Clangs and clinks echoed through the woods. Apart from those sounds, all was silent.
In a clearing among the trees, several dozen people stood in a ring around its edges.
At the center of the clearing, a girl wielding a longsword fought a saber-wielding young man, their blades ringing crisply as they clashed.
The surrounding crowd watched the two fight without saying a word.
Before long, the girl seized an opening in the young man's guard and flicked his saber aside, then brought her sword's edge to his throat while he was exposed.
The young man gave a wry smile and left the ring of his own accord.
Soon, someone else took his place and began fighting the girl.
On a branch above the crowd stood two figures, one in green and one in purple.
The green-robed youth watched the girl in the clearing intently, his face expressionless.
The other youth, dressed in purple, stood respectfully behind him with a bitter smile.
"Brother Su, look, it's already been over two days. If my brothers keep sparring with Big Sister Tang, we really won't make it in time for the trial."
"Brother, I'm begging you. Please let us go."
The purple-robed youth pleaded with Su Qing, his voice even carrying a hint of tears.
His name was Li Yuchen, and he, too, had earned a Seed Quota. He had grandly gathered several dozen people and named them the Yuchen Gang.
Yet they had barely spent a few days throwing their weight around the area before Su Qing set his sights on them.
After defeating the entire Yuchen Gang alone with a single sword, Su Qing had threatened them.
Either do as I say and serve as sparring tools for Tang Qian'er, or your whole gang gets eliminated.
What can I do? I'm desperate, too! If I can't fight back, I can only obey him.
Su Qing turned his head slightly and glanced at him. "All right," he said mildly.
"Brother, really-"
"Huh!"
"You agreed!"
Li Yuchen exclaimed in surprise.
"What?" Su Qing replied. "If you don't want to leave, you can spar with her for a few more days."
"We're in no hurry, anyway."
In the fight below, Tang Qian'er had already fallen into a disadvantage. After several consecutive bouts, her stamina was beginning to give out.
Seeing that continuing would accomplish little, Su Qing leaped down from the tree and ended Tang Qian'er's training.
After these past few days of extra training, Tang Qian'er had improved considerably under Su Qing's guidance. Her cultivation had also reached the peak of the Spirit Wheel Realm, and all she needed was an opportunity to break through.
The two did not dawdle. They left as soon as they said they would, waving their sleeves without taking a single cloud with them, leaving behind only the members of the Yuchen Gang, all looking as though they had survived a disaster.
"Phew, that walking calamity has finally left."
Once Su Qing and Tang Qian'er were far away, Li Yuchen let out a relieved breath and leaned against the tree trunk.
His followers, particularly those whose strength was comparable to Tang Qian'er's, also relaxed their taut nerves and rested, some leaning against things and others sitting down.
Elsewhere.
Su Qing left with Tang Qian'er, heading toward the meeting place they had agreed on with Mu Chen.
All this time, Su Qing had been training Tang Qian'er's combat skills. They could hardly make Mu Chen stand around watching.
So, after the three discussed it, Mu Chen had gone off on his own for a few days. They had also settled on a place to regroup at an agreed time.
They traveled without a word.
In a clearing in the woods, a campfire lit up the night. Beside it, Mu Chen held a handful of meat skewers in one hand and sprinkled cumin over them with the other.
Sizzling drops of grease slid off the skewers and dripped into the campfire.
Su Qing and Tang Qian'er emerged from the trees and sat beside the fire, looking at Mu Chen with strange expressions.
They exchanged a glance, then asked Mu Chen in unison.
"Where did you abduct this one from?"
Mu Chen sighed helplessly and handed out the skewers to Su Qing, Tang Qian'er, and a girl sitting beside him.
Dressed entirely in white, the girl watched Su Qing and Tang Qian'er warily with her large, bright black eyes, then ravenously bit into a skewer.
Su Qing looked at the girl, then at Mu Chen, his gaze complicated.
Well, well. I never thought this was your type.
"What about Luo Li?"
Su Qing took a bite of meat and asked.
Mu Chen had just dusted the seasoning off his hands and taken a drink of water when he heard Su Qing's question. He sprayed out a mouthful.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Mu Chen coughed up the water caught in his throat and snapped, "What are you thinking?"
"I just took pity on someone and saved her, that's all!"
"Mm, I understand. It's fine. I understand everything."
Su Qing gave Mu Chen a meaningful look.
"The hero saves the beauty! The suspension bridge effect."
With that, Su Qing even waggled his eyebrows at Mu Chen.
Mu Chen cursed angrily, "You bastard! What exactly do you understand?"
"All right, enough joking. What actually happened?"
Su Qing knew when to quit while he was ahead and asked seriously.
Mu Chen suppressed the urge to throw his skewers into Su Qing's face and explained.
"I saw her being chased by a pack of Flame Leopards on the road. I couldn't bear to leave her, so I saved her."
"Her name is Sun'er. She's fourteen, and she's also a rank-two Spirit Array Master."
?
When I type a question mark, it doesn't mean there's something wrong with me. It means there's something wrong with you.
"A rank-two Spirit Array Master, and at the middle stage of the Spirit Wheel Realm, yet she was being chased around by a pack of Flame Leopards?"
Su Qing asked incredulously.
"Why don't I believe that?"
Mu Chen sighed.
"That's really what happened."
For a moment, everyone fell silent except Sun'er, who continued noisily gnawing on her meat skewers.
Looking at the girl, who resembled a baby iron-eating beast, Su Qing sighed as well.
A girl as delicately carved as jade was always more welcome than some burly foot-picking fellow. Su Qing did not care either way, since he did not know her, but judging by Tang Qian'er's expression, she certainly could not bear to abandon her.
Seeing the gleams of maternal affection surfacing in Tang Qian'er's eyes, Su Qing could only agree to her proposal to keep bringing this girl along.
Su Qing had no intention of greeting her, either. He had no interest in trouble that delivered itself to his doorstep.
Tang Qian'er, however, took her skewers across the fire and sat beside Sun'er. Before long, the two were chatting and laughing, having already struck up a friendship.
"Tch."
Su Qing glanced over before looking away, focusing entirely on the meat skewers in his hands.
Meanwhile, the other three began a conversation centered on Sun'er.
"My name is Tang Qian'er. That fellow across from us is Su Qing. We came from the same Spirit Academy."
Tang Qian'er chatted with Sun'er with a smile. When she mentioned Su Qing, she pouted in displeasure and shot him a glare across the campfire. Unfortunately, Su Qing had his head down, tackling his skewers, and did not notice.
"From what you said earlier, you have an older sister in the Northern Cang Realm, too?"
"Mm-hmm."
Sun'er nodded repeatedly and rubbed her stomach. "But we got separated. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone hungry. And if I were with my sister, those horrible things wouldn't have bullied me."
At the thought of the pack of Flame Leopards, tears could not help trickling from the corner of Sun'er's mouth. She clenched her little fists and tried to look fierce as she spoke.
"Is your sister very strong?" Tang Qian'er asked curiously.
"My sister took part in the Spirit Road!"