Ronin accepted the gratitude of the families from the villages surrounding the forest. He entered the forest with the intention of reuniting with others, but shortly after entering, he heard the sounds of battle.
"Is someone fighting?" Ronin muttered under his breath, then swiftly vanished from his original spot, reappearing atop a tree. He moved toward the source of the battle sounds and, after a few minutes, reached the area where the skirmish was taking place.
*Clang... Clang...*
*Hiss...*
*Hiss...*
*****
"Ah..."
*Hiss... Roar...*
"Even though he is only at the Core Expansion Stage (which follows the Dantian Formation Stage and Core Formation Stage), he's just at the first level. That snake demon beast is at the ninth level of the Core Expansion Stage. If the fight continues, he will be the one who perishes," Ronin thought as he observed the clash between the man and the snake demon beast.
Boom...
The man was exhausted, and the snake demon beast, now at level 9 Core Expansion Stage and possessing intelligence, seized the opportunity in the blind spot, striking him with its tail at lightning speed.
*Puff...*
Blood sprayed from his mouth, crashing into the trees. A few trees that stood in his way tumbled to the ground. Out of nowhere, another man approached the one who had been battling the snake demon beast. He used his strength to free him from the fallen trees and mud, urgently inquiring, "Praveen, did you find the herb? Sakina is in critical condition."
"What? Sakina is in critical condition?" Praveen exclaimed. He quickly retrieved the herb from his storage pouch and handed it to the man, anxiously saying, "Please take it to her and let the doctor save her."
*Roar...*
"Brother Kai, don't worry. That demon beast's target is me. You should go away from here and deliver that herb to the doctor to save Sakina," Praveen pleaded.
"Okay," Kai replied, feigning a concerned expression.
Seeing Kai depart, Praveen let out a sigh of relief and summoned all his strength to fend off the incoming attack from the demon beast.
*Cough... Cough...* Praveen coughed up several mouthfuls of blood, propelled backward, and crashed onto the ground, his face growing pale.
"If this fight continues, he will die," Ronin murmured inwardly. He vanished from where he stood and reappeared in front of Praveen, ready to intercept the impending attack. *Boom...* Despite the powerful blow, Ronin remained steadfast, not budging an inch. Praveen was astonished by this sudden appearance, thinking he was about to take his final breath if the snake demon beast's attack had landed.
Ronin vanished once more, this time appearing in front of the snake demon beast. "Yo, stop attacking. Let's talk it out," Ronin said, emanating the aura of his cultivation base.
The snake beast widened its eyes, a fearful expression crossing its face, and immediately ceased its assault.
"See, if we attack you, and you attack us, what's the difference between you and us? Do you all take pride in being treated as humans? Or do you aspire to live like humans?" Ronin asked sternly.
*Hiss...* The snake demon beast shook its head and hissed meekly.
"Then you need to have some moral integrity as a demon beast, unlike humans who are often greedy and selfish to the extreme. You see, he is not capable of fighting back against you. As a demon beast with high moral integrity, you have to stop attacking and return to your lair when you realize he's defenseless," said Ronin, holding his hands close to his hips.
*Hiss...*
The demon beast nodded in agreement and retreated to its lair. Two reasons prompted the snake demon beast to heed Ronin's words: firstly, it accepted Ronin's guidance as a reminder of its moral duty as a demon beast, transcending the baseness of human behavior, and secondly, it recognized Ronin's immense strength, knowing that he could dispatch it with a single strike.
Ronin nodded with an amused expression and thought, "Demon beasts are indeed much wiser than humans, who often struggle to discern right from wrong in their lives."
He disappeared from his previous spot and reappeared in front of the man, asking, "Brother, please tell me the name of the herb for which you risked your life."
Praveen, still bewildered by how the demon beast had obeyed Ronin, was momentarily lost in thought. He snapped back to reality upon hearing Ronin's question.
"Brother, you're amazing. My name is Praveen. What about yours?" Praveen asked eagerly, sidestepping Ronin's question.
"I'm just a regular cultivator, much like you. You can call me Ronin. Now, could you please tell me the name of the herb you handed to that man?" Ronin inquired, his expression calm.
"Brother Ronin, the herb I fought nearly to the death for against that demon beast is called Golden Ganoderma," Praveen replied with respect in his demeanor.
"Golden Ganoderma? Do you happen to know for what purpose this rare herb is used?" Ronin asked with a surprised look on his face.
"To cure my girlfriend's unknown disease," Praveen said, his face filled with sadness.
"Your girlfriend's unknown disease? Bro, I think you're being deceived by your girlfriend. This herb is used for breaking through a body-strengthening stage. It's not meant for treating any kind of disease," Ronin replied, shaking his head with a sympathetic expression.
"Deceived? Used for breaking through a body-strengthening stage?" Praveen felt his mind whirl, and he nearly lost consciousness due to the overwhelming emotions he was experiencing.
"Oh, you didn't die as I expected. That fool saved your life?" a young girl asked as she slowly approached Praveen, who was on the ground.
Upon hearing the voice, Praveen managed to stand up, clutching his stomach injury, and asked anxiously, "What are you doing here? And what do you mean by 'I didn't die as you expected'?"
"It seems this fool doesn't quite grasp what's happening here," another voice chimed in, and a guy slowly approached the young girl, extending his hand to hold her waist and pulling her into his embrace.
"Remove your hand from my Sakina!" roared Praveen as he advanced, clutching the stick in his hand and directing it toward the guy who was holding the young girl in his embrace.