Cautiously placing the Wood Element Egg into the compartment of the travel bag and wrapping it with a towel, Shao Zifeng slung the travel bag over his back. He walked a few steps but still felt uneasy, so he took the bag off and reversed it to hang in front of his chest, patted it lightly, and nodded in satisfaction.
Holding the travel bag with one hand and a kitchen knife with the other, Shao Zifeng prepared to explore the temple and find a side room to stay in. His mind couldn't help but wander between feelings of excitement and worry.
Although this Elemental Egg had great potential, the condensation of elements was a big problem. The wood attribute elements around the temple had all been absorbed by it, even the thousand-year-old Wutong tree had been drained. How could he find enough wood attribute elements for it?
He didn't know if wood element energy potions would work. Even if energy potions could be used, to obtain a 5-star quality pet beast, the general low-level energy potions could be ruled out. But high-level energy potions required Combat Training Master certification, and as a newcomer who just registered as a Combat Training Master, advanced potion quotas were out of reach.
He still had to rely on the platform. He wondered if he could buy it.
Thinking of this, Shao Zifeng felt a headache. High-level energy potions were classified into eight levels; the highest-level "Energy Potion VIII" that he could currently understand cost at least six figures per dose. Moreover, the potions on the platform were much more expensive than the official ones. Though he still had about five hundred thousand yuan in funds, it was already hard to maintain Qiuqiu alone.
Qiuqiu...
Shao Zifeng suddenly felt a bit desolate. He hadn't seen it for almost a day and wondered if it was okay. Since traveling through to this time and space, it was seemingly the first time they'd been apart for so long.
With a gloomy face, Shao Zifeng raised his right hand and stretched out his index finger, preparing to try summoning it again.
"Squeak, squeak!"
A familiar sound interrupted Shao Zifeng's actions. He looked up, surprised.
In the shadows where the moonlight couldn't reach, a mouse was cautiously hiding behind a beam, poking its head out to look at him, making squeaking sounds as if anxious.
It looked familiar... Pfft, weren't all mice the same?
"Little guy, are you looking for me? Do you need my help?" Shao Zifeng squatted down, speaking to it in a gentle tone.
"Squeak, squeak!" Upon hearing Shao Zifeng's voice, the mouse quickly propped itself up with its hind legs, gesturing nonstop with its front paws.
Seeing the mouse flailing about like this, Shao Zifeng found it a bit amusing. Its tiny paws waving were quite interesting, though he thought laughing at its anxious state wasn't appropriate. So, he put on a serious face, watching the mouse.
He asked a few probing questions, all of which were negated by the mouse. Shao Zifeng couldn't understand its meaning, causing the mouse to grow more anxious, its emotional fluctuations becoming more intense and clearly transmitted to Shao Zifeng.
"Squeak... have... chasing you... squeak... kill."
The disconnected emotions were transmitted, and Shao Zifeng was startled. Although the mouse's intelligence was limited and not as clear-thinking as Qiuqiu, putting these words together, the meaning was quite obvious.
His face changed unpredictably. Shao Zifeng didn't believe such a simple-minded pet beast would deceive him. Thinking of the Blood-sucking Tarantula he encountered in the old city, the spider Qiuqiu killed, and Luo Feng's warning.
Shao Zifeng knew that in this surveillance-ridden era, it was impossible not to leave any trace of information.
Moreover, the recent city-wide search yielded no results, meaning that group was likely hiding deeper than imagined.
It was precisely because the city was filled with surveillance that this wild training had become the best opportunity for those wanting to kill him.
The mouse, uncertain if Shao Zifeng understood its meaning, ignored his natural fear of humans and bit his pants leg, trying to drag him out.
"Hey!" Shao Zifeng, deep in thought, stumbled, nearly falling.
One had to admit that although it was just a one-star potential first-tier mutant creature, its strength was not small.
"Don't rush. Can you tell me what that person looked like?" Shao Zifeng, although trusting it, wanted to know more information, at least to be prepared.
"Squeak?" The mouse tilted its head, understanding his question, and tried to recall. The evening scene emerged in its mind, the tall man punching the wall, causing dust to fall. A surge of intense fear came over it, shivering from head to toe.
"Squeak, big... very big... squeak..."
The mouse, overwhelmed by fear, transmitted not only fragmented meaning this time but also an image.
A tall, bald man punched heavily at the wall. In front of him on the ground, a tracking device was faintly flashing a red light.
Bald Strong? Shao Zifeng was puzzled, rummaging through his travel bag...
The tracking device was indeed mine...
Emmm...
So, the sequence of events was that when he handed the mouse bread, he accidentally dropped the tracking device. Then, Bald Strong found it and, out of anger, punched the wall, which the mouse saw.
So...
It was a misunderstanding?
Shao Zifeng felt a wave of relief, amused by imagining Bald Strong's angry expression. This guy wasn't always grinning...
Suddenly, Shao Zifeng's smile froze.
No.
Something was off.
In theory, wild training didn't require students to return for roll call at night.
Even if he dropped the tracking device, given Bald Strong's personality, he shouldn't be this angry.
What had gone wrong? What unexpected event or person caused petty Bald Strong to be so furious?
Shao Zifeng snapped to attention, gripping the kitchen knife tightly, his mind racing to figure out how to deal with this potential threat.
The bright moonlight shone into the courtyard, reflecting dim light. The ground was covered in beige powder, displaying Shao Zifeng's footprints all over.
Seeing these tracks, Shao Zifeng grabbed his travel bag. He needed to leave, having left too many traces in the temple; he had to go!!
...
Wutong Mountain, the lush forest was dark and deep, with occasional moonlight filtering through the tree branches and lighting up the mountain body. The night breeze blew, causing the tree shadows to sway.
"Rustle, rustle~"
A hurried crawling sound came from the darkness, startling a flock of birds.
A figure cloaked in an "Explorer" mantle sat cross-legged on the dense hair of a Blood-sucking Tarantula. The figure stopped occasionally, looking around as if searching for something.
When the Blood-sucking Tarantula passed through a sparse part of the forest, the cold moonlight shone through the branches and fell on the figure's face.
The face, full of stubble, appeared even paler in the moonlight, with bloodshot and cold-hearted eyes.
This person was none other than Pei Yong.
"Little spider, go in that direction." Pei Yong, expressionless, patted the Blood-sucking Tarantula's back, pointing towards the direction of the Xi Feng Temple.
"Screech~" The Blood-sucking Tarantula, without any blood absorption, responded gently.
Its eight sharp legs poked small holes into the ground as it quickly scurried towards the direction Pei Yong pointed.