Like elsewhere, this place was full of uneven rocks, but upon closer inspection, one could find a five-pointed star of broken stones, perhaps naturally formed, surrounding an even less noticeable small stone. Leng Jue suddenly grabbed Ouyang Yue's hand and slammed his right hand hard against the small stone: "Hold your breath."
Ouyang Yue was startled and immediately shut her mouth and stopped breathing. At the same time, the rocks in front of them suddenly split open, and then an extremely fierce black current surged out. Leng Jue's eyes flashed like lightning. The moment he saw the rocks split open, he grabbed Ouyang Yue and rushed in. Ouyang Yue's eyes widened slightly, but she alertly shut her mouth and stopped breathing.
The black aura had already spread out. Gui Sha and his men arrived a step later than Ouyang Yue and Leng Jue. Seeing the two enter, they immediately quickened their pace and rushed away. However, the moment the black aura rushed over, Gui Sha's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively ran backward.
The dark-looking mist slowly spread out, and Gui Sha said urgently, "Retreat quickly, get out of there, this might be poison gas."
However, it was too late for him to speak. The five men who had rushed ahead suddenly began to convulse, water gushing from their orifices and foaming at the mouth. They collapsed to the ground with several thuds. The men in black who were a little further away immediately fled back, filled with fear.
After a while, the black mist in the air had dissipated, and Gui Sha said, "Go and see if they're still alive."
A man in black immediately approached cautiously, then his expression changed: "Leader, they're all dead."
Ghost Killer's heart tightened. These subordinates were elites of the Bloodthirsty Alliance, each more skilled than ten ordinary assassins in the organization. Yet, five of them had been poisoned to death by the black energy, without any ability to resist. These were the men he had painstakingly trained, and now five of them had been lost. Ghost Killer's face contorted with hatred: "Stand here! The Heavenly Mountains are fraught with danger. I refuse to believe they'll emerge unscathed. Even if they do, I'll make sure they die by my hand."
As soon as Ouyang Yue and Leng Jue rushed into the Tianshan Mountains, their bodies suddenly swayed without warning, and they both fell to the ground!
☆、108、The Cold and Resolute Persistence!
"Thump, thump!" With two sounds, Ouyang Yue and Leng Jue fell down at the same time. The two were immediately shocked. Leng Jue had already grabbed Ouyang Yue's hand. Then the two felt a sudden drop and sank down. There was a secret passage here.
Ignoring everything else, the two held on tightly. Separation was the worst thing to do at a time like this, and the two of them could still offer each other some help in this crucial moment.
However, the feeling of falling did not disappear; instead, it became more and more intense. The fierce and powerful air around them became as sharp as knives, cutting into their faces. The two bit their lips tightly to prevent air from getting in. They still remembered the black fog from before and instinctively felt a sense of crisis, making them extremely alert to everything around them and not daring to be careless in the slightest.
In this sinking tunnel, the surrounding scenery was like a fast-forwarding film, falling rapidly. Visibility was extremely difficult, and the two tried their best to see clearly, but it was very difficult. At the same time, they were also very anxious because their bodies were sinking continuously, and they could not make any effort at all. There were only two possible outcomes: rescue or death or serious injury, and the first possibility was very low.
Ouyang Yue bit her tongue, instantly clearing her mind. She immediately reached for her head, grabbed a hairpin haphazardly, and began to plummet downwards. Due to gravity, Ouyang Yue and Leng Jue fell faster than the hairpin, but both tried their best to stare wide-eyed around. Ouyang Yue bit her lip and said, "Hold on tight."
Leng Jue stretched out his arms and hugged Ouyang Yue tightly. At the same time, Ouyang Yue grabbed the Immortal Binding Lock from her waist and began to swing it against the cave wall. As the force and accuracy of the fall were affected, Ouyang Yue could only swing it haphazardly. She also had a bit of luck involved in this. As long as she could hook one side, she could temporarily stop them.
