Leaving the Forest Is Hard

It was still early. When Zhang Xiaohua and the others left the valley mouth and reached the clearing between it and the dense forest, the setting sun was still a pole's height above the horizon.

Zhang Xiaohua put on a show of staying in the third carriage. After watching for quite a while, he did not see a single Incense-Passing Cult disciple.

"Could the trial period have already passed?" Zhang Xiaohua found it strange. Counting on his fingers, only a little over twenty days had passed. There should still have been plenty left of the month-long limit.

"Could this restriction have activated ahead of time again?"

Zhang Xiaohua frowned deeply. Seeing no one nearby, he swayed and flew onto Zhang Xiaohu's carriage. Zhang Xiaohu, who was driving, got such a fright that he patted his chest. "Xiaohua, isn't your lightness skill a little too good? Master said even Great Gang Leader Ou was only about this capable."

"Keep pretending, go on." Zhang Xiaohua laughed. "Back home, I never saw you talk so extravagantly. Why are you suddenly so... in front of others?"

Changge in the carriage indeed asked, "Xiaohua, what was your second brother like at home?"

"Nothing much, Sister Changge. Back then, my second brother was a flower in the fields—everyone who saw him praised him."

Chen Chen and Changge both burst out laughing. "We've heard your second brother say that before: 'A flower in the fields, all thanks to the manure being in charge!'"

"Huh?" Zhang Xiaohua was left rather dumbfounded. His eyes rolled, and just as he was about to speak, the slightly red-faced Zhang Xiaohu cut him off. "Instead of pretending to be injured in the back, what are you running over here for?"

Zhang Xiaohua shrugged. "There's no one around here. Who am I putting