The reason Yuanshan Village got its name is precisely because it leans against the mountains—living off the mountains as its people do.
Yet now, that once vibrant mountain forest had fallen utterly silent, as if all signs of life had been suppressed by the sword strike just now, along with that demonic tiger.
Dong Yun’er furrowed her brows slightly, glanced at Ye Jinxiù, and shook her head gently. “That sword strike may have come from me, but the actual effect depends on the specifics.”
“Still, with a blow like that, this demonic tiger will be gravely injured if not dead. How about this, I’ll go forward and investigate, and you, Miss, just cover me from the side,” Dong Yun’er suggested.
This was because the demonic tiger had already awakened its intelligence and knew how to use tricks. The reason it had acted so recklessly earlier was simply because it thought it could crush them and thus act without restraint. Now that it was wounded, it might very well set up an ambush.
Lin Huanhuan naturally disagreed with letting one of their own probe ahead. “No, that’s far too dangerous! What if that demonic tiger isn’t badly hurt and takes you out in an instant?”
“But—?”
“No buts!”
Lin Huanhuan shifted her gaze to the one watching with great interest. “Ye Jinxiù, don’t you know the Sense Technique? Now’s your time to shine—let’s have you do it, go on!”
Sense Technique was an unconventional spell, greatly enhancing the user’s five senses and enabling them to perceive the condition of enemies from afar. It belonged to the category of scouting techniques.
Ye Jinxiù, who had planned to wait for them to run out of options and then swoop in heroically, was a bit taken aback. “I only recently mastered that move. How did you know?”
Lin Huanhuan flashed a confident smile. “Of course I have my special sources. Anyway, I’m not telling, so just give up!”
‘Truly curious.’
‘Though I don’t know what you’re hiding, nor how you know, someday I’ll definitely unravel these secrets.’
‘Like peeling off clothes, one layer at a time. The look on your face will get more and more interesting. By then, I’ll see if you can remain so calm.’
Ye Jinxiù murmured inwardly, lowering her gaze. Her ears twitched as she sensed for a moment, then she slowly opened her eyes. “Whether it lives or dies, I can’t say, but that demonic tiger’s aura is extremely faint now—it’s definitely escaped.”
“Escaped?”
Hearing this, Lin Huanhuan’s brow arched and her lips curled up, her face a picture of wild confidence. “According to the villagers, it’s that very demonic tiger that hurt people. It’s the source of these evils.”
“We came here to solve this. To eliminate evil, we must see it through to the end. If we let the demonic tiger go, and it recovers after we leave, it’ll surely massacre the entire village out of spite.”
“Let’s give chase and finish it off!”
With a wave of her small hand, Lin Huanhuan took the lead, and the other two followed without objection.
Entering the mountain forest, all that met their eyes was a sea of green.
They tracked the demonic tiger by the trail of blood it left behind, but gradually, the bloodstains dwindled. Whether this was because the tiger was running out of blood or some other reason, they couldn’t be sure.
Now and then, they’d have to cross streams and double back in various directions, only to find themselves right back where they’d started.
It was only now that Lin Huanhuan realized—in the vastness of these mountains, with no real experience, it was in fact difficult for them to conduct an effective search.
Fortunately, Ye Jinxiù knew a few minor spells for tracking and finding direction; otherwise, they’d have lost the trail long ago, and even getting out would have become a problem.
There’s strength in numbers—whether in ideas or in other ways.
Demonic beasts usually lived in the mountains, so the place was far from lacking in them. They’d run into several before, but in most cases, those beasts were wary of their strength and wouldn’t attack, only issuing warnings.
But at some point, demonic beasts began to attack them more often, even bringing along packs of underlings, charging in recklessly as if being able to bite them, even at the cost of their own lives, would be worth it.
And there seemed to be a particular target: Ye Jinxiù bore the brunt of the attacks, and she ended up with more and more injuries. Though she didn’t complain, her face grew paler by the day.
At first, they were able to persevere through sheer will, but eventually, they just felt more and more exhausted. The beautiful mountains and rivers before their eyes now seemed like a desolate, perilous wasteland—they had to be wary of a demonic beast ambush at any moment.
So it was, after wandering the mountain forests for two days, they still hadn’t found the demonic tiger.
Lin Huanhuan let out a long sigh. “Time to leave. Staying any longer would be foolish.”
Dong Yun’er opened her mouth to speak, and Ye Jinxiù remained silent, but neither objected.
So they began their retreat from the forest, and it was almost as if the attacks had been a curse from the woods themselves—once they started leaving, they were barely attacked at all.
*****
Inside the small courtyard created by the Paper Courtyard Talisman.
Lin Huanhuan let out a weary sigh. “Never thought we’d fail at the last step. Still, maybe that’s for the best—time for us to go.”
Ye Jinxiù, having just finished bandaging her wounds, asked, “Why? It’s only a demonic tiger. Once we recover, we could try again—why are we leaving?”
Lin Huanhuan shook her head and explained, “After wandering in the woods, I finally figured out what had been bothering me.”
“The demonic tiger only sucked blood and only attacked certain people. I suspect someone’s directing it. Whoever’s behind this is likely a cultist, and their purpose is probably some kind of sacrificial ritual. Because someone’s manipulating it, it’s been able to evade us even while gravely wounded.”
“The cultists probably don’t know we’ve figured them out yet. If they did, they’d attack us outright. So it’s best we go back and let experts from the sect handle it.”
Ye Jinxiù was still a bit uncertain. “How sure are you? What if things aren’t as you suspect?”
Lin Huanhuan replied, “I’m not that sure. It’s all just my guess. But either way, I’m not about to gamble our lives on them not being powerful. So that’s that.”
Ye Jinxiù opened her mouth, then nodded.
“So when do we leave?”
“The sooner the better. You go first—I’ll stay here with Yun’er to take care of a little business. We’ll catch up soon.”
“What business? Maybe I can help?”
“No need—it’s a private matter for us. You can’t help.”
Lin Huanhuan refused her firmly. Ye Jinxiù could only bow slightly and, after that, summoned her flying sword and soared into the sky.
Lin Huanhuan glanced at Dong Yun’er, who hadn’t said a word, and thought to herself: ‘What happened over these past two days has been strange indeed. I need to get to the bottom of it, or I’ll never be at ease.’