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Chapter 3: In the Depth of the Wilderness

In the shade beneath the towering trees of the jungle, our party halted briefly, taking a rest on a moss-covered stone.

Looking up at the sky, Older Sister Seol turned to Sword Phoenix, the leader of our group, addressing her. It was obvious that she viewed Sword Phoenix as the true head of our trio, which included Knife Dragon and Spear Dragon.

“Can I make a beast call?”

“B-beast call?”

Sword Phoenix blinked in surprise at Older Sister Seol’s sudden request. The others looked equally baffled, glancing at her as if to say, “What on earth is that about?”

And then Sword Phoenix’s gaze turned toward me.

Being from Wunnan, a place treated as a foreign land by these people, I got the impression she was asking me to explain if such a culture existed in the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace.

I had no words to offer, replying in my head, ‘I’m still new to being from the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace myself.’

Then with a smile, Older Sister Seol explained, “I’m just wondering if there are any beasts from the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace nearby. There are some of them scattered across Wunnan. You know, things like eagles, owls, monkeys, or wolves.”

“But this is not Wunnan, is it?”

Sword Phoenix questioned thoughtfully, suggesting this was a futile pursuit so far from home. But Older Sister Seol shook her head and said, “The borders of a country are made by humans; beasts don’t care about them. If there are any that have crossed over, I wanted to send word back to the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace.”

Just as Older Sister Seol mentioned, animals didn’t really care about human borders. The idea of checking if any creatures from the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace made their way into the Great Yue Kingdom was met with a friendly nod from Sword Phoenix.

Despite the potential dangers of the Blood Cult being nearby, a beast call shouldn’t attract too much attention.

“Oh, I see. If it’s a beast call, that should be fine, right? I can hear them from the jungle even now.”

– Tweet!

With that, a sharp whistle escaped Older Sister Seol’s lips and instantly echoed through the jungle.

It sounded just like the call of a hawk, but after staring up at the sky for a moment, she shook her head.

“Looks like there’s not a single one nearby.”

It seemed that for now, we were indeed too far from Wunnan.

Noticing Older Sister Seol’s disappointed expression, Spear Dragon, who had almost begun to respect her—perhaps even care for her—spoke up cheerfully, “We’re still a bit far from Wunnan; let’s go a little farther and check. Little One, it’s impressive that you can make a call like that. Truly! Southern Barbarian Beast Palace.”

“True enough. Hehe, thank you for the compliment!” Older Sister Seol smiled in response, causing Spear Dragon to beam like a fool.

Sword Phoenix rolled her eyes at Spear Dragon’s foolishness and then began teasing him about his past.

“Is it because you wield a spear as flimsy as a reed? What kind of man’s heart is so fragile? Not too long ago, you were boasting about fighting for Poison Flower’s honor, or something like that…”

“Ugh!”

“Hey now! Sword Phoenix, that—that was just as a friend! It was nothing like that!”

Spear Dragon fumbled for an excuse, awkwardly smiling as he tried to justify himself. But Poison Flower’s emotionless voice cut through, almost like an arrow.

“Not a friend at all. Spear Dragon.”

“Huh? Well, uh… that is to say…”

Spear Dragon attempted to cover his ears from Sword Phoenix’s biting remarks, but when Poison Flower mentioned the lack of friendship, he shrank back, fumbling for words.

Without being able to respond, he started idly plucking at a moss-covered rock, looking rather miserable.

‘Oh dear. That poor fellow’s gonna start crying.’

Seeing his state, I decided to jump in to change the topic, worried about Spear Dragon’s mental state deteriorating further.

“By the way, Sword Phoenix, how much further until we reach the rendezvous point?”

Sword Phoenix, glaring at Spear Dragon with disdain, turned to me with a different, more genuine smile.

“If all goes well, we should arrive by evening, Junior Hero.”

“Then I think we’ve rested enough, let’s hurry. It’ll get complicated once the sun sets.”

“Oh, is that so? Then let’s go?”

As the group rose to move toward the rendezvous, Spear Dragon, who had been absorbed in his own thoughts, hadn’t heard the cue to start.

Sword Phoenix chided him, “Aren’t you coming along? We can’t leave you behind!”

“Huh? Ah, right!”

Startled, Spear Dragon jumped up and hurried to catch up with Sword Phoenix, and I couldn’t help but think, ‘Could it be that Sword Phoenix has feelings for Spear Dragon?’

Although I often lack awareness in these matters, the vibe just felt… off.

Pondering this thought with my chin in hand, I noticed Older Sister Seol approach me quietly.

She seemed curious about my distraction.

[What’s up, Long? What are you thinking about?]

[Ah, I was just wondering if Sword Phoenix might have a liking for Spear Dragon.]

[You’ve finally caught on?]

[Huh?]

Her response was as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

From the side, Poison Flower’s voice chimed in, “The reason I’m deliberately keeping my distance from Spear Dragon is that Sword Phoenix likes him. He’s been oblivious for years.”

[Seriously, I’ve never seen someone so clueless. Even when eating, he pushes the softest cuts to Spear Dragon, and just the other day, he hardly ate any rabbit meat, claiming he was full and giving it all to him!]

To be called clueless was reeking pity.

Yet even after all those years with a devoted girl taking care of him, he still didn’t notice and instead chased after others—no wonder he’d be criticized.

‘So that’s why Poison Flower has been so cold to him; it’s a case of self-inflicted wounds.’

