47: Chasing, who is the prey?

“Young Master Hao, why are we listening to that man in green? To find some Lian Zang Realm Martial Artist, this deep mountain forest is so dangerous, I really didn't want to come!”

Not far from the cold pool, a young woman, with a clear and pleasant voice, asked, her brows slightly furrowed, looking extremely impatient.

Immediately, a deep male voice sounded beside her: “Sister Liu, you don’t know, that man in green just now is from the Martial Alliance, a person of noble status. His command for us to do something is a huge Opportunity. If we handle the task well, perhaps you and I can gain some wealth, and then my marriage to you will be settled, won’t it?”

“That’s right, who told my father, that old stubborn man, to insist that you produce three thousand taels as a betrothal gift? I hope we can successfully find the person he’s looking for!” The woman had a pair of Phoenix eyes and a slender figure, looking to be in her early twenties. She carried a meteor knife on her person and, understanding the man’s intentions, immediately chuckled softly.

The man was short in stature, but his appearance was not bad. He had a handlebar mustache and a pair of exceptionally bright eyes, constantly searching for something.

Suddenly, the man seemed to discover something. Purple Qi flowed in his eyes as he looked up at the cold pool waterfall, his gaze penetrating the concealing mist, and he immediately saw where Little White and the Mountain Spirit were.

“Haha, Sister Liu, I never thought you and I would actually have such good fortune! The exotic beast that adult mentioned is right there!” The man was so excited he danced with joy, pointing at the high platform in the center of the waterfall.

Sister Liu said, “Young Master Hao, your eyes are truly amazing! Finding this exotic fox beast should lead us to its owner, and then our task will be complete!”

“Let me capture it!” Sister Liu’s brow furrowed, and her meteor knife came out, a cold light shooting out and embedding itself in the edge of the high platform. She then leaped up, climbing along the blade’s chain.

Sister Liu, as referred to by the man, was surprisingly also a Lian Zang Realm Martial Artist. Sister Liu moved swiftly, reaching Little White’s side in just a few movements. Even then, Little White remained still and stable, breathing smoothly, not startled awake.

But at this moment, Young Master Hao, who was below, noticed subtle ripples appearing in the center of the pool. Logically, an exotic beast that has become refined should be naturally alert and extraordinarily spiritual. In the wilderness, it wouldn't sleep so soundly, unless!

The man yelled to the sky, saying, “No, Sister Liu, retreat quickly!”

Unfortunately, it was already too late. The deep pool, which had been calm and still, suddenly erupted with a bang. A figure swiftly emerged from the water, instantly leaping onto the high platform, turning around, and grabbing the woman by the neck.

“Sister Liu, you, release her!” The man roared at Chen Cuo, saying with a ferocious voice.

At this moment, Sister Liu was held aloft by Chen Cuo, her neck clutched. Her entire face was beet red, and her eyes were filled with shock and fear.

Chen Cuo shook his head, looking down at the two, and said, “Are you looking for me? Wait, you are Qian Xiaohao, the treasure-hunting rat wanted by the State City government?”

Lin Qiu, the chief constable of Wei City, had once given Chen Cuo a list of wanted criminals throughout Wuya Prefecture. If Chen Cuo apprehended a wanted criminal on the list, he could turn them over to the authorities for some reward, as official channels were more convenient for certain things.

Qian Xiaohao was precisely the twenty-third wanted criminal on that list, nicknamed the Treasure-Hunting Rat, a grave robber.

It was said that his eyes were extraordinary, possessing an unknown power. Chen Cuo finally witnessed it today, proving the saying true.

The cold pool waterfall was extremely peculiar, shrouded in thick mist that could interfere with one's vision.

“You, you are the person the Martial Alliance is looking for! Quickly release Sister Liu, otherwise, I’ll fire the signal!” Qian Xiaohao said, half-fearful, half-threatening, without answering Chen Cuo’s question.

He held up a short tube with a fuse attached. He truly hadn't expected someone to be at the bottom of the cold pool. His eyesight could penetrate the pool to a depth of twenty meters, and just now, there had clearly been nothing there.

That's why he dared to let Sister Liu go up and capture Little White. He only thought Chen Cuo had coincidentally left and hidden the exotic beast there.

Who knew Chen Cuo was in the deeper part of the cold pool? One must know that the surface temperature of this pool was already frighteningly low, and the deeper one went, the stronger the water pressure. Let alone Mortals, even Lian Zang Martial Artists couldn't go deeper than fifty meters.

