"Understood, something must have happened that we didn't account for. We're at our overnight spot, return carefully," Se Lei said, calming down. "What about Luo Dong?" he added, his expression darkening abruptly. "He died in battle, taking on the wounded leader like last time, but we didn't get there in time to help him."
"I see, I'll be there soon," I said in a sad tone. I didn't care about his death at all, but I had to show at least a little respect to someone who knew him.
For another fifteen to twenty minutes, I continued to make my way through the trees. In my condition, even escaping would be almost impossible. I didn't want to expose myself to the monsters that might be rampaging below, especially since two decoys had appeared relatively close to each other. There were about fifteen people at the overnight spot, out of the original twenty-five. Fortunately, Xu Zhao Ting was fine. I was sure he would survive, even though he was covered in blood and his left arm hung limply, with a deep gash on it. But he was alive.
Half of them had serious injuries, including Yan Dey, whose stomach was ripped open and he was only alive thanks to Zhou Sui Ying's magic, as she knelt over him, casting spells. Se Lei stood in the center, looking around. He was also covered in blood, but apart from minor scratches and a small nosebleed, he had no injuries. It seemed he had also pushed himself beyond his limits fighting off the monsters drawn by the bait.
"So you've made it. Including the second hunting team, that makes sixteen survivors," he summarized the grim outcome of our expedition. "Can you explain to me what happened here?"
"I'm not sure, but the beasts' behavior is very strange. I was attacked by a group with two leaders, they seemed to have gone mad!" I said, scratching the back of my head. "What happened to you?"
"After your message that the path was clear, we gathered and moved on. We walked about a kilometer and stumbled upon a large group of beasts. We tried to retreat, but the monsters, as if insane, lunged at us. If they had attacked from one side, but they started attacking from all sides. We barely managed to escape. Luo Dong died covering our retreat. Before that, nine novice mages died in battle: three fire mages, two ice, two earth, and two water mages. Also, Yan Dey's stomach was ripped open during the retreat," Se Lei listed dryly.
"It's all strange, don't you think?" I asked him, lost in thought and surveying the surroundings. "We were both attacked by beasts as if they were mad, something is definitely not right."
"You're probably right, but what caused such behavior in the beasts?" Se Lei pondered, tilting his head.
"Maybe the bait? It can cause such an effect, can't it?" I asked, looking at him with a puzzled expression.
"Most likely, but who planted it and where did they get it? It's forbidden, isn't it?" Se Lei said, continuing to survey the surroundings. "Alright, we'll think about it later. Rest, we'll head back soon. If the second hunting team doesn't find us, we'll go without them."
Excellent, everything is going according to plan. As Se Lei had instructed, I sat down next to Xu Zhao Ting and began to rest, waiting for everyone to recover so we could head back. Of course, I wasn't just sitting there; I was cultivating, stabilizing my wind nebula, which had become slightly unstable when I used mid-level magic at the limit of my capabilities. Three times in a row was too much for me so far. It was amazing how Se Lei, in our previous battle, managed to cast up to seven mid-level second-tier spells consecutively! He's a very strong young mage. It's surprising why he wasn't in the original? There's no mention of him at all. Wait, isn't it because he died on that mission? Then Xu Zhao Ting and I made a significant contribution to the victory. Without us, they might all have died against three leaders.
"Are you alright? Does anything hurt?" Zhou Sui Ying's voice sounded from nearby.
"Yes, thank you. Even small scratches have healed. Look at Jiaxing Yun instead, he's covered in blood," Xu Zhao Ting's voice replied. I opened my eyes, interrupting my thoughts. Zhao Ting was sitting next to me as before, and Zhou Sui Ying was standing over him, having apparently just finished healing.
"Alright, now you," she said, approaching me and casting a novice-level spell. "It's surprising, just a twisted ankle and a couple of ruptured vessels from overexertion! Whose blood are you covered in then?" she asked, examining me closely.
"It's wolf blood. I get close to them wielding daggers, so they splash me with their blood," I replied, as the magic began to work, enveloping my entire body and bringing incredible relief.
"I see. Be even more careful in the future. The stronger the monster, the greater the chance you'll die by its paw," she warned me, and then turned to Se Lei, who was still standing in the center, also having been healed. "Alright, everyone is healed. Yan Dey won't be able to walk on his own, so we'll have to carry him."
"Okay, let's head back. It's dangerous to stay here for long," Se Lei replied dryly.
