At a distance countless miles from Lin Xiao’s location, in a mysterious cave dwelling, an old man with white hair and a youthful face suddenly opened his eyes, two beams of cold light flashing from them.
“Someone actually killed my slave and took the Black Tortoise Poison Scale!” A chilling voice came from the old man, “A kid named Lin Xiao, you’ve got some guts. I’ll remember you. I hope you don’t die too quickly!”
Lin Xiao, of course, had no idea that Wen Ruo, whom he had killed, was someone’s controlled slave. He focused on recovering from his injuries while cautiously moving forward.
Along the way, he encountered several spirit beasts. Fortunately, they were all below the sixth tier. He had to kill a few that he couldn’t avoid, but he successfully evaded the rest.
After all, he wasn’t in a rush to collect spirit beast cores, nor was he here for training, so he didn’t go out of his way to hunt them.
In this unfamiliar place, it was best to avoid trouble whenever possible.
Killing spirit beasts could create a commotion, attracting higher-tier ones.
High-tier spirit beasts, with intelligence no less than humans and the ability to take human form, were extremely dangerous.
After flying alone for an entire day, Lin Xiao realized this primeval forest was indeed desolate. Despite covering such a long distance, he hadn’t seen a single person, nor had he found any sign of leaving the forest.
Moreover, the number of spirit beasts increased, and their tiers grew higher.
Lin Xiao even began to suspect he was heading in the wrong direction, delving deeper into the forest.
After another hour, under the blazing sun, in the still eerie forest, Lin Xiao finally spotted human figures—a group traveling through the forest.
The group consisted of over a dozen people, disguised as a merchant caravan, moving on foot with extreme caution and low profiles.
However, Lin Xiao noticed their cultivations were mostly above mid-tier Martial Lord, with one being a Martial Emperor, a first-tier Martial Emperor.
Yet, this Martial Emperor’s cultivation seemed unstable, likely forcibly boosted by elixirs, weaker than the first-tier Martial Emperors Lin Xiao had seen in the Southeastern Region.
Moreover, not only the Martial Emperor elder but the others also had somewhat unstable cultivations, as if the entire group had forcibly elevated their realms.
Among them, a woman in her early twenties walked in the center. She had the lowest cultivation, only fifth-tier Martial Lord. Though plainly dressed, she couldn’t hide her refined beauty.
Compared to Wen Ruo, whom Lin Xiao had met the previous day, she was noticeably more beautiful.
However, her face showed no coldness or arrogance, only a touch of normalcy and gentleness.
Though she wasn’t overly conspicuous, the group’s concerned glances toward her were unmistakable.
Anyone with experience could tell this woman held significant importance in the group.
Seeing Lin Xiao approach, the group halted in unison, cautiously looking toward him.
Lin Xiao immediately stopped in mid-air, revealing his fifth-tier Martial Lord cultivation.
For him, showing his cultivation was likely the safest approach.
He didn’t want trouble or to kill on sight.
Revealing his cultivation, he figured, would keep the group from fearing a lone fifth-tier Martial Lord youth.
“Fifth-tier Martial Lord?” As expected, after Lin Xiao revealed his cultivation, the group relaxed slightly. The first-tier Martial Emperor elder even flashed a hint of disdain.
The others also eased their caution.
A fifth-tier Martial Lord wasn’t much of a threat to them.
“A fifth-tier Martial Lord dares to travel this path alone?” another elder remarked with slight surprise.
“He’s lucky to have survived this far,” another elder added.
At this moment, the first-tier Martial Emperor elder looked at Lin Xiao and said, “Kid, leave this place and go back the way you came. This path isn’t for you.”
Lin Xiao frowned slightly. He couldn’t take this path?
From their tone, it didn’t seem like they were claiming the road but rather warning of some danger. Politely, he asked, “I’m lost and can’t find my way out of the forest. Could you point me in the right direction?”
Initially, the first-tier Martial Emperor intended to threaten Lin Xiao to leave, but a gray-robed elder beside the woman kindly warned first, “This path is home to powerful spirit beasts. Even we must tread carefully and avoid flying. You, alone, should not go further.”
Lin Xiao’s brows furrowed slightly. A group with a first-tier Martial Emperor didn’t dare fly low. Could there really be powerful spirit beasts here?
“Kid, leave. If you keep talking, don’t blame me for taking action,” the first-tier Martial Emperor threatened impatiently.
At this moment, the beautiful woman spoke, her voice gentle, “He’s alone and injured. It’s hard for him to survive in this forest. Why not take him with us?”
“Miss,” the first-tier Martial Emperor elder frowned, his expression growing wary.
“It’s fine. One more person won’t affect us much,” the beautiful woman said.
“Elder Ze, let’s take him along. This young brother, so young yet a fifth-tier Martial Lord, has remarkable talent. It’d be a pity if he perished in this forest,” the gray-robed elder beside her added.
The first-tier Martial Emperor was still reluctant but, deferring to their words, nodded, “Fine! Kid, you’re lucky. But if we encounter serious threats, we won’t look after you.”
Lin Xiao was slightly stunned, not expecting the woman and the gray-robed elder to be willing to guide him out of the forest.
After all, he was a stranger, and bringing one along carried the risk of him being a spy from a hostile force.
Even if the chance was small.
Their kindness surprised him.
However, thinking of Wen Ruo, Lin Xiao grew wary of the woman.
She was likely no ordinary woman, probably a young lady from a significant family or force.
Central State’s noble daughters might, like Wen Ruo, act against even those with no hostility for certain reasons.
After a moment’s thought, Lin Xiao shook his head inwardly, mocking himself, “I can’t let one woman’s betrayal make me avoid all women, can I?”
Pausing, he cupped his hands toward the group, saying, “Thank you, Miss, and seniors. Rest assured, I won’t hold you back.”
With that, he descended to the ground and walked toward the group.
In this unfamiliar place, he truly needed a guide.
With Wen Ruo’s lesson, he wouldn’t let his guard down around this woman.
But he wouldn’t go so far as to treat all women as villains.
Since they kindly allowed him to join, if they encountered danger, he could help them.
If, because of Wen Ruo, he viewed all women as venomous and treated them as enemies, he’d be no different from her.
If others treated him kindly, he would return kindness. If they treated him with malice, he’d repay it doubly. That was his principle.
