(08) Danger in the Forest

Wu QiaoHua opened her eyes and stared at the blue sky. What happened? The last thing she remembered was… She gasped and sat up quickly. She winced slightly from the bruises on her waist but it wasn't terrible.

"QiaoHua, are you alright?" Wu LiJing asked as she sat next to her.

Wu QiaoHua turned to her cousin with watery eyes. "W-what happened?"

Wu LiJing sighed. "You were attacked by a black snake. Thankfully, I was able to come in time."

"Is everyone alright?" She felt great guilt inside and looked around. She noticed everyone was awake, staring at her and felt relieved. No one looked heavily injured.

She looked up at Wu LiJing with a smile. "Thank you, Sister LiJing. And I'm sorry…"

Wu LiJing patted her head. "It's alright as long as you're fine." She took out an apple. "Here, eat something before we set off. You guys need one more plant. You only have until the noon of tomorrow to accomplish your task."

"What?!"

"You've slept for a whole night," Xin Mei explained.

"Oh…" Wu QiaoHua scratched her head, embarrassed. "I'll eat quickly!" The sun was already out, meaning they only had about a day to hunt for herbs. QiaoHua's eyes slightly widened when she ate the apple. It was so refreshing!

Wu LiJing jumped on top of a tree and climbed to the top, while the rest ate. She looked around for a moment and suddenly felt movement behind her. "Who's there?!" Her sword appeared in her hand. She tried to scan her surroundings but could not sense another person. After a moment of silence, she quickly climbed down and rejoined the group.

"I spotted a group of disciples from another sect yesterday. Be vigilant. It seems they are here on an important mission," she warned the team as they headed out. She was sure someone was behind her earlier, and even if they weren't too close, they were skilled enough to escape her - meaning the disciples would have trouble dealing with this person if they meant harm.

"Are they dangerous?" QiaoHua asked.

"I don't think so. But it's better to be careful than not." They started moving with LiJing in the front.

Xin Mei walked up to Wu LiJing and asked softly, "Eldest Senior Sister, is your arm alright now?"

Wu LiJing nodded without looking at her. This morning, the first thing she checked was her arm and after rotating it a few times and testing her sword out, her arms were moving perfectly, and her chi was also able to be released properly.

Xin Mei sighed in relief.

"Arm? Is something wrong with Eldest Senior Sister's arm?" Wu QiaoHua asked from behind, worried. She took a step closer towards them.

"Um! It's my arm!" Xin Mei quickly covered. "I twisted my arm a bit yesterday and asked Eldest Senior Sister for help. Now it feels better." Xin Mei glanced at Wu LiJing, who didn't reveal any move in expression, and sighed in relief.

Yesterday, their Eldest Senior Sister asked all of them to keep her wounds a secret from Wu QiaoHua lest she feels even more guilty. Knowing her friend's personality, Xin Mei understood why Wu LiJing would request that from them… but then wouldn't her hard work go to waste? Defeating that snake was not easy. She sighed and looked at QiaoHua.

"Oh…" Wu QiaoHua nodded. She glanced at Xin Mei. "Sorry," she murmured.

Xin Mei smiled. "Let's just try to go through to today. It's good Eldest Senior Sister came or we might have failed our task." Or even died, but Xin Mei didn't say that.

Xin Mei turned to Wu LiJing. "Thank you, Eldest Senior Sister!" Yesterday, they were all frightened and tired, so they never got to thank Wu LiJing properly.

"Thank you, Eldest Senior Sister!" the outer disciples followed out loud.

"I'm so glad we have Wu QiaoHua on our team," Luo Li whispered to Tan Mei.

Tan Mei timidly glanced and Wu LiJing and blushed. She had fainted from seeing the wounds on Wu LiJing's back and felt embarrassed. Now she didn't want to face their eldest senior sister or she would die from shame.

Peng MinYi smiled widely and whispered, "I'm so happy we got to see Eldest Senior Sister in action! Did you guys see that move she made when we were running away? Even from far away, I could see! A hundred swords attack!" He made a bunch of hand movements excitedly.

Luo Li rolled his eyes. "Only a fighting maniac like you would turn back to look," he muttered.

"I'm so glad to have joined this team!" Peng MinYi grinned.

Luo Li looked at Wu QiaoHua from behind and kept his thoughts to himself, but in comparison to Peng MinYi, he had some regrets joining. After all this time, fighting with her, he realized that she may be an inner disciple, but her skills were below his expectations. She doesn't seem to implement them well compared to Xin Mei even with her level higher than Xin Mei as an inner disciple. Her leadership skills were also… nonexistent. And yesterday, she even led them to their death! He felt angry after thinking about it for the night but calmed down when morning came.

