Soon after the noise Abhram didn't even look around and dragged Jiang Ying Yue to escape with all his might.
No, he couldn't stop, if he did they'd be dead!
Jiang Ying Yue who had still come out of her shock instinctively followed the toddler letting him drag her along. It was only when the duo ran some distance, Jiang Ying Yue suddenly remembered something and whipped her head to look back, " Oh, no, Azure? What about Azure?!"
They just left her there like that?!
" Master, just forget about her, she's as strong as bull, with her current state it would be us who'd be doomed if she caught us now. Master, hurry run!!" Abhram kept her dragging frantically as he ran forward. The chill he felt in his back whenever he thought of facing the Azure, who lost her control was more terrifying than death.
No, he didn't want to, that was why he suggested running from the very beginning.
Now, from the look of it, he had still overestimated her condition.
After hearing his repeated urging and adding up the strange change in Azure'd aura she'd seen in Azure Jiang Ying Yue finally had some inkling. She didn't continue with her inquiry and instead picked up the bun askew and dashed off at rocket speed leaving behind the galaxy in a cloud of dust.
They were indeed a pair master and servant when it came to avoiding troubles they both were faster than anyone.
The master and servant both fled as far as they could without stopping as if chased by some hideous ghost.
*****
Not far from the previous location, another group of escapees was perched on a high tree huddled together, discussing furtively.
" Ah Shan, I think we should give up hunting for beast cores and get out of here as soon as possible. I don't feel things are right here." Xiang Qing Ling's face was shrouded in worry and fear of the unknown. Her delicate and rosy face was now pale as a sheet of paper losing all its lustre and colour. She was trying hard to withstand the severe cold but she still couldn't help shivering.
Tightening the fur cloak around her she glanced around uneasily, in fraught silence.
They had been chased all day from the moment they stepped into the inner forest. Those crazy beasts were like an endless hail and storm that kept coming after them relentlessly without giving them a break.
In the end, they lost the route and got chased deeper and deeper into the forest, stranded like a lost boat in the deep sea far from the harbour.
" Lingling is right and I agree with her suggestion. Let's leave here at the first break of dawn. Ah Shan, you can see for yourself these beasts are all acting weird. There's definitely something wrong with them!" Even Yuan Fang who'd usually go along with Tian Shan's decision couldn't help voicing his thought. He was also fearful and concerned. Not only for them but also for certain someone who he had parted with this early morning.
Although the campsite was nestled at the edge of the forest far from the deep circle of the mountain there was no guarantee of what would happen.
Didn't they encounter their first attack not far from their campsite? However, at that time they didn't think anything was wrong and kept moving and it was only later did they come to notice the odd behaviour that those beasts were displaying.
Now all he wanted to do was get out of here and leave this mountain with Tian Lan and his friends.
Yuan Fang sighed softly somewhat in relief.
Fortunately, they had left Tian Lan behind in the care of those two deities.
" How's Old Ba's injury?" Tian Shan didn't respond to them for a long while instead turned his head to ask his men.
Upon hearing his master the guard who was supporting Old Ba's limp body holding him right making sure that he wouldn't fall to the ground responded immediately, " Master, it's not too good. If his treatment keeps delaying I am he'd not be able to keep his hand."
" Master.... I am...fine, don't worry about it." Old Ba was in extreme pain that he found it almost impossible to even form a full word. In the end, he could only grit his teeth and endure it and not be a burden on his master, " Mas..ter, I..."
Even if it was a short sentence, his forehead was already soaking from sweat despite the cold. He felt his throat burning, with every gasp he took.
" Enough, don't say more. Rest and save your energy for tomorrow." Tian Shan ordered sternly as he turned to the guard who was supporting Old Ba, " Little Eight, feed him some water."
Little Eight nodded and soon took out a piping-hot bowl of hot water. However, the temperature of the air was so low that the piping-hot water in the bowl was turning cold at a rapid speed visible to the naked eye.
Little Eight didn't wait and hurriedly emptied the whole bowl in Old Ba's mouth.
" Isn't it weird?" Yuan Fang suddenly spoke out as they watched Little Eight feeding Old Ba water, his gaze a bit hazy, thoughtful and wondering.
" What weird?" Xiang QingLing gave him a glance.
" Weird...weird the fact that all the beasts we encountered only went after our guards and not after us." Yuan Fang blinked looking like he'd found some heavenly secret. He just found it a bit strange earlier, now that the more he thought more weirder it got, " Why them and not us? Some of those beasts even bypassed us directly and went for them when they could have gone for us. It was only later when we joined to fight that they seemed provoked and started attacking us, Why?! It's almost like they're treating us as thin air!..."
Yes, why?!
Were these spirit beasts holding some sort of joint prejudice against them?.....
He found it so strange that he lost his cool and continued blabbering non-stop. Even though he was speaking in a whisper the excitement was apparent in his voice.
