In truth, Ming Qi had long known someone was following him. Who was he? In his previous life, he was the only one who tracked and hunted others, so how could he be followed by others?
Now, seeing someone following him, he got inspired and deliberately controlled his speed to the utmost precision, allowing her to see him without overtaking him.
At first, he hadn't known the girl's motive, but now, after hearing her words, Ming Qi understood. The pretty girl in black was the one who had saved the fat man that night.
Looking at the breathless little boy beside her, how could Ming Qi not understand?
"Purple Yuan Feather? What purple yuan feather? Why didn't I see it?"
Ming Qi deliberately didn't say that he had picked up the purple yuan feather himself.
In fact, he had always wondered: if the girl in black was simply looking for the ornament made of the purple yuan feather, then how did she know it was in Ming Qi's possession?
"You're lying, you scoundrel!"
Zhengyao, standing nearby, gasped for breath and glared.
Ming Qi ignored little Zhengyao and instead looked at Ziyuan and smiled, "I did you a huge favor that night, and you didn't even say thank you or anything?"
Ziyuan bit her lip and said coldly, "I didn't ask you for any help. Give me back the Purple Yuan Feather!"
Her hand remained stretched out before Ming Qi, her slender fingers looking incredibly pretty. It looked as if she would keep holding out her hand if Ming Qi didn't give her the Purple Yuan Feather.
Ming Qi, intent on teasing the beautiful girl, deliberately withheld the Purple Yuan Feather he had found. He could see how much it meant to the girl.
Ming Qi yawned lazily and then sat down leisurely on a rock at the top of the mountain.
"To tell you the truth, I did pick up that purple harbinger feather you mentioned, but I saw it was useless, so I threw it away."
"Threw it away? Where did you throw it?"
Hearing Ming Qi say she'd thrown the purple harbinger feather away again, Zi Yuan's face suddenly turned anxious. She quickly questioned, her outstretched hand dropping.
"Ah..."
Ming Qi sighed inwardly. How could this girl be so gullible, believing any lie.
"But it seems the purple harbinger feather is truly important to her."
After a moment's thought, Ming Qi was about to speak when the little boy suddenly pointed a finger at her and shouted, "Sister Zi Yuan, that guy's teasing you!"
Instantly, a shocking revelation!
As soon as these words were spoken, Zi Yuan's face flushed bright red, a vibrant color like a delicate flower in full bloom.
"Sister Zi Yuan, the purple harbinger feather is on him. I saw it!"
The little boy persisted.
"Hurry, give me the Purple Yuan Feather back, or I'll..."
Although she was visibly mortified and furious, Zi Yuan froze mid-sentence.
Hit him? She was no match for him. Scold him? She wasn't one for scolding, and besides, this jerk didn't seem to be intimidated by insults.
Zi Yuan truly didn't know what to do.
Seeing the beautiful girl before him blushing and with a deeply troubled expression, Ming Qi felt a mixture of affection and pity. However, he also had his own ulterior motives. If he readily gave her the Purple Yuan Feather, he might never see this peerless beauty again. This was why he was so reluctant to hand it over.
"The moon is so round today!"
Ming Qi looked at Zi Yuan, speaking ramblingly and slowly.
"You! Shameless!"
Seeing Ming Qi so carefree and carefree, Zi Yuan stamped her foot in anger, wanting to smack him.
"Well, young lady, I'll help you..."
Ming Qi was halfway through his words when a cold glint suddenly flashed in his eyes. He leaped up, gazing around at the night sky and the forest. Then, his expression grave, he declared, "This place is dangerous. Leave!"
Awoo...
As Ming Qi spoke, long, deep wolf howls echoed from all directions.
Zi Yuan, bewildered, was lost in thought. Beside her, Xiao Zhengyao clasped her hands together, and a golden light suddenly flashed, followed by the appearance of a small, irregular stone.
"Sister Zi Yuan, no! A black-backed wolf!"
Zi Yuan's expression changed instantly at the mention of a black-backed wolf.
The black-backed wolf is a second-level demonic beast, incredibly fast and powerful. When it appears, it's usually quiet, but when it does, it swarms.
Wolves often appear on full moon nights, craving the moon.
Hearing the little boy's words, Ming Qi looked up at the sky and saw a silvery, round moon hanging high in the sky. It was a full moon night!
Ming Qi naturally understood the dangers of the black-backed wolves.
"Hurry!"
Ming Qi shouted, awakening the still-shocked Zi Yuan, and quickly ran down the mountain.
As the three of them reached the foot of the mountain, they saw wolves swarming around them. It seemed these bloodthirsty black-backed wolves had identified them as prey and were closing in.
Awoo, awoo!
The shrill howls echoed one after another.
"What should we do! Sister Zi Yuan, we're surrounded by wolves!"
Although Xiao Zhengyao had the ability to peer into the void, he was no warrior and had no fighting power. Although he had a certain amount of speed, he had no chance of survival against the wolves.
"What are you afraid of? Just kill them!"
Ming Qi wasn't afraid at all. He had already reached the fifth level of the Acquired Realm, and was as light as a swallow and as swift as a horse. A second-level Black-backed Gray Wolf's combat power was, at best, the sixth level of the Acquired Realm. If he couldn't defeat them, he could simply run away.
