The area was surrounded by hills, with a low, flat basin in the center, much like a crater.
Zhang Xiaoshan stood at the foot of a hill. Beside him was the gaping, dark entrance to a cave, and lying at its mouth was the corpse of an exotic beast that resembled a pangolin.
He was cradling a medicinal herb in his hands, shouting at two disciples from the Fire Jade Department who stood not far away.
"Pathetic. You think I don't have the guts? If worst comes to worst, we'll just destroy it. Then nobody gets anything..."
Crouched on a nearby hill, Zhao Lin glanced down and quickly pieced together the situation.
'Zhang Xiaoshan must have found the herb in the cave. While picking it, he must have disturbed the beast inside.'
'After a struggle, he killed the beast and emerged with the herb, only to run into two Fire Jade Department disciples who had just happened to wander into the area.'