He glanced at Wu LiJing. Ah, how nice it would be to have a connection to the direct disciple of the sect. That way, not many people can complain if you did anything wrong.

Peng MinYi stared at Wu LiJing with gleaming eyes of admiration. How does she fight so elegantly and powerfully? She may be the direct disciple of Sect Leader Wang, but her skills and experience were beyond what he expected! And she was only a few years older than him! He wondered if he could reach her level if he tried harder. He should ask for some advice when he feels confident enough! He nodded to himself, lost in his own world.

Wu QiaoHua clenched her hands as she glanced at Wu LiJing. She sighed dejectedly. She just wanted to prove herself. Yes, when she heard the comments the outer disciples discussed among themselves in addition to the venomous words Yu Yuan spouted, she felt miserable and angry.

She also knew from some of the gazes of others that they thought the same. She was more than they said she was! She could do things even without Wu LiJing! The snake was asleep so she was a little confident that she could get the flower. But when the team saw her and distracted her… things happened. It wasn't just completely her fault… right?

"Ah, look! It's a green snake…" Xin Mei pointed to the beast guarding what seems to be four Purple Clovers, but her voice faltered when she saw the beast. She didn't want to deal with another snake after yesterday and so did none of the others.

Purple Clovers were useful for consumption after breaking through the second realm to replenish one's meridians and increase the chance to break through to the next realm. Not only that, if used in combination with other herbs, a good healing ointment could be created due to its nature of absorbing the energy around it. It probably costs at least more than a couple silver taels to get even four of them in the market. (A/N: one silver tael equals about 1000 copper coins)

In the Disappearing Forest, compared to other areas with beasts, the sizing of the beasts could help identify how strong they were. The black snake from the day before was five times larger than the usual human, so it was much stronger and harder to defeat. But this snake was only half of that snake's size, meaning the disciples could probably take it on.

They all hid behind the trees surrounding them and observed the snake as it hissed from time to time and kept its guard up, looking around with its two heads. This snake did not have a tail because both ends of its body had a head. This snake was also longer than most snakes and could be a problem if they faced it head on without a plan.

Wu LiJing made it clear that she would not intrude on their fight while they fought the snake, as she stood on the side without saying anything while they discussed their plans. Since this snake was smaller than the one they had to fight before, they didn't feel as scared as before and also felt calmer with Wu LiJing watching them. If they were put in danger, she would save them… right?

But what if Wu QiaoHua was in danger at the same time?

Tan Mei clenched her hands and shook her head. She should just make sure to keep herself protected and stay careful.

Once they were done discussing, Wu LiJing watched as they sneaked towards the snake. They had good teamwork and were able to defeat the snake after getting a few injuries and being thrown a few times. The green beast vanished, and they grabbed the clovers.

They stared at each other, realizing that only four were available. After a moment, the outer disciples awkwardly let the two inner disciples pick first. Then the outer disciples played rock-paper-scissors to decide who got the remaining two.

Wu QiaoHua noticed Tan Mei's pouting face.

"I scratched my arms and leg," she muttered. "It hurts." She hated pain the most. But now she was injured for nothing.

"Here." Wu QiaoHua gave the clover in her hand to Tan Mei. She smiled. "I don't really need it."

Tan Mei's eyes brightened, and she snatched it with a grin. "No take backs!" Wu QiaoHua nodded.

Wu LiJing stared at Tan Mei and Tan Mei quickly hid behind Peng MinYi. She wouldn't give it back! Unless Eldest Senior Sister said something… She looked back at her, but Wu LiJing already looked away, making her breathe in relief.

"Lucky you!" Peng MinYi said. Then he went back to staring at Wu LiJing with bright eyes. He wondered if he did well? Did he? Did he? He kept staring at her but she didn't seem to pay attention to him.

Huh? He looked around. Why was it suddenly so foggy? Feeling a bit uncomfortable, he stood closer to his fellow outer disciples in case he was separated from them. He glanced at Wu LiJing. But if he was lost, she would come save him right? He grinned inside happily. If she came to save him, he wouldn't mind getting lost. Should he take a few steps away by 'accident'? As he pondered on that thought seriously, he suddenly saw Wu LiJing stop walking and summon her sword.

He looked around in the fog. What beast were they going to fight now? His arm still hurt from being tossed aside before.

"Arm yourselves," Wu LiJing ordered, and they all quickly followed, listening closely.

Sounds of swords clashing were close by.

"I finally have you by yourself, hahahaha!" A male voice could be heard laughing.

A female voice sneered. "I will defeat you by myself if I have to!"