The Black-backed Gray Wolf quickly closed the circle around them. In just a few breaths, Ming Qi had a rough idea of the Black-backed Gray Wolf's strength.
There were about twenty Black-backed Gray Wolfs in the pack, and the faint presence of a Wolf King was visible among them.
Paying special attention to the Wolf King, Ming Qi discovered that the Wolf King's strength was only about the sixth level of the Acquired Realm, while the rest of the pack was generally around the fourth or fifth level.
"Miss Ziyuan, the Black-backed Gray Wolf is adept at encirclement and destruction, capable of both offense and defense. Keep in step with me and protect your little brother."
Ming Qi no longer had the time to tease the beautiful girl, and instead focused his attention on the movements of the wolves.
Although only one wolf king in the pack had reached the sixth level of the Acquired Realm, as he had said, the pack excelled at encirclement and destruction, possessing both offensive and defensive prowess. Once they formed a solid barrier, breaking through would be extremely difficult.
The wolves drew closer, but the wolf king, maintaining a distance from Ming Qi and the others, continuously howled to the heavens, as if issuing orders, resembling a mastermind.
Swish!
At that moment, Ming Qi's hand flashed, the bloody spear in hand. With a single charge, he charged towards the wolf king!
Ming Qi's footsteps shifted, leaving a barely perceptible afterimage behind him. He was like a whirlwind.
Zi Yuan hesitated for a moment, then pulled Zheng Yao along and followed with all her might.
Capture the king first!
Ming Qi was applying this principle. The wolf king was the core of the pack's encirclement and destruction. As long as the wolf king was slain, the pack would be leaderless and utterly undaunted.
Swish! Under the night sky, Ming Qi was the only one seen leading the charge across the wilderness, his blood-stained spear brimming with power, its icy gleam gleaming.
Zi Yuan also grasped her dagger, warily observing her surroundings.
Ah!
The wolf king seemed quite intelligent. Upon seeing Ming Qi and his companions charging towards him, he let out a resounding howl, and the surrounding wolves immediately closed in on Ming Qi, methodically and orderly.
"Sure enough!"
At this moment, a massive black-backed wolf, over three meters tall, was within striking distance of Ming Qi. The blood-stained spear in Ming Qi's hand suddenly shifted, drawing a strange curve in the air and instantly slashing towards the wolf's head.
His movements were incredibly swift, and the spear had already arrived in a flash of thought. The wolf, sensing the imminent danger, arched its body and leaped with all its might. But before it could even leap, Ming Qi's spear had already pierced the wolf's head with pinpoint accuracy.
Blood, flesh, and the pitiful howls of wolves splattered everywhere.
Ming Qi's strikes were swift, fierce, and precise. He stabbed the leading wolf to death with a single strike, then spun around, changing direction and stabbing another.
Swish, swish, swish!
In a matter of breaths, Ming Qi had pierced the heads of three wolves.
Zi Yuan, who was following behind Ming Qi, paled at the sight. She knew this man was stronger than her, but she hadn't expected him to be so formidable. He immediately struck first, dispatching all three wolves.
"Find a chance to leave and head for Santai Town."
Ming Qi's fierce battles, after killing three wolves in a row, left him gasping for air.
A warrior in the Acquired Realm relies purely on physical strength in combat. The more the physical limits are developed, the greater the power that can be unleashed. Ming Qi's physical strength was now incredibly formidable. For an ordinary warrior, defeating him in this tightly organized wolf pack would be incredibly difficult.
The Wolf King in the distance erupted in fury. Amidst howls, the remaining wolves began to charge madly at Ming Qi and his companions. Their sharp claws bared, they charged recklessly.
As the wolves charged, the Wolf King also leaped forward.
The most deadly aspect of a wolf pack's encirclement and attack was this relentless charge. Anyone facing countless razor-sharp claws would tremble with fear, plunging them into an endless crisis.
"I'll hold the Wolf King captive, you two leave!"
Ming Qi no longer cared. He swung his bloody spear like a wheel, sweeping across the scene.
Pa pa pa!
Several wolves were instantly repelled by the immense force, but almost immediately, Ming Qi's body was torn and bleeding from the sharp claws.
A searing pain instantly washed over him.
The claws of this black-backed wolf were not only razor-sharp, but also laced with a debilitating poison, a major fearsome aspect of the black-backed wolf.
At this point, Ming Qi realized he couldn't exert his full strength.
Puff!
The spear pierced another giant wolf, and his right leg was also torn by the claws.
For Ming Qi, this was a brutal battle. Facing a wolf pack alone tested not only his fighting prowess and skill, but more importantly, his will.
When facing a wolf pack, a breach in the Great Wall of Will meant certain death!
Bang, bang, bang!
Ming Qi fired three more powerful shots, finally carving a tiny gap between the wolves. However, the gap was only a flash before it was blocked by an even larger wolf. It was the wolf king who had been commanding the pack.
"Hurry, move! What are you standing there for?!"
Ming Qi turned and saw Zi Yuan, dazed. He roared in anger, took a few steps forward, grabbed Zi Yuan's shoulders, and flung her with all his might toward the back of the pack.
Ming Qi had no time to appreciate the slippery feel of his tentacles. In an instant, with his full force, he flung Zi Yuan, along with Zheng Yao, the child she was holding, out of the wolf pack's encirclement!