31. Lured
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A few hours later, Xu Haoyuan's group ran into the first wave of dangerous beasts, which was a mixed bunch of different creatures.
Some resembled wolves, some were boar-like, there were several large bears, cats, and a few snakes, which was odd as these creatures were not known to band together.
There were about twenty beasts in this wave, but the beasts themselves were low-level... Mostly level one or two, and by the next day, they had already cleared seven waves of the beasts.
Xu Haoyuan's group had twenty disciples, with Xu Haoyuan himself, Xu Min, and four others above Profound Rank Four, and the rest, excluding Luoyin, were at least Profound Rank three.
This meant they could easily sweep through these lowly monsters, handling them swiftly, and then the beast cores were claimed by those who made the direct kill.
Beast Cores were a powerful source of cultivation when absorbed, and it was customary for cultivators to go on hunts to acquire them.
A hunting mission like this was even better than personal hunts, as there would be multiple beasts of the cultivator's level, and they would still get paid for it! And even if they didn't need the cores, they could also sell them!
But Luoyin ignored the beasts.
He could easily hunt these low-level creatures, but their cores weren't worth revealing any of his strengths...
As someone identified as 'Trash', it would be odd to suddenly show power, so he couldn't be careless!
Besides, he had only come out on this mission for Sect Leader Xu, and with the hope that Zhang Cheng would be here as well. But as of the time Xu Haoyuan's group left, Zhang Cheng was still nowhere in sight.
So whenever a 'dangerous' beast approached him, Luoyin shamelessly went, "Ah, Xu Min, there's one here!", and then he would dive behind Xu Min, who didn't hesitate to 'protect' him.
"2nd Disciple Zhang, are you really that shameless?!" One of the disciples yelled the third time he did this.
"How can you call yourself a disciple?!"
"Yes! Why are you even here?" Another demanded.
"You're Burdening 2nd Disciple Xu!"
But Xu Min stepped before Luoyin. "Zhang Yin has his reasons for being here, so don't mind others' business!" He turned to Luoyin.
"Zhang Yin, just let me know what kind of beast cores you need. I'll help you get them!"
'Such a good fellow!' Luoyin decided Xu Min was a worthy friend!
Most of the time, Luoyin concerned himself with admiring the brilliant scenery of the forest.
Yueyan mountain was lush, and in the height of autumn, the trees and shrubs were rife with colours, with a crisp air, and many adorable critters and birds, flying through branches, or diving amidst the shrubs.
This wasn't as beautiful as his home on Caoyang, but it was the most beautiful place he had seen since he awakened!
It continued that way for the first day, but by the next day, Luoyin became suspicious.
With all the years spent with Yinying, he would be a fool to assume this was simply some monotonous hunt.
Beasts simply didn't rampage in droves like this. Not without a reason.
It was either they were fleeing from a powerful foe, which forced them to group against a common danger, or something was controlling them.
The first option might have been the case after the first three waves.
But beyond that, it made no sense. It was too easy.
Luoyin was inclined to think the beasts were being controlled- laid out like carrots to lure a rabbit into a trap.
Someone - or something- was deliberately leading the disciples further into the forest...
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Meanwhile, Weiyan's group was experiencing the opposite...
They hadn't run into a single evil spirit!
"Sister Weiyan, are we really in the right place?" Xu Lin asked, as he faced his palm to a pile of wooden twigs. A fireball shot out of his palm and ignited the wood. "It's almost two days gone simply wandering."
Xu Wen shook his head. "We know it's the right place because everyone remembered to bring their compasses, except you. Aiyu... Are you a punishment to the Xu Clan?"
Xu Lin turned red in anger. "You disrespectful littl-!"
"Silence." Weiyan said from atop the branch of an aging pine. The single word was calmer than a gentle breeze, but both instantly turned to her with a polite bow.
"Forgive us! Sister Weiyan!" Xu Lin was only a month or so younger than Weiyan, but he knew better than to test her!
Zhang Cheng scoffed. "Xiao Yan, I already told you, why go after the evil spirit first? You didn't listen to me, and we've wasted two days already.
"Each one of us might have had at least three beast cores by now!"
A few disciples muttered at this, nodding their heads in agreement.
Weiyan resisted the urge to glare at Zhang Cheng.
Zhang Cheng had been late the day before, and Weiyan had been severely tempted to leave him behind, but a personal note from her father had asked her to ensure he was present, so she swallowed her ire as they all waited for him for hours.
He finally arrived and lazily strolled over around noon.
A few disciples snickered at the sight of him, but he sent them cold warning glares, and they fell silent.
Rather than apologize for keeping everyone waiting, Zhang Cheng had turned to Weiyan, and he reached out to tuck a loose strand of her hair.
But Weiyan stepped away.
"Ahem." Zhang Cheng coughed into his hanging hand. "Xiao Yan, you look lovelier than ever today!" He said, which had Weiyan trying to measure his level of shamelessness...
'Did he forget the duel?'
"Move out." Weiyan ordered and turned away, ignoring him, and she began walking towards the forest.
"Wait!" Zhang Cheng stopped her. "Xiao Yan, as someone more enlightened than you, it's fine to leave the tedious task of leading to me... I can help you. For starters, I suggest we go after the first group!
"We are all going to the Western Forests, and they will run into numerous beasts on the way, so why not hunt with them? We can split on the third day and head to our own destination!"
It was not a bad idea, but it would set them back three days, as the first group's route was further from their own destination. It would also mean they would miss any evil spirits along their own route.
But a few of the disciples were already murmuring, and it was clear they were considering Zhang Cheng's words... After all beast cores were precious, and there was no denying a beast hunt mission would yield more profit than a regular hunt.
But Weiyan turned to them. "'Abandoning the boat to chase the fish'. Tell me, if we do as Disciple Zhang says and put gains first, how many of you can hold your head high and face Sect Leader Xu, after something happens?
"With what face will you return to Yue City?"
Her words were enough to dispel the thought, and they all followed her into the forest.
But Zhang Cheng had kept dropping snide comments at intervals, and after two days of a fruitless search, a few disciples were beginning to waver again.
"Tch! Is it really so hard for Zhang Cheng to follow Sister Yan!" Xu Lin complained. "I'm almost thankful to that Zhang Luoyin for stealing her away!"
"For once, we share the same thoughts." Xu Wen agreed.
Weiyan sent Zhang Cheng a challenging stare. "Disciple Zhang, as someone 'more enlightened', shouldn't you find this situation suspicious, rather than boring?
"Even without the mission, we should have run into at least one ghost, or evil spirit... What are the odds that there isn't a single one? Since you're 'more enlightened', why not explain it to us?"
For the briefest moment, something flickered across Zhang Cheng's features. A trick of the firelight, perhaps.
"Tch! Stupid." He scoffed, rising to his feet. "This mission was supposed to be light, but you're taking it too seriously!
"I'm going off for a while..."
With that, he turned and strode away from the camp, disappearing into the darkness.
A hush fell over the disciples as they settled in for the night.
Weiyan sighed.
Something wasn't right.
Beyond the eerie absence of the evil spirits, another thought gnawed at her.
Immortal Pei had once spoken of an eye-eating spirit that attacked her mother.
Now, nineteen years later, one of the spirits in this mission was an eye-eating spirit.
Was it simply a coincidence?
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