Gong Shaotian showed no fear even when being strangled.
He forced a laugh and mocked,
“What, feeling sorry for a little plaything now?”
Lang Junxian’s eyes darkened deeply, his expression became terrifying, and his grip tightened.
Gong Shaotian’s face turned red from being strangled, but he still looked at him with disdain, confident he wouldn’t dare to kill.
Gong Shaotian might have been out of his mind, but those around him noticed Lang Junxian’s expression and grew tense.
Gong Shaotian was the favored young master of the Gong family, born to the family head in his old age and held in high regard due to his talent.
If anything happened to him in this pocket world, none of his followers would get away unscathed.
They glanced at one another, and finally, someone spoke up: “Lang Junxian, you’re holding the young master of the Gong family. Show some mercy—it’s better for all of us.”
Lang Junxian’s eyes swept over them coldly.
He gave a slight smile and squeezed even harder.
Gong Shaotian’s face turned purplish-blue, and his eyes began rolling back.
At that moment, he finally panicked.
Lang Junxian clearly intended to kill him.
He weakly stretched out his hand, trying to pry Lang Junxian’s hand off.
Six people who came with Gong Shaotian all turned pale and prepared to fight.
“Xiao Hei, let him go.”
Bai Maomao gently placed his hand on the back of Lang Junxian’s, his voice clear and cool.
“I’ll handle it.”
Lang Junxian’s expression softened slightly at the sight of Bai Maomao.
He threw Gong Shaotian disgustedly to the ground.
Gong Shaotian lay on the ground, gasping for air, his body twitching occasionally.
The people behind him tried to step forward and help, but Bai Maomao’s icy gaze stopped them in their tracks.
Bai Maomao looked down at Gong Shaotian and nonchalantly ground his foot into Gong’s hand, showing a bright yet sinister smile.
“People who talk too much…usually don’t live long.”
Though Bai Maomao’s movement looked casual, he actually used full strength.
Gong Shaotian’s face twisted in pain.
Bai Maomao calmly observed his contorted expression for a moment, then smiled in satisfaction.
He turned to the hesitating students and said: “The teacher said to be kind to classmates. So we’ll let it slide this time. Just make sure there’s no next time, okay?”
The group quickly nodded.
Once Bai Maomao moved his foot, they picked up Gong Shaotian and fled.
“All right, it’s over. Everyone get some rest—we have to travel again tomorrow.”
Bai Maomao clapped his hands and smiled kindly.
The others shivered and went to rest under the trees.
Lang Junxian radiated an air of displeasure and silently sat on the other side to meditate.
“Xiao Hei~”
Bai Maomao eagerly followed and gently tugged his hand.
Lang Junxian always fell for this act.
As expected, he rubbed Bai Maomao’s head and said sincerely,
“I’m sorry.”
Bai Maomao paused, then smiled with crescent-shaped eyes,
“I accept.”
Lang Junxian pressed his lips together, feeling his heartbeat quicken.
He reached out and pulled Bai Maomao close.
The two rested, leaning against each other.
The Next Morning
As soon as dawn broke, the group set off again.
They only had ten days for the assessment, so they needed to collect as many wooden plaques as possible to ensure a good score.
There were three clues to finding the plaques: Rhinoceros Beast, Dream Bamboo, Fire Butterflies.
Nothing else was known.
Lang Junxian speculated that the plaques might be hidden on the monsters or plants themselves.
The others had similar guesses.
So they followed the riverbank, since shallow areas were likely, and rhinoceros beasts liked water. If they searched along the river, they’d eventually find some.
Before long, they saw a shallow sandy stretch.
Moist sand spread out under crystal-clear water that lapped and receded.
Several rhinoceros beasts were leisurely drinking by the water.
Bai Maomao and the others concealed themselves behind tall grass and approached carefully.
Several adult beasts stood around, forming a circle.
Inside were two baby rhinoceros beasts—under the hoof of one of them, a wooden plaque was clearly visible.
“This looks like their nest,”
Bai Maomao whispered in Lang Junxian’s ear.
The warm breath tickled Lang Junxian’s sensitive ear, making him flinch slightly.
Bai Maomao didn’t notice and continued,
“Let’s lure the big ones away first, then grab the plaque.”
