Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Wang Family

"Let's rest here for a while," Yu Daoyi said, coming to a halt.

"Don't mind me. It's more important for you to regroup with the others as soon as possible," Song Qiuling replied softly, a slight frown creasing her brow. Still, her labored breathing betrayed her exhaustion.

To her surprise, the young man before her, who was only at the third level of Qi Refinement, had a physique far surpassing her own.

"I'm tired. I can't run anymore," Yu Daoyi declared shamelessly, sprawling out on the ground.

Seeing this, the other two could only sigh and each chose a clean spot nearby to sit cross-legged and rest.

"Do you think that slippery snake is still alive?" Yu Daoyi asked, fiddling with the two remaining Calamity Spirit Pills in his hand, his tone light as the silence among them dragged on.

"Slippery snake?" Song Qiuling echoed, puzzled.

"Oh, that phoenix-crowned blood python. Having three Calamity Spirit Pills in its belly must be unbearable."

"The inside of any creature is always its most vulnerable place. That python was already wounded, and with that final explosive strike, it likely won't be able to exhibit the strength of a ninth-level Qi Refiner anytime soon," Song Qiuling mused after a moment.

Yu Daoyi's lips curled into a faint smile at her words, as if some mischievous idea had occurred to him.

"Speaking of which, we did a bit of a disservice to the dead man, leaving not even bones behind. But why did you do it?" Song Qiuling asked, her tone tinged with doubt, though she quickly clarified, "I mean no offense, nor am I blaming you. If it hadn't happened, none of us might have survived. It's just that—"

"Just that? Just what?" Yu Daoyi smiled lightly.

"It's just that you don't seem the sort to desecrate a corpse," Song Qiuling said seriously, meeting his gaze.

"You're saying the dead should be respected? Things were so urgent then, I couldn't care about such matters," Yu Daoyi replied indifferently.

"My intuition tells me you had another reason," Song Qiuling persisted, her expression earnest.

...A woman's intuition is truly terrifying.

Yu Daoyi pondered for a moment, and, seeing Song Qiuling's relentless curiosity, sighed. "I can tell you—I didn't plan to go that far. I just wanted to borrow his clothes. The phoenix-crowned blood python holds grudges—terribly so—and is highly sensitive to scents. If I wrapped the Calamity Spirit Pills in his garments and tossed them out, detonating them, the best outcome would be for the python to swallow the pills with the clothes. Even if not, it would still be injured when it opened its bloody maw."

"But that's less effective than having it swallow the corpse directly. A beast's sixth sense helps it avoid harm, and a ninth-level Qi Refinement beast is already quite intelligent. The python likely wouldn't swallow the clothing, and even if it did, the blast wouldn't have been as severe. You might only have ended up in its jaws yourself," Song Qiuling reasoned after a pause.

"Exactly. So I changed my approach," Yu Daoyi nodded in agreement.

"Still, I can't believe you'd do such a thing," she said.

"Of course not. I'm a good person," Yu Daoyi grinned broadly, all innocence.

"Why?" Song Qiuling ignored his quip and pressed on.

"To vent my anger," he replied quietly, but with sincerity.

"To vent your anger? But you didn't even know him, did you?" Song Qiuling was even more perplexed.

"No, I didn't. Does it matter?" Yu Daoyi gazed up at the sky, his tone even. After a long silence, he continued, "Suppose you crush an ant, and another ant thinks you've killed its companion. It might think you were wrong. But an ant is just an ant. You'll never know them, nor feel guilty for stepping on one. As for me, I'd find the second ant noisy and crush it too. I wouldn't blame myself. If anything, blame them for being in the way."

Song Qiuling studied him, her brow furrowed. Her instincts told her this was more complicated; many details were being withheld. Yet the man before her skillfully sidestepped the heart of the matter, and she couldn't shake the sense that she was being outmaneuvered. Still, now was not the time to press further.

Nearby, Yu Yunfan's eyes grew cold as he listened to his brother's words. His face darkened, as if he understood something. The visitor from that night before their departure—their words now seemed confirmed.

"Hey, don't keep that frosty look at your age. It's dreadful," Yu Daoyi appeared before him, patting his shoulder with a gentle smile, seeming almost different from before.

"Now is the time to stay calm, to watch the flowers bloom and fall in the courtyard."

"Do you understand?"

"I'm not stupid," came the simple reply—three words, a tacit understanding between brothers. Yu Daoyi continued to smile softly.

A quarter of an hour later, the three rose and set off again, following the markers forward—each with their own thoughts.

By noon, the summer sun blazed down, its scorching rays streaming through the dense forest canopy, making the earth beneath sweltering and oppressive.

A clear stream ran through the woods, water babbling over the stones, with small fish and shrimp darting joyously in its depths.

A few people lounged at the water's edge, scattered in rest. A nearly spent campfire smoldered among them, with a few grilled fish lying nearby.

Song Cheng found himself at a loss. He'd intended only to find a place to wait, hoping his sister and her companions would find him, but as night fell yesterday, they still hadn't returned. Worry and unease gnawed at him.

He'd just come to the back mountain to gather herbs, but one strange thing after another had left him weary. Being separated from the group was unsettling, but he clung to the belief that his sister and the rest wouldn't fall so easily. All he could do was wait.

Looking ahead, he saw his cousin and the burly man named Wang Meng meditating nearby, while the young man and delicate girl had regained consciousness the night before.

The man was Duan Yuxuan, the woman Duan Yin—a brother and sister from the Duan family of Shangping Town in the neighboring Song Mountain region, a family of some standing and reputation.

They were on good terms with his cousin, which was why they'd come to the back mountain together to hone their skills. But who could have guessed they'd discover the rare Scarlet Blood Fruit and, succumbing to greed, attract the phoenix-crowned blood python, resulting in a fierce battle.

The one who had died was named Wang Er, nicknamed "Ergou" by Wang Meng—a member of the Wang family and his close friend. Yet, as luck would have it, only he had perished.

Wang Meng, also from the Wang family, had come with other family members, joining forces with Song Cheng's cousin's group to seek their own fortunes in the back mountain.

But differences in their chosen paths had split them up, and Song Cheng ended up with his cousin. Just yesterday, he saw Wang Meng using special signals to summon the rest of the Wang family. That was nothing unusual, but the Scarlet Blood Fruit was not something they'd give up easily. With new allies and the python wounded, now was the perfect moment to strike.

Truth be told, if Song Cheng hadn't needed to wait for his sister and the others, he would have parted ways already. Otherwise, when the time came to fight for the fruit, he'd be pushed to the front lines—a mere pawn, with no one to avenge him if he died.

But it was too late to leave now. Besides, their injuries might still require his help.

No one present would let someone who knew the secret of the Scarlet Blood Fruit leave alive. If word got out, they'd lose their chance to monopolize the fruit. Song Cheng wrestled with whether to find an excuse to leave with his cousin.

Time crawled by, the wait interminable. As the sun began its slow descent to the west, the group grew ever more restless. Then, from deep within the forest, came the sound of rustling leaves and low, murmured voices.

At the sound, Song Cheng's heart sank—every voice was unfamiliar. That could only mean the Wang family had arrived.