The male chuckled. "You think you can match up to me?"

When they finally neared, they hid behind the trees from a good distance away so they wouldn't be detected. Wu LiJing turned to them with a calm face.

"You stay here. I'll go see ahead." Then she jumped up and vanished before they could say anything.

Xin Mei sighed when Wu LiJing just disappeared.

"Stay alert," Wu QiaoHua said with a worried frown. They could barely see what's going on from this distance and with the fog in the way.

…

"Kong Guang, don't think my master will let you escape so easily after you killed my senior brother," Lin YaWen said with gritted teeth. A small line of blood dripped from her lips. Her hair was disheveled, and her fancy teal robes were smeared with dirt.

A man dressed in all black, with a lean body, by the name of Kong Guan, laughed. His small curved dark eyes were focused on the woman in front of him and he licked his big pale lips as he observed her distressed self. Although he could be considered a little handsome, his hands have been dyed with the blood of many cultivators from different sects.

At first, he aimed for outer disciples who were unimportant or had no family who would search for them should they disappear. But then he started to feel less satisfied and started to aim for outer disciples who were talented but were from small uninfluential families. From there, he moved to inner disciples of unknown origins. But he accidentally killed a direct disciple of the Calming Wave Sect when the man witnessed him killing one of their inner disciples. As a result, his actions were discovered, and he's now being hunted by one of the bigger sects.

He played with the dagger in his hands and smiled. "Of course not. After all, she's going to find the corpse of her precious second disciple soon. If she doesn't come for me, then it would be too pitiful towards you and your senior brother." His dagger pointed towards her and he chuckled.

Lin YaWen gripped her teal whip and lashed out at him with fiery eyes, using immense strength that came from her core. But with a backflip, he quickly dodged every lash that aimed for his body. She swung her whip around skillfully, creating strong winds, but he still managed to evade them each time. She clenched her hand and whipped once more out of rhythm and it finally managed to hit him on the face.

She smiled. "Well, look at that. I thought you said I was no match for you?"

His lips curved dangerously, and his eyes turned darker. "Don't let it get to your head, sweetheart." He aimed three daggers at her, and she used her whip to deflect them. Ah, he hated these types of haughty disciples the most. He chuckled inside. He would play with her fully before he got rid of her. Stomp on her pride and make her cry out in pain and shame.

The daggers in his possession didn't seem to end as he constantly threw them towards Lin YaWen. After the fortieth one or so, she was out of breath and felt her inner chi waver. The incoming daggers increased and created cuts on her arms and legs. Finally, one managed to stab her in the arm and she cried out in pain when she couldn't deflect it.

Kong Guang flew towards her and she tried to swing her whip, but he threw a rock that was hidden in his palms towards her wrist, causing her to let go of her weapon. He grabbed for her and Lin YaWen quickly defended and pushed his hand away, but he managed to hit her chest with his palm that was embedded with inner chi, causing her to cough and stumble back weakly from the inflicted internal injury .

He pushed her down and smiled evilly as his body pressed on hers. "I've wasted a lot of inner chi on you," he said. She was in great pain as she struggled to escape and tried to hit him. But he held her wrists tightly as blood gushed out of her arm, with the dagger still embedded in.

"Let go, you savage!" She bit his arm until blood bled and he groaned loudly.

Kong Guang grabbed the handle of the dagger and stabbed it further into her arm, causing her to let out a scream. He then pulled it out of her arm and laughed as blood splattered on his face. He let out a breath from the struggle that just happened and licked the blood on it as he stared at her fearful face in satisfaction. "Delicious."

He leaned in closer to her face as she gritted her teeth in disgust. "Don't worry, I'll make you beg for mercy before I end your life. You're going to be the first female direct disciple I kill. Do you know how special that is?" He spoke quietly in excitement.

His smile abruptly dropped when he sensed a killing-intent coming from behind him and quickly jumped to the side. Yet he still felt a gash on his back and he smiled coldly. "Who is it?!" He turned around in anger, with three daggers shining in his hand.

There was a quick flash and a woman in dark purple robes appeared in front of him. His eyes widened at witnessing such beauty… her perfect skin was smooth and pale, with pink lips and a long sharp nose as her dark bangs brushed delicately against her straight eyebrows. Her dark robes fluttered, giving him hints of her thin and toned body.

He's witnessed women containing such magnificence, but it was her eyes that captured him. They were icy cold and dark as they stared right through him. It seems as if not even a speck of dust could be reflected in her eyes if she didn't allow it. His heart raced and he touched his chest.

