I Changed My Mind Again

Deep in the forest, Gu Chenfeng held his spear against the bald man's throat.

The conversation went much more smoothly after that.

For every question he asked, the man gave ten answers, holding nothing back.

According to the bald man,

they came from a Jianghu Sect outside the Imperial Capital called the Four Directions Gate.

Recently, they had been hunting in the Great Wilderness Ridge under the Four Directions Gate's Third Boss.

They had noticed that Gu Chenfeng had been heading into the Great Wilderness Ridge alone lately, returning with a rich haul every day.

So they had decided to "fatten him up before slaughtering him."

As soon as he arrived at the waystation today, their Third Boss had sent their squad to follow, rob, and kill him.

Much like ancient times in Gu Chenfeng's previous life,

the Great Li Dynasty, and indeed all of Yan Province, had countless Jianghu Sects.

These sects were founded by martial artists, fell under the court's jurisdiction, and paid taxes.

They made their living through trade, escort work, hunting... and other pursuits.

Some were powerful enough to undertake important assignments for the court and safeguard entire regions.

The Great Li Dynasty even had a sect whose status stood above all others.

"The Azure Sky Sect."

Rumor had it that experts gathered in this sect like clouds. Unrestrained by imperial authority, it looked down upon southern Yan Province.

Of course, the Four Directions Gate and the Azure Sky Sect were as far apart as mud and clouds. The former was a second- or third-rate sect at best.

Besides trade and hunting, they also moonlighted in murder and plunder.

"S-sir, I've told you everything you asked! Please spare my life!"

With the spear pressed against his vital point, the bald man was already so frightened that sweat soaked his clothes, and he kept pleading.

Gu Chenfeng nodded.

"I'll count to ten. If you can escape, consider yourself lucky."

"One!"

Not daring to argue, the bald man turned and ran.

But he had only taken one step.

Schlk!

A spear plunged into his back and pierced straight through him.

The bald man's eyes widened in disbelief as he struggled to turn his head.

"You... you said... you'd count to ten."

"Sorry, I changed my mind again."

Gu Chenfeng replied calmly, then shook his spear, shattering the man's heart completely.

Thud!

The bald man toppled headfirst, dying with his eyes still open.

Holding his spear, Gu Chenfeng shook his head helplessly.

"Too weak. You could've at least let me use a big move."

After disposing of these Four Directions Gate disciples, Gu Chenfeng quickly looted their valuables.

Apart from the bald man, who carried several hundred taels in banknotes, the others had little worth taking.

Gu Chenfeng also obtained a small quantity of spiritual materials and a Four Directions Gate Command Token.

Along with a "bamboo whistle" used to relay messages.

He tossed their corpses into a cave. Origin Beasts would follow the scent and feast on them soon enough.

Gu Chenfeng continued on his way.

Now that he had the Blood-Crest Flower, he still needed the main ingredient for refining a Spirit-Nourishing Pill: ice-congealing herb.

This spiritual herb usually grew in damp environments.

Gu Chenfeng followed a river, tracing its course deeper into the Great Wilderness Ridge.

As he ventured farther in, he suffered several more Origin Beast attacks.

Among them were Origin Beasts in the meridian-opening realm.

But with his powerful spiritual perception and combat strength, he dealt with them all easily.

More than half an hour passed.

Gu Chenfeng killed over a dozen Origin Beasts and gathered several more spiritual materials, yet still found no trace of ice-congealing herb.

Seeing the sun sink westward, he wondered whether he should come back tomorrow to search again.

While he was hesitating,

Whee...!

he suddenly caught an extremely faint whistle from the distant forest.

The sound was soft, but familiar.

"That was the Four Directions Gate's signaling whistle."

The men who had ambushed Gu Chenfeng earlier had blown such a whistle.

The bald man had also confessed that their Third Boss had brought forty or fifty men to hunt in the Great Wilderness Ridge.

They had been tasked with robbing and killing Gu Chenfeng, while the Third Boss took the others hunting.

It seemed he had now stumbled upon the Four Directions Gate's main force.

"Enemies really do meet on narrow roads. Even here, I run into them."

They must have discovered something to be signaling with their whistles.

Gu Chenfeng had not intended to pay them much attention.

But then he reconsidered. What if they had found ice-congealing herb?

According to the bald man,

apart from him, this hunting party had only five martial artists in the meridian-opening realm.

Only the Third Boss was a martial artist in the source qi realm, and he had broken through just two months ago.

"With my strength, I won't be in danger as long as I'm a little careful. I'll take a look first."

Having made up his mind, Gu Chenfeng concealed his aura and swiftly approached the source of the whistle.

