Sunset Warrior Chant - Chapter 49 - Magical Beast Garden (Part 4)

Following the tracks of the black rat, the group ventured deeper into the dense forest, searching for Lu Xiner while also looking for a suitable hiding place. After their encounter with the black rat, the seven companions understood the advantage of numbers. Even if Fu Qiruo’s group of four preferred not to have the other three accompany them, the latter were not willing to leave easily.

Half an hour later, they found the road previously cleared by the Ox-headed man and continued their search along this path. As they passed a pond, Xiao Gang caught two fish in the water. Along the way, they encountered several small beasts darting to and fro and caught a few for provisions.

However, as they carried on along the road, they came across multiple side paths, each diverging in three or four different directions. Xiao Gang suggested waiting at this intersection, where the paths were densely clustered, in hopes that the Ox-headed man might circle back. The group agreed, opting to lie in wait and take a rest, roasting their game to eat.

They had barely taken a few bites of cooked meat when a familiar rumbling noise reached them from afar. “The Ox-headed man is coming. Everyone, hide carefully,” Fu Qiruo warned. The group thought, “This time, we’re looking for the Ox-headed man, not hiding from it.”

The seven quickly packed up the meat and hid several meters away, keeping an eye on the direction of the approaching sound. Fu Qiruo watched intently and saw the silhouette of a girl racing towards them. He thought, “Senior sister is here.”

Something felt amiss to him, though. The girl was wearing red, whereas his senior sister’s clothes that day were green, chosen for better concealment in the forest as their master had advised. Had his senior sister found time to change clothes while escaping? He wasn’t sure if she had a spare outfit, but supposed it was normal for girls to carry an extra set.

As the girl drew nearer, Xiao Gang suddenly chuckled beside him, “It’s that little angel from paradise, the fire magic prodigy.” Indeed, it was Ye Shiqi approaching. Dressed in striking red, she stood out vividly in the dense forest. The Ox-headed man pursued her, but Ye Shiqi seemed unfazed, running with remarkable ease, clearly living up to her reputation as an outstanding mage level 3.

They heard her shout loudly, “You Ox-headed man, I just roasted a big fat pig, and you snatched it. You’ve really ticked me off. You think you can chase me? No way! Today, you’ll see what I’m made of. Let’s see if you can keep up with me around the entire Magical Beast Garden.”

The group suppressed laughter, thinking, “Who would dare to taunt the Ox-headed man like that? She really is fearless.” As the unlikely pair passed by, they also wondered, “Where on earth has Lu Xiner gone?”

Fu Qiruo’s eyes followed the movement of the Ox-headed man as he said, “It seems there’s more than one Ox-headed man. The one chasing senior sister appeared to have been injured by her. This one doesn’t have a scratch on its back.”

Yu An nodded in agreement, and everyone felt a chill run through them. It was tricky enough to find a place to hide from just one Ox-headed man-what would they do if there were more?

They stayed put and ate until they were full, pondering the need to find an open area or a cave as a refuge. The dense forest was fraught with danger and wasn’t a place for a prolonged stay. Fu Qiruo used wind magic to climb a tall tree, scanning the surroundings. The view was a sea of endless green, nothing but trees as far as the eye could see, making it difficult to find any path. Suddenly, Yu An suggested, “We could spend the night up in the trees.”

Everyone considered this and thought it might be a solution, albeit not a perfect one. Hiding in a tree might not be safe in the face of powerful magical beasts like the Ox-headed man, and even smaller magical beasts like the black rat could climb. Yu An’s face flushed, realizing his suggestion might have been a bit silly.

Xiao Gang laughed, “It’s actually a decent idea, better than anything I thought of.”

Yu An laughed back, “Not the worst option, I suppose. Haha!”

Fu Qiruo agreed, “Yes, hiding in the trees might provide temporary concealment.”

The group moved in one direction, cautiously avoiding large creatures but not encountering any unusually fast magical beasts. Level 3 and level 4 mages weren’t exactly slow, so they considered themselves relatively fortunate. They walked for an undetermined period, yet hadn’t cleared the forest when dusk began to settle in.