He suddenly chuckled and those chuckles turned into laughs. "Ah, what luck!" He smiled and stared at her. "I've changed my mind. You." He pointed at Wu LiJing. "You will be my first…"

Wu LiJing swung her sword before he could say anything else and he dodged by a hair's breadth.

"Hey! Let me speak first!"

Wu LiJing looked at him unemotionally as she kept her sword moving. This man was not weak. In fact, he is probably stronger than her. So, she didn't let him take a breath.

'One Hundred Rhythmic Strikes'. She activated the technique using her full power compared to before. A hundred moves came to life and it looked like a dance as she moved her feet and her wrist twisted and turned.

"Who?" Lin YaWen observed the woman in purple robes. She put pressure on her bleeding arm and hissed from the pain as she watched both cultivators exchange multiple moves.

Kong Guang dodged over and over as he tried to find an opening. He clenched his teeth. It seems this disciple was a special one - he had underestimated her. What was her cultivation level?

"Pretty lady, what is your name? I don't recognize your uniform…" His eyes widened as he realized who he was fighting when he took a closer look at her robes and was able to see her level. Just then, he felt a cut on his arms. "Fuck!" he swore.

Wu LiJing showed a small smile that did not reflect in her eyes. "I apologize but repulsive insects like you will be some number that I've killed in this life. I don't really keep track since it's not as important but be thankful you'll die by my blade." She didn't like talking to others if it was unnecessary but when it comes to taunting such people, she didn't mind.

"Hey, don't copy me! Ah!" He felt another slash on his leg. When the hundredth move was made, he felt another slash on his left cheek. Now both of his cheeks had a cut. He gritted his teeth. "You! I'll make you pay!" He threw a few hundred knives towards Wu LiJing as fast as he could in return, but she quickly deflected them and skillfully dodged the rest as if they were air. There were only three cuts he managed to make, and all were on her left arm.

"Hey, this is unfair! How old are you, anyway?!" Kong Guang's calm attitude was completely crushed. He had worked hard to look cool, but now it was of no use.

"My age does not matter. What matters is my talent," she bragged with a dispassionate tone, making him extremely irritated.

"Ugh! I hate haughty disciples the most!"

She smiled as she evaded his knives that were slowly increasing in speed and let out a chi slash from her sword. His knives now were attacking in two as he increased his chi input into them, yet she still managed to dodge them somehow, with only parts of her robes actually getting ripped.

His eyes narrowed; he could tell she was an experienced fighter. Her sword blows were direct, and she was fast on her feet. He would enjoy defeating such a skilled cultivator and trample on her pride. However…

Lin YaWen's eyes were wide as she watched. The rumors were not kidding. The Moon Sect's second direct disciple was incredibly talented and unmatched within her age group. Many have heard of her after she defeated an infamous demon in the past. Now, she was fighting with Kong Guang equally. Lin YaWen quickly noticed that Kong Guang looked at her and she had a bad feeling in her gut as she tried to run. But he easily caught her and grabbed her neck.

"Ah!"

"Let me go," he demanded with a small as he kept his eyes on Wu LiJing. "You're lucky I'm not in the mood to fight."

Wu LiJing smiled. "You mean you need to escape because you're currently poisoned?"

His expression froze. "What? What do you mean?" he asked in a quiet voice.

She just stared at him coldly and took a step forward. "You have trouble circulating your chi, so you have been mainly attacking with pure technique. That's why you need to escape. Fighting longer will only bring you to a disadvantage." He had a higher cultivation than her, so why was he holding back? Unless, it wasn't that he was holding back, but because for some reason, he couldn't use his full power.

Then he quickly said, "And I know you injured your left shoulder. That was why I was able to injure your arm. If we fight, we would be on equal terms and the fight won't be pretty. Why don't you let me go, and all will be well?"

Wu LiJing's sword vibrated slightly as she concentrated a good amount of chi into it. She didn't need to say anything she didn't want to. She flew towards him. "Kill her if you want to. I don't even know her."

"Then why are you saving her?!" He dodged but kept his hold on Lin YaWen, using her as his shield.

"I am not saving her. I am simply killing you." She stabbed her sword towards him, bypassing his hostage and he let go of Lin YaWen to escape. He threw two daggers and she deflected them without blinking.

Wu LiJing let out a large amount of chi and swung her sword twice, consecutively.

"Ah!" he screamed when he felt another large gash on his back and fell on the ground, sliding past a few trees. He coughed out blood and tried to crawl away. But Wu LiJing was already behind him and stabbed through his back, causing him to scream out in agony. He looked up at her with red eyes as he struggled to speak.

"I just guessed earlier, but it seems you were really poisoned." Her cold eyes stared at him with an expressionless face. "What a loser."

