Page 13: To Wait

Long Bai rushed into the forest to meet up with the others. After two minutes of searching, he found Ling Tian and the rest moving slowly towards the direction that was decided upon. Ah Mu was already walking by himself but Bai can see the pain he is enduring.

'He's one tough guy. This kind of persistence would definitely help him in his cultivation.' Bai thought

Without wasting time, Bai called the rest to stop. Surprise and relief was seen in Ling Tian while the other two were trying to stop the tears from falling. Since Ling Tian was the leader, he was able to control his urges unlike the two who quickly dove into Long Bai to give a hug.

Ling Tian gave out a sigh and ask the next course of action.

"Brother Bai, what happened back there? Did you..."

Ling Tian can't continue his question but Long Bai know what he want to ask. The other two were just waiting for the response.

"Brother Ling Tian, I did not kill them. I left them unconscious but they may come and hunt us later. Since were inside the forest, they will not come here recklessly. I know a place where we can stay while hiding from them. Its a difficult place to find, so we'll be safe there."

Long Bai gave a reassuring smile to everyone while pointing out their next destination.

Along the way, Bai found the system to be convenient. As they walked, Bai tried to identify the plants that comes along non-stop. He was looking for herbs that they can use to treat wounds.

[Plant Identified: Purple string plant (6.8 yrs)

Effect: The flower extract hastens healing of the skin. The older the plant, the greater the effect.]

[Plant Identified: Heartleaf plant (4.1 yrs)

Effect: Leaf extract relieves burn. It has a cooling effect.]

[Plant Identified: Silverpoint plant (2.9 yrs)

Effect: The plant extract promotes clotting of wound when ingested.]

Of course, there were also some other plants which was identified to be dangerous.

[Plant Identified: Blackrib crown plant (3.2 yrs)

Effect: When ingested induces severe vomiting.]

[Plant Identified: White Mountaindart (8 yrs)

Effect: The thorns contain hallucinogenic substance.]

Bai took what was only necessary while proceeding.

After a 20 minute walk, the group reached the entrance of the cave. The group did not encounter any trouble since Long Bai scouted their way.

Ling Tian probed their location and he noticed something. They were near a mountain side. In this forest, mountains were the sign of the inner forest where beasts roam and kill.

"Brother Bai, this part of the forest.. Are we going to enter the inner forest?"

"We're already at the place where I'm talking about. Follow me." Long Bai began to crawl and the rest followed. After crawling for three meters, A cave's entrance with signs of fire activity came greeting.

Ling Tian was amazed by what he saw. It was not the cave itself but it is where the cave was situated. It was close to a cliff. If they crawled to a wrong direction, they might have fallen to the lower area where strong beasts reside. The inner forest was not just dense with plantation but also filled with mountain ranges while being covered with a thick layer of cloud. In Ling Tian's eyes, what he's looking at must be another world. Since he lived his entire past life in the city, he never had such spectacle. The same way could be said with the other two. Their mouths gape open upon the sight.

Long Bai who was unaffected proceeds to the cave's entrance and removed the plant covering he placed since his last visit.

"This is where we will stay for the time being. This place is difficult to find so we don't need to worry about the gang finding us. You can rest inside the cave. I'll go and destroy our tracks and hunt some food for us to eat for this day. Here are the herbs we collected a while ago. Put these on your bruises so they won't get worse."

Bai went back and destroyed any possible clue that might direct anyone to the cave. On the other hand, Bai made a fake footprints that lead to the inner forest.

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Blood Gang

"What the.. are you telling me that you were beaten nonsense by a kid? What crap are you spouting! The Blood Gang will become a laughing stock by the others if this goes out. Was there anyone who saw you fight?"

"No boss.. The three I brought with me during the rounds were knocked out by that kid before I can fight him. He was fast. He seem to know some movement and martial skill that's why I was defeated."

"Hmm. if what you said is true, he might be someone from a distinguished family. A kid with some skills will never be from a slum. If he was wearing cheap clothes, he might have just ventured out for some fun. Do you know where the kids might have ran to?"

"Well..."

"Well what!! Say it!!"

"While we were fighting, the kid instructed the others to proceed to the forest. That place was dangerous but they entered it."

"The kid must be from a prominent family since he was good. The forest must just be a diversion so you won't go after them. They might be already back at their family's house."

"Boss, what if they will ask their guards to take revenge?"

"I don't think that's the case. You said that the three you first fought with were just ordinary kids and were just practicing some certain sword skill, right? From that alone, that kid might just be teaching some skills to the kids from the slum. It must be due to the upcoming awakening ceremony. Lately the five prominent families were busy recruiting more staff and manpower. If they would be able to produce talented individuals, they would benefit from the sect's rewards. It is the same with us. Although we would most likely not be able to train talented kids but they might be recruited to some families to become soldiers or guards. In return, we would be able to receive some generous compensation. Don't worry about it. Go back and check the new kids."

"Yes boss."