Taking a leap, Jiang Wen stood on a giant tree hundreds of feet tall, surveying the mountain stronghold.
Birdsong and animal cries echoed through the forest, a constant chorus of strange sounds. Predatory beasts growled softly in the shadows, their hushed footsteps accompanying the rustling of the wind through the trees. Thick shade blotted out the sun, the canopy of leaves like a vast umbrella. Even standing hundreds of feet above the ground, he couldn't see the top of the forest.
The stronghold was nestled within the wild jungle, concealed by the towering trees. It would be difficult to spot without a close look.
Ancient vines coiled through the forest, their gnarled branches resembling withered dragons. Walking on them was surprisingly spacious. There were many clever little creatures, each with its own unique and adorable form. But Jiang Wen hadn't come to catch pets, so he paid them no mind.
He leaped from the ancient vine, the wind whistling in his ears, and landed safely on a tree branch.
Stepping onto the leaves, Jiang Wen freely observed the surrounding situation.
"Why is Su Mu here? Could it be because of the villagers' matter?" Jiang Wen wondered.
"It should be because you handed the wolf demon over to the authorities last time, which attracted these cultivators," Yan Gongli replied beside him.
The cub whimpered weakly in its mouth. The three-eyed dog was cunning, biting neither too hard nor too soft, injuring the cub but not letting it die easily, clearly trying to make the white-haired fox wary.
"This cub isn't dead yet, it's just fainted," Yan Gongli said, also watching from the side.
Beasts faced off beneath the tree. Jiang Wen patiently waited for a while, sitting on a tree branch and watching the three-eyed dogs baring their teeth, but they just wouldn't attack.
"There's probably a treasure here."
The elixir lived up to its name. After the cub swallowed the essence, its spirit clearly improved a lot. The wound on its back had already begun to scab over, and as long as it didn't experience the same situation as before, there was basically no danger to its life.
Silently approaching, he looked down from the tree. Several black-furred three-eyed dogs were surrounding a white-haired fox. Calling it a fox made it hard to imagine such a huge fox, with snow-white fur and a tuft of fiery red hair between its eyes, its azure blue eyes warily staring at the three-eyed black dogs. Beneath it, a cub trembled, hiding in its arms.
He crouched down and placed the cub on the ground, searching for useful medicines from his pouch.
The white-haired fox stood in front of Jiang Wen, its eyes shining like sapphires in the setting sun. This white-haired fox was taller than Jiang Wen when it stood up. He estimated that this thing was more than two meters tall. He hadn't felt how big it was when he was on the tree, but standing close he felt a sense of oppression. It stared into Jiang Wen's eyes for a while, then looked down at the cub in his hands. It slowly walked over and licked the cub's wound with its tongue.
"Meow."
It called to the cub sadly. The little thing, born not long ago, had already lost its breath after being tossed around.
"Snap!"
A black-furred three-eyed dog couldn't wait any longer and pounced quickly with its mouth wide open. Sharp fangs were exposed, and reddish-yellow saliva dripped from the corners of its mouth.
He hurriedly looked down the tree, only to see the surroundings in a mess, the lush grass overturned with soil. Fortunately, the things he needed had not been affected and there was no danger. But something seemed to have happened to the white-haired fox. Its tail was now held high, its limbs erect, and it snarled with bared teeth. Jiang Wen could feel the anger in its eyes as it stared intently at the several three-eyed dogs not far away.
Like an eagle, it leaped high, then swooped down, rapidly falling towards the three-eyed dog.
Leaping onto the treetops, he shuttled through the great forest. His even stronger body increased his speed again, leaving afterimages like a ghost, and in an instant, he was already a hundred steps away.
Landing on the ground as lightly as a feather, Yan Gongli nodded thoughtfully as she observed the plants growing on the ground.
"Don't disturb this stronghold for now. Why not go and see the depths of this forest first? The purpose of these monsters and cultivators being here is probably not simple. There must be something in the forest attracting them," Yan Gongli said, looking towards the depths of the forest.
Although he hadn't encountered any powerful beasts on the outskirts of the forest, several moments of carelessness almost injured him. The giant python coiled around a large tree still gave him lingering fear. It blended perfectly into the environment, coiled around the huge trunk, and if his intuition hadn't been extremely vigilant, it wouldn't have just been a matter of this wound on his body.
Jiang Wen pursed his lips, smiled slightly, and sighed.
The white-haired fox lay quietly to the side, watching Jiang Wen, then looking at the cub whose injuries had recovered somewhat.
