry creatures charged out of the woods.
Wind Baboons.
Yu Xiaogang remembered these Soul Beasts. They were fast and skilled in Wind-type Soul Skills.
They lived in groups, held grudges fiercely, and were extremely territorial.
There were seven or eight in front of him, every one of them baring its teeth, wild with fury.
Yu Xiaogang froze.
The Wind Baboons froze too.
A man and a baboon stared at each other, eye to eye.
The next second, the Wind Baboons flew into a rage.
This human had trespassed into their territory and dared to look them in the eye?
Get him!
Yu Xiaogang turned and ran.
Behind him, the Datura Snake was still chasing him, and the Wind Baboons joined the pursuit.
A snake and a troop of baboons chased one man through the woods in a heart-pounding race.
Even the Soul Masters hunting nearby couldn't help turning to watch.
Yu Xiaogang ran until his lungs were about to burst.
But he didn't dare stop.
If he stopped, he was done for.
Elsewhere, in the Star Dou Forest.
The bonfire blazed.
Soup bubbled in the pot, with slices of meat, leafy greens, tofu, and vermicelli tumbling in the broth. Its aroma filled the air.
This was breakfast.
Su Mo leaned against a tree trunk, leisurely eating freshly cooked slices of meat.
Tang San stood by the pot, ready to add more food to his master's bowl at any moment.
Xiao Wu clutched a carrot, munching on it with juice all over her face.
Big Black Ox lay nearby, a pile of tender green grass in front of him. Every so often, he lifted his head to glance at the pot, then lowered it and went back to eating grass.
"Master," Tang San suddenly asked, "where are we going tomorrow?"
Su Mo thought for a moment. "We'll wander around."
Tang San fell silent for a second.
Wander around again.
Yesterday, they had "wandered around" all over the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest.
They had seen plenty of Soul Beasts, but hadn't fought a single one.
Not because they couldn't beat them, but because there was no need.
Su Mo had said that there was no rush to find his First Soul Ring. They could take their time and choose one that suited him.
Tang San thought that made sense, so he went along with their leisurely wandering.
Besides, with his master, that girl, and that seemingly ordinary old ox who was far more than he appeared, the forest was perfectly safe.
"Master!" Xiao Wu suddenly scooted over. "Can we go farther in tomorrow? I want to take a look at..."
She didn't say what she wanted to see, but her eyes sparkled.
Su Mo glanced at her and nodded.
Two "relatives" were watching over the depths of the forest. They would be safe anywhere.
Xiao Wu leaped up happily, her braids flying.
"Wonderful! You're the best, Master!"
At last!
Yu Xiaogang had shaken off the Datura Snake and the Wind Baboons.
The price was that his clothes had been torn to shreds, leaves were stuck in his hair, mud was smeared across his face, and several bloody scratches marked his legs.
He lay inside a cave, gasping for breath.
Outside, night had fallen.
The temperature difference on a September night was absurd.
It had been warm during the day, but now the cold cut to the bone.
Yu Xiaogang huddled in a corner, shivering.
He thought of his luggage—that shabby bundle containing dry food, water, a change of clothes, and a sleeping bag.
It was all on the back of that old hunting dog.
And the old hunting dog had bolted as soon as the Wind Baboons came after him.
It had run faster than anyone.
Yu Xiaogang shut his eyes and took a deep breath.
He was hungry.
He opened his eyes and felt around.
There was nothing in the cave except a few withered blades of grass.
Yu Xiaogang stuffed some into his mouth and chewed.
Bitter, coarse, and hard to swallow.
But he swallowed it anyway.
It was better than starving to death.
A gust of cold wind blew in, and Yu Xiaogang shivered.
He curled up tighter, his teeth beginning to chatter.
Cold.
Damn, it was cold.
Yu Xiaogang raised his head and looked at the night sky outside the cave.
The moon was huge and round, the stars twinkling.
What a beautiful night.
And there he was, freezing like a dog in a cave.
Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth and tried to comfort himself.
"It's fine... It's fine..."
"That brat Su Mo must still be wandering around the forest."
"When they run into a Soul Beast, I'll scatter the Berserk Potion..."
"Then they'll die without a burial place!"
His eyes turned vicious.
"By then, Tang San will understand who truly cares about him."
"He'll come back to me."
"I'll take him to the summit, where he'll become a god..."
"When we reach the Divine Realm—"
A gust of cold wind rushed in, and Yu Xiaogang let out an enormous sneeze.
"Ah—choo!"
Snot sprayed all over his hand.
He shivered as he wiped it away, then went on with his daydream.
"When we reach the Divine Realm, I'll make that brat Su Mo kneel before me and beg for mercy..."
"I'll make everyone who looked down on me pay..."
"I'll..."
Another gust of cold wind.
Yu Xiaogang's teeth began to chatter, and the rest of his words turned into a string of "clack-clack-clacks."
Suddenly, he remembered something.
He didn't have a sleeping bag!
Yu Xiaogang's expression stiffened.
He looked down at himself—his clothes were in tatters, he was covered in mud, and he was huddled in a cave without even a single match.
Then he thought of Su Mo and the others—surely they were camping somewhere too, right?
Did they have a bonfire?
Did they have food?
Did they have sleeping bags?
Yu Xiaogang didn't know.
But he couldn't shake the feeling that they were having a better time than he was.
At the thought, his eyes began to sting.
He sniffled and curled himself into an even smaller ball.
Night deepened.
Outside the cave, moonlight flowed like water.
Inside, Yu Xiaogang shivered.
Beside the bonfire, it was warm and cozy.
The soup for dinner was gone, and they had polished off all the meat and vegetables too.
Xiao Wu lay beside Su Mo, clutching her belly, her eyes half closed. She was still mumbling, "Delicious... I want more tomorrow..."