Chapter 13: Echoes of Fate

Deep in the Misty Hidden Forest, the female Bristle Boar that Lin Xiao had persuaded to leave was carrying her squealing piglet deeper into the forest toward safety.

Halfway there, the Little Flower Pig refused to go on.

It struggled to get down, using its snout to nudge its mother’s leg insistently, as if to say it wanted to eat those sweet berries.

The mother grunted twice, pushing her child with her snout, urging it to hurry.

But the Little Flower Pig played stubborn, lying on the ground and not moving, letting out pitiful whines.

It still remembered the pleasant smell of that two-legged beast and those sweet berries—ten thousand times tastier than the sour wild berries it usually ate!

The mother didn’t know what to do either.

‘Actually… she also kind of missed that taste.’

Besides, that two-legged beast had cleaned her child’s wound and didn’t carry any killing intent.

‘Maybe… go back and check? If he’s still there, maybe they could ask for a few more berries?’

The mother and child immediately turned around, following their memory, heading back toward their old nest.

—

Lin Xiao, looking weak, jogged back to his team’s location.

“Ah, my Junior Brother Lin, you’re finally back!”

Zhao Dayong was squatting on a rock keeping watch.

Seeing him return, he exclaimed dramatically,

“What kind of spatial treasure is your stomach? Took you that long?”

Sun Sanjin, seeing Lin Xiao panting, handed over a water pouch.

“Junior Brother Lin, are you okay? Want to rest a while?”

Lin Xiao waved his hand, took the water pouch, took two gulps, and let out a long breath.

Half was an act, half was real.

Running around and dealing with monsters earlier was indeed tiring, and his throat was parched.

“Sorry, sorry,” Lin Xiao apologized with a smile.

“Maybe I ate something bad this morning. I’m much better now.”

“Good then,” Zhao Dayong jumped off the rock, patted the dirt off himself.

“We’re falling behind! If we don’t go hunt some Bristle Boars soon, you and I will both be scoring zero by nightfall!”

“Senior Brother Zhao is right, let’s hurry.”

The four of them crept eastward.

Lin Xiao deliberately stayed at the back, continuously scanning the surroundings, recognizing several terrain features from the game.

For example, the thicket ahead covered in berries was a common foraging spot for Bristle Boars. Or the stream on the right…

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a low growl from ahead.

“There’s something!”

Zhao Dayong lowered his voice and pushed aside the grass.

He saw, about 60 meters ahead on a clearing, a not-large Bristle Boar rooting in the soil, as if looking for some roots to eat.

The stiff hairs on its back hadn’t fully grown in, and its tusks were only short nubs.

It didn’t look very strong in combat, perfect for newcomers like them to practice on.

Qian Erge, without waiting to discuss tactics, had already drawn his bow and loosed an arrow.

As it happened, his aim was off; the arrow grazed the monster’s rump and stuck into a tree trunk behind it.

The monster was startled, turned sharply, and its eyes instantly locked onto the direction of the four.

“Qian Erge, what are you doing!”

Zhao Dayong cursed, but had already drawn his machete, and Sun Sanjin also pulled out his sword.

The three quickly circled around.

Lin Xiao stayed where he was, not moving.

Instead, he took the opportunity to observe the Bristle Boar’s state: its eyes were alert but not frenzied, its movements agile but without much aggression.

This was just a little guy that hadn’t seen much of the world.

Although Zhao Dayong and the other two were making a ruckus, they still had cultivation, and even with rough coordination, they should be more than enough to handle it.

Sure enough, the monster’s several charges were narrowly dodged by the three, and Zhao Dayong even managed to slash a gash on its back.

Under the pain, the monster’s ferocity was aroused, and it began to charge more fiercely.

Lin Xiao’s attention, however, was not on the battle in front of him.

His ears seemed to catch sounds from further away.

The sound of trees falling… enraged roars…

His heart jumped, and he instinctively looked toward the source of the sound.

It was the direction where he had sent off the mother and the Little Flower Pig.

“It can’t be…” he muttered to himself.

During his unsettled thoughts, Zhao Dayong and the others had already subdued the small Bristle Boar and were beginning to remove its tusks as proof of training.

He had just shifted his gaze away from Zhao Dayong when he saw three figures rolling down the slope.

It was Lu Renjia, Zhou Min, and Wu Min.

All three were in a mess, more or less injured, and covered in mud.

Fear was plastered on their faces, panting heavily, only focused on running forward, as if trying to escape something terrifying.

“H-Help…”

“Monster…”

They saw Lin Xiao but didn’t even recognize who he was, only instinctively wanting to flee in this direction.

Why only three?

Lin Xiao quickly rushed over and grabbed Lu Renjia by the collar.

“Where is Xiao Luoyi?!”

His voice was extremely agitated, veins bulging on his forehead, and the strength in his hand was almost lifting Lu Renjia off the ground.

Choked and unable to breathe, Lu Renjia looked at his face in terror.

After a few seconds, she recognized him as Lin Xiao.

“L-Let go of me!”

Lu Renjia struggled, her voice shrill.

“Who do you think you are, dare to…”

“I asked you, where is Xiao Luoyi?!”

Lin Xiao roared, tightening his grip on her collar.

Lu Renjia was intimidated by the look in his eyes.

“She, she didn’t escape…”

Lu Renjia’s voice trembled, losing its usual arrogance.

“That monster went after her… It’s not our fault! She was too slow!”

Zhou Min and Wu Min also stopped, collapsing to the ground and gasping for air.

Hearing Lu Renjia’s words, Zhou Min cried out,

“We, we only wanted to lure a Bristle Boar… to scare her… Who knew such a big one would show up!”

Wu Min shivered and said,

“That thing… that thing is three times the size of a normal Bristle Boar! Its spines are like iron spears!”

Lin Xiao’s mind went blank.

‘This wasn’t an ordinary Bristle Boar. Probably an elite monster from deep in the Misty Hidden Forest that had come to the outer area?’

But how could it come to the outer area?

Unless… after he sent off the mother and piglet, the vacated nest area attracted other predators.

He instantly understood everything.

It was his fault.

His self-righteous help had instead harmed her.

He had forgotten that this was a real cultivation world, not a step-by-step game code.

Monsters had their own survival rules and territorial disputes.

By luring the mother away, he had essentially left a good spot vacant, which naturally attracted a stronger creature.

“I… I’m such an idiot…”

Lin Xiao released Lu Renjia, staggered back a step, his face pale.

Once free, Lu Renjia immediately rolled a few steps away, staring at Lin Xiao in shock.

Zhou Min and Wu Min also struggled to get up.

The three exchanged glances and decided to flee quickly.

“Y-You’re going after her?”

Lu Renjia looked at Lin Xiao’s gaze toward the direction of the monster’s roar, incredulous.

“Are you crazy? That monster could tear you apart in one bite!”

Lin Xiao ignored her.

He didn’t even look at the three of them again.

He turned and began walking in the opposite direction from them.

“Hey! Are you really going to die?!”

Zhou Min shouted from behind.

Wu Min tugged at Zhou Min.

“Don’t mind him… Let’s go quickly…”

Zhao Dayong, Qian Erge, and Sun Sanjin, who still didn’t understand what was happening, looked at Lu Renjia’s group, then at Lin Xiao running away, and shouted,

“Junior Brother Lin! Where are you going?”

“Come back!”

“The mission’s done, we should go turn in the results!”