" I noticed that too." Tian Shan also had a grave and thoughtful look, " I just thought it was a coincidence before, now that Ah Fang brought it up in detail I don't think that isn't the case anymore."
His thoughts were deeper than Yuan Fang who just found this phenomenon strange.
If they managed to figure out the reason behind this strange behaviour then perhaps they could leave this mountain unscathed and alive.
He was their leader and it was his responsibility to bring them out to safety with all he could. And that was also he was hesitating in making a drastic decision.
It was not only Old Ba who was hurt many of their secret guards had suffered serious injuries as well. It was just that Old Ba's was too serious and more severe than the rest.
If now they wanted to leave in this condition they might encounter even more danger on their way out and they had also lost track, they didn't even have any idea about their current location.
With these circumstances and misfortunes added up their road back seemed entirely cut off.
However, even so, sitting here like sitting ducks and waiting for death wasn't a solution either.
Tian Shan's youthful and handsome face was grave and all past playfulness was gone.
There was dead silence everyone was in deep thought while surveying their surrounding. Even when they were perched on a high branch they couldn't let their guard down.
These spirit beasts were just too scheming!
Xiang QingLing who was also in deep thought suddenly paused when her eyes caught something.
In the crevices of the tree branch, they were sitting on, covered in frost bloomed a Blue Frost orchid.
Its tiny blue leaves that were covered in frost peeking out of the crevices were hardly visible. If not for her sharp eyes and the angle she was sitting, Xiang QingLing might have missed the orchid.
She had seen Xiao You often fiddling with it along the way, always lamenting that all his money was purged on buying many stalks of this particular herb.
Hmm...she should take it back and give it to the boy. The boy would definitely be happy!
With this thought, Xiang QingLing leaned over to pluck the orchid when suddenly a scene flashed past her mind and her eyes lit with bright sparks.
" Ah Shan, Ah Fang...." She turned her head and hurriedly called out to her friends, " I seemed to know the reason behind those beasts' strange behaviour."
" What?! You know?!"
" What is it? Tell us quickly!"
Tian Shan and Yuan Fang both exclaimed urging her to continue.
" Here, this. This might be the reason." Xiang QingLing took out the pouches of herbal powder Jiang Ying Yue had stuffed her in the morning.
" This??..." Both looked doubtfully at the pouches she was holding in her palm.
Even the guards who were surrounding them on nearby branches couldn't help leaning over.
What was that?..... A magic talisman?...
However, they had never heard of a magic talisman that could provide protection against the spirit beasts in such a miraculous fashion.
If there was...then they could try their best to get their hands on one if they manage to escape alive this catastrophe.
Everyone was musing when Tian Shan extended his hand and reached out for the pouch, " This...isn't this herbal powder you sprinkled on us this morning?"
Both of them instantly remembered how Xiang QingLing had sprinkled a handful of suspicious-looking herbal powder early this morning on them making their robes dusty and white.
At that time they didn't think much of it and forgot about it after going through the whole day.
However, this powder....was this really that miraculous?
" Yes, this was given by Xiao You and I have even seen him sprinkle it around our camp." Xiang QingLing nodded and continued, " Don't you see our camp was too peaceful? In the past whenever we went on a mission when was it not we hadn't been tortured by mosquitos and snakes. But this time there was nothing. Not even a fly around our camp, let alone a beast lurking. Don't you find it strange?"
" It seems to be the case." Yuan Fang gave it a thought.
" Yes, master, we've also felt it." The guards who were always lurking in shadows protecting them were even more perceptive of this change and voiced out in confirmation.
However, they also had their doubts. They couldn't let their masters take such a huge risk just based on some speculation they'd come up with.
" However, Lingling, what if it's all a misunderstanding? What if the cause of all this is something else?" asked Yuan Fang suddenly. As expected of his character he was as usual very cautious.
And wasn't that the reason he hadn't told them about his finding until this morning?
If not for Tian Shan pressing him hard to open his mouth he should have kept it from them until he was completely sure of it.
However, they couldn't blame him for his cautious action because there was too much at stake.
And Yuan Fang needed to be a hundred per cent sure if he wanted to reveal his findings to them.
It wasn't that he was scared we wouldn't trust him but it was because it was the opposite case. The impact of news of the return of that clan was not something that could be described in mere words.
A glint flashed past Tian Shan's eyes as his grave expression turned placid, " We'll know once we try."
Boom!
Suddenly the tree where they were perched jolted along with the surrounding trees as if facing an earthquake.
Xiang QingLing who seemed a bit absent-minded as a result lost her footing and nearly fell down the tree. If not for Yuan Fang's timely rescue she would have eaten a mouthful of dirt.
" What happened?" Fear lingered in her eyes.
" I don't know. But we can't stay here anymore." Tian Shan stared in the direction where the noise came from, " If this herbal powder really works, then we must leave here when the first ray of the sun hits the ground."
With that, he threw the pouch in his hand to his subordinates gesturing to them to return soon.
Xiang QingLing glanced at the pouches on her palm hoping that it would work.