The next morning, the alliance of students from various universities moved out together. Between my barrier array and the sentries posted by Xia Xing Yue, nothing untoward happened at night and I managed to get a good sleep.
As a precaution, I had drawn a second, smaller barrier formation around the tent I shared with Si Nan and Mu Zi Xing, just in case that idiot Cang Mu tried something at night. And it was a good thing I did, for I found signs of attempted but failed intrusion. Judging from how a couple of Cang Mu's lackeys were limping about, their faces reddened from burns, I had done the right thing.
Of course, Cang Mu wanted to complain, but he couldn't because he would be admitting that he tried to break into my tent to do something evil.
Since I didn't have actual evidence that Cang Mu did something – claiming that his cronies attempted to intrude since they were the ones with injuries was nothing more than circumstantial evidence – I decided not to raise a fuss. It would waste too much time and I would rather pursue this matter after the mission was done than drag everyone into this messy affair.
I could already predict what would happen. Cang Mu would vehemently deny his involvement and use the circumstantial evidence thing against me, and we would go around in circles without actually determining anything…and then waste a few precious hours of daylight when we could be using this to look for the thousand year old ginseng.
So I might as well put up with it for now. Additionally, I suspected that this wasn't the last time Cang Mu would attempt something devious. Surely he would try to backstab me again, and this time I might be able to secure more solid evidence of his misdeeds.
When that happened, the idiot wouldn't be able to save himself any longer.
Xia Xing Yue led the expedition to a thick, dense portion of the forest. The thousand year old ginseng was located in a large patch of ginseng plants – and it was easily located by the scouts she sent ahead of the main force. They returned with intelligence reports, but whatever Xia Xing Yue heard, it only steeled her resolve. She hastened the pace and led the coalition of students to the location in less than two hours.
Nobody objected to her commands. Xia Xing Yue was currently the person with the highest cultivation realm in our group, having attained the eighth level of Heaven realm. There was no one more suitable to take charge than her.
"The thousand year old ginseng is right there," she said, pointing at the gleaming plant at the center of the patch.
She then looked up grimly. Even without seeing, I could sense the presence of many spirit beasts gathered around the natural garden of ginseng. So did Xia Xing Yue, having set her eyes on them ever since she received the reports from her scouts. Taking a deep breath, she returned her sapphire gaze to the rest of us.
"As you can see, there is a horde of dark pumas in front of us," she said. "The moment we approach within a hundred meters of the ginseng patch, they will definitely attack. We'll go with plan alpha. Everyone, please get to your assigned positions."
I nodded and obeyed. Si Nan accompanied me, and I remembered the promise I made to Mu Zi Xing last night.
"Si Nan has a combat role, right?" she had asked nervously in the tent after I had finished drawing the barrier formation.
"Yeah."
"Could you please look after him? He's only at the Black realm. I'm worried…"
"I don't need anyone to look after me," Si Nan had interrupted, annoyed. "I can take care of myself. And I need the combat experience anyway."
"Don't worry," I had assured the both of them. "I believe in Si Nan's strength, but we're assigned to the same team so I'll be fighting next to him anyway. I'll leave the minion-class spirit beasts to you, but if a warrior-ranked beast shows up, that guy will be mine."
In other words, I would not allow Si Nan to face a shadow leopard if it showed up. Fortunately, for now we could only see dark pumas. I resolved to stick close to Si Nan nonetheless, having promised Mu Zi Xing that I would keep him safe.
Mu Zi Xing, on the other hand, was situated at the back along with all the other support cultivators. They were practically the most important people in our party. Our lifeline, so to speak.
We couldn't afford to lose them.
Rushing forward, I drew my sword and cleaved through the first dark puma that pounced on me. Spinning around, I eviscerated a second. Nearby, Si Nan was doing his best as well, he had also drawn a sword and was cutting a bloody swathe through the lunging dark pumas. Unlike me, though, he wasn't able to finish off his opponents in a single strike.
That was only natural. The difference between Black realm and Heaven realm was literally a world apart. I didn't stray too far from Si Nan's position and did what I could do to make things easier for him. There were three dark pumas that wanted to flank him, to take him down with their numbers, but I fell upon them mercilessly.
Two of them were slain outright, but I wounded the third instead of killing it. Instead of finishing it off, I retreated and allowed it to attack the now nearest target – Si Nan. Not because I was trying to sabotage Si Nan, but because I was helping him to accumulate combat experience. Weakened, the dark puma was no match for Si Nan, and he confidently pummeled it to the ground before cutting its throat with his sword.
Good. That would give Si Nan more confidence and practice. The old adage still held true – I could easily save Si Nan by killing all the dark pumas, but he would only remain safe for today. However, if I taught him how to slay the dark pumas, he would be able to protect himself for the rest of his life. Or so the logic went.
Around us, the students from Ten Thousand Swords University and the other academies were also embroiled in a furious fight with the horde of dark pumas, but we hadn't suffered any casualties yet. Not against enemies of this caliber. The dark pumas were deadly and there were a few cultivators who pulled back because of slash wounds or deep cuts.