Before he could make up his mind, the battle situation changed rapidly. The white-haired fox swept its tail across a three-eyed dog. The seemingly soft tail carried the force of a swift wind, and the surrounding weeds swayed wildly from the aftermath. The three-eyed dog howled and landed in the distance, standing up and looking at the white-haired fox with anger and fear. Jiang Wen could clearly feel that this white-haired fox might not have used its full strength, and he didn't know if it was because it had just given birth and its strength hadn't recovered.
The three-eyed dog's several attacks were perfectly resolved by the white-haired fox, making it roar in anger. Looking at the increasingly dim sky in the distance, Jiang Wen yawned, waiting for the ending.
"Awoo! Awoo!"
As the two were talking, a burst of wild dog-like howls in the distance attracted their attention.
Several more three-eyed dogs appeared, one of them carrying the white-haired fox's cub in its mouth. It seemed that the white-haired fox had been outsmarted. With the cub as a hostage, the white-haired fox was clearly flustered. After several exchanges, its snow-white fur was stained with bright red blood, and several wounds had been added to its abdomen and face. It panted, its eyes constantly looking at the cub in the mouth of the larger three-eyed dog.
With such a heavy blow, Jiang Wen didn't believe that this beast still had the strength to stand up. Looking back, several three-eyed dogs heard the scream and saw Jiang Wen, staring at him maliciously, extremely disgusted with this two-legged creature that had disrupted their hunt.
"I understand," Jiang Wen nodded, no longer speaking.
Suddenly, a meow sounded, filled with grief, making Jiang Wen's spirit lift.
The white-haired fox kept licking the cub. The little thing half-opened its eyes and looked at its mother, meowing softly. It was like a child telling its mother about its pain.
"...This is actually because of me," Jiang Wen said in astonishment, then smiled wryly. "I originally wanted to hand this wolf demon over to the authorities for disposal, but who would have thought that such a thing would happen? Besides, Su Mu shouldn't be a compromising person."
"Do you think this world is that simple?" Yan Gongli said, crossing her arms and pretending to be an adult. "Put away that compassionate heart of yours. Some cultivators are not as simple as you think. In the future, when you encounter a demon, kill it when you should, and don't leave any future troubles."
"Whatever can make cultivators stay here is not something simple, you must be careful."
Ignoring the white-haired fox, a great enemy behind them, several beasts roared and rushed towards Jiang Wen. Before they could get close, a white figure flashed past like lightning, and the white-haired fox slapped several three-eyed dogs into the bushes before they could even scream. Leaving their leader-like big guy lying on the ground foaming at the mouth, with his tail between his legs, fleeing in a panic.
Like a shooting star, fists and bones resonated. The three-eyed dog was punched in the head and screamed, opening its mouth. The white-haired fox cub fell from its mouth, lying on a white hand.
Are the beasts so cunning these days?
Jiang Wen originally wanted to watch the fun and pick up a bargain, but when he saw the white-haired fox's appearance, he didn't know why, but he felt a little unbearable. Looking at the three-eyed dog standing behind the pack, he crouched on the tree and leaped down.
"Awoo!"
It must be very sad.
"Alright," Jiang Wen agreed with her view, temporarily not disturbing the target in this stronghold. Adding a few more charms to the two of them, he carried Yan Gongli and ran into the forest.
Jiang Wen found some healing pills from his storage bag, then mixed them with water and fed them to the little guy. Although the tooth mark holes were not big, they hurt the little guy deeply.
Jiang Wen got up, clapped his hands, and nodded at the white-haired fox.
Maybe good looks are justice.
For no other reason than because it looked better.
Its speed was extremely fast, and it had already leaped in front of the white-haired fox in the blink of an eye. Those beasts were quite clever, and when the former launched an attack, they quickly adjusted their positions, rushing towards the white-haired fox from three directions. If it were an ordinary person, they probably wouldn't even have a chance to react before being bitten to death. The white-haired fox was carrying a cub, and it was not easy to defend against the attacks from three directions. Jiang Wen chewed on wild fruit, watching the situation below, hesitating whether to help the white-haired fox.
"What treasure?" Jiang Wen asked curiously.
The white-haired fox wrapped the cub in its tail, walked to Jiang Wen's side, and rubbed its face against his cheek, soft fluff enveloping his whole person. It looked at him gently for a long time, then walked ahead, signaling him to follow.
"The fox is repaying your kindness, there must be some benefits, hurry up and follow," Yan Gongli said with a smile.
Jiang Wen didn't hesitate and followed the white-haired fox into the jungle with Yan Gongli.
