"You left to look for a Beast Core?"
Half an hour passed by quickly. When Yang Tian wiped the grease from his mouth, Zhu Hongyu finally spoke up to ask. She had begun to absorb some of the energy from the beast core and was starting to recover her strength.
"Mhmm!" Yang Tian nodded, and continued, "The internal injuries you suffered are best treated with a Beast Core."
"Why did you save me?" Zhu Hongyu asked again as she looked at Yang Tian.
Yang Tian smiled. "Like I said, I don't kill women, especially one as beautiful as you. If I just leave you to your devices, it's the same as killing you. So I guess I had to treat you before letting you go. Oh yeah, your companion Zheng Dalong should be arriving soon. I have to go."
When Yang Tian finished speaking, he grabbed his backpack and disappeared into the fog.
Yang Tian had been gone for half an hour when Zheng Dalong appeared.
Zheng Dalong inspected the two corpses and frowned. He came up to Zhu Hongyu and asked, "Is this Yang Tian's doing?"
Zhu Hongyu nodded, and said, "I fought Yang Tian but lost. He let me go. These two scumbags tried to take advantage of the situation…but Yang Tian killed them!"
Zheng Dalong said, "Yang Tian's power far exceeds what we imagined. You lost to him and he saved you. You definitely won't be gunning for him. Are you going back?"
Zhu Hongyu replied, "There's no point staying here, so of course I'm going home."
"How will you explain this to the Academy Master?" Zheng Dalong asked with a frown.
Zhu Hongyu replied, "This is his private grudge. We should've never been involved in the first place. I've tried my best."
Zheng Dalong nodded. "I'll go with you. However, Bai Kai…"
Zhu Hongyu looked at the swirling fog in front of her as she flatly said, "We don't need to concern ourselves with him. He too, does not need to concern himself with our affairs."
Zheng Dalong looked at Zhu Hongyu's pale face before propping her up and smiling. "Yang Tian is truly a man for not killing you."
Zhu Hongyu gently pushed away Zheng Dalong's hand before bending over to pick up her rapiers. She then said, "Let's go!"
Zheng Dalong felt that Zhu Hongyu was not as cold to him as she was before. He scratched his head and nodded.
…
At times, letting someone go was more beneficial than killing them. Yang Tian did not think that letting Zhu Hongyu go meant that he had two fewer enemies.
The temperature in November was low, even if it was in the subtropics.
It rained the night before so the air was humid. In the low temperatures, a fog that formed in the forest would not dissipate easily. With adverse weather conditions, the fog could stay indefinitely, and visibility in the forest at that moment was very low.
To humans, the conditions in the forest had become worse. Under these conditions, Monsters could rely on their superior sense of hearing and smell, unlike humans, to get closer to them and then suddenly…
The heavy blanket of clouds in the sky hung above the forest for many days.
In the past few days, the casualties among the low-Classed Warriors started to climb. Under these circumstances, many low-Classed Warriors could not do anything but leave the forest.
Winter was not a suitable season for Warriors to be out and about.
Yang Tian had met with many dangerous situations over his journey, but a majority of these situations were a matter of Warriors who wanted him dead. Monsters posing a threat to Yang Tian was never a matter of consideration since he had Drago with him.
The little green dragon could detect the presence of high-Grade Monsters from a distance. It could stand watch and provide Yang Tian with a warning on days when Yang Tian was exhausted and needed rest.
In the forest, Yang Tian's best days were when he did not meet with other Warriors.
After consuming the Grade Seven Beast Core from the Flying Snake that day, Drago had very quickly regained his vigor. His body was thicker than before. In Yang Tian's words, he had grown a little fatter.
It had been five days since he defeated Zhu Hongyu.
It was now the middle of November.
With Drago's warnings, Yang Tian had been able to constantly avoid dangerous Monsters and other Warriors, leisurely roaming and living in the forest.
At that point in time, Yang Tian was searching for a spot to settle down. Constantly living like a nomad in the forest was unsustainable.
…
"This place isn't bad!"
