Zhao Yunxiao let out a wry smile.
He had always been rather confident with his hiding abilities, but it would appear that it was still not good enough to hide from this young man.
Since he had already been discovered, there was no longer any point in pretending otherwise.
Zhao Yunxiao obediently leapt down from the tree, and slowly made his way over towards the young man.
"Greetings, Senior Martial Brother Cheng," Zhao Yunxiao clasped his fists towards the young man as he got nearer.
"What do you mean senior martial brother? Do I know you?" the young man frowned.
"We have never met, but as your junior from the Black Tortoise Sect, I naturally have to address you as a senior," Zhao Yunxiao explained.
"You are from the Black Tortoise Sect as well?" the young man scanned Zhao Yunxiao from head to toe. "Prove it."
"Here is my disciple token," Zhao Yunxiao promptly brought out his disciple token.
Upon seeing the disciple token in Zhao Yunxiao's hand, the cold stare in the young man's eyes quickly turned into one of disappointment instead.
"Damn, so it's a fellow disciple..." the young man cursed under his breath.
Zhao Yunxiao felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.
Thank the heavens that he did not forget to bring along his disciple token today!
Had he been unable to prove that he was a member of the Black Tortoise Sect, who knew if he would even be able to make it back to the sect in one piece tonight!
"So tell me, since we have never met, how do you know who I am?" the young man finally asked with a sigh.
"I might not know many inner disciples, but it is impossible not to have heard of your name, Senior Martial Brother Cheng," Zhao Yunxiao quickly answered. "Crimson Sword – that moniker brings pride to us all while striking fear in the hearts of enemies. After all, everyone knows that you are invincible at your cultivation level. It is an honour for me to greet you like this today, Senior Martial Brother Cheng."
Crimson Sword Cheng Kai.
While most inner disciples joined a faction in the inner sect, Cheng Kai was one of the rare ones who did not.
Yet despite being a lone wolf for the most part, nobody wanted to get on his bad side.
That spectacular individual combat strength of his was a big part of the reason why.
Ever since he embarked on the cultivation path, Cheng Kai had yet to lose a single battle against anyone at the same cultivation level or lower.
This not only made him renowned within the inner sect, but also made him a fearsome symbol that other factions had come to be wary of.
Because of that, the upper echelons of the sect started to keep their eyes on him, making sure that his growth was not impeded in any way.
With him being valued by the upper echelons of the sect, his future was limitless, and everyone naturally avoided offending him.
However, most people did not only want to avoid offending him, but they wanted to avoid him altogether!
That was because apart from his fearsome combat capabilities, Cheng Kai was also well known as an avid lover of hunts and battles.
No, perhaps 'lover' was too mild a word.
Instead, it would not be an exaggeration to say that he was a battle-crazed maniac.
Simply because there were not enough chances for him to engage in life and death battles, Cheng Kai had gradually fallen in love with the thrill of hunting, using it as a lesser substitute.
That sword of his was said to be stained with the blood of so many that when reflected in a demon revealing mirror, it would actually be seen in a blood crimson colour!
In the face of someone like that who was constantly craving battle and blood, anyone would think twice about getting close to him in any way whatsoever!
But of course, Zhao Yunxiao was not intending to mention that.
"Hahaha!" Cheng Kai could not help but break out into laughter after hearing Zhao Yunxiao sing his praises. "I guess it can't be helped when I'm this famous! Tell me then, what's your name? What faction are you from?"
"Reporting to Senior Martial Brother Cheng, my name is Zhao Yunxiao," Zhao Yunxiao answered. "I am embarrassed to say this, but I am just an outer disciple, so I have yet to join a faction."
"An outer disciple?" Cheng Kai raised an eyebrow. "Why are you here alone then? Don't you outer disciples usually hunt in a group?"
"You are indeed right. However, there are some exceptions who do enjoy the solo hunting trips, myself included," Zhao Yunxiao explained. "Of course, we aren't able to go wild like Senior Martial Brother Cheng. Instead, we have to lay low and be extra careful lest we fall prey to any of the dangers here."
"Hahaha! That's true! Unless you have the strength to back it up, you do have to be careful when you are out here alone!" Cheng Kai nodded in satisfaction. "I have to say that you made the right choice to stop and watch me battle those bird monsters earlier too. I'll have you know that not everyone gets the chance to do so! How is it? Did you learn anything from that?"
"About that..." Zhao Yunxiao hesitated.
"What is it?" Cheng Kai frowned.
"...I guess Senior Martial Brother Cheng is too skilful, making everything look so easy. It's hard to imagine that I will be able to obtain the same results even if I try to emulate the exact same moves," Zhao Yunxiao said timidly.
"What do you mean? How can you not obtain the same results if you do it the same way? Do you have slow reaction time or something?" Cheng Kai's frown deepened.
"Compared to Senior Martial Brother Cheng, perhaps my reaction is truly considered slow," Zhao Yunxiao said with a sigh. "But even if that is not the case, I am struggling to understand how those moves earlier can be linked together in such a beautiful chain of events that render the opponent helpless. Throughout the entire fight, it looked like it could do nothing but dance in the palm of your hands!"
"Hahaha, so that's it! Don't worry, it's simple enough!" Cheng Kai laughed. "In battle, all you have to do is to open your eyes and make sure that you are ready for every move possible. Watch the environment, watch their posture, watch their eyes, and most importantly, watch the flow of energy. As long as you are able to do so, you will definitely be ready for every move that can possibly come at you!"
