12: Chapter 12 Exploring the Beast Forest

The morning mist over the Lingxi River had not yet dispersed, and Wang Sheng was already mustering his troops in front of the Chiefs Tent.

"Xiao Yuqing, take the Rainstorm Archer squad to stand guard on the perimeter. Murong Xue, you guard the camp; the Beast Tide has just receded, and the defensive line cannot be left empty."

His gaze swept over the girls standing in two rows before him. "Those coming into the forest with me are Zhao Linger, Liu Ruyan, Su Mengyao, and Frost Mage Lin Shiyun. Shi Gen, lead the way."

Shen Xun'er stood at the entrance of the Chiefs Tent, her jet-black hair slightly stirred by the morning breeze, her almond-shaped eyes filled with both worry and trust.

She walked over and tied a spirit-cloth waterskin around Wang Sheng's waist, her fingers lingering on his side for a fleeting moment.

"Be careful regarding the jade heart herb." Her voice was very soft, audible only to the two of them.

Wang Sheng squeezed her hand. "Wait for me to return."

Shen Xun'er bit her lower lip, then stepped back and said to everyone with composure, "Everyone, keep your spirits up. We must return before dark."

The entrance to the Savage Beast Forest is on the east side of the Mist Valley; one only needs to pass through a pile of scree to reach it.

Shi Gen walked at the very front, holding a sharpened wooden stick to scout the path. The rotting leaves underfoot were so thick that his feet sank in, and the air was filled with the damp scent of vegetation and a faint, musky odor of beasts.

"Chieftain, I scouted a short section of this route before. The Savage Beasts on the outskirts are mostly Rank 1 Iron-Backed Wolves and Grey-Bristled Boars, with the occasional Rank 2 Green-Maned Leopard."

Shi Gen turned back to say, "It's hard to say what lies further in; I didn't dare to venture deep."

Wang Sheng nodded. His perception as a Holy Light Warrior had already spread out, and the spiritual power fluctuations within a hundred paces were all within his range of perception.

Behind him, Zhao Linger skipped and hopped, stepping on fallen leaves, her baby face filled with excitement. She touched the Spirit Sound Bamboo Flute tied to her waist from time to time, as if stroking a beloved pet.

"Linger, don't fall behind." Frost Mage Lin Shiyun warned coldly. Her silver-white hair flowed like a waterfall in the forest light, and her icy blue pupils scanned the dense forest on both sides with vigilance.

Her slender figure moved through the tree shadows beneath her mage robes. Her steps were steady yet elegant; every step landed on the soft, rotting leaves without leaving a deep print. The Frost Mage's control over her footing was meticulous.

Zhao Linger stuck out her tongue and trotted up to Wang Sheng's side, looking up with a smile. "Chieftain, with you here, I'm not afraid! Besides,"

She patted the Spirit Sound Bamboo Flute at her waist. "If we encounter low-level Savage Beasts, a single tune from me can make them dizzy and disoriented, unable to even find north!"

Su Mengyao walked in the middle of the group, her emerald-green side braid hanging over her chest, her jade-colored eyes constantly scanning the plants on both sides.

Her steps were light, and her curvaceous body felt weightless under the enhancement of spiritual power. Each time she passed an unfamiliar spirit plant, she would pause for a moment, lightly touching the leaves with her fingertips to sense the flow of spiritual power within.

"The spiritual power density in this forest is more than thirty percent higher than at the camp," Su Mengyao said in a low voice. "The plants grow quickly, and the Savage Beasts have plenty of food, so their numbers are high. Let's try not to disturb the ecology of the spirit plants along the way; it would be troublesome if we alerted a Savage Beast with strong territorial instincts."

Liu Ruyan walked at the very back, making almost no sound at all.

This classical Eastern beauty had changed into a form-fitting night-traveler outfit tailored from spirit-cloth. Her willow-slender figure was outlined with every curve perfectly proportioned. Her waist was narrow enough to be encircled by a hand, yet it connected to long, straight legs, and she glided silently through the mottled tree shadows like a wisp of green smoke.

Those smoky, misty eyes constantly scanned the traces on the ground, the claw marks on the tree trunks, and the lingering scents in the air; no subtle abnormality could escape her perception.

After venturing about half a mile, the Savage Beasts appeared.

First came a low roar from the dense forest on the right, followed by the violent shaking of the bushes as three Iron-Backed Wolves lunged out from the darkness!

Their grey-black spines were covered as if by iron armor, slime hung from their fangs, and their turbid eyes stared at the group, emitting threatening growls from their throats.

"Let me!" Zhao Linger stepped forward, drawing the Spirit Sound Bamboo Flute from her waist and holding it to her lips.

A melodious flute sound rang out suddenly; it was not the sharp sound-blades used in combat, but a soft, low, and slow melody, like a mother's lullaby in the dead of night, or perhaps the lazy chirping of cicadas in the afternoon.

The flute music, wrapped in spiritual power, spread through the forest. The Iron-Backed Wolves' originally tense bodies visibly relaxed, their turbid eyes became dazed, and they stumbled a few steps before walking away in the opposite direction, swaying as if drunk.

Zhao Linger lowered the flute, her baby face filled with triumph. "Spirit Sound Technique: Lullaby! It works every time against Rank 1 Savage Beasts~"

She tilted her head to look at Wang Sheng, her big eyes sparkling as if waiting for praise.

Wang Sheng smiled and reached out to rub the top of her head. "Not bad."

Zhao Linger lit up instantly, jumping up to hug Wang Sheng's arm, refusing to let go. The curves of her devilish figure pressed tightly against his arm, and she looked up with a sweet smile on her baby face. "Does Chieftain have a reward for me then~"

Frost Mage Lin Shiyun glanced coldly, a flash of imperceptible emotion passing through her icy blue pupils, but she said nothing. She merely shifted her steps slightly, standing on Wang Sheng's other side, close enough to smell the cold, frosty aura on her.

