Mining? Blockading the Forbidden Zone?

After that incident, no one had any heart left to rest. They all stood watch at the windows, trembling with fear.

Xiao Wu hesitated before asking, "Qing Ge'er, what exactly happened just now?"

Ren Qingsheng took the Great Miao Saber off his back and said, "Wang Wen was dragged off by a pack of Mountain Wolves, so I rescued him."

"Mm, and I killed a few Mountain Wolves along the way."

The others looked at Ren Qingsheng, their expressions all somewhat stunned.

Zhu Ding swallowed hard. He noticed that the clothes on Ren Qingsheng were indeed stained with blood—could it really be true?

Guo Qing muttered to himself, "How could there be Mountain Wolves..."

Ren Qingsheng sighed. Just thinking about how to explain gave him a headache, so he simply said, "Just kidding. Actually, Wang Wen fainted outside the thatched hut. Probably hit his head."

Xiao Wu said with relief, "So that's how it is."

Of everyone present, only Xiao Wu believed him. The others couldn't help but glance at the Great Miao Saber in Ren Qingsheng's hand, feeling its edge was a bit too sharp for comfort.

They tacitly chose not to press further and dutifully kept watch through the night.

After a long while, Wang Wen woke up holding his head. The scene of being surrounded by a wolf pack was vivid in his mind, giving him an intense sense of unreality.

Just as he was about to ask something, he saw Ren Qingsheng not far away using Blade Oil to maintain the Great Miao Saber.

The oiled, gleaming blade reflected the campfire's light.

"You're awake, Brother Wang."

Xiao Wu quickly brought over a bowl of hot water boiled in his own iron pot. The porcelain bowls were already in the thatched hut.

Wang Wen belatedly took the hot water and took a few sips, his body gradually regaining sensation.

"Brother Wang, it's thanks to Qing Ge'er that he brought you back in time, or you'd have been dragged off by a wild beast."

"I..."

"By the way, Brother Wang, why did you suddenly faint?"

Wang Wen opened his mouth, momentarily unsure how to answer.

With over a decade of experience as a Constable, he had some contact with Forbidden Guards. He understood their vast abilities, even mastering immortal arts beyond mortal imagination.

Ren Qingsheng had effortlessly slaughtered a pack of Mountain Wolves in such pitch-black darkness; he would likely soon become a Forbidden Guard himself.

Wang Wen felt admiration for Ren Qingsheng, almost wanting to kowtow in thanks for saving his life.

But when he saw Ren Qingsheng put away the Great Miao Saber and sit with arms crossed, eyes closed in rest, he naturally didn't dare disturb him.

Ren Qingsheng kept mulling over that strange Bèi beast. The extra eye growing on it was clearly a sign of being possessed by Song Rong's technique.

But since there was no trace of Song Rong, maybe he hadn't deliberately commanded the Mountain Wolf pack to attack—it could have been indiscriminate slaughter.

Could Song Rong be trying to muddy the waters to slip into the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone?

Ren Qingsheng didn't dwell on it further. He practiced the Eye-less Method in a half-asleep, half-awake state, and before he knew it, the sky had brightened.

The bats that came out at night and rested by day flew back into the cave, and crisp birdsong rang through the mountains.

After packing their bundles, everyone hurriedly continued on their way.

Seeing large amounts of undried bloodstains in the distant forest, they became even more convinced of Ren Qingsheng's hidden depths.

Only Xiao Wu was carefree, carrying the big iron pot in the middle of the group.

Ren Qingsheng paid no mind to the strange looks others gave him. Instead, he focused on finding the path and observing every sign of movement.

His Double Pupils had improved noticeably after long training; even a butterfly disguised as a leaf could be clearly spotted.

As they ventured deeper into the mountains, Ren Qingsheng could sense the chaos around him.

The cries of wild beasts rose and fell, and occasionally he saw a few mangled animal carcasses, though he couldn't tell if they were connected to Song Rong.

Faced with such a situation, the other Fire Workers might not all make it safely, possibly suffering heavy casualties.

Under everyone's anxious vigilance, they arrived at the meeting point marked on the map.

It was the foot of a nameless high mountain, shaped like a camel's hump with twin hills. In the northwest corner, a deep Karst Cave could be seen.

Military tents were set up at the cave entrance, clearly a temporary camp.

Ren Qingsheng could feel the Blood Heart in his chest beating faster, meaning other Blood Heart holders were nearby.

He looked the Karst Cave up and down. The entrance looked as if it had been forcibly widened by an explosion, with rubble scattered all around.

The stone walls inside were pitted and uneven, definitely not naturally formed. He wondered what the Forbidden Guards were working so hard for.

Wang Wen and the others couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Seeing the camp meant Forbidden Guards were nearby, so things should be safer from now on.

Just as they were about to enter the Karst Cave, Ren Qingsheng stopped them.

"Let's wait at the camp. There might be danger inside the cave."

Ren Qingsheng could hear faint sounds from deep within the cave, like rock being chiseled. Song Zongwu and the others were probably inside.

He felt that if Wang Wen and the others barged in recklessly, they might be frightened by the Forbidden Guards' monstrous appearances.

Wait, what did mining have to do with sealing off the forbidden zone?

The others chimed in agreement; Ren Qing had become the backbone of the group.

Following Ren Qing's instructions, they began gathering firewood and setting up tents, while Wang Wen and Guo Qing prepared to hunt nearby beasts.

Seeing everyone busy and the camp growing quieter, Ren Qing took out his brush and paper, jotting down rough conjectures about Song Rong's behavior, planning to hand them to Song Zongwu when the chance arose.

After finishing his writing, Ren Qing walked to the mouth of the karst cave and called out loudly, "This Humble One is Ren Qing, a constable, here to report to the Forbidden Guards."

His voice echoed through the cave, then faded back into stillness.

Ren Qing waited a moment, but hearing no response, he assumed Song Zongwu wasn't inside and prepared to head back to help Xiao Wu and the others with the camp.

Just then, a sudden frog croak came from deep within, each call louder than the last.

The source of the sound seemed to be moving rapidly.

Before Ren Qing could react, his hand barely touching the saber's hilt, a dark figure shot straight out of the shadows at the cave entrance.

Instinctively, he moved to draw his blade, but sensing no hostility from the figure, he forced the Great Miao Saber back into its sheath.

A rope-like object whizzed past him, punching a deep crater into the hard rock.

He focused his gaze—a purple-green Frogman clung to the stone ceiling above, and what he'd taken for a rope was actually its tongue.

"Hehehe, you came fast."

"Don't mind me. Digging through rocks for days gets dull, so I thought I'd stretch my limbs."

The Frogman crawled into the cave with limbs moving as easily as on flat ground, vanishing from sight in moments.

Ren Qing was a bit speechless. Anyone else would have been terrified, but luckily, none of them had noticed anything unusual.

Soon, footsteps approached again, and this time Song Zongwu emerged.

Song Zongwu gripped a pickaxe with all four arms, his clothes covered in dust, looking rather disheveled.

The two exchanged little conversation. Ren Qing handed the paper to Song Zongwu, then went to scout the area around the camp.

Song Zongwu read through the paper patiently, then tossed it into the crackling campfire.

He turned and headed back into the karst cave, intending to discuss countermeasures with the other Forbidden Guards.

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