When he saw Chen Cuo leap out from the depths of the pool, he was immediately awestruck and extremely fearful.

Suddenly, Chen Cuo's eyes burst with sharp light, noticing the Martial Alliance mentioned by the other party was tracking him. He no longer paid attention to these two small figures.

He immediately acted ruthlessly, channeling Internal Energy into his palm, easily snapping Sister Liu's neck, and throwing her towards Qian Xiaohao like a broken sack.

“Acquired, you are Acquired?” Qian Xiaohao screamed in terror, disregarding Sister Liu's corpse. He activated his movement technique, twisting like a snake, and rapidly fled.

Chen Cuo lowered his head, embracing Little White and the Mountain Spirit, and tidied up his belongings.

With a hook of his right foot, he leaped up using the high platform, his body rotating one hundred and eighty degrees, hanging upside down in the sky like a flying crane with drooping feathers. He hooked Sister Liu's meteor knife. With a bend and lift of his right foot, the meteor knife truly became like a meteor, piercing through Qian Xiaohao's back neck at a speed invisible to the naked eye. The other party immediately died.

“Five Spirits - Crane in the Clouds, Tiger Tail Sundering River!”

“This is the Five Spirits True Meaning. The movements for exerting force are naturally fluid, and the fist techniques are executed with ease and spontaneity, ever-changing.”

The Moves are ever-changing, but the Concept remains the same. The Five Animal Play originally derived its techniques and Moves from animals, emphasizing Concept over form. Since Chen Cuo had grasped the true meaning of the fist technique, every strike naturally embodied the form of the fist technique, and when executed, it was effortless.

Chen Cuo immediately understood that the “Spirit Demon Five Animal Play” had broken free from the shackles of form, reaching a Concept. The Five Spirits True Meaning was the true essence of the fist technique.

Seeing Qian Xiaohao impaled on the path, Chen Cuo didn't let the two go. He immediately began to loot the bodies. Although logically, they wouldn't have anything good on them, adhering to the principle that even a mosquito's leg is meat, he still found some scattered silver and a diary.

Then Chen Cuo took out the signal flare tightly clutched in Qian Xiaohao's hand, pulled the fuse, and a firework shot into the sky.

Chen Cuo immediately left the scene, leaving traces in all directions as he moved.

Like a ghost, he passed through a large open area, arrived at a dense forest, and lay prone on a patch of grass. Concealed by bushes, his aura slowly receded, becoming as faint as an insect.

Five Spirits - Snake Concealment Qi!

All techniques are manifestations of Concept. This is the “Five Spirits True Meaning” talent. Chen Cuo's breathing became extremely regular and faint, and even his heart rate was incredibly slow. His entire body remained motionless, like a snake in hibernation.

Getting caught in this turmoil was unavoidable, and meeting Little White was a coincidence. He couldn't just stand by and do nothing. Since he had already acted, he had to see it through, never letting anyone go. It was best to kill everyone.

Otherwise, with their backgrounds, it would be easy for them to find out who he was. Moreover, it was still unknown who the hunter was and who the hunted!

“Let’s see who the first unlucky one is!”

Yuan Biao and Yuan Hu were the first to arrive around the cold pool. Upon reaching the location, they immediately saw the messy traces around them, as well as Qian Xiaohao's corpse, with the remains of the signal flare at his feet.

Yuan Hu searched around, finding only flattened grass everywhere, making it impossible to discern Chen Cuo's escape direction. A little further on, he saw Sister Liu's corpse and the marks where the knife blade was embedded in the stone platform.

“So he was hiding here, I should have thought of it earlier, the darkest place is under the lamp!” Yuan Hu murmured softly to himself. He had passed by this way last night. Since Little White and the Mountain Spirit had both concealed their auras, coupled with the water mist, and there was no hiding place nearby, he hadn't suspected this spot.

“Brother Hu, what should we do? Should we pursue in two directions first, or wait for Young Master to arrive!” Yuan Biao stepped forward, asking with a grin.

“Let’s pursue first! You go east, I’ll go west. Find that villain as soon as possible, and don’t let Young Master get angry again.”

With that, the two went in opposite directions, one left and one right, in pursuit.

A moment later, a thin old man arrived at the location. He twitched his nose, sensing a unique Qi in the air, then turned a corner and headed in one direction.