The Magic Beasts Forest was mighty and vast, with numerous rolling mountains. Apart from various rare birds and unique beasts, there were also countless precious medicinal herbs in it.
Generally speaking, the magic beasts that lived on the periphery of the forest were usually low-level ones. The deeper into the forest the area was, the higher the level of the magic beasts were, and the more powerful they were.
Those who came in large groups or small teams â even mercenaries â rarely ventured into the depths of the forest.
After hundreds of thousands of yearsâ accumulation, the deeper the area, the rarer and more abundant the precious medicinal herbs.
Ever since they entered the Magic Beasts Forest, Wu Qin had been guiding them wandering on the periphery.
When they ran into magic beasts, heâd always ask Li Xinâer and the other five trainees to kill them.
Yun Wu and Long Qingxie just followed behind them, idly watching as if they were enjoying the performances of a circus.
After that âfierce fightâ ahead was over.
Li Xinâer neatly took out a dagger, cut open the head of the magic beast and extracted a gray walnut-like magic core.
âMr. Wu, this is the last Tier I peak-stage magic core we need. The mission is accomplished.â
Grabbing the magic core covered in brains, Li Xinâer proudly raised her hand and yelled happily in Wu Qinâs direction.
Yet her eyes were focusing on Long Qingxie who was behind Wu Qin.
It seemed as though she wanted to find a ghost of special feeling for her in his eyes.
It was a pity that his eyes had been on the âboyâ beside him all along. He didnât even glance at her out of the corner of his eye.
She couldnât help getting annoyed.
A faint smile finally appeared on Wu Qinâs face when he saw this, âNot bad. Come here, all of you.â
It had only been a day and a night.
Yet they had managed to collect five Tier I intermediate-stage magic cores, two Tier I advanced-stage magic cores and a Tier I peak-stage magic core.
This speed was very quick!
The time they had used was far less than what Wu Qin had expected, an element of gratification tinged with haughtiness arising in him.
Hearing Wu Qinâs call, Li Xinâer and the others hurriedly came over from beside the body of that Magic beast.
âWhatâs our next assignment, Mr. Wu?â
Wu Qin was very happy to see that his students were so motivated.
Yet at this time, Wu Qin turned his head back and looked at Yun Wu and Long Qingxie who had been following them for a whole day yet hadnât made any moves.
âYoung friends, would you please join us and give us a hand from time to time?â
Long Qingxie languidly leaned against a tree beside him and said idly, âI only answer to my Tiny. If she says yes, Iâll have some fun with you.â
With a single remark, he put Yun Wu in the limelight again.
With a sepulchral look in her eyes, Li Xinâer secretly clenched her fists.
Wu Qinâs glance rested on Yun Wu again, âThen, what do you say, young friend?â
Unexpectedly, with her lips curving in a smile, Yun Wu agreed exceptionally crisply, âOkay. But, I wanna team up with Ms. Li.â
In a broad mauve menâs robe, not only didnât her slim figure seem delicate, but also the robe imparted an elegant, ethereal temperament to her. Without the apathy in her eyes, she would be a standard adorable little boy.
Hearing Yun Wuâs remaks, Li Xinâer was amazed.
Teaming up with her?
She had expected that she could partner the handsome silver-haired man, but to her surprise that boy wanted to team up with her.
Did he have a crush on her?
Hem!
âDoes he actually think that heâs worthy of me?â
But, this sounded fine, because she was in fact worried that she might not be able to find an opportunity to strike.
They separated into two teams with four members each to gather the medicinal materials on a list.
Yun Wu, Li Xinâer, Gu Qin and another female trainee named Xin Yi composed a team.
Yet Long Qingxie were assigned to the other team along with the other three trainees.
This, needless to say, was Wu Qinâs deliberate arrangements.
In order to find out who released that mystical force that day, the only way, naturally, was to divide them from each other.
âBe careful, Tiny.â
Long Qingxie stroked her head like a doting parent, but the next moment, in a muted voice that could only be heard by themselves, he said, âDonât be too soft and donât leave any survivors. When the jobâs done, Iâll come and find you.â
The white clothing gave him an ethereal, otherworldly air as if he was a white lotus growing in earthliness, yet deep down in his enchanting eyes, there was a flicker of bloodiness.
If people stayed with this man long enough, they would find that beneath his sweet appearance there was a blood-thirsty, deceitful soul.
What are you waiting for?
Move!â
Before Yun Wu could respond to Long Qingxieâs âhusband-and-wifeâ concern for her, Li Xinâerâs sullen, angry rebuke was heard.
Womenâs jealousy was actually horrible.
Once they were determined to do something or own something, they would rack their brains and do whatever they could to get what they wanted.
Originally, according to Wu Qinâs instructions, they were supposed to gather medicinal materials within an area of about a hundred meters into the forest.
But as the team leader, Li Xinâer deliberately kept leading them deeper into the forest.
Before they knew it, they reached the depths of the peripherical mountains, exuberant towering trees darkening the whole area.
Dimly, they seemed to have sensed a tinge of danger lurking somewhere around them.
âRoarâ¦â suddenly, deafening roars of magic beasts rumbled over from the depths of the forest.
The momentum of the sound was definitely not something that the sound of those low-level magic beasts on the periphery could compare with.
Instantly, Gu Qin and Xin Yi stopped, their eyes sweeping around vigilantly and nervously.
âJunior Sister, weâve reached the boundary of mountains. If we keep going, Iâm afraid weâll be entering dangerous area,â Gu Qin said with a frown on his face.