Everyone got up from their places, put Yan Dey on improvised stretchers, and moved forward, or rather, back to base. I was again assigned to check the route, as the other two wind mages were in a very poor state and could barely walk, their extreme exhaustion evident. As I learned, they had spent a huge amount of energy to help everyone escape. We reached the base two days later without any major incidents. I quickly regained my combat readiness and killed several groups of one-eyed wolves. From one of them, I even got a complete soul, so only one reusable vessel remained empty. Upon reaching the base, my first action was to make a phone call to Xi'an.
"Hi, Jiaxing Yun, long time no see, about two and a half months, right? How are you?" Lin Yun Er's cheerful voice came from the receiver. "Even though we parted ways, we're still friends, right?"
"Of course, I haven't lost hope for your heart," I replied cheerfully. "I've just been busy lately, you know, hunter stuff, it's not often I get to call. I'm fine, don't worry, I'm slowly earning money and honing my skills. How about you? Did you enroll in a new school, or are you doing a home program?"
"Yes, I enrolled in school. I've been going for half a month now. In my class, only a couple of people, including me, have reached the second stage, so thank you for helping me with that," she replied. "Only they recently broke through, and I'm already close to reaching the third, can you imagine!"
"Yes, you're doing great," I praised her, smiling. "And how is your sister? I don't remember her name. Did she find a new job?"
"Yes, she also became a hunter and joined a team of local hunters, she's almost reached the intermediate level!" Lin Yun Er continued to speak cheerfully. "She keeps talking about some Aquilon and Australia. She says she has to find them and thinks they are probably hunters," she finished, bewildered. I felt a little awkward. Damn, they're looking for me! It's even a little amusing.
"I see," I chuckled. "Can you answer one question for me? Did you tell your mom where I was going and what I was going to do?"
"Yes, she asked once after we arrived in Xi'an. I said you were going to Shanghai to enroll in Minzhu. And about a month and a half ago, in conversation, I also mentioned that you decided to become a hunter. What about it?" she asked, with a completely innocent and slightly worried voice. I was thinking about how she remembered all this!
"How do you remember such precise dates?" I asked her the question I simply couldn't not ask.
"Oh, it's just that after she forbade me to see you, she only mentioned you twice..." Suddenly, she realized she had said too much. "Wait, I didn't mean to..."
"So, it's your mom's fault that you broke up with me?" I interrupted her in surprise, my eyes widening slightly. "That means I have a chance to change everything!"
"Sorry, I have to go, my friends are here. Bye, see you, kisses!" she stammered and hung up.
Well, I learned even more than I wanted. It seems Lin Yun Er's mother betrayed me. She saw my tooth when I saw them off to Xi'an, but then a tragedy happened, and I fled to Shanghai. After that, she found out where I went from her daughter and passed the information to the guardians. There's just a small inconsistency: according to Jiaxing Shan, I was betrayed about three weeks ago, but Lin Yun Er's mother found out where I was a month and a half ago. Did she keep it a secret for a couple of weeks? Maybe it was a gesture of goodwill for saving her daughters? Who knows, but the important thing is that I know who betrayed me and can use it to cover my tracks.
How do I plan to do this? First, to Lin Yun Er, I'll say that Zhao Ting and I decided to stop in some city to rest, live peacefully, cultivate, and then go to war again. Second, to take a mission from the hunter's league, like the Tritons, in some remote area. And third, to go to the Huzhou region to kill alligators, selling their skins in the market to earn money. And then I can join a stronger team and complete various missions, raising my rank in the league.
The next day after returning to base, I was interrogated, trying to find out what happened. I stuck to my story about the sudden attack of rabid monsters. In the end, I was released, and on my way to the barracks to see Xu Zhao Ting, I dialed Lin Yun Er's number.
"Oh, hi, second time in two days. You've been calling quite often," she replied, grumbling slightly. "What, you don't want to be a hunter anymore?"
"No, of course not. It's just that Xu Zhao Ting, my partner, and I decided to take a break in Hong Kong for a couple of weeks. We're exhausted from running around on various missions, we need to rest," I answered confidently. "So, how are you doing? Is it true that your mom is to blame for our breakup?"
"Yes," she whispered. "I didn't want to break up with you."
"I see. Then why should we do this? We can continue to meet, can't we? From a distance, so to speak?" I asked her cheerfully.
"What if mom asks about you again?" she asked, also in a whisper.
"Tell her I called, tearfully asked you to meet me again. But you refused," I replied to her question.
"But you shouldn't lie to your parents, should you?" she asked me naively.
"Say that I called from Hong Kong, that I'm staying there for a couple of months, and invited you, but you refused. It won't be a complete lie, you just won't tell her the whole truth," I tried to convince her. How did she grow up so naive?
"Okay, I think that's possible," she replied, and then we talked a little more. After hanging up, I continued on my way to the barracks, where Xu Zhao Ting should be waiting for me.