"Sizzle." Suddenly, a sound rang out, and Ouyang Yue's heart skipped a beat. She twisted her wrist and wrapped the Immortal Binding Lock around her wrist. "Ugh!" The next moment, Ouyang Yue was in pain and broke out in a cold sweat. It was really a bit of a stretch to support the strength of two people with only one arm. Leng Jue immediately stretched out his other hand to hold her head and relieve Ouyang Yue's pain: "How are you? Are you alright?"
Ouyang Yue took a deep breath, shook her head, and looked up at the protruding natural rock above her, which was temporarily bound by the Immortal Binding Lock. For now, things should be alright. The two then secretly observed the secret passage, or rather, the cave. It was likely naturally formed, with jagged rock walls, wide and extremely deep. They had descended at least twenty meters, and looking down, they could only see a dark hole. Ouyang Yue and Leng Jue remained silent, waiting quietly.
"Snap, thud." A very faint sound rang out, causing Leng Jue and Ouyang Yue to jolt. The hairpin was far lighter than two living people; they had already found their designated spot, and even if the hairpin was slow, it should have landed long ago. The fact that it was only falling now could only mean one thing: it was still very deep below. Based on their calculations, it was about thirty or forty meters deep. If they had fallen directly from there, they would probably be smashed to pieces by now. Even with all her courage, Ouyang Yue was terrified.
Leng Jue glanced around, her eyes darkening. They were stuck in the middle of the cave; falling would mean certain death or serious injury, but climbing back up to this height was impossible. They only had one long binding cloth, and the rock face was made of natural materials that were difficult to secure. If they weren't careful, they could fall even harder when they reached the top. It was a real problem for the two of them. Leng Jue pondered, "Perhaps we should go down. The fact that the hairpin fell down earlier means that the ground below is solid, which would actually be better for us."
Ouyang Yue nodded: "I also have a dagger in my boot, which can help with climbing, but climbing down is not easy."
Leng Jue nodded and said, "I still have two daggers on me, plus your Immortal Binding Lock, we can give it a try."
Ouyang Yue nodded, secretly observing the cave, her brows furrowing slightly. The uneven walls of the cave could help them climb and slide down, but how far down was it? This was a headache. Considering their current predicament, she said, "Alright, let's give it a try."
Leng Jue immediately pulled a black iron dagger from his boot. The dagger was intricately carved, and it gripped a coiled Qilin beast that held a thumb-sized, lustrous ruby in its mouth—clearly an extraordinary and valuable item. Leng Jue didn't care; he swiftly pulled it out and plunged it into the wall in front of him, gripping it tightly. At the same time, Ouyang Yue pulled out a dagger from her boot, and with the Immortal Binding Lock in her left and right hands respectively, she and Leng Jue exchanged a glance. Their bodies instantly slashed, and a rush of cold air penetrated their bodies, yet they managed to maintain their composure.
"Sizzle!"
"Magnetic..."
"Sizzle!"
"Magnetic..."
The sound of the two men sliding down the stone wall and then slamming against it to steady themselves echoed continuously, while the whistling wind made their hearts clench with tension.
They were about ten meters below the wall. Leng Jue's twin daggers were embedded in the wall's edge. He stood on the wall, breathing heavily, his legs moving up and down. Slightly above him, Ouyang Yue's hand, gripping the dagger tightly, trembled. Her other wrist was tightly bound by the Immortal Binding Lock, and from the exposed skin, it was bruised and bleeding. Both of them were drenched in sweat. This was definitely not as simple as they had imagined, and they were constantly on edge. Although this mission wasn't as dangerous as the ones in Ouyang Yue's previous life, this wasn't modern times. They lacked many survival supplies, creating an invisible difficulty for them. Even Ouyang Yue's heart was pounding with fear. Taking a deep breath, Ouyang Yue said, "Let's go down. If we stay here too long, our situation will be even more dangerous when the sun sets." If they couldn't reach the bottom when it got dark, their vision would be severely impaired, making things even more difficult and risky.
“Alright, you go first.” Leng Jue understood this as well and said.
Ouyang Yue nodded slightly, then suddenly slashed her body down half a meter. Immediately, she used her arm to thrust the dagger into the wall, while her other hand flung out the Immortal Binding Lock. Leng Jue did the same. They repeated this for an unknown amount of time until Ouyang Yue's wrists were raw and bleeding profusely. Suddenly, Leng Jue exclaimed in surprise, "I can see the ground!"