Gu Chenfeng had an innate advantage when moving through this forest.

Its birds and beasts were all his "eyes and ears."

They could help him avoid running into members of the Four Directions Gate or stepping into a trap while sneaking around.

He stealthily advanced several hundred yards.

He faintly heard beastly roars and a crowd's battle cries.

After advancing several dozen more yards, he quietly climbed a large tree and parted the branches to look ahead.

Gu Chenfeng finally discovered the source of the noise.

It was a clearing beside a lake.

Several dozen men held sabers, axes, and bows.

Led by a short-haired man wearing leather armor, carrying a spiked club, and sporting tattoos on his face, they were surrounding and attacking a giant bear.

The bear was enormous, nearly twenty feet long.

Its gray mane was as hard as steel needles, with a faint silvery sheen across its surface.

Its four thick, broad paws were crimson as fire.

"A Crimson Flame Savage Bear!"

Gu Chenfeng recognized the giant bear at a glance.

Books on Origin Beasts had described this creature.

Crimson Flame Savage Bears possessed immense natural strength, fur as tough as armor, and paws as scorching as fire.

An adult Crimson Flame Savage Bear could reach the source qi realm.

Even among Origin Beasts of the same level, its combat prowess ranked among the very best.

This Crimson Flame Savage Bear was clearly an adult, and even its gray mane had begun turning silver.

That indicated its strength had reached its peak. Its cultivation had likely reached the late source qi realm, seven to nine stars.

Yet this ferocious creature, capable of rampaging unchecked through the outskirts of the Great Wilderness Ridge,

was currently entangled in several layers of large nets woven from some extraordinarily tough vine.

Its body was covered in wounds left by blades, iron axes, and arrows.

But to the Crimson Flame Savage Bear's powerful body, those injuries were barely worth mentioning.

Its truly serious wounds were several intersecting claw marks across its chest.

Some other Origin Beast had clearly left those marks.

The flesh around them gaped open, exposing bone, and blood kept pouring out.

"It looks like this Crimson Flame Savage Bear was injured earlier, greatly weakening it, before these men attacked."

Gu Chenfeng calmly analyzed the situation from his hiding place.

Despite its grave injuries, the Crimson Flame Savage Bear remained ferocious.

It had torn the vine nets wrapped around it into tatters.

Its two paws, radiating scorching waves of heat, lashed wildly in every direction.

Their terrifying force could snap blades and pulverize rocks.

The Four Directions Gate martial artists did not dare approach. They could only surround it, continually shooting arrows and throwing weapons.

At that moment, the short-haired man with the spiked club was directing their attacks.

"Throw on a few more vine nets! Shoot, quickly! Aim for its eyes!

"Who the fuck scattered that poison powder? You nearly got it on me!

"You there, signal the brothers nearby! Tell them all to come help!"

The short-haired man kept cursing, but his expression was excited.

"We really hit the jackpot today, running into a badly wounded Crimson Flame Savage Bear.

"This thing's probably at seven or eight stars in the source qi realm. If it weren't seriously injured, it could slaughter every last one of us.

"If we can kill it, we'll be rich.

"Its whole body is a treasure, especially its heart and gallbladder. I hear they're tremendously beneficial for improving a martial artist's cultivation!"

A burly man beside him said flatteringly,

"Third Boss, this is your first hunt since breaking through to the source qi realm, and you've already reaped such a rich harvest.

"Once we return to the sect, the First Chief will surely reward you handsomely."

Someone else chimed in.

"Of course! The Third Boss isn't just powerful, his good fortune reaches the heavens.

"Under his leadership, we've successfully wiped out several hunting parties these past few days.

"Today, our luck was even better. First, we found an ice-congealing herb, then we ran into this 'big catch.'

"And Baldy Liu has probably slaughtered that fat sheep by now.

"Our haul these past few days has truly been incredible!"

Their flattery put the Third Boss in a wonderful mood, and he laughed without restraint.

"Hahaha... put your backs into it, brothers! Once we slaughter this Crimson Flame Savage Bear, I'll take you into the city for some women!"

"Yeah! Long live the Third Boss!"

Under the crowd's relentless harassment and attacks,

compounded by its wounds and the corrosive effects of various poisons, the Crimson Flame Savage Bear's stamina gradually began to decline.

Seeing that the time was ripe, the Third Boss snatched up his spiked club and called to his five subordinates in the meridian-opening realm.

"Come on! Follow me and send this brute on its way!"

The hunting party descended into a frenzy of celebration over their impending harvest.

None of them noticed that, in the trees several dozen feet away,

a pair of eyes was quietly watching everything unfold, a sharp gleam stirring in their depths.