Fortunately, Mu Zi Xing was on hand to heal them. She was forced to stay back and wait for the injured to limp toward her. Even though she wanted to rush forward, the students guarding her didn't allow her to because they were worried that a dark puma would break free and attack her if she got too close.
Mu Zi Xing went to work, doing her best to heal the wounds of the injured cultivators, stemming the bleeding and mending their torn flesh. Perspiration poured down her face, but she refused to complain.
I caught sight of Si Nan glancing at her, and then kicked a dark puma that sought to capitalize on his momentary lapse.
"Pay attention," I snapped at him, perhaps unnecessarily because Si Nan was already on top of things, his sword flashing out to cut the throat of an assailant before he withdrew it to parry claws. He was doing a good job, all things considered. A Black realm cultivator he might be, but he didn't get injured by any of the dark pumas so far.
Of course, the main reason was because I was looking out for him and making things slightly easier for him. I didn't intend to do all the work, though. I was simply conditioning him, allowing him to slowly get used to a gradually increasing difficulty.
At the same time, I saved a student from Ten Thousand Swords Academy by cutting a dark puma that was about to pounce on him from behind. As both halves of the dark puma flopped wetly on the ground, the Ten Thousand Swords Academy student nodded his thanks at me.
I smiled and returned to my grisly work. As I did so, I recalled that Xia Xing Yue had adhered to her promise and kept Cang Mu as far away from me as possible. Xia Xing Yue herself was currently in the center, forming the vanguard and in the thick of the desperate melee. She had assigned me to the rightmost flank while Cang Mu and his cronies were to the left.
Xia Xing Yue was easily dispatching multiple dark pumas by impaling them with dozens of ice swords. Those who got too close to her, she effortlessly cleaved apart with her real sword.
"We're almost there!" she shouted. "Annihilate them!"
I swept a gaze across our lines, now that Si Nan, several of the Ten Thousand Swords Academy students on the right and I had thinned the dark pumas' numbers. As I checked whether the others required my assistance, I realized that something was amiss.
The left side was buckling slightly, especially since it seemed like there were less people there than on my flank.
Then I realized what was wrong.
Cang Mu and his clique were missing. They had left the remaining left flank to fend for themselves.
"Where the fuck did they go?"
I finished off the last of the dark pumas on the right before putting on a burst of speed, using my footwork techniques to zip my way to the left. Jin was really useful in situations like this. Heaving, I then cleaved through a dark puma before it realized I was there. With a swing of my sword, I sent its carcass smacking into its brethren before impaling them both.
Yanking my sword out, I kicked a third dark puma so hard that its neck snapped audibly. Plugging the hole in the left flank, we managed to solidify the lines and decimate the pack.
Even as I mopped up the remaining dark pumas, a single question rang through my head.
Where the hell were Cang Mu and his lackeys?
*
At the same moment, Cang Mu and his cronies had snuck away from the battle for their own personal reasons.
"Fucking bitch!" Cang Mu cursed. "Just because she's seven levels higher, she thinks she can command me like some subordinate! Even though she's just a girl!"
The serial rapist was absolutely fuming at the indignity he was forced to suffer under the leadership of Xia Xing Yue. Cang Mu always thought he could obtain whatever woman he wanted. No woman could resist him. Whoever he desired, he would get without fail.
He had thought as much regarding Xia Xing Yue. She was the most beautiful girl in Ten Thousand Swords University…no, the whole of Xing Hao Island. Like most men his age, Cang Mu lusted after her and dreamed of getting into bed with her.
But that arrogant bitch had the audacity to refuse him. And when he tried to force himself on her, she had beaten him up so badly he ended hospitalized for days.
However, Cang Mu was pissed off more by the bastard who was insolent enough to stop him when he tried to have his fun with those beautiful girls from Snow Plum University. Worse, the scoundrel was the whole reason why his grandfather died.
Cang Mu could forgive Xia Xing Yue. In fact, he still planned to pursue her. That was why he obeyed her for now, adopted a nice façade. He had no intention of harming her.
However, the bastard was another story. Cang Mu was determined to kill the trash from Seven Stars Academy…no matter what it took.
"I have to find a way to engineer an accident," he muttered under his breath.
"But how do we do that, boss?" one of his lackeys asked, confused. Cang Mu glared at him, then turned back to keep his eyes back on the front.
"Isn't it obvious?" Cang Mu scoffed. "If we kill that bastard and his friends from Seven Stars Academy with our own hands, we'll be charged with murder and punished. Perhaps executed just like my grandfather. But…what if a spirit beast is the one who kills that trash and his buddies?"
He grinned at his lackeys.
"Then who's going to blame us? Wouldn't the sin of murder fall upon that spirit beast instead?"
"Spirit beast? What kind of spirit beast?" Another crony asked. Cang Mu paused and pointed at the cave about a hundred meters away. Right at its entrance, a single titanic spirit beast snoozed there, its wings wrapped protectively around it. White fur with black stripes coated its colossal form, and wicked claws curved from its paws. A long tail curled around its dozing body while the wings were as big as its entire body.
"Commander ranked winged demonic tiger," Cang Mu replied triumphantly. "All we need to do is lure that monster toward that bastard's position. There's no way that trash will be able to survive against a spirit beast like that."