Ouyang Yue was overjoyed and quickly slid her body downwards. Leng Jue immediately followed suit, and the two of them repeated this action more than ten times. Finally, they flashed and jumped to the ground.
The moment they landed, their legs went weak and Ouyang Yue and Leng Jue collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. Their hearts pounded in their chests. For a while, the only sounds in the cave were their heavy breathing and the pounding of their hearts.
The two gradually calmed down. Ouyang Yue squatted down and took a few steps, picking up the hairpin that had fallen to the ground. The hairpin head and branch were already broken into four pieces, so broken that they couldn't be broken any further. "This cave is at least sixty meters deep. If it was formed naturally, then it's understandable why so many people wanted to enter Tianshan Mountain, but in the end, they all disappeared without a trace." Ouyang Yue looked around again and found several skeletons lying or leaning against the wall in the corner.
Leng Jue looked at them and pondered, "However, these few skeletons are far fewer than the number of people who supposedly disappeared in the Tianshan Mountains. They probably don't even amount to a fraction of the total."
Ouyang Yue nodded. If the first person to enter Tianshan would fall into this cave and be smashed to pieces, or if they fell safely like them, there would be more than ten bodies. Among them were groups of two or three huddled together, clearly indicating three or four groups of travelers. Although the events in Tianshan were exaggerated to emphasize the danger, the number of people was obviously much higher. Ouyang Yue's eyes lit up, and she exchanged a glance with Leng Jue. The two began searching the cave.
The two of them hammered and banged for a while, but to no avail. This place seemed no different from other places. Suddenly, Ouyang Yue had a flash of inspiration: "You have good internal strength, try blasting it here."
Leng Jue's eyes flashed, and he immediately understood. He swung his sword, striking the wall in front of Ouyang Yue. There was only a loud bang and a few pieces of gravel fell down, then there was no more sound. Leng Jue turned around and swung his palm backward.
"Boom!"
A loud noise shook the wall, and cracks began to appear on the opposite wall. Leng Jue immediately jumped back, extending his arm to shield Ouyang Yue against the wall. Two meters down, the wall suddenly cracked downwards, revealing an irregular line that spread outwards to the left and right. Leng Jue and Ouyang Yue were overjoyed; they hadn't expected this to be an exit. Once the wall cracked open, a narrow passage, about a meter wide and two meters long, opened up inside. The two immediately stepped inside. Staying trapped in this cave would have meant certain death; this passage was a godsend.
The two walked slowly through the dark passage, only to find candlesticks lined up on both sides. Ouyang Yue immediately took out a tinderbox and lit one of them, then held it and continued forward with Leng Jue. For a moment, only the faint candlelight flickered in the passage, and the occasional soft footsteps added to the eeriness. After walking for a while, they turned and came to a stone path about ten meters long. Upon arriving here, their hearts tightened instantly, and an instinctive alertness made them squint and scan their surroundings.
The two walked slowly, and Leng Jue's eyes suddenly sharpened: "Don't move, something's strange here."
"Roar!" At the same time, a rumbling sound echoed through the stone passage, followed by the gradual rise of the path in front of them. As it moved, a rumbling sound also arose within the stone chamber. Soon, the stone chamber fell silent again, revealing a cluster of wooden stakes that had sprung up irregularly in front of Leng Jue and Ouyang Yue. Each stake was only about the size of a pair of adult feet, standing quietly together, yet it caused Ouyang Yue and Leng Jue's expressions to change slightly. These things suddenly rising in this stone chamber were not just for fun. Baili Chen immediately pulled out the ruby from his dagger, flicked it, and the ruby immediately bounced onto a nearby stake. At the same time, countless arrows shot out from all around the stone walls, swirling towards the central stake. The area was quite wide, descending from all directions, instantly evoking the word "densely packed," before disappearing without a trace.
Ouyang Yue and Leng Jue saw that the wooden stake where Leng Jue's ruby had been launched earlier was now riddled with arrows. They could imagine that if anyone had walked on it, they would be riddled with arrows. This mechanism was truly formidable. Moreover, the ruby was merely a thumb-sized toy, with little weight; its gentle landing had triggered the mechanism. One could imagine how powerful it was—even birds couldn't fly over it, let alone a human.