Su Mengyao pursed her lips and smiled, a hint of understanding in her jade-colored eyes.

Continuing deeper, the Savage Beasts became increasingly dense. The Spirit Sound Technique could drive away Rank 1 Savage Beasts, but the Rank 2 Green-Maned Leopards didn't fall for it.

A Green-Maned Leopard swooped down from the canopy, its sharp claws slicing through the air with a piercing whistle!

Wang Sheng stepped forward, sweeping with Holy Light Slash; the golden blade of light forced the Green-Maned Leopard back ten meters.

Frost Mage Lin Shiyun raised her hand, casting Frost Nova; the icy blue spell froze the Green-Maned Leopard's hind legs, causing its pouncing motion to freeze in mid-air.

Wang Sheng seized the opportunity to punch the leopard's head, pouring in his brute strength, and the Green-Maned Leopard collapsed to the ground with a wail.

"Good!" Zhao Linger clapped from behind. "Chieftain is the best!"

"Focus on the path," Liu Ruyan's calm voice came from behind.

Wang Sheng crouched to examine the Green-Maned Leopard's corpse, extracting a pale green crystal core from the neck bone; it was a Rank 2 Barbarian Warrior core, of decent quality.

Su Mengyao took the crystal core and identified it for a moment. "The spiritual power purity is good; it can be used for alchemy or as an energy source for spirit arrays."

"Take it," Wang Sheng said, putting the crystal core into his backpack. "We won't leave behind any usable resources."

Shi Gen was skinning the leopard nearby, his movements practiced. "Chieftain, the skin of a Green-Maned Leopard is top-tier material; it's durable and cold-resistant, making it excellent for armor and boots."

"Take it back with us."

Upon reaching the third mile, Liu Ruyan suddenly stopped.

She crouched before a dense thicket, her slender, fair fingers brushing over the soil on the ground, her brows slightly furrowed.

Those smoky, misty eyes narrowed, like a cat locking onto its prey.

"Here," her voice was soft but carried certainty.

Wang Sheng walked over and looked in the direction of her finger; there was an extremely shallow indentation on the ground, which would be impossible to see without careful observation.

The indentation extended deep into the thicket, and the branches and leaves on both sides showed signs of having been pushed aside, but they had been deliberately restored.

"A beast path," Liu Ruyan stood up and brushed the dirt from her hands. "A beast path deliberately covered by humans. It's not just for Savage Beasts; Savage Beasts wouldn't cover their tracks."

Wang Sheng's gaze sharpened. "You mean…"

"Someone is active in the shadows."

Liu Ruyan's voice was calm as water, but a piercing chill had already risen in those eyes. "Judging by the depth of the indentation, there are at least three people, and they pass through regularly. The direction," she raised her hand to point toward the depths of the forest, "is to the northeast."

Su Mengyao's expression shifted slightly. "The northeast direction… that's the location of the Shadow Realm."

Shen Xun'er's words from last night echoed in Wang Sheng's ears: Deep in the Savage Beast Forest, there are at least Rank 5 Barbarian Warrior Savage Beasts.

And the beast path discovered by Liu Ruyan meant that humans, or human-like beings, had established a secret passage deep in the forest.

"Remember the location; do not go deeper," Wang Sheng decided decisively. "This clue is more important than the jade heart herb. Once the camp's defensive line is stabilized, I will lead a team to investigate specifically."

Liu Ruyan nodded, took out a spirit-cloth ribbon woven by Pei Yanzhi from her backpack, made a concealed mark beside the thicket, and then restored the area to its original state without leaving a trace.

They turned toward the southwest and traveled for a while before Su Mengyao stopped beside a stream.

"The spiritual power fluctuations are very special," she crouched down, pressing her hands onto the damp soil by the stream, her jade-colored eyes glowing slightly. "There is a branch of a spiritual vein underground, and the water-attribute spiritual power is abundant. In this environment, the probability of jade heart herb growing is very high."

Sure enough, after traveling about a hundred paces upstream, Su Mengyao found the first jade heart herb on the back of a moss-covered boulder. Its entire body was emerald green like jade, the leaves were heart-shaped, and pale golden veins flowed between the leaf veins, emitting a crisp scent of vegetation.

"That's it!" Su Mengyao exclaimed with joy, carefully removing the jade heart herb with its roots and soil, and placing it into a spirit-cloth bag for preservation. "Hua Jieyu said that the jade heart herb is a top-grade antidote; a single plant can formulate ten doses of high-level antidote."

Wang Sheng looked around and found two more jade heart herbs on the back of the boulder.

Collecting all three, along with the previously gathered Fire-Flame Fruit and Purple-Continuation Grass, the harvest of medicinal herbs for this trip was already bountiful enough.

Su Mengyao put the jade heart herb away, but when she stood up, she accidentally stepped on a wet stone by the stream and slipped.

Wang Sheng was quick-witted and caught her waist, steadying her firmly.

Su Mengyao leaned into his embrace, her emerald-green hair brushing against his chin, her jade-colored eyes gazing at him from inches away. Her curvaceous, soft body pressed tightly against his chest, and the faint floral scent on her instantly enveloped him.

The two looked at each other for a moment.

"Thank you…" Su Mengyao's ears turned red, and she gently backed away from his embrace, lowering her head to smooth her skirt, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

Zhao Linger saw everything clearly from behind, pouted, and muttered softly, "Sister Mengyao is so cunning…"

Frost Mage Lin Shiyun turned her head away, her silver-white hair covering her slightly reddened ear tips.