When the three of them used their lightness skills to return before Thumb Peak, they finally let out a small sigh of relief. Hermit Yanming casually sat atop Wo Niu Stone and asked, "Nephew, you hadn't finished what you were saying earlier, had you? Go on, let us hear it now."
Lu Yueming said, "There are no birds in these woods. This junior can think of no more than two reasons. First, there may be some fearsome beast in the forest that birds fear, keeping them from roosting here. But as for what beast it might be, this junior has no idea. In this junior's understanding, there has never been a beast capable of driving all birds away. Second, this wild jujube grove may itself be an array. Could the array also have the effect of keeping birds out, preventing them from nesting here?"
Hermit Yanming pondered for a moment and said, "Nephew's words make some sense. However, the art of arrays has long been lost in the martial world. Its true power is not something people like us can guess at. As for the matter of wild beasts, that is simply too inconceivable. Alas, this wild jujube grove holds far too many mysteries, beyond what we may rashly speculate upon. We should wait until the proper day next year before entering again. This time, the fact that we preserved our lives was the good fruit of not being greedy. Man proposes, Heaven disposes; do not forcibly seek what is not yours. The ancients truly did not deceive us."
As he spoke, Hermit Yanming's tone became unexpectedly desolate, utterly at odds with the spring air of all things reviving.
Lu Yueming and Tan Feng exchanged a glance. Their eyes held nothing but alarm and relief at having escaped disaster. When