Yang Tian smiled as he looked at the conditions inside the cavern.
It was a place that Drago had found for him. It was a deep underground cavern. Its entrance was a narrow crevice wide enough for one person and was covered with creepers.
In the cavern, there was a dry area and a subterranean stream that babbled nearby. The water's temperature was much higher than the conditions outside. After springing from the ground, it formed into a small crystal clear pool that was roughly a meter deep.
Yang Tian turned on the flashlight that he had not used for a long time and daringly looked around the cavern before deciding to stay for a while.
After exiting the cavern, Drago patrolled the area while Yang Tian collected dried twigs and branches, and transported them back to the cavern.
Looking at the pile of dried twigs, Yang Tian smiled and started a fire.
In the forest, food was never scarce. However, what was scarce were various vitamins that the human body required, and the indispensable ingredient, salt.
After starting the fire, Yang Tian realized he only had a few ounces of salt left. He could not help but frown. He still had a large jar of vitamin supplements; he could take one a day, and it would last him half a year more. Even if there was none, there were plenty of edible plants in the forest that he could eat to keep his vitamin levels up. However, he was low on salt, and that was a big problem.
In order to obtain salt, he would need to take it from other Warriors.
Yang Tian estimated that the fire could last for a few hours, so he brought Drago out with him. They traveled 20 odd kilometers in half an hour.
At the foot of a small hill, Yang Tian stopped and activated his Warriormate, connecting to the web.
Yang Tian acted quickly when he made a decision. In order to find other Warriors and take their survival gear, the fastest way was to lure them there.
The moment the Warriormate connected to the internet, Yang Tian received a dozen or so messages.
Most of them were from Qin Fei, asking about him. The rest were from Yang Tian's parents, telling him that they were well and that he did not need to worry.
What Yang Tian did not expect was that Xiao Fei had sent him so many messages. They said that he had prepared a lot of things for Yang Tian.
Looking at Xiao Fei's messages, Yang Tian's heart warmed. He knew that Xiao Fei and the others were roughly 100 kilometers away from his current position.
After taking down the position, Yang Tian immediately replied Qin Fei and his parents. He told them not to worry about him. After that, he sent Xiao Fei a message telling him to stay where he was. He would be there in a few days.
After sending the message, Yang Tian immediately turned off the Warriormate.
…
Xiao Fei and his team had been in the forest for many days. They had reached the position they shared with Yang Tian before Xiao Fei sent the message to Yang Tian. They hoped Yang Tian would be able to receive it and then give him the freedom to set their rendezvous point.
In the beginning, Xiao Fei had told Yang Tian to discard his Warriormate, but that was a hasty decision. It was fortunate that Yang Tian had found it again. Otherwise, contacting Yang Tian in the vast forest would be impossible.
Under the circumstances, the most Xiao Fei and the others could do for Yang Tian was to send him some supplies.
In winter, the fog was thick in the forests, and traversing through it was even more difficult. From time to time Monsters would charge out in an ambush. Zhao Wu, who was weakest in strength, was already wounded.
"Team leader, what do you think is Number Eight's level now? He should be Class Six right? Shenwei Military Academy's Zhu Hongyu was defeated by Number Eight. He's so strong now, why does he need to hide in the forest?"
Zhao Wu had asked in confusion before they left. The 'Number Eight' he spoke of naturally referred to Yang Tian.
All this while, Xiao Fei and the team still considered Yang Tian as their teammate.
Zhao Wu had a bandage wrapped around his arm, and there were dark patches of dried blood on them. The wounds were caused by bites from a cat Monster.
Xiao Fei smiled at Zhao Wu's question. "He can hide in many places in the forest, and it would be very difficult for people to look for him. Even if he's found, he can run away again. However, if he went back, the moment he's discovered he would be surrounded by Warriors. It would be difficult for him to escape!"
This line of reasoning was very easy to understand. Zhao Wu's doubt stemmed from him not being strong enough. In his eyes, a Class Six Warrior was already very strong that can sneeze at a 200 million Wu bounty on their heads.