Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, Tang Hao stood beneath an ancient tree, his gaze occasionally sweeping across the direction where Li Qingshan and his disciple had vanished.
He did not follow them in immediately, merely leaving a mark near the roots of a tree before returning to a spot where he could clearly see the path.
Not long after, the sound of a rushing wind echoed from outside the forest.
Four figures landed one after another. The middle-aged man walking at the very front had broad shoulders and a calm expression, and he was none other than the Clear Sky Sect master, Tang Zhen.
Following behind him were the Clear Sky Sect's Second Elder, Third Elder, and Tang Xiao.
"Father!"
Seeing the arrivals, Tang Hao hurried forward to greet them, then paid his respects to the two elders before looking toward his eldest brother.
Seeing that he was safe and sound, Tang Xiao finally let out a slight breath of relief.
Li Qingshan and his disciple were traveling by carriage, and they still had to stop for lodging and resupply along the way, so naturally they could not move very fast.
After Tang Xiao returned to the sect to report what had happened, Tang Zhen personally brought the two elders down the mountain, trailing the marks Tang Hao had left behind.
Tang Zhen was a Titled Douluo, and the two elders' cultivation was also formidable. With him looking after Tang Xiao along the way, even setting out a few days late was enough to catch up to the carriage's pace.
Without any polite pleasantries, Tang Zhen asked directly,
"Where are they?"
"They've already entered the forest." Tang Hao raised a hand to point into the woods.
"They went in from that side, not long after leaving. The young man paid the coachman in full and sent him back, continuing further inward himself with the youth and that small golden beast."
The Third Elder glanced toward that direction and frowned, saying, "You didn't follow them in?"
"After entering the forest, getting too close makes it easy to be detected, while staying too far back risks losing the trail," Tang Hao paused and explained.
"Besides, Eldest Brother instructed me only to track them and not to alert the other party. I've left markers all along the way, so I was just waiting here."
Tang Zhen nodded slightly, praising,
"Hao'er handled things steadily this time."
Hearing this affirmation, the taut expression on Tang Hao's face finally eased a little.
All these days, as he followed far behind the carriage and watched the person who had injured the Seventh Elder journey along at his leisure, a surge of stifled frustration had naturally brewed in his chest.
Yet the more he witnessed the Seventh Elder's injuries with his own eyes, the clearer he understood that he could not act purely on impulse.
The Second Elder asked, "Did you see him make contact with anyone along the way?"
Tang Hao shook his head and said,
"I didn't find any others. Most of the time he was inside the carriage teaching the youth, and when they stopped, he only let that small beast move around nearby."
Tang Xiao immediately added,
"We have already met that sword-wielding powerhouse from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and confirmed it isn't this person. His appearance and background don't match."
After listening, Tang Zhen's gaze fell back toward the dense forest.
The other party had heavily injured Tang Lie yet traveled by carriage with a youth, their demeanor showing not the slightest hint of hurried flight.
Were they relying on formidable backing to act with impunity, or did they simply not regard the Clear Sky Sect in their eyes at all?
"Into the mountain."
After a brief silence, Tang Zhen gave a cold shout, then strode forward. Seeing this, the two elders quickly followed.
Tang Hao was just about to lead the way when he heard his father's voice once more.
"Once we find them, I will do the talking. The two of you listen first; no one is permitted to strike without my command."
Hearing this, the two brothers exchanged a glance and acknowledged the order simultaneously.
Tang Zhen gazed at the interwoven shadows of the trees in the forest, his eyes gradually sinking as he muttered to himself,
"Rank ninety-nine, the Love Sword Douluo... I must see for myself just what sort of senior expert this is."
Deep within the forest.
Yu Xiaogang still had not quite recovered his wits. Lowering his head to glance at the ubiquitous Blue Silver Grass scattered everywhere in the undergrowth, he could not help asking,
"Master, can even trashy Blue Silver Grass like this cultivate to a hundred thousand years?"
Looking toward the direction he had just sensed, Li Qingshan already had a name floating in his mind as he explained,
"Ordinary Blue Silver Grass naturally wouldn't find it easy to accomplish. The stalk your master discovered is nothing so simple."
He had originally come in search of the Spirit-Nourishing Jade Marrow Ganoderma, never expecting that before he even laid eyes on the medicinal herb, he would stumble upon such a fortuitous opportunity.
A faint ripple stirred in Li Qingshan's heart. What if he could take Ah Yin in as a disciple at this very moment?
According to the original plot, she would leave the forest not long after transforming into human form, subsequently meet Tang Hao and Tang Xiao, later fall in love with Tang Hao, and ultimately be forced into a ritual sacrifice under the pursuit of Spirit Hall.
Thinking of this, Li Qingshan's brows furrowed slightly as he thought to himself, Tang Hao is no good thing; he actually has a four-year-old son cook meals for him.
After Ah Yin's sacrifice, she was even planted by him in a dark, damp cave where it was hard to see sunlight for over a decade.
A Blue Silver Emperor who managed to cultivate to a hundred thousand years against all odds, traversing long, arduous ages only to take on human form, ultimately met such a fate.
Truly desolate, tragic, and mournful-
If he could take her in as a disciple beforehand and guide her onto another path.
Dugu Xin had survived to spare Dugu Bo the grief of losing a son, and the system had rewarded him with a hundred thousand-year Head Soul Bone.
If Ah Yin did not have to undergo a sacrifice nor endure over a dozen years languishing in a cave, just how great would the retribution reward for defying fate turn out to be?
With this thought, a bit of eager anticipation gradually welled up in Li Qingshan's eyes, though he did not immediately take Yu Xiaogang and rush over.
He was naturally well aware of soul beasts' wariness toward humans.
Especially at a crucial juncture like transformation, if an unfamiliar soul master suddenly appeared, the first thing Ah Yin would likely think of was that the other party coveted her soul ring and soul bone.
Going over under the identity of the Love Sword Douluo not only might fail to put her at ease, but could instead frighten her away.
Li Qingshan raised a hand to stroke his chin as a notion gradually clarified in his mind.
Human powerhouses aren't easy to trust, but what if I'm a senior soul beast that has already transformed?
I have it...
Someone who left the forest even earlier than her, had cultivated in the human world for many years, and now happened to notice a fellow member of her kind undergoing transformation, thus making a special trip to look after her.
Such an identity would clearly make it much easier for her to let down her guard. As long as Ah Yin developed an initial sense of approval, making the falsehood reality would have a chance to play its part.
"Master?"
Seeing him stand motionless for so long, Yu Xiaogang gave a soft call.
Hearing this, Li Qingshan finally snapped out of his reverie. He first glanced at the youth, then looked toward Luo Sanpao crouching at the boy's feet, and spoke,
"Xiao Gang, your master has a matter that requires attending to alone. Yet I wouldn't be at ease leaving you by yourself in the forest."
"How about this, I'll send you out first, and after getting you settled, I'll come back once more."
Yu Xiaogang froze slightly, then looked toward the direction his master had just been gazing at. There was a hundred thousand-year soul beast there, and it was currently transforming.
His master was suddenly sending him away-could it be that he wanted to seize this opportunity to acquire that soul beast's soul bone?
The moment this thought surfaced, he didn't dwell on it any further.
For soul masters to hunt soul beasts and obtain soul rings was already the most commonplace thing on the mainland. The soul ring he had absorbed earlier had likewise been hunted and retrieved for him by his master.
Yu Xiaogang nodded without hesitation, saying,
"This disciple will obey your arrangements. Master, please be careful."
Before you continue