"Don't tell me it's a wild tiger," Liang Feixing muttered warily as he stared into the dark canopy of trees.
"It is." Zhang Wei responded, just as a leopard peeked out of the trees and growled at them. "Damn it... Run!" Upon seeing it, Liang Feixing exclaimed and was about to make a run for it but Zhang Wei grabbed him by the sleeve and pulled him to his side. "Don't speak." He placed his index finger on his lips in a shushing motion before signaling to the side with his head. Liang Feixing gave a small nod before the two quietly tiptoed into the bushes. It was only then Liang Feixing noticed that a deer was grazing opposite and the leopard was waiting to pounce on it. It didn't seem to have noticed the two of them and approached the deer unawares. "We finally found a forest deer but some wild animal snatched it away," Liang Feixing lamented. "We should get going before it notices us here." "No, wait." Zhang Wei shook his head and stopped him from getting up. "Another animal is coming along the path and it is likely a tiger. Let's see what will happen." The other youth looked confused but he nodded and squatted back beside him. "Oh, okay." They watched the leopard inch closer to the unsuspecting deer and it made no sounds except for the occasional rustle of leaves and the soft grazing sounds of the deer. Without warning, the leopard sprang from the shadows, its powerful muscles propelling it forward. The deer had only a split second to react before the predator's claws sank into its haunches, dragging it to the ground. The forest erupted with the sounds of the struggle: the deer's frantic bleats and the leopard's feral growls. Liang Feixing winced as the leopard tore into the deer's flesh, blood staining the forest floor. "That's brutal," he whispered, his voice barely audible. Zhang Wei nodded, his eyes still fixed on the scene. "Hmm." Suddenly, the foliage rustled loudly in the distance and a tiger appeared. Its golden eyes locked onto the leopard and its prey, and it let out a low, menacing growl. The leopard, sensing the new threat, paused and looked up, its muzzle stained with blood. For a moment, predator and predator stared at each other, each assessing the other. "We need to move, now," Liang Feixing whispered urgently. "While they're distracted." "Wait." Zhang Wei insisted as he slowly tiptoed toward the bushes behind the leopard. Liang Feixing's face instantly became pale and ashen as he whisper-yelled, "What are you doing? Don't court death!" But Zhang Wei didn't respond and continued to tiptoe. He lingered in the bushes for a few moments as the two animals advanced toward each other and the moment the tiger pranced at the leopard, he ran toward the deer lying dead on the floor. Instantly, he grabbed the dead animal and slung it over his shoulder, feeling the heavy weight pull him down. 'This body is too weak,' He thought. But, he didn't waste a moment and rushed toward the opposite side, mouthing to Liang Feixing who was staring at him with his mouth agape, "Run!" Liang Feixing didn't need to be told twice. The two of them, as silently and quickly as they could, ran away from the two animals that had started tearing at each other with the deer on Zhang Wei's shoulder. Once they were far enough, Liang Feixing exhaled heavily, his heart still pounding in his chest. "That was too close." Zhang Wei didn't respond and placed the deer on the forest floor to examine it. Once he was done, he turned to look at Liang Feixing and found him staring at him with a strange look in his eyes. "What's wrong?" Liang Feixing quickly shook his head negatively. "Nothing. How is it? Is it dead?" "Yes." Zhang Wei nodded, as he looked back at the dead deer. He feared that the way it was killed would affect the payment and asked Liang Feixing, "Will they accept it?" "What?" The other party looked confused for a moment but soon understood. "Of course! Don't you remember when that snobby brat told us to skin it as he only needs the skin?" Zhang Wei seemed relieved and he held up the deer as if he was weighing it. Eventually, he sighed with satisfaction and got up, patting his sleeves. But his actions only confused Liang Feixing further. He shook his head and muttered with gusto, "Zhang Wei, you're really daring. I almost died out of nervousness back then. How did you even think of snatching the deer?" Zhang Wei was unbothered by his excitement. He looked around like he was looking for something and answered, "When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits." "Haha!" Liang Feixing laughed. "You even dare to play two wild animals." He only gave a small smile before pointing toward a tree in the distance. "We can't carry it around with us while we hunt; it will weigh us down. Let's keep it there and come back to get it later." "Under the tree?" Liang Feixing frowned. "Other animals will smell the blood and feed on it." "No, not under," Zhang Wei replied as he pulled up the deer again and marched toward the tree. He handed it to Liang Feixing before climbing up the tree and it was only then the latter noticed a crevice in the tree. He watched as Zhang Wei forcefully stuffed