The Afterblow Comes First

After the Titan Giant Ape left, the forest did not immediately come alive again.

Its oppressive presence still lingered in the air, like muffled thunder after a storm. Though it had passed, it still weighed on their hearts.

The Shrek group stood where they were. For a long while, no one spoke.

Then Bai Jin coughed.

It was a soft cough.

But the next moment, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Ning Rongrong's expression changed. "Bai Jin!"

Bai Jin raised a hand to stop her and leisurely wiped his mouth.

"Don't sound so tragic. I'm not dead yet."

Zhao Wuji strode over, his face grim.

"Have you lost your mind, kid? That was a Titan Giant Ape!"

"I noticed."

"You noticed, and you still fought it head-on?"

Bai Jin thought for a moment.

"Looked cool."

Zhao Wuji's fists clenched.

If this brat had not just saved everyone, Zhao Wuji would have slapped him straight into the mud.

Tang San stepped forward. His voice was steady, but worry hid beneath it.

"Senior, your injuries..."

"Nothing serious."

His Fourth Soul Ring flickered, and gentle white light covered Bai Jin's chest. His color visibly improved, but his depleted Soul Power would take far longer to recover.

Bai Jin leaned lazily against a broken log.

"Don't look at me. Finish them off."

Everyone froze.

Bai Jin pointed into the distance.

Several Evil Soul Masters from the Ghost Face Society were quietly retreating into the woods.

The battle had been so terrifying that they had not even been qualified to intervene. Now that the Titan Giant Ape was gone, their first instinct was naturally to flee.

Zhao Wuji's face turned cold. "Dai Mubai!"

Dai Mubai charged out at once.

Zhu Zhuqing moved even faster, skimming through the tree shadows like a black blade.

Blue Silver Grass spread from Tang San's palm, sealing off several routes.

Ma Hongjun had been holding back for ages. At last he had somewhere to vent, and his Phoenix Fire Line swept across the clearing.

Ning Rongrong's boost descended.

"Seven Treasure Have Names, Second: Speed!"

The fleeing Evil Soul Masters were quickly driven back.

They had already been scattered by Bai Jin, and the Titan Giant Ape's presence had frightened them out of their wits. Now, facing the Shrek group surrounding them, they fought without any coordination.

Bai Jin did not attack again.

He leaned against the broken log and watched the children put what they had just learned into practice, bit by bit.

Dai Mubai no longer relied solely on Power Attacks from the front. Instead, he deliberately drove the Evil Soul Masters toward the Blue Silver Grass Tang San had laid. Zhu Zhuqing slipped in more quietly, her claws striking just as her targets turned. Ma Hongjun's flames were still flamboyant, but he no longer sprayed them wildly; several times, they cut off an escape route at just the right moment.

Oscar stayed behind the others, chanting his sausage incantations. His face was as red as a ripe tomato, but he refused to stop.

Ning Rongrong stood at the center, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda flashing in her hands. She switched between speed and strength boosts faster than before, giving each person what they needed.

As Bai Jin watched, his smile faded a little.

Only after seeing a mountain did people know how to walk the road beneath their feet.

Tang San did not use Hidden Weapons.

He used Blue Silver Grass.

Entanglement, poison, pulling, blocking positions.

Every move was steadier than it had been yesterday.

Bai Jin watched and nodded in approval.

"Not bad."

Xiao Wu stood nearby, but her mind was elsewhere.

She gazed in the direction the Titan Giant Ape had gone, her eyes still a little red.

Bai Jin did not look at her, but his voice suddenly reached her.

"Little rabbit."

Xiao Wu stiffened.

Tang San turned. "Senior?"

Leaning against the broken log, Bai Jin sounded as if he were speaking offhandedly.

"Did that scare you senseless? If someone came up behind Tang San with a blade, would you just stand there crying too?"

Xiao Wu stared, then stamped her foot in anger.

"Who's crying?"

Bai Jin smiled.

"Then go fight."

Xiao Wu gritted her teeth and darted into the battle.

She moved faster than usual, and struck harder too.

Tang San glanced at her. Only after seeing she was all right did he focus again.

Soon, every Evil Soul Master from the Ghost Face Society had been subdued.

One tried to bite through a poison capsule hidden in his tooth, but Zhu Zhuqing dislocated his jaw with one slash. Her composure was frightening; even Zhao Wuji gave her a second look.

Bai Jin ambled over.

He crouched before the black-robed leader.

"Talk."

The man's face was smeared with blood, his eyes wild.

"You can't stop it."

"I'm tired of hearing that one."

Bai Jin flicked a finger.

