The Xiong Zhuangzhuang
Night.
A tranquil forest.
One can’t see their own hand in front of their face.
Only the faint sounds of birds, animals, and insects can be heard.
Creak, creak.
A large, robust rabbit with red eyes and long ears peeks its head out from the decaying leaves, cautiously surveying its surroundings.
After confirming there is no danger, it carefully emerges from its den.
It vigorously sniffs the air, leaping swiftly towards the direction where the scent of food lingers.
“Whoosh—”
A piercing sound breaks the silence.
The red-eyed rabbit only manages to let out a sharp cry before its breath ceases, collapsing with a resounding thud.
A shadow appears beside the creature’s lifeless body, as if a ghostly presence, and a sturdy hand reaches out, grasping the long ears effortlessly before dragging away the entire beast.
Before long, it disappears into the depths of the dense forest.
Upon hearing the commotion, Xu Yi and Lu Zaiye rush over, only finding a small pool of blood.
“It’s the blood of a beast.”
“Perhaps it was another cultivator hunting.”
Both of them speak simultaneously.
Xu Yi nods, unable to conceal her fatigue on her face.
A cultivator’s vision is not affected by the darkness, and Lu Zaiye catches a glimpse of her expression, suggesting, “Let’s find a place to rest first.”
“Alright.”
They find a sturdy ancient tree nearby and dig two holes in its trunk, serving as their resting place.
After Xu Yi lies down in the tree hollow, her mind relaxes, almost letting out a long sigh.
Fortunately, she quickly covers her mouth, avoiding embarrassment in front of her disciple.
She and Lu Zaiye have been in the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge for nearly a month.
From the beginning, Xu Yi was full of vigor and vitality, but now she is left exhausted.
The Ten Thousand Demon Ridge truly lives up to its reputation as a land of slaughter in the Nine Provinces.
On their first day in the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge, they encountered an ambush.
The ones ambushing them were not demons, but cultivators reeking of blood.
Their gazes towards Xu Yi and Lu Zaiye were akin to those towards demons, filled with greed and desire.
That battle was Xu Yi’s first life-and-death struggle against the cultivator, and also her first time killing.
The scene of blood and flesh flying left her shaken to the core, almost being killed in return.
If it weren’t for Lu Zaiye’s timely help, she would have hurt by now.
It was also because of this unexpected event that Xu Yi quickly regained her composure, forcing herself to calm down and, together with Lu Zaiye, permanently left those people behind.
After the bloody battle ended, she didn’t have the energy to dwell on it.
Soon after, they encountered demons attracted by the scent of blood.
They fought and fled, finally shaking off those demons and gaining a moment to catch their breath.
As Xu Yi lay in the tree hollow, she no longer had the energy to indulge in random thoughts.
She simply wanted to rest for a while, just a little while.
She closed her eyes, her breath gradually becoming serene.
Even as Lu Zaiye sat cross-legged in the tree hollow, he remained composed, sensing the increasingly tranquil aura beside him, his gaze growing even more gentle.
In times of crisis, one’s true psyche was most vividly revealed.
Every aspect of Xu Yi’s growth, from initial struggle to composed self-possession, was observed by him.
He can now confidently ascertain that Xu Yi’s identity was genuine.
The fact that Elder Yuanming chose Xu Yi as the senior disciple was sufficient proof of her excellence.
Xu Yi’s performance over the past month had also allowed him to witness her remarkable qualities.
Lu Zaiye felt remorse for his previous doubts.
Perhaps he should find a suitable time to confess his true identity to the ancestral master.
As this thought arose, Lu Zaiye furrowed his brow uncomfortably.
The ancestral master would surely be angered upon learning of this, and there was a possibility that she would refuse to let him accompany in the future.
With the matter of the Zhentian Alliance still unresolved, Lu Zaiye couldn’t bear to let the ancestral master travel alone.
It would be better to wait until the journey concludes and return to the Xuanji Sect to seek forgiveness from the ancestral master.
Lu Zaiye’s furrowed brow gradually relaxed.
The next day.
Xu Yi woke up from the tree hollow, feeling sore all over her body.
She took out a middle-grade spirit stone and held it in her palm, absorbing the spiritual energy within and circulating it through her meridians for several cycles.
When the spiritual energy in the stone was depleted and it turned into powder, she emerged from the tree hollow feeling refreshed.
As soon as she landed, Lu Zaiye jumped down from the tree.
Xu Yi felt a bit embarrassed and said to Lu Zaiye, “Thank you for your hard work last night.”
The night in the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge was even more dangerous than the day.
She had unknowingly fallen asleep yesterday, and Lu Zaiye had stayed awake all night, guarding against demon beast attacks.
Lu Zaiye replied, “Nothing. It’s my duty.”
He wasn’t tired at all.
Except for the first few days when Xu Yi was still adjusting, he only intervened a few times.
Most of the time, Xu Yi handled things on her own.
After a battle, Xu Yi was exhausted, disheveled, while he hadn’t even used his treasures more than a few times.
It could only be said that Xu Yi was a very capable Master.
Lu Zaiye’s words moved Xu Yi to tears.
She silently noted down Lu Zaiye’s virtues in her heart and decided that when they returned to the Xuanji Sect, she would praise him in front of Elder Qingfeng.
Such an excellent disciple should be cherished.
Now, the most important thing was to improve herself.
Xu Yi pointed towards the southeast and said, “I saw what seemed to be a water source in that direction just now. Let’s go there.”
A place with water source implied the presence of demon beasts.
Xu Yi’s eyes gleamed at the thought of the valuable demon beast corpses and their treasures stored in her storage ring.
Demon beasts were great.
They can be eaten, used for refining tools and pills, and even served as sharpening stones to temper oneself.
Xu Yi no longer had any aversion to encountering demon beasts.
Lu Zaiye remembered how Xu Yi, even when exhausted, never forgot to collect the remains of those damaged demon beasts, not even letting their blood go to waste.
He couldn’t help but feel a sense of compassion.
The ancestral master had endured such hardship before.
After returning, he could let her choose something from his private treasury as compensation.
“Alright.”
Since the ancestral master liked demon beasts, they would go and hunt them.
Xu Yi and Lu Zaiye reached an agreement and swiftly approached the water source. …
By the stream.
Xiong Zhuangzhuang lurked behind a giant rock, his eyes fixed on a deer approaching the stream.
Getting closer.
Even closer.
Just as he was about to pounce, the Communication Disc at his waist suddenly vibrated.
He inwardly cursed.
Looking up, he saw that the deer had already become alert and fled.
“What a pity.”
He muttered, placing the Communication Disc near his ear, but his face showed no signs of annoyance.
Inside the Communication Disc, his Junior Sister’s anxious and concerned voice kept coming through.
Xiong Zhuangzhuang grinned, revealing a simple and honest smile.
After the voice disappeared, he listened to it several more times before carefully hanging the Communication Disc back on his waist.
He could have turned off the Communication Disc and focused on finding the Soul Revival Demon Fruit in the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge.
But he still wanted to hear news from his Junior Sister and Master.
Even if he couldn’t reply, knowing their condition would put his mind at ease.
He glanced in the direction the deer had fled, changed his hiding spot, and patiently waited for the next prey to approach.
He had already observed that this was the largest water source in the vicinity, so there would definitely be more demon beasts coming here.
He just needed to be patient and wait for the prey to come to him.