That night, the little beasts and Gun Gun lay scattered together, sleeping soundly.
They had even drunk a little fruit wine, and one by one, they were fast asleep.
"Wake up."
"We should take this chance to escape!"
"In human words, once this woman wakes up, she'll show us her true intentions!"
"Shh, be quiet!"
Yun Mu's eyelids twitched as he glanced at Yun Jin.
Even with her eyes closed, her voice echoed in his mind: "Ignore them."
Yun Mu nodded and pretended not to see or hear anything.
The Phantom Leopard struggled to wake most of the little beasts. Then, dragging a few still-drowsy ones, he sneaked away from the area. Once the little beasts had left, Yun Jin slowly opened her eyes, a playful expression on her face.
"Master, this Phantom Leopard seems very cautious," Yun Mu remarked.
The three little ones were already snoring away, leaving only Yun Mu and Yun Jin awake.
Yun Jin chuckled. "He may seem cautious, but it's really limited."
Yun Mu smiled lightly.
"Do not worry about them. In a few days, we should reach the inner region of the spirit beast forest," Yun Jin said calmly. "The deeper we go, the more dangerous it gets. Yun Mu, stay alert with me."
As a plant spirit, Yun Mu possessed a natural sense for danger. In this forest teeming with plants, that sense was invaluable.
Yun Mu nodded seriously. "Rest assured, Master."
Yun Jin spoke gently, "Rest for now. Tomorrow we continue our journey."
She closed her eyes again, appearing to sleep, but she was constantly absorbing the spiritual energy of the world.
Yun Mu rooted himself firmly in the forest. The leaves shimmered as if they were breathing.
-
The next day,
Morning came.
The three little ones were awakened by the aroma of food. Yun Jin had caught fish again, slowly roasting them.
The three little ones howled and rushed over. After a while, they began to sense something amiss.
"Master, where are the little friends from yesterday?"
Last night had been so joyful!
So many little companions, drinking fruit wine together, eating grilled fish, dancing together. Compared to the lively evening, the morning suddenly felt cold and quiet. The three little ones were uneasy.
"They returned to their own lives," Yun Jin said, ruffling their heads. "After eating the grilled fish, we must continue our journey."
The little ones nodded obediently, though a tinge of sadness remained. They had finally met so many companions. But compared to friends, being with their Master was still more important.
After finishing the grilled fish, the little ones had recovered their spirits.
Yun Jin confirmed the direction and continued forward with them.
After some distance,
Yun Jin frowned, suddenly stopping.
"Master, there are other humans," Yun Mu immediately alerted.
It was not unusual to encounter humans in the spirit beast forest.
The forest's king had an agreement with beastmasters: as long as both sides consented, a beastmaster could contract with a spirit beast.
However,
This disturbance seemed far too large. The trees around them shook violently, and Yun Jin faintly caught the scent of blood.
"Let's go, check it out." Yun Jin's pupils narrowed.
This was not a peaceful contract.
Could it be… poachers?
Yun Jin rushed forward, the few spirit beasts around her also tensing and following. Walking toward the disturbance, rustling sounds came from the undergrowth. Yun Jin parted the grass, her pupils tightening.
It was yesterday's Spike Deer.
The once lively creature was now covered in wounds, both antlers broken off, nowhere to be seen.
"Master! It's Spike Deer!"
"It must be the poachers!"
The three little ones saw their friend from yesterday in this state and immediately grew furious.
A flash of anger crossed Yun Jin's eyes as she quickly produced healing pills and administered them to Spike Deer.
The effect was immediate. The previously unconscious Spike Deer slowly opened her eyes.
Seeing Yun Jin, her eyes lit up.
"Sister, please, save Phantom Leopard and the others," tears streamed down her face.
Yun Jin scooped her up. "Alright."
Spike Deer froze.
This beautiful elder sister didn't even ask a single question—she just agreed?
Grateful, she quickly explained, "It was poachers!
This morning, while we were foraging, we ran into a group of poachers. They had those iron wire traps. Once touched, the wire would entangle the body, leaving us immobile. They hid in the shadows. Before we reacted, half of our companions were captured.
They continued to chase the rest of us. Phantom Leopard stayed behind to hold them off so we could escape. We ran desperately, but many companions were still taken.
I ran fast, aiming for the inner region to get help, but the wire scratched me. The wounds bled endlessly. I collapsed halfway."
Tears streamed from Spike Deer's eyes. "Now Phantom Leopard… we don't know what happened. And the others…"
She had tried to stay calm at first, but by the end of her story, she finally could not hold back and cried out.
"It's alright, don't cry. Remember the location. We'll go there immediately," Yun Jin said softly, comforting her.
Spike Deer pulled herself together and pointed the way.
In the spirit beast forest,
Under dozens of iron wire traps, little beasts lay curled up, wounded all over.
Blood flowed constantly from their bodies, and any movement would make the wire cut deeper, worsening their injuries. In the center, about ten people sneered at the Phantom Leopard trapped below the wire.
"A mere Divine Transformation Phantom Leopard wants to play hero?"
"Do you really think you can stop us?"
"Tell us, where did your companions go?"
One of them lashed a steel whip hard.
The wire tore deeper into the Phantom Leopard, leaving streaks of blood.
Gritting his teeth, the Phantom Leopard roared, "You damned poachers, the king will not let you escape."
To these people, his roar was nothing but provocation.
Immediately, the whip fell again.
The Phantom Leopard clenched his teeth, remaining silent.
"Senior Brother, forget it. Let's take these and leave. If we linger, the king might notice," one whispered.
"Hmph. This is the outer region. The king is trapped in that area, unable to leave. Why would he care about these little beasts?"
"Forget the other little beasts. That Spike Deer must be captured."
He revealed two antlers in his hands.
He had forcibly broken them from Spike Deer's head.
"The effect of antlers isn't as good as the heart. My cultivation method requires the heart as a medicinal guide!"