The man screamed, and his entire arm dropped limp.

"Try another."

The man clenched his teeth. "The Blue Silver Emperor Blood will draw the real master here. You can't protect him!"

Tang San's eyes shifted.

The Blue Silver Emperor Blood.

Those words again.

Bai Jin did not turn around.

"Who's this real master?"

The man suddenly laughed.

“Slaughter City... beneath the throne...”

Before he could finish, the Ghost Mask marking on his chest lit up.

Bai Jin frowned and pressed a hand against it.

Boom!

Dark-red repulsive force blasted the surging evil Soul Power apart inside the man's body, but it was too late.

The man's body shriveled rapidly, as though something had devoured him from within. Only skin stretched over bone remained.

Ning Rongrong covered her mouth.

Oscar's face turned ashen.

Ma Hongjun cursed. "What the hell was that?"

Bai Jin stood, his gaze darkening.

"Someone silenced him."

Zhao Wuji lowered his voice. "Lost the trail?"

"No."

Bai Jin picked up a broken bone fragment beside the corpse.

Fine markings had been carved into it. Their lines faintly formed the shape of a city Gate.

"At least we know where they were trying to go."

Tang San came over and stared at the fragment.

"Senior, what is the Blue Silver Emperor Blood?"

The air fell still.

Bai Jin put the fragment away and smiled.

"Something very troublesome."

Tang San was not fooled.

He looked at Bai Jin. "Does it have to do with me?"

Bai Jin met his gaze.

After a moment, he nodded.

"Yes."

Tang San clenched his fist.

Bai Jin raised a hand and gently patted his shoulder.

"But now isn't the time for you to know everything."

"Why?"

"Because you're too weak."

The words stung.

But Tang San did not argue.

After the battle they had just survived, he understood better than ever what weakness meant.

Bai Jin's voice softened.

"If you want to know, train."

"Train until the day someone uses your past to threaten you, and you can smash their question back in their face."

Tang San was silent for a long time.

Then he nodded.

"I understand."

From that moment on, something in Tang San quietly changed.

He was still cautious, still kept trump cards hidden, but he no longer saw hiding as his only path to safety. The weak hid to survive; the strong hid to win. Bai Jin had laid the difference bare before him.

Bai Jin smiled.

"Good."

He turned to Oscar.

"Little Ao, finished absorbing your Soul Ring?"

Oscar nodded blankly.

"Finished."

"Then let's go."

Zhao Wuji frowned. "Where?"

Bai Jin looked toward the edge of the forest.

"Back for dinner."

Everyone: "..."

After the Titan Giant Ape, the Ghost Face Society, and a witness being silenced, what concerned him most was still dinner.

Yet for some reason, hearing him say it eased everyone's taut nerves a little.

Because Bai Jin could still talk like that.

It meant they had truly survived.

Zhao Wuji did not let everyone leave at once.

First he checked their injuries. Then he had Tang San spread Blue Silver Grass through the surrounding area to make sure no Soul Beasts were approaching. After encountering something on the Titan Giant Ape's level, Zhao Wuji knew better than anyone that the aftermath of a battle was no time to relax.

Bai Jin leaned against a tree, his face frighteningly pale.

Ning Rongrong hesitated, then went over to him.

"Are you really all right?"

"No."

"Then why did you say we should go back for dinner?"

"Does being injured mean I can't eat?"

For a moment, Ning Rongrong could find no answer.

Bai Jin looked up at her, his tone lazy. "Little princess, you kept your boosts going back there. Well done."

Ning Rongrong froze.

The corners of her mouth had just begun to lift when Bai Jin added, "Your hands shook three times, though. Extra practice when we get back."

Ning Rongrong: "..."

Her gratitude shattered across the floor.

Tang San watched from the side and suddenly felt that, as much as Bai Jin's training methods made him want to punch the man, they worked. Bai Jin never treated fear as something shameful, nor did he heap on praise for every bit of progress. He simply pointed out the problem, then made you keep going.

That did more good than comfort alone.

Xiao Wu stole a glance at Bai Jin.

She didn't know how much Bai Jin had figured out, or why he hadn't pressed her. But during that fight, Bai Jin had clearly had chances to hurt Er Ming. Each time, he had held back, using only enough force to drive him away rather than kill him.

That restraint left her feelings in a painful tangle.

She lowered her head and gently caught the hem of Tang San's clothes.

Tang San noticed, but he didn't turn around. He simply reached back and took her hand.

Bai Jin saw them and rolled his eyes.

"Quit getting all lovey-dovey. We're moving."

They let go at once.