the deer into the hole before climbing down the tree and dusting his palms. "Let's go. The animals won't climb the tree and birds won't notice it from up." Liang Feixing was stunned for a moment but he soon regained his composure and that strange look appeared in his eyes again. "Oh, okay." Then, the two of them continued to walk forward. Zhang Wei glanced at him and asked, "What's left?" "The badger and five herbs," Liang Feixing responded. "Let's find the badger first." "Okay." The badger was relatively easier to capture. Liang Feixing knew the setts where they burrowed and nested but the first one ran away when they tried to capture it. So he got a few fruits to bait the next one and it fell for it but the moment he tried to capture it, it ran in the opposite direction toward Zhang Wei. Zhang Wei who was prepared for it quickly put a stone in his slingshot and struck it in the head. They picked it up and put it in Liang Feixing's satchel since it was small-sized. Then, they continued on their way to find the herbs, stopping from time to time to check the plants on the way if it was any of the ingredients. Liang Feixing stood by a tree and held his waist as he said, "Angelica root, purple heart grass, notoginseng and chrysanthemum grow in the same area. Let's go deeper into the forest where we found chrysanthemum the other day." Zhang Wei did not know where he was talking about maybe because the host had forgotten but he nodded anyway and followed behind him. They soon reached a cool, shaded part of the forest and Liang Feixing muttered, "They grow in moist and shaded places. Let's split up and find them." "Okay." The two split up and Zhang Wei went to a tall area. From years of scavenging in the forest, before he was found by his master, he knew Angelica root grew mostly in tall places. And he had barely walked far when he sighted a plant with purplish-green stem and small white flowers. He quickly strode over and plucked it. But, he strolled around and could not find any other herb. Meanwhile, Liang Feixing had found two of the herbs. But just when he found the third one - the notoginseng and rushed over to pick it up. But just as he reached out to pluck it, he suddenly heard a hissing sound. Before he could check what it was, a green snake suddenly shot out from the covering and stuck its fangs toward his outstretched hand.Hiss!Liang Feixing wanted to retract his hand back quickly but the snake was too fast. He instinctively shut his eyes thinking he wouldn't be able to escape being bitten. But the pain he expected never came.He heard a tussle beside him so he opened his eyes to look and found Zhang Wei on the floor, struggling with the snake which he held by the throat. The snake was slippery and wanted to escape but Zhang Wei's grip was too tight. This made it angry and it hissed, sticking out its tongue to spit at him.But Zhang Wei seemed to have expected this and quickly pried his jaw apart, tearing it into two with force. The snake lost all its power after this and slid onto the floor, hissing in pain until it died.Once Zhang Wei was done, he instantly looked at Liang Feixing who still stood there, watching in awe. He gave him a probing look. "What were you standing there for? Waiting for it to bite you to death?"Liang Feixing finally came to his senses and when he heard Zhang Wei's derisive t
They didn't seem intimidated or probably felt they could gather up and beat him, so they continued to advance.Zhang Wei's eyes glinted as he pressed even harder on the base of Quan Che's skull—a sensitive acupoint that could cause great discomfort and even death. Sure enough, Quan Che howled in pain and pounded the floor with his palm, unable to form coherent words."If you move another inch, I'll pull his acupoints and cripple him," Zhang Wei threatened as he looked up at them again. "If you don't believe me, you can try attacking me."His confidence made them stop to look at one another with doubt, but they stopped advancing.Zhang Wei wasted no more time as he looked at Quan Che, who was still in severe pain under him. "You seem to like bullying pretty much. Why are you so meek now?"He was a bully himself, but he would never put himself in such a situation. Except for the scene today, he had never lost a 1v1 fight, and it was because this body could not keep up with him. A mere b
"Let's... stop here." Zhang Wei heaved heavily as he tried to catch his breath and placed the deer on the floor. He felt rather dizzy and had to lean on a nearby tree.Liang Feixing nodded. "Okay. Let's stop here." As he spoke, he looked behind them to see if they were still being chased. "I think they backed off already. We can wait a few minutes more."Zhang Wei nodded and slid onto the floor, patting his chest to ease breathing. This body was so weak when it came to basic physical endurance. They hadn't even run an entire village, yet he felt dizzy from running.Liang Feixing saw that he looked listless and pale and moved closer. "Let's wait more for you to recover. I forgot you can't run long distances."So, it was from the previous host. Zhang Wei clicked his tongue. It was fine if he had no essence as that wasn't his fault, but at least he should have kept his body fit and healthy for emergency situations.He sighed and pulled Quan Che's satchel over, prying it open to see its c