Xin Yi also nodded, âYes. Mr. Wu said that we should gather medicinal materials within a range of a hundred meters, but now we donât even know how far we have walked.â
âWhat are you nervous about? This distance is perfect. Even a scream wonât be heard by Mr. Wu,â Li Xinâer stopped and said inexplicably, the corner of her lips curved up.
Gu Qin and Xin Yi was stunned. What does she mean?
At this time, with a cold flash of ruthlessness in her eyes, Li Xinâer whipped out her sword and pointed at Yun Wu, âYou, Iâve been sick of you for a long time.â
Yun Wu watched Li Xinâer who was pointing a sword at her, a ghost of sepulchral smile flashing across her pretty face.
Seeming as if she had seen through Li Xinâerâs thoughts a long time ago, Yun Wu was exceptionally composed at this moment.
Exchanging an eye contact, Gu Qin and Xin Yi were startled by Li Xinâer and they didnât try to think why Li Xinâer wanted to do this.
Gu Qin walked over, reached out his hand and pulled that of Li Xinâerâs before asking with a frown, âJunior Sister, what are you doing?â
âHem! Donât you think this guyâs disgusting, Senior Brother?â finally a fearsome expression came over on Li Xinâerâs face. Now that they had gone this far, there was no need for Li Xinâer to conceal her true intention of killing Yun Wu.
Among the three trainees, Xin Yi was the relatively timid one. Hearing Li Xinâerâs remarks, her heart missed a beat and she hurriedly waved her arms, saying, âCome on. Put your sword away, Li Xinâer. If Mr. Wu knows this, heâs definitely gonna punish you.â
âI must kill him today,â Li Xinâer raised her voice, a cold murderous look flickering in Li Xinâerâs eyes. By the light, the blade of the sword reflected its shiny sharpness.
She had been waiting for so long, so how could she possibly let go of this opportunity?
Gu Qin and Xin Yi were scared by Li Xinâerâs posture, but they also knew her very well.
They turned their heads and looked at Yun Wu, what happened the day before yesterday flashed through their minds. They had never endured that kind of humiliation and shame before, and technically, this guy in front of them was the very reason why they had had to go through all that. And now here was a very good opportunity. If they didnât kill him now, they might never get another chance again.
Killing intent flickered in their eyes.
Both the two pulled out their swords and formed a row opposite Yun Wu.
Li Xinâer was very satisfied with their joining in and she gave a few cold laughs, âYou know what you did wrong, pal?â
With a languid look on her face, Yun Wu let out a âHoaâ sound in a low voice and asked rhetorically, âWhat did I do wrong?
Iâm actually curious about it.â
âWhat you did wrong is that you shouldnât have been an interfering busybody that day,â replied Gu Qin impatiently.
Yet Li Xinâer said, âDo you actually think that you deserve that handsome man?
And you even dared to require teaming up with me. You should have pissed onto the ground and looked into the urine to see how disgusting you are.â
âItâs been more than a year, Li Xinâer. I didnât expect that youâre still so narcissistic.â
The corner of Yun Wuâs lips curved into a perfect curve, and the next second, with a flip of her hand followed by a flash of cold light, a sword mounted with rubies was produced.
The three was amazed. Since when had she been carrying a sword?
It had been a year?
Did she meet her a year ago?
Li Xinâer started recollecting.
Yun Wu gave a gentle twist to the sword in her hand and then sank it heavily into the ground, a surge of intangible killing aura storming towards the three.
Nobody knew whether she did it intentionally or unintentionally.
Her tightly tied hair suddenly loosened and the raven hair stuck to her face in gusts of icy wind, covering her exquisite white face with a layer of chilly murderousness.
She had always had her own principles â repay every favor, and settle every score.
Li Xinâer must pay for whatever she had done to her.
Now that the three of them wanted her dead, then it was not necessary for themselves to live any longer.
Certainly, before that, she would tell Li Xinâer the true meaning of the word âdisgustingâ.
Black hair covering half of her face, she narrowed her cold eyes as if she were a vengeful ghost coming from the hell to collect lives.
Suddenly, the faint image of a sick-looking face flashed across Li Xinâerâs mind.
Li Xinâerâs heart missed a beat. With a shiver of her hand, she subconsciously called, âYunâYun Wu!â
âNo, impossible. She couldnât be Yun Wu.â
Yun Wuâs a sick good-for-nothing. How could she possibly be here? Besides, this was northern Magic Beasts Forest. How cameâ¦
With various âhow comeâ, Li Xinâer denied the suspicions in her mind.
âNo, impossible. Yun Wuâs a woman. She is merelyâ¦â
However, a breeze went by and blew aside the hair covering Yun Wuâs face, which was like white jade and bearing a cold-blooded smile.
In Li Xinâerâs mind, a scene abruptly passed through â back when they were still in the Yu mansion, she whipped Yun Wu till she was covered in bruises and cuts before hanging her by her feet from a tree. At that time Yun Wu was dying. Her body was dangling to and fro with neither any vigor on her face nor any strength to struggle.
At this instant, that image of Yun Wu in Li Xinâerâs mind overlapped with this Yun Wu before her.
âYun Wuâ¦â Li Xinâerâs heart missed a beat. Widening her eyes, she stared squarely at Yun Wu, unable to believe what she was seeing.
âVery good. It seems that thereâs no need for me to bother explaining to you who I am before you die.â