Gangzi's Tragic Day

He looked around, his face full of confusion.

According to his memories from his past life, Tang San should have encountered the Datura Snake in this area.

However, he had scoured the entire region, and let alone a Datura Snake, he hadn't even seen a shadow of a snake.

Could I have remembered wrong?

Yu Xiaogang scratched his head and decided to expand his search range.

Another half an hour passed.

Yu Xiaogang's brows furrowed even tighter.

He still hadn't found anything.

Forget Tang San; there wasn't even a human shadow to be seen.

"Strange..."

He muttered to himself and continued walking forward.

As he walked, his foot suddenly stepped on something soft.

Yu Xiaogang looked down—

A large, dark-green snake was coiled in the grass, its vertical pupils fixed firmly upon him.

A Datura Snake.

A century of cultivation.

Yu Xiaogang's mind went blank for 0.3 seconds.

Then, he turned and ran.

"Hiss—!"

The Datura Snake was enraged.

This human stepped on its tail and dared to run?

Chase!

Yu Xiaogang ran for his life, his legs spinning like wind-fire wheels.

Behind him, the Datura Snake pursued relentlessly, its tongue flicking with a hissing sound.

Fortunately, after nearly being killed by a Datura Snake in his past life, Yu Xiaogang had studied them and knew their habits—they were fast in a straight line but lacked agility when turning.

He specifically chose winding paths, turning left and right, leaping up and down.

After chasing for a while, the Datura Snake gradually began to fall behind.

Yu Xiaogang felt a surge of joy.

There's a chance!

He increased his speed, preparing to shake off the snake for good.

Then—

A cacophony of shrieks erupted from ahead.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"

A group of furry creatures charged out from the woods.

Wind Baboons.

Yu Xiaogang remembered this type of Soul Beast; they were fast and skilled in wind-type soul skills.

They were pack animals, extremely vengeful, and possessed a strong sense of territory.

The seven or eight of them before him were all baring their fangs, looking incredibly irritable.

Yu Xiaogang froze.

The Wind Baboons froze as well.

One man and several baboons stared at each other.

The next second, the Wind Baboons were enraged.

This human trespassed into their territory and dared to stare them down?

Attack!

Yu Xiaogang turned and ran.

Behind him, the Datura Snake was still in pursuit, and the Wind Baboons had joined the chase.

One snake and a pack of baboons chased a single man, unfolding a heart-pounding pursuit through the forest.

It was enough to make the surrounding hunting Soul Masters stop and watch.

Yu Xiaogang's lungs felt like they were about to explode.

But he dared not stop.

If he stopped, he was finished.

On the other side, in the Star Dou Forest.

The campfire was burning brightly.

The soup in the pot bubbled away, with slices of meat, vegetable leaves, tofu, and vermicelli rolling in the broth, filling the air with a rich aroma.

This was breakfast.

Su Mo leaned against a tree trunk, slowly eating a slice of meat he had just swished in the pot.

Tang San stood guard by the pot, ready to add more ingredients for his master at any moment.

Xiao Wu held a carrot, her face covered in juice as she gnawed on it.

The Big Black Ox lay nearby with a pile of fresh, tender grass in front of it, occasionally lifting its head to glance at the pot before lowering it again to continue eating.

"Master," Tang San suddenly spoke up, "where are we heading tomorrow?"

Su Mo thought for a moment. "Just wandering around."

Tang San was silent for a second.

Wandering around again.

Yesterday, their "wandering around" had taken them through the entire outer perimeter of the Star Dou Forest.

They had seen plenty of Soul Beasts, but hadn't fought a single one.

It wasn't because they couldn't win, but because there was no need.

Su Mo had said that there was no rush for the first Soul Ring; they would take their time and pick a suitable one.

Tang San felt that made sense, so he followed along as they wandered.

In any case, with his master, that girl, and that hidden, unfathomable ox in the forest, it was perfectly safe.

"Master!" Xiao Wu suddenly leaned in. "Can we go deeper inside tomorrow? I want to see..."

She didn't say what she wanted to see, but her eyes were sparkling.

Su Mo glanced at her and nodded.

Deep in the forest, with two "relatives" watching over them, it was safe anywhere.

Xiao Wu jumped up in joy, her braids whipping through the air.

"Great! Master is the best!"

Finally!

Yu Xiaogang had shaken off the Datura Snake and the Wind Baboon.

The price he paid was that his clothes were torn into strips, leaves were stuck in his hair, his face was smeared with mud, and there were several bloody scratches on his legs.

He lay prone in a cave, gasping for air.

Outside, the sky had already turned dark.

On a September night, the temperature difference was absurd.

It had been warm during the day, but now it was bone-chillingly cold.

Yu Xiaogang huddled in a corner, shivering.

He thought of his luggage—that tattered bundle containing his dry rations, water, a change of clothes, and a sleeping bag.

It was all on the back of the Old Hunting Dog.

And that Old Hunting Dog had run off the moment the Wind Baboon started chasing them.

It had run faster than anyone.

Yu Xiaogang closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He was hungry.

He opened his eyes and felt around.

There was nothing in the cave except for a few stalks of withered grass.

Yu Xiaogang stuffed the grass into his mouth and chewed.

It was 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 shuddered.

He curled himself up tighter, his teeth beginning to chatter.

He was cold.

It was fucking cold.

Yu Xiaogang raised his head and looked at the night sky outside the cave.

The moon was big and round, and the stars were twinkling.

What a beautiful night.

Yet, he was freezing like a dog inside a cave.

Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth and began to console himself.

"It's fine... it's going to be fine..."

"That brat Su Mo must still be wandering aimlessly in the forest."

"Once they encounter a Soul Beast, I'll scatter the Berserk Potion..."

"I'll make sure they die without a burial ground!"

His eyes turned vicious.

"When that happens, Tang San will know who the person truly good to him is."

"He will return to my side."

"I will lead him to the pinnacle, to become a god..."

"Once we reach the God Realm—"

A gust of cold wind blew in, and Yu Xiaogang let out a massive sneeze.

"Ah—choo!"

Snot sprayed all over his hand.

He wiped it off with a shiver and continued his delusions.

"Once we reach the God Realm, I'll make that brat Su Mo kneel before me and beg for his life..."

"I'll make everyone who looked down on me pay the price..."

"I will..."

Another gust of cold wind.

Yu Xiaogang's teeth began to chatter, and the rest of his words turned into a "clatter-clatter-clatter" sound.

He suddenly remembered something.

He didn't have a sleeping bag!

Yu Xiaogang's expression froze.

He looked down at himself—his clothes were tattered, he was covered in mud, huddled in a cave, and he didn't even have a match.

Then he thought about Su Mo and the others—they must be camping somewhere, right?

Did they have a campfire?

Did they have food?

Did they have sleeping bags?

Yu Xiaogang didn't know.

But he couldn't help but feel that they must be living better than he was.

Thinking of this, Yu Xiaogang's eyes felt a little sore.

He sniffled and curled himself into an even smaller ball.

The night deepened.

Outside the cave, the moonlight was like water.

Inside the cave, Yu Xiaogang shivered uncontrollably.

Beside the campfire, it was warm and cozy.

The soup for dinner had been finished, and the meat and vegetables had been eaten clean.

Xiao Wu hugged her stomach, lying next to Su Mo with her eyes half-closed, still muttering, "Delicious... I want more tomorrow..."