The beasts were large and strong.
Fighting head-on would be tough.
Luring them away was a smarter move.
The six of them discussed quietly.
In the end, they decided Lang Junxian would distract the adult beasts, Bai Maomao would steal the plaque, and the rest would keep watch.
If anything went wrong, they’d flee immediately.
Once ready, Lang Junxian stepped out alone.
The adult rhinoceros beasts eyed him warily, snorting in warning.
Lang Junxian gathered a thread of lightning in his palm and zapped one of the baby beasts.
It collapsed immediately, paralyzed.
“Moo—!”
The beast in charge of the babies howled and nudged the unconscious calf.
Lang Junxian kept provoking them.
He used the same move on the other baby.
“Moo!”
Seeing both babies down, the lead rhinoceros beast scraped the ground with its hoof and charged.
The others followed close behind.
Lang Junxian moved swiftly and unpredictably, luring the enraged rhinoceros beast far away.
The one that had stayed behind looked at the unconscious calves on the ground, let out a furious “moo” toward the sky, and chased after them in a rage.
Bai Maomao seized the opportunity, dashed forward, snatched the wooden plaque from under the calf’s hoof, and turned to run.
“Moo—!”
A deep bellow echoed from the water, sending out large ripples.
A pitch-black, hideous beast’s head emerged from the river, its large red eyes, as big as light bulbs, locking onto Bai Maomao.
“Maomao, run!”
Mo Qin shouted.
Bai Maomao sensed the powerful pressure from behind.
Without looking back, he threw out a green leaf, leapt onto it, and shot forward.
A massive rhinoceros beast rose from the water and lumbered heavily onto the shore.
The calves on the riverbank groggily woke up and instinctively huddled together in the nest.
The massive beast didn’t spare them a glance—it followed Bai Maomao’s trail.
Mo Qin and the others quickly activated their magical tools.
Bai Maomao pulled Yan Miao up and shouted,
“Head east!”
The beast behind them refused to give up, its massive body thundering forward.
Each step made the ground tremble.
Worried for Lang Junxian up ahead, Bai Maomao told Mo Qin and the others,
“You go first. I’ll draw it away. Let’s regroup at that big tree we passed earlier!”
With that, he flew off in the opposite direction without looking back.
Meanwhile, Lang Junxian had led his rhinoceros beast halfway down the path when he suddenly felt the ground shake.
The beast chasing him stopped and raised its head with a deep bellow.
A deeper, echoing roar responded from the riverside.
There’s another one at the river!
Lang Junxian’s heart sank.
Without a second thought, he turned and ran back.
The rhinoceros beasts didn’t chase him. Instead, they stood in place and let out wave after wave of angry “moo” calls.
Back on the other side, Bai Maomao was being chased further off course.
He had only just reached the Foundation Establishment stage, while the pursuing beast was already at the Qi Refining and Essence Transformation stage.
He couldn’t fight it head-on—running was his only option.
His spiritual energy was depleting, and the speed of the green leaf boat was slowing down.
Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his once-rosy cheeks turned pale.
“Let me down,”
Yan Miao said, glancing fearfully at the approaching beast, his voice trembling.
Bai Maomao glared at him.
“Cut the crap.”
Seeing the beast drawing closer and knowing they couldn’t keep fleeing like this, Bai Maomao scanned the surroundings.
A large bamboo forest appeared to the front-right.
His eyes lit up.
He steered the green leaf boat straight into the bamboo grove.
The beast showed no signs of slowing.
As the green leaf entered the grove, Bai Maomao leapt off.
Using the bamboo’s natural bounce, he sprang upward and landed on the back of the beast.
The rhinoceros beast reared and shook violently.
Bai Maomao clung tightly to its long horn, struggling to keep his balance.
With one hand free, he pulled a dagger from his qiankun pouch.
The beast continued thrashing its head.
Bai Maomao aimed for its brow and stabbed hard.
Thick blood gushed out, drenching Bai Maomao.
He clenched his jaw, yanked the dagger out, and stabbed again.
Focused on the battle, Bai Maomao didn’t notice a small green vine quietly slipping out from the qiankun pouch he had loosened.
Sensing the smell of blood, it crept toward the rhinoceros beast’s wound and slithered inside.
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