A Different Path, Lie Low for Now

Zhou Qi made up his mind and flashed down from the tree.

Silly Dog was still tied beneath it. Seeing him come down, it hurriedly wagged its tail.

Zhou Qi crouched and gently stroked its head.

Silly Dog narrowed its lone eye, a contented rumble rising from its throat.

"You killed my prized horse, but I used you as a mount for two days." Zhou Qi looked at it, his tone carrying a trace of regret. "Between us, we're even."

Though this Silly Dog was not very comfortable to ride, it was truly fast.

Silly Dog froze, bewilderment flashing through its lone eye.

Zhou Qi untied the saddle and reins from its neck, then rose to his feet.

"Go on."

Silly Dog did not move. It merely looked at him.

Zhou Qi raised his foot as if to kick it.

Silly Dog backed away two steps, yet still did not run. It simply kept looking at him.

Zhou Qi waved a hand.

After hesitating briefly, Silly Dog turned and slowly walked into the woods.

After taking a few steps, it looked back at him. After a few more steps, it looked back again.

Only after it had gone more than ten zhang did it perhaps feel the distance was enough.

It suddenly stopped, turned around, bared its fangs at Zhou Qi with a ferocious snarl, and let out a low growl.

Then it swiftly whipped its head around, its four legs moving like the wind as it vanished into the depths of the dense forest in the blink of an eye.

Zhou Qi stared in the direction it had vanished, momentarily speechless.

This damn dog...

He withdrew his gaze and turned toward the Wild Boar King.

With a flash, he appeared before that great tree.

The Wild Boar King was gathering momentum for its third charge at the tree when a figure suddenly appeared before it, startling it badly.

It retreated two steps, a flicker of confusion passing through its scarlet eyes.

Zhou Qi did not waste words.

The aura around his entire body erupted.

Peak of the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement.

That pressure gathered without dispersing, like a small mountain pressing down from above.

The Wild Boar King's murky scarlet eyes churned violently, its vicious aura forcibly suppressed by thirty percent.

Its four hooves scraped at the ground, and a low roar rolled from its throat, but it did not dare attack rashly.

Zhou Qi did not turn to look at the four people in the tree. With his back to them, he spoke calmly.

"Gentlemen, do you need Zhang's assistance?"

His voice was not loud, yet it reached every ear with perfect clarity.

The four people in the tree had been clutching branches and waiting to die. Hearing this, they all froze.

They looked down and saw that a young man had appeared beneath the tree at some point. He stood with his hands behind his back, facing away from them and toward the menacing Wild Boar King.

Pei Qiang was the first to react and immediately shouted, "Yes, yes! Thank you, Senior!"

The other three also came back to their senses, so excited they nearly fell from the tree.

With his back to them, the corner of Zhou Qi's mouth lifted faintly.

Then he raised a hand and crooked a finger at the Wild Boar King.

The Wild Boar King was thoroughly enraged by this provocative gesture.

Its hind hooves tore at the ground as it abruptly lowered its head. Its two thick, long tusks aimed at Zhou Qi as it charged like a black war chariot.

The earth trembled, and shattered stones flew everywhere.

Zhou Qi neither dodged nor retreated. He assumed his stance and met it with a punch.

Army-Breaking Fist.

Fist force burst outward, wrapped in the vast Spiritual Power of the Peak of the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement, and collided head-on with the Wild Boar King.

"Bang!!!"

A thunderous blast rang out. Airwaves exploded, throwing up sheets of dust and fallen leaves that spread madly in every direction.

The four people in the tree clung desperately to the trunk, unable to open their eyes against the blast.

Once the dust settled slightly, they strained to look down.

Zhou Qi stood where he was, without retreating a single step.

Meanwhile, the Wild Boar King, massive as a small mountain, had been forced back several steps. Its four legs trembled slightly as it shook its head, the savagery in its eyes replaced by confusion.

Zhou Qi flexed his wrist slightly.

This beast was indeed quite strong.

But only quite strong.

He gave it no further chance and slowly drew the Cold-Iron Saber from his waist.

The blade left its sheath, a snow-bright gleam flashing through the twilight.

The four people in the tree saw only a blur. In the next instant, Zhou Qi had vanished from where he stood.

When he appeared again, he was already high above the Wild Boar King's head.

Sky-Splitting Blade, Third Form—Heaven-Shaking.

Blade light descended like lightning from the heavens.

Too fast.

The Wild Boar King did not even have time to raise its head before that blade light struck its crown.

"Pfft!"

A muffled sound rang out.

The blade's momentum was unstoppable, cleaving the entire Wild Boar King in two from head to tail.

Its head split apart, and its enormous body crashed to the ground as blood sprayed in all directions.

Zhou Qi landed lightly and sheathed his saber.

Not a single drop of blood stained the blade.

The entire scene fell silent.

The four people in the tree stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed, frozen in place like statues.

They had lived for decades, but where had they ever seen such a sight?