Ouyang Yue said in a deep voice, "This Tianshan Mountain is a naturally formed, mysterious mountain. How could there be so many hidden passages and mechanisms inside?" If they had assumed the cave about sixty meters deep outside was naturally formed, they couldn't fool themselves after seeing the mechanisms here. The ingenuity of these mechanisms was beyond the capabilities of ordinary people. If Elder Tie were here, they could study them together, but now they were a problem for them.
Leng Jue pondered. They had slid down the cave outside with great effort, and even three times the effort wouldn't be enough to get back up. The path behind them was blocked, and now they could only try their best to get past this mechanism. He said in a deep voice, "It seems we can only go forward. We probably can't get past the mechanism. The wooden stakes here are all the same size, but their arrangement is very peculiar. If I'm not mistaken, this should be a Five Elements Formation, a derivative of the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation."
"The Five Elements Formation?" Ouyang Yue was slightly taken aback. As a modern person and a special agent, she needed various disguises to complete different missions. In such situations, she also needed to learn various skills. It could be said that she had a broad range of skills, and although she couldn't be said to be proficient in everything, she was quite capable. She had even dabbled in some marching formations, and she had also heard of the Eight Trigrams Formation.
The so-called Eight Trigrams are also known as the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation. Nine is the extreme of numbers, derived from the number three of the six lines. The Book of Changes says: One begets two, two begets three, and three begets all things. There is also the saying that Taiji begets Yin and Yang, Yin and Yang beget the Four Symbols, the Four Symbols beget the Eight Trigrams, and the Eight Trigrams transform into sixty-four lines, thus creating an endless cycle of change.
As long as one follows the rules of the Eight Trigrams Formation, the types and difficulty of the formation can be derived and improved based on the talent and ability of the person casting it. Ouyang Yue had also studied the Eight Trigrams Formation in her previous life. However, because this formation is extremely mysterious, you might have just figured out how to break one of the formations, but with a slight change, another different formation would emerge. The wonder of its variations is something that no one can master in a short time. Precisely because they understood the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation and knew its mysteries, they also knew that the Five Elements Formation was by no means an easy formation to break.
Moreover, the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation, if used by a skilled practitioner, can also generate illusionary formations and other offensive formations. The Five Elements Formation is considered a very sophisticated offensive formation. It seems that perhaps they entered the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation the moment they entered the Tianshan Mountains and fell into this cave. With their retreat blocked and only the path forward accessible, the Five Elements Formation has become a dead end, a death gate. Normally, breaking the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation requires finding four gates: the Gate of Life, the Gate of Rest, the Gate of Opening, and the Gate of Death. However, the person who set up the formation directly used this tunnel as the main base, using the entire cave as the formation. They must now overcome these wooden stakes to suddenly break the Five Elements Formation. But these wooden stakes now appear to be the death gates within the Five Elements Formation. Finding the four gates—the Gate of Life, the Gate of Rest, and the Gate of Opening—is for breaking the formation, while the death gate is for avoiding. Now, this has become the key to breaking the formation, or perhaps the Five Elements Formation has no way to be broken, and is entirely a death gate? How is that possible?
Leng Jue squinted at the front and said, "I once read about the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation in a book. The inventor of this formation was a prince of the previous dynasty. This prince was exceptionally gifted from a young age. He could speak at six months old, compose poetry at three, and practice martial arts at the age of ten. He was incredibly talented, knowledgeable in astronomy and geography, and was known as the greatest genius of his time. Unfortunately, the emperor of the previous dynasty was a mediocre and pleasure-seeking person. As the prince's talent was gradually praised, he became jealous and fearful of him. He sent the prince away under the pretext of the prince suddenly falling ill, and eventually killed him. Some unofficial histories and rare books mention that this prince researched a killing formation called the Five Elements Formation."