As I shifted from sympathy to seeing him as pathetic, I turned to Sword Phoenix with a tone of pity.

[By the way, it seems like that guy is infatuated with Older Sister Seol. I really feel for Sword Phoenix.]

It appeared that he had rearranged his feelings for Poison Flower somewhat, but now, with Older Sister Seol?

At my words, Older Sister Seol glanced at Spear Dragon and remarked, [I absolutely detest men like that.]

I had thought if she liked someone, it wouldn’t be a bad thing, but if the guy was a mess already, it was only natural she would not be interested.

Determined to find out her ideal type, I figured I might as well get a lead on who she’d be interested in later.

After all, Older Sister Seol was a wild beauty radiating health!

[Then what kind of man do you prefer?]

In response to my question, Older Sister Seol hugged my arm enthusiastically and replied, [Well, someone like our Spear Dragon would be nice.]

‘Wait! Older Sister, that’s a big problem!’

I was taken aback, wondering if Older Sister had some sort of strange affection for her younger brother. But Older Sister was gazing at Knife Dragon and Gyu-seong in front with a playful smile.

[Well, if I had to choose, it would be a flower bear over a rat! They’re cute, right?]

[A flower bear?]

[There’s a bear with black and white fur. It’s super adorable!]

‘The black and white bear must be a panda, right?’

Since she was referring to a panda, turning to watch Knife Dragon and Gyu-seong, it began to dawn on me what she meant.

The rat was probably in reference to Spear Dragon, while the flower bear indicated Gyu-seong, who was built like a bear.

‘With Gyu-seong’s massive figure, it makes sense that Older Sister is attracted to strong men…’

I felt like I’d caught a glimpse of how the simple-minded Spear Dragon could possibly continue the lineage of the Peng Clan.

*

As the sun dipped below the horizon, turning the sky a golden hue, Spear Dragon, who had been leading the way, announced, “We’re almost there. That abandoned wolf den down the hill is our rendezvous point.”

Looking toward where he pointed, I saw a low hill formed by stones and tall grasses just above waist height.

It was only a couple kilometers more to go.

“Got it. The sun’s about to set, so let’s hurry.”

“Yes, Little One.”

Nodding in response to Spear Dragon’s words, Older Sister Seol leaned in close and whispered in my ear,

[Long, now that we’re nearing the rendezvous point, keep Xiao in the air until I call her down. Don’t let her descend for any reason.]

There was an unusual firmness in her voice.

Puzzled, I asked, [Xiao? Why?]

[Just in case. Although we think this rendezvous point is safe, there’s a chance someone might have been captured and the Blood Cult could have learned about the meeting place.]

At her words, it felt like a light switch flicked on in my mind.

Indeed, if someone had been caught, it would be akin to walking into a tiger’s den.

[Shouldn’t we call for Xiao to come down instead? It would be safer if she’s with us; she might scare off any foes.]

I expressed an alternate perspective, thinking it might be a good idea to show off Xiao to deter potential threats.

However, Older Sister Seol shook her head and replied, [We don’t need to reveal all our cards. If someone really has been caught and leaked the rendezvous details, we may have to escape all the way back to Wunnan. If we reveal everything from the start, they might prepare a counterattack.]

Long, heed this. In the Martial Forest, you must always hide at least two-thirds of your strength.]

[Understood, Older Sister.]

As Older Sister Seol pointed out, we might indeed have to make a hasty retreat, and if they knew our power, they’d be ready for us.

I made a mental note to ask Xiao to wait above until I called for her as we approached the rendezvous.

<Xiao, stay put until I call for you. You can’t come down until it’s safe. Please remember! Stay safe unless I call you.>

At first, Xiao showed confusion, but upon my repeated requests, she finally confirmed her understanding. Next, I turned to Yo-hwa and instructed her to stay on guard and ensure care for Older Sister Seol and Poison Flower if trouble surfaced.

[Yo-hwa, if any danger appears, make sure to look after Older Sister Seol and Poison Flower, okay? Don’t act rashly.]

– Ki-shi?

[I’ll be covering Xiao, so please take care of them first.]

– Ki-sit!

With our preparations done according to Older Sister Seol’s warning, we set off again toward the rendezvous point.

The sun had already set, casting shadows around us. As we approached within a few hundred meters of the abandoned wolf den, Spear Dragon suddenly raised a hand to signal us to stop.

He then scanned the surroundings, as if sensing something. Moments later, a man emerged from the nearby underbrush, holding a brush pen in each hand.

“Long time no see, Spear Dragon. I was quite surprised to hear of four unfamiliar faces in the report.”

“Good to see you again, Xinhangja. Surely, we were just as shocked.”

The person who appeared was none other than the duty officer from the Martial Forest Alliance’s Flying Dragon Pavilion, known for his swift movements, holding the title of Bu Gak-ju, Bang Sun Xinhangja.

He gazed at us with keen eyes, surveying the group surrounding him.

“To see the offspring of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace and the Tang Clan here… first, let’s exchange greetings and discuss everything inside.”

“Understood, sir.”

Following his words, we arrived at the entrance of the quite spacious cave known as the abandoned wolf den.

As Xinhangja bowed his head entering, a loud noise erupted from above.

– Piiiiiiy!

“Th-this is what!?”

Startled, Xinhangja’s eyes widened, just as lights from torches began to flood the area around us.

“An ambush! Ugh!”

With that, agonized screams filled the night sky.

 

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