The Forest had territories, and the Wild Boar King at the Eighth Layer of Awakening Intelligence Realm was already the ruler of this area.

Who among the villages within ten li had not heard of this boar? It had run rampant through these parts for more than a decade.

Any hunter who encountered the Wild Boar King would inevitably suffer grievous losses.

Yet this young man before them had needed only one strike.

One strike had split the Wild Boar King, feared by every village within ten li, into two halves.

Pei Qiang was the first to recover. Trembling, he slid down from the tree.

The moment his feet touched the ground, his legs went limp, and he nearly dropped to his knees.

He steadied himself against the trunk, drew several deep breaths, then walked before Zhou Qi and bowed deeply.

"Thank you, Senior, for saving our lives!"

The other three descended from the tree one after another and bowed in unison.

Zhou Qi waved a hand. "No need for such courtesy."

He glanced at the Wild Boar King's corpse on the ground, then at the boar not far away that had been gutted open. "Are you from a nearby village?"

Pei Qiang hurriedly nodded. "Replying to Senior, this humble one is Pei Qiang, a hunter from Pei Family Village. The one who was killed just now... was called Pei Lin. He was my brother."

At the mention of Pei Lin, his eyes reddened.

The other three lowered their heads as well, sorrow on their faces.

Zhou Qi nodded and looked at the sky.

The sun was almost completely below the mountain, and before long, night would fall entirely.

"How far is Pei Family Village from here?"

Pei Qiang quickly said, "Just over the ridge ahead. Senior, you saved our lives, and we have no way to repay you. If you do not mind, please come rest in the village for the night and allow us to show our gratitude."

Zhou Qi fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Very well."

Pei Qiang was overjoyed and hurriedly called for the other three to gather the prey.

The three worked together to lift the Wild Boar King's corpse.

It was far too heavy, weighing one or two thousand jin. The four of them grimaced and bared their teeth as they carried it.

Pei Qiang, meanwhile, hoisted Pei Lin's corpse onto his back and tied it there with rope.

Zhou Qi stood to one side and waited for them to finish.

Before long, they had handled everything with practiced efficiency and looked toward Zhou Qi.

"Senior, we're ready. Shall we go?" Pei Qiang asked.

"You need not call me Senior. My surname is Zhang, given name Hu. I am from Blackstone City."

He paused, his tone calm.

"Peak eighth-layer Qi Refining."

The four exchanged glances, a strange look flashing through their eyes.

Peak eighth-layer Qi Refining!

To small-time hunters like them, that was an existence beyond reach.

Even their village chief was only at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement.

Pei Qiang carefully asked, "Senior Zhang... are you planning to pass through the Qingling Mountains and head for Western Profound City?"

Zhou Qi looked at him and said slowly, "That is right. But I had no choice but to hide in the Qingling Mountains. Going to Western Profound City is also merely to seek a way to survive."

Zhou Qi did not explain himself clearly, and these hunters did not dare ask further.

After a moment of silence, Zhou Qi spoke again. "Would Pei Family Village be able to arrange a place for Zhang to stay?"

"Zhang is injured and needs a place to recuperate for a time."

He paused and took two Spirit Stones from his robes, holding them in his palm.

The Spirit Stones were crystal-clear throughout, casting a faint halo in the twilight.

"These two Spirit Stones may serve as payment for food and lodging. Zhang will not eat and stay for free."

These two Spirit Stones had been given to Zhou Qi by Yang Zhenshan before he left. There had been more than ten in total.

The four men's eyes instantly went wide.

Spirit Stones!

These were Spirit Stones!

They had never seen such rare treasures in their lives. They had only heard that the wealthy families in town possessed them.

Pei Qiang's Adam's apple bobbed as he struggled to look away. Drawing a deep breath, he said, "Senior Zhang, you jest. You saved our lives, and we have yet to properly thank you. How could we possibly accept your things...?"

Zhou Qi stuffed the Spirit Stones into his hand.

"Take them."

Pei Qiang held the two Spirit Stones, his hands trembling.

The other three stared at the Spirit Stones in his hands, their eyes turning red.

Pei Qiang took several deep breaths, carefully tucked the Spirit Stones into his clothes, then bowed deeply to Zhou Qi.

"Rest assured, Senior Zhang. Once we reach the village, we will certainly treat you as an honored guest!"

Zhou Qi nodded.

Once everything was packed up, the group headed toward Pei Family Village.

After crossing the ridge, scattered lights appeared in the mountain hollow ahead.

The village was not large, with around thirty or forty households. Most of the homes were made of rammed earth with thatched roofs, sparsely scattered across the gentle slope.

A stone stele stood at the village entrance, carved with three words:

Pei Family Village.

Zhou Qi watched those distant lights and nodded inwardly.

According to his route, even if he had not encountered these hunters, he should have soon come across this small mountain village.

Now, he had merely arrived by another path.

Pei Qiang carried Pei Lin's corpse on his back as he walked at the very front.