As night deepened, they dared not move about and had to rest in the woods without lighting a fire. Fu Qiruo saw how tired everyone was and said, “Let’s take turns keeping watch, two at a time. Xiao Gang and I will take the first two hours. You all get some sleep first.” The other five gathered dry branches and leaves to lie down together.

The forest grew entirely dark, devoid of any light. Fu Qiruo and Xiao Gang half-reclined against a large tree, watching in opposite directions. As Xiao Gang lay there, he recalled life in the small village, carefree and waiting for prey to show up. He couldn’t even remember where he had tossed his old, worn hat. As he sat, drowsiness crept over him, recalling the day’s tense battles-with the golden snake, the maneuvers avoiding the Ox-headed man, and the struggle with the black rat-all of which had drained his energy. Now, sitting there, his limbs felt weak, and sleep was pulling him under.

Fu Qiruo placed the Spirit Sword within arm’s reach, remaining very cautious as he occasionally glanced from side to side. Although he was also exhausted, he dared not close his eyes. Noticing Xiao Gang hadn’t made a sound for a while, he called out to him. Xiao Gang started awake and said, “I was about to fall asleep.”

Fu Qiruo said, “Hang in there. If we can get through tomorrow, we’ll make it safely to Yan Mountain Academy.” Xiao Gang replied, “If any magical beast comes, it will make some noise. It’s pitch black-who can see anything? I’ll just keep one eye open.”

Fu Qiruo felt his eyelids growing heavy. In the pitch darkness, there was little difference between keeping his eyes open or closed. It was as if a giant mouth of some monster hung above him. The stillness around him was unnerving; the silence was almost more frightening than any noise from a magical beast. Imagining what might be out there, he recalled the way the golden snake moved silently, and his nerves grew taut.

At this moment, Fu Qiruo felt as if he held the lives of all seven of them in his hands-a situation he had never experienced before. In the past, it was always the master, senior brother, or senior sister who took charge, leaving no room for him to make decisions or give commands. Now, however, he felt a sense of excitement at bearing responsibility, mixed with the uncertainty of pressure. Worried that Xiao Gang had fallen asleep, he frequently glanced in his direction, but all he saw was darkness.

The night stretched on, and after an unknown amount of time, the hoot of an owl startled Fu Qiruo back to full awareness. He realized he must have closed his eyes without noticing and instinctively reached for his sword. Finding the Spirit Sword still by his side reassured him. He scanned the surroundings but saw nothing unusual, exhaling deeply as he decided to rest his eyes for a moment.

Suddenly, something felt off. He opened his eyes to look more closely and noticed dozens of faint red glows drifting around them. Initially as small as pinpoints, these glows quickly grew to the size of lychee fruits, seemingly expanding rapidly. They resembled floating willow catkins, drawing nearer, but it was hard to judge their exact distance. If not for their gradual enlargement, he might not have noticed them at all. These faint red lights were unremarkable, yet in the darkness, how could there be such lights? Where were they coming from? Could it be some nocturnal plant in the dense forest?

He called out to Xiao Gang, but Xiao Gang was sleeping so deeply he might not have awakened even if a black rat was upon him. Yu An, however, suddenly woke up and asked, “Is it my turn to keep watch?”

Fu Qiruo replied, “No, but look at those small points of light. What are they?”

Yu An peered around, then leaped up in alarm, shouting, “Those are monocular wolves’ eyes! Everyone, get up, quickly!”

The people sleeping on the ground were jolted awake and quickly grabbed their gear. Yu An raised his hand to the sky and cast a light magic spell, using an illumination spell. A dazzling white light slowly rose from his fingertips, ascending like a bright flare and lighting up the area for dozens of meters around, turning night into day. The group could see that many monocular wolves were closing in on them from just a few meters away.

The monocular wolves looked like ordinary wolves in size, but they had unusual heads. They lacked the two eyes and ears on the sides of their faces, instead having a single round eye on their forehead that emitted a faint red glow.

In the darkness, the monocular wolves appeared entirely black, as if only their floating eye could be seen. The wolves circled around at a distance of several meters, not attacking immediately, as if their prey was already in the bag.

Yu An launched several Light Feather Arrows in different directions, and they revealed hundreds of monocular wolves scattered everywhere. The wolves seemed wary of the arrows as they came closer, dodging them. Two arrows struck the wolves, causing red blood to spray. The scent of blood caused a frenzy among the pack, their eyes turning bright red as they pounced on the injured, tearing them apart until only bones remained.