Ouyang Yue's expression hardened. Although the previous dynasty had been destroyed and the current dynasty was most reluctant to mention it, some unofficial histories inevitably circulated. And these unofficial histories were not just about romantic tales. The Five Elements Formation was mentioned in these unofficial histories as a killing formation, so it was naturally no ordinary formation. "But this Five Elements Formation is here. Do you think the former prince escaped by sheer luck, or was there another successor before?" Ouyang Yue pursed her lips and looked intently at the Five Elements Formation, without expecting Leng Jue to answer her question.
Leng Jue also looked at the formation seriously: "We still have enough rations for a few more days."
"Only three days." To avoid any oversights, Ouyang Yue and Leng Jue had packed their essential supplies, such as dry food and water, into cloth belts and tied them tightly to their bodies. Otherwise, they would have lost them long ago when they were being chased by the Blood Alliance. But this was definitely not a long-term solution.
"We don't have much time. It would be best to break the formation within two days." This was based on the amount of food they had prepared. They had just entered and encountered this Five Elements Formation. Who knew what would happen next? However, the danger would be greater after they left, but perhaps the chances of survival would also be greater. They couldn't waste any more time here.
Leng Jue's eyes were deep in thought, while Ouyang Yue also stared intently at the Five Elements Formation, taking in the entire formation. A typical Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation is arranged with eight gates: Rest, Life, Injury, Block, View, Death, Shock, and Open. These eight gates are essential elements of the formation, none can be missing. Leng Jue said this was a Five Elements Formation evolved from the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation, but logically, it still couldn't escape the fundamental principles; otherwise, it wouldn't be a formation at all, and wouldn't be called the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation. However, among the eight gates of the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation, they could only see one: the Death Gate…
“Life is death, and death is life. It seems that this place is both a gate of life and a gate of death. But this gate of life is a gate of death that even a sparrow cannot pass through,” Ouyang Yue said with a somber expression.
However, Leng Jue's expression changed at this moment. He carefully considered Ouyang Yue's words, then suddenly picked up the pouch he carried with him. Inside the pouch were gold beads of all sizes. He held them in his hand and suddenly "puff puff puff" and shot them at the many wooden stakes. "Swish swish swish" and "clang clang clang" arrows shot densely through the air, and many wooden stakes were riddled with holes. Ouyang Yue squinted and stared, her eyes constantly scanning the many wooden stakes.
"Puff puff puff".
"Swish, swish, swish."
"Ta-da!"
The stone path echoed with the sounds of Leng Jue continuously launching golden beads and arrows falling, yet Leng Jue and Ouyang Yue's expressions gradually softened: "This is indeed the Gate of Life."
"Break the formation, let's go!" Leng Jue shouted, and the two quickly ran to the far side of the stone path, leaping and running on the wooden stakes. It turned out that Leng Jue and Ouyang Yue's idea was to deplete the arrow array in the Five Elements Formation. They did not believe that the arrows were inexhaustible. Of course, even if the arrows were inexhaustible, they did not believe that the Five Elements Formation was perfect without any flaws. As long as they found the weakest point in the formation, it might be a place to rest or open the door, which would make breaking the formation much easier.
"Don't linger, let's get out of here first." Ouyang Yue said as they stepped onto the other side. The two nodded at the same time and ran into the stone path as soon as they stepped onto the ground. Perhaps the person who set up the formation was too confident in it, because after passing the Five Elements Formation, they did not encounter any other difficult formations. They ran for about half an hour, and when the first ray of sunlight shone in, the two breathed a long sigh of relief.
Ouyang Yue wiped away her sweat, feeling somewhat annoyed. She felt deceived by the old monk Minghui's appearance. She didn't want to owe anyone a favor, but repaying it this time was a life-or-death matter. She would not rest until she got some money from the old monk Minghui to calm her nerves.
"Let's go take a look ahead," Leng Jue said. Ouyang Yue complained, but she didn't dare to hesitate at all.
They should have just reached the true border of the Tianshan Mountains. Here, lush greenery surrounds them, colorful flowers occasionally embrace several towering ancient trees, birds sing incessantly in the mountains, and even the white clouds in the sky seem within reach. It is so beautiful that it seems unreal.
The two stood close together, observing the terrain