"Environment, posture, eyes, and energy..." Zhao Yunxiao repeated while taking a mental note. "But when will we know which move to be prepared for?"
"That's simple enough. Be prepared for every move possible!" Cheng Kai explained. "If there ever exists a move that they can throw at you and you won't be able to defend against, retreat. Never gamble on luck in a battle as that can easily end up being the very last gamble of your life!"
"But what if retreat is not an option?" Zhao Yunxiao asked again.
"Then you have no business being in that fight in the first place!" Cheng Kai snorted. "If you ever meet such an overwhelming opponent, then you can only blame yourself for not being strong enough!"
Zhao Yunxiao: "..."
Isn't that piece of advice a little too irresponsible to be saying to a junior?
"Don't look at me like that, I'm just saying the truth," Cheng Kai crossed his arms. "Do you think a rabbit ever stands a chance against a leopard?"
"...I understand," Zhao Yunxiao sighed.
"Hahaha! Come on now, don't be too depressed!" Cheng Kai patted Zhao Yunxiao on the shoulder. "Even if you are a rabbit, it is not impossible to eventually defeat a leopard either."
"It isn't?" Zhao Yunxiao asked.
"That's right!" Cheng Kai answered with gusto. "If a rabbit like you ever wants to defeat a leopard, all you have to do is to cultivate hard beforehand, becoming a rabbit demon that can easily triumph the leopard in battle!"
"I see..." Zhao Yunxiao answered with a smile.
What Cheng Kai last said was nothing new to Zhao Yunxiao.
Even the least talented cultivator could defeat a talented cultivator if they had an advantage in cultivation level – that was something that he understood as well.
In the end, what he needed was time to grow.
As long as he persisted with patience and determination, there would definitely come one day when he would be able to roam the lands freely without having to constantly fear for his life!
"Seems like my words have enlightened you," Cheng Kai said in satisfaction. "Very good, any more questions? I am in a good mood today, so feel free to ask away!"
"Really?" Zhao Yunxiao's eyes lit up in surprise. "Then may I ask two questions?"
Zhao Yunxiao had to use an indirect way to fish words out of Cheng Kai earlier, so he was definitely excited to be given the go ahead to directly consult a famous senior like Cheng Kai.
"As I said, ask away!"
"All right!" Zhao Yunxiao nodded. "Firstly, since you have already decided to set traps, why didn't you set up another one for the companion? After all, giant tree ostriches are known to always stick together once they found their mate, so won't that be more efficient?"
"What?" Cheng Kai frowned. "Are you saying that you already knew that there is likely to be two of them?"
Zhao Yunxiao: "???"
Shit, did he not know?
But how did he manage to set up a working trap when he had not studied the traits of the giant tree ostrich?
"Kid, it is good to be smart. But in front of your seniors, don't try to act smarter than you truly are," Cheng Kai said with furrowed brows.
"My apologies, Senior Martial Brother Cheng," Zhao Yunxiao decided to apologise first. "I was jus-"
"Enough," Cheng Kai stopped him with a raised hand. "I will pretend that I didn't hear that this time. Next time you do so, however, it will not go unpunished."
"But I-" Zhao Yunxiao stopped halfway through his sentence after seeing Cheng Kai's strong glare. "I understand, Senior Martial Brother Cheng. Thank you for the lesson."
"That's better," Cheng Kai nodded. "Now then, stay safe out there."
Cheng Kai removed the iron chain that was secured to the tree, and with a giant tree ostrich in each hand, strutted off into the woods.
The speechless Zhao Yunxiao could only stand there and silently watch the entire process, still unable to believe how the interaction between he and Cheng Kai had ended.
Cheng Kai was the one who had told him to ask anything, yet doing so only caused a rift between them.
In the end, there was no way to fully understand the human heart, especially that of geniuses.
After a few moments of self-reflection, Zhao Yunxiao could only let out a helpless sigh.
He did not think that he approached the conversation wrongly in any way.
If anything, the problem only arose because he was too unprepared for this interaction.
Had he known that the famed Crimson Sword Cheng Kai was someone who actually placed so little emphasis on understanding the behaviours and traits of his prey, Zhao Yunxiao would never have asked something like that!
Even then, how could Cheng Kai be this petty?
After all, not even allowing him to defend himself was a little too much!
Then again, that led Zhao Yunxiao to think about the second question that he had intended to ask Cheng Kai.
Giant tree ostriches were known to find precious spiritual herbs to place in their nests, using the efficacy of these spiritual herbs to nurture their eggs.
Since the giant tree ostriches appeared as a couple, they had probably built a nest nearby.
So why wasn't Cheng Kai going to look for the nest now that he had taken care of the giant tree ostriches, lest other beasts stumble upon it first and steal the precious spiritual herbs within?
Zhao Yunxiao rubbed his chin in contemplation before a smile started to slowly creep across his face.
Now that he come to think of it, perhaps it was a good thing that Cheng Kai had left before hearing him out?
No, he should not say it this way.
More like even though his Senior Martial Brother Cheng had already left, he still should not let his earlier efforts go to waste.
Instead of letting some wild beast stumble upon the unguarded nest of the giant tree ostrich and take the precious spiritual herbs within, wouldn't it be better if he went to look for it first?
This way, if there were indeed anything of worth left within, at least it would not be going to waste and could be used to bolster the overall wealth of their Black Tortoise Sect instead!