134: Chapter 134 Mysterious Middle-Aged Man

Yun'er was scared pale and gripped Fang Hansu's sleeve tightly.

The middle-aged man's gaze swept over the three of them, like a hawk surveying its prey.

His gaze finally landed on Uncle Fu, his brows raised slightly, and he said indifferently.

"Injured? Injured by someone?"

Uncle Fu gritted his teeth and did not answer.

Fang Hansu took a deep breath, suppressing the fear in her heart. She stepped forward, trying her best to keep her voice steady.

"Senior... may I ask what the matter is?"

The middle-aged man took a piece of paper from his bosom and unfolded it; on it was drawn the face of a young man.

With sword-like brows and star-like eyes, his face was handsome and refined—it was none other than Ye Yun.

He spoke indifferently, his tone calm yet carrying an unquestionable majesty.

"Have you seen this person?"

Fang Hansu's pupils shrank suddenly, and her heart gave a hard jolt.

That face on the drawing was one she couldn't be more familiar with.

It was the very youth who had saved her life last night!

Fang Hansu's hands trembled slightly, but in a fleeting instant, she forced herself to calm down.

"This person has ill intentions. If he finds the Young Master, the Young Master will definitely be in danger!"

She bit her lip, raised her head, and looked the middle-aged man straight in the eyes.

Her voice was so calm that even she herself felt surprised.

"I have seen him. We were lost in the mountains last night and met this person. He even shared some food with us."

The middle-aged man's gaze suddenly tightened. The aura of a Great Martial Master Ninth Level crushed down like a mountain, pressing entirely upon Fang Hansu.

Fang Hansu felt as if a great mountain were pressing on her shoulders; her legs went weak, and she nearly knelt down.

But she gritted her teeth, holding on with all her might, her spine straight as a rod.

Cold sweat poured down her forehead, yet she refused to bend her waist.

"Where is he?"

The middle-aged man's voice turned colder, carrying undisguised killing intent.

Fang Hansu gasped for air, trembling as she raised her hand and pointed randomly in one direction.

"Over there... he went that way. He said he was going deep into the mountain range to hunt Yao Beasts."

The middle-aged man stared at her for a long time, his gaze sharp as a knife, as if wanting to pierce through her thoughts.

Fang Hansu's heart beat like a drum, but she forced herself to meet his gaze, her eyes clear, revealing not a single flaw.

A moment later, the middle-aged man withdrew his aura and said indifferently.

"If I discover you have lied to me, you know the consequences."

Fang Hansu shook her head hurriedly, her voice trembling.

"I would not dare... I would not dare to deceive you, Senior."

The middle-aged man snorted coldly, his figure flickering as he dashed in the direction Fang Hansu had pointed.

In the blink of an eye, he had disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.

Only when that figure had completely vanished did Fang Hansu's legs go soft, and she collapsed to the ground.

She gasped heavily, her clothes on her back already soaked through with cold sweat.

Yun'er was scared pale and squatted beside her, her voice laced with tears.

"Young Miss... Young Miss, are you alright?"

Uncle Fu also collapsed on the ground, his face pale as paper, and blood seeped from his wounds again.

He looked at Fang Hansu, his eyes full of lingering fear and complex emotions.

"Young Miss, just now... why did you say you knew that Young Master?"

Uncle Fu gasped, his aged face full of confusion and lingering fear.

"That middle-aged man was clearly here to seek revenge, and his aura was unfathomable. If we had said we didn't know him, he might not have discovered anything."

"But once you said you knew him, if he followed that direction and found the Young Master, wouldn't that mean we harmed him?"

Fang Hansu leaned against a tree trunk, gasping for air, and it took a while before she recovered.

She looked up in the direction Ye Yun had left, her eyes full of worry.

She spoke softly, though her voice carried a tremor of lingering fear.

"Uncle Fu, do you think we had any other choice?"

Uncle Fu was stunned.

Fang Hansu bit her lip and continued.

"When that man's gaze fell upon us, I knew we had already been exposed. The moment he took out the portrait, the expressions on Yun'er's face and mine simply couldn't be hidden."

"Someone with his cultivation can see through what we are thinking at a glance. If I had said I didn't know him, he would only have become more suspicious."

"Then he would have forced us to answer, or even used soul-searching... the three of us wouldn't have survived, and the Young Master wouldn't have escaped either."

Fang Hansu paused, lowered her head, her voice as soft as a whisper.

"I said I knew him and pointed in a direction; he was in a rush to chase him, so he wouldn't focus his attention on us. This way, we are safe, and the Young Master at least has a chance to prepare."

After listening, Uncle Fu was silent for a long time, sighed heavily, shook his head, and said nothing more.

He had to admit that the Young Miss was right.

Before such an expert, lying or not lying—both were paths to death.

Being able to gain even a sliver of his trust was already a stroke of good fortune.

Yun'er helped Fang Hansu up, and the three of them continued walking toward the exit of the mountain range.

Fang Hansu walked at the back, looking back toward the depths of the mountain range from time to time, her eyes filled with an inescapable sorrow.

"Young Master, you must be careful... That person is so strong, but you will definitely be able to handle it, right?"

The sunlight fell upon Fang Hansu, stretching her shadow out long.

On that beautiful face, the tear stains had not yet dried, but there was a bit more determination.

She did not know who that youth was, nor did she know if he could escape this calamity.

But at this moment, she only hoped he would be safe.

Meanwhile, deep in the mountain range, Ye Yun was following the tracks of the Iron-backed Azure Bear, heading deeper inside.

He was completely unaware of the impending crisis.

...

Ye Yun ventured deeper all the way.

The mountain path under his feet became narrower, the trees on both sides grew denser, and the branches and leaves were layered upon one another.

They sliced the sunlight into fragmented spots of light that fell upon the ground.

The Yao Beasts in the outer perimeter were of too low a Rank, at most only Rank Three Early Stage; they didn't even have the qualifications to make him warm up.

Occasionally, a few blind ones would pounce on him, but he solved them with a casual strike of his sword, not even stopping his pace.

"Iron-backed Azure Bear, Rank Three Late Stage, thick-skinned and fleshy, with boundless strength. A Yao Beast of this level would absolutely not stay on the outer perimeter."

Ye Yun thought to himself, not stopping his pace, and dashed toward the depths of the mountain range.

After walking for about two hours, the scenery around him changed abruptly.

The trees became increasingly tall and thick, their crowns blocking out the sky and sun, and the light in the forest dimmed.

The air was filled with a damp and decaying scent.

The dead leaves on the ground had piled up very thick, making a rustling sound when stepped upon.

The occasional roar of a Yao Beast was also lower and deeper than those in the outer perimeter, carrying a pressure that made one's heart palpitate.

He had arrived at the inner perimeter.

Ye Yun slowed his pace, concealing his Qi to the extreme, moving through the forest as silently as a falling leaf.

A Rank Three Late Stage Yao Beast already possessed a certain level of intelligence.

Its territorial awareness was extremely strong; rashly breaking in would only alert the enemy.

He needed to find the tracks of the Iron-backed Azure Bear first, then formulate a countermeasure.

After walking for a while longer, a sudden, violent roar came from ahead.

It was mixed with the roaring of a Yao Beast and the crisp sound of trees snapping.

The ground trembled slightly, and leaves fell with a rustle; clearly, some big fellows were fighting.

Ye Yun raised his brows slightly, lightened his steps, and quietly approached the direction from which the sound came.