The group was filled with fear; these monocular wolves seemed even more terrifying than the black rat. Yu An remarked, “There are so many monocular wolves surrounding us, attempting a breakout seems impossible. Even if we did break out, the wolves can see in the dark, and escaping their pursuit would be difficult. Since they are level 2 magical beasts and only come out at night, they’ll vanish by day. Let’s stick to the old plan: those with swords stand at the front, and mages stay in the back to attack. Use light and fire magic if you can. Let’s try to hold out until morning.”

Just as they got into position, a few monocular wolves lunged forward. The wolves moved as swiftly as Wind Wolves and seemed slightly wary of the white glow from Yu An’s light magic, but they didn’t back down. Fu Qiruo stood at the front with the Spirit Sword, attempting to cast a fireball at a wolf charging from the left.

The monocular wolf dodged mid-air, then lunged at another person as it landed. Fu Qiruo was about to launch another fireball when two wolves from the right approached. One aimed for his knees while the other leaped toward his shoulder. He crouched low and sliced downward with the Spirit Sword, cleaving the first wolf in two. Feeling a rush of wind at his shoulder, Fu Qiruo sidestepped, knowing a second wolf was about to land on him. Suddenly, a long sword from beside him pierced the mouth of the attacking wolf.

The monocular wolf lunged forward, impaling itself on the long sword, its limbs trembling as it struggled. Fu Qiruo flicked the Spirit Sword, slicing the wolf into two, its blood spraying all over him. The scent of blood drew the pack closer, eager to attack.

Yu An fired a barrage of Light Feather Arrows at the wolves. The light magic demonstrated its power, suppressing the wolves’ frenzied assault. However, any slight pause in Yu An’s actions would allow the wolves to become fierce again, turning it into a relentless tug-of-war between him and the pack.

In the dim light, Fu Qiruo noticed sweat dripping from Yu An’s face and said, “You should conserve your strength and provide support. If you exhaust your magic without time to recover, the wolves will overwhelm us.”

Yu An launched a few more Light Feather Arrows before stepping back. Xiao Gang, Fu Qiruo, and Qi Nanshan stood side by side in defense. Behind them were a level 4 swordsman and two mages. After the battle with the black rat, those who remained were considered the elite among the candidates. The level 4 swordsman unleashed golden sword energy, keeping the wolves at bay. A fire mage joined in the attack, with the other mage assisting, effectively keeping the wolves outside their defensive circle.

The monocular wolves attacked relentlessly, and everyone was drenched in sweat as they fought back fiercely. The ground was littered with wolf corpses, and after a short while, their strength began to wane. Yu An noticed Qi Nanshan wielding a large knife as wolves closed in. Qi Nanshan managed to slice them into pieces, but he was visibly unsteady, occasionally staggering back. It suddenly occurred to Yu An that he had been injured by the Ox-headed man earlier. Yu An jumped forward and launched Light Feather Arrows, injuring several wolves in front of Qi Nanshan, relieving some of the pressure on him.

Everyone was covered in blood, and the wolves, lured by the scent, kept pressing forward. The group retreated until they were backed up against a large tree, big enough for three people to encircle. They formed a circle with their backs to the tree.

Fu Qiruo surveyed the scene, noting that everyone was struggling to hold their ground, using all their strength. He looked at the towering tree behind them, over twenty meters tall, and said to Qi Nanshan, “You go up the tree first, and we’ll follow.”

Qi Nanshan nodded, took a deep breath, and grabbed the tree trunk with all his might. With two loud “thunk” sounds, wood chips flew, revealing two fist-sized holes in the tree. He leapt up, placing his feet in the holes, and quickly climbed higher, using both hands and feet to create more handholds until he reached a high branch.

Fu Qiruo instructed, “Yu An, you go up and cast magic on the wolves.”

Yu An followed the holes Qi Nanshan had made, quickly climbing up. From the elevated position, he cast another illumination spell. The glowing red eyes of the monocular wolves dimmed, and the pack hesitated and backed off. The two other mages quickly climbed the tree as well. Perched up high, they launched a fierce magical attack on the wolves, ensuring that the remaining party members could safely get off the ground.