The night wind swept through the turbulent wilderness. Endless stretches of tough grass rolled like waves, and willow branches danced wildly; fine sand and pebbles skimmed through the roots and stems of the boundless greenery, tumbling and flowing along the ground. A thin veil of windblown dust rose over the desolate hills, inexplicably lending them an air of bleak sorrow.
Monk Jingshen sat cross-legged in a wind-sheltered spot behind a barren hill. Visibly flustered, he glanced at Wang Tudou, then at Little Bad King and Daoist Chu approaching from another direction, utterly astonished. He truly could not understand why these three had come together, or why they had come looking for him.
Atop the barren mound, Wang Tudou stared coldly at Monk Jingshen. Anger surged uncontrollably within him, and even his right hand, clenched around the Black Iron Rod, trembled slightly.
He could have stayed out of everything tonight, quietly escaped North Wind Town, and completed the Divine Monk Manor's assignment with relative ease. But just as his squad began its withdrawal, he suddenly discovered that a whole living person had gone missing from his team.
This person's "disappearance" had not only disrupted the squad's withdrawal plan but also subjected Wang Tudou to unprecedented pressure from within the team. Every step he took afterward felt like dancing on a wire suspended in midair: one careless move, and he would be smashed to pieces.
That evening, while the squad members were carrying out the withdrawal plan, Wang Tudou had sought out Yang Sanhai alone and told him, "Third Brother, once you've picked a place to act, go find Qin Heizi. He's meticulous and good at setting ambushes... have him help you. It'll be more efficient and safer."
Honestly, this was somewhat out of character for Wang Tudou. His squad had always