Kong Guang felt his chest ache in suffocating pain. Loser was one of the words he hated the most. He raised his trembling finger at her but no words escaped and he died in anger.

Wu LiJing sheathed her sword. She looked at Lin YaWen, who was on the ground and staring at her in surprise.

Lin YaWen snapped out of it and quickly stood up. She bowed deeply towards her with a salute. "I am Lin YaWen, a direct disciple of the Calming Wave Sect! I would like to thank you for saving me! May I ask for my savior's name?"

"No need to thank me," Wu LiJing said as she walked away. She just killed him because he could be a great threat to them in the forest. He also had a higher cultivation than her so if she let him go now, she may not necessarily be able to defeat him later. She wondered if any of their disciples had already encountered him? She frowned.

"Please wait, savior! Tell me your name first!" Lin YaWen chased after her.

Wu LiJing stopped in her tracks and turned around. "Wu LiJing."

Lin YaWen nodded with a smile. "I see! So it is Miss Wu!"

A cold aura emitted from Wu LiJing's body. "Now tell me. Why did the Calming Wave Sect not inform the Moon Sect of this murderer who entered our region?"

All major sects took care of their own region and solved problems that emerged depending on where they were. So if something happened to breach into another region, it was only proper to inform the sect leader in charge there should there be a risk of major casualties. This man was clearly a dangerous murderer who targeted sect disciples.

Lin YaWen was silent and lowered her head. "I… I apologize. It's my fault. I thought we would be able to defeat him before he became a problem."

"The Moon Sect is holding a test within the forest right now. If anything happened to our disciples, your sect will be held responsible."

Lin YaWen's eyes widened.

"Senior Sister Lin!" Song Niu ran over to her. He sighed in relief when he found her still alive but then he saw the amount of blood on her arms and pulled her behind him.

"Who are you?!" He lifted his sword towards Wu LiJing. His inexpressive face had a hint of wariness.

Wu LiJing glanced at him. Then without answering, she walked away. She paused for a moment when she noticed the iris engraving on the blade of the dagger on the ground. She glanced at another dagger a distance away, and the same iris engraving was on there as well.

"Wait! Miss Wu! It's my fault! Please don't blame the sect!"

"We'll leave it up to my master." She flew off.

Song Niu frowned. "Who was she?"

Lin YaWen sighed and felt the adrenaline in her body decrease. "She's the direct disciple of the Moon Sect. They held a test within the Disappearing Forest…"

Song Niu nodded and let her lean on him. He then finally noticed the bloody man on the ground. His eyes widened. "He died?"

Lin YaWen nodded. "Mm. Miss Wu saved me."

"She's that good?"

Lin YaWen hesitated. "I think she mentioned that he was poisoned. But she still showed great skill and technique. I believe she is already in the mid to high-stages of the Body Enhancing Realm."

Song Niu nodded. "It seems the Moon Sect's rank may rise this year." He sat her down and then pulled out some medicine and water.

When Wu LiJing returned to Wu QiaoHua and her team safely, they all sighed in relief. They also noticed the slightly disheveled robes that had small cuts here and there.

"Are you alright, Eldest Senior Sister?" Wu QiaoHua asked, concerned.

"I need to go somewhere. You guys be careful when looking for more herbs to collect." Then she flew off.

When Wu LiJing flew up high enough, she sat on a tree and let out a breath. Her body felt drained since she used too much energy fighting that man. And her shoulder… it was bleeding again. She quickly treated her wound and sighed in relief when she saw that only her inner robe was sullied. She didn't have another robe to change into. The three wounds on her arm also weren't too bad, so if she had to fight some more, it would still be doable.

Wu LiJing took out the apple in her sleeves and took a bite, feeling a cool sensation spread through her body. Only now did she really feel the usefulness of the apples. Once she finished, she then circulated the chi within her core and meditated to stabilize and regain some of her power.

It was good that man was poisoned, or she wouldn't have been able to defeat him.

That red monkey who guarded the apple tree from before was probably the guardian of those apples. The beast looked harmless, but if it deemed the consumer unworthy, the apples probably shouldn't be consumed. She's heard of similar stories in the past, which was why she was respectful towards that monkey in the first place. She guessed that Kong Guang guy didn't have enough manners to ask for the apples before he stole them and maybe even tried to kill the monkey. If he wasn't poisoned from those apples, then probably from a similar kind of fruit guarded by a similar beast based on his moronic personality.

When she first entered the forest and previously saw the dagger on the ground by the apple tree, it looked like a fight had just occurred not too long ago. The same iris engraving was on that man's knives as the ones she saw.