Zhang Wei whistled leisurely as he strolled into the Zhang Manor, holding a pouch in hand. After they left the academy, he and Liang Feixing took one pouch each, while the third pouch was kept by Liang Feixing for rainy days. As it was already late, they agreed to keep the dead snake till the next day.He held the string of the pouch and twirled it as he walked past some of the servants. They wanted to bow in greeting at first, but when they saw that it was him, they simply strolled past him with a look of derision on their faces.But he was in a good mood after extorting all day and simply shook his head at how lowly the previous host was treated.As he approached the hut, he heard Luo Yu's loud cries and sniffles from inside, which made him frown. He entered and found her on her knees by his mother's bed, wiping her tears fiercely. His mother was also lying on the bed, unconscious, and her face was pale."What happened?" He strode toward them, setting the pouch on the bed. It was on
He knocked on the door and the door instantly opened. The housekeeper who had opened the door began to speak respectfully, "Young Masters, Madam has been waiting-"But, once he saw who was at the door, he drawled and immediately stopped speaking. Then his gaze turned sharp and he looked at Zhang Wei coldly. "What are you doing here?" He asked.Zhang Wei calmly asked, "Is he in?"His question couldn't be more vague but the housekeeper understood and his face turned even more sour."Why are you asking? You should return to your courtyard before the young masters get here," He responded."The young masters?" Zhang Wei drawled with a hint of coldness in his tone. "What am I then?""You..." The housekeeper looked him over derisively and seemed to want to say something snarky at first but changed his mind. "Anyway, you should return before I report you to Master.""I have something important to talk to him about." Zhang Wei paused and looked him straight in the eye. "Are you sure you want
"Clang!"The shrill sound of swords clashing resonated through the grounds of the sandy mountain as several flashes of light collided, forcing Zhang Wei to stagger backward. In the chaos, dust and sand swirled in the air, carried by the brisk night breeze. With a deft motion, Zhang Wei's sleeve twirled as he raised an arm to regain his balance.Simultaneously, nine figures clad in diverse-colored robes descended upon the mountain, brandishing gleaming swords aimed squarely at him."Zhang Wei, today is your last day. You must leave your life here!" one of the men declared with conviction, all their expressions alert.Another swiftly added, "You practice forbidden arts, against Lingfeng Peak's rules. We shall eradicate you to keep the world safe."Zhang Wei, initially silent, looked up at this, his gaze chilly as it settled on the group. His voice was fluid and brisk, yet his tone carried a shallow sense of arrogance as he spoke, "You? Do you dare!?"As he spoke, Zhang Wei twirled his w
Fènghuáng Temple."Second Brother, are you sure about this? What if someone finds out we did it?" "What are you talking about? As long as you and I don't talk about it, who will know it was us?"The night breeze was rather chilly, and the moon had receded behind the dark clouds—a sign of impending rain. But its dim light shone on the roads, illuminating two youthful male figures as they sneaked into the courtyard of the old temple. One of them was quite chubby and carrying a sack over his shoulder, while the other was fit and slender.The temple was not ancient; however, it had been abandoned for quite a long time with no caretaker, so a lot of grass had grown and lots of leaves had fallen from the wide magnolia tree in the middle of the courtyard. The sound of dry leaves scattered over the floorboards, crushing under their moving feet, was sharp in the otherwise silent night."Quick, Third Brother," the slender youth spoke, grabbing the handle of the doorknob. "Just dump him somewhe
When Zhang Wei arrived at the manor following the memories in his head, he was not surprised to see the crowd gathered there. From the memories of the original host, his father had ascended to the seventh grade, which was why a party was being held.Zhang Wei remembered that when he was attacked on the mountains by Qin Shou and those nine cultivators, Zhang Lei was among them, and he was still in the sixth grade. From his assessment of their powers back then, none of them seemed to have reached the apex of the sixth grade yet. How could he have suddenly ascended to the seventh grade?He had an inkling regarding why but pushed it to the back of his mind as he entered. He intended to bypass the crowd and go to the apartment where the host and his mother lived. But he hadn't even entered the courtyard when his path was blocked.Zhang Wei halted in his steps, a cold glint flickering past his eyes for a second as he lazily raised his head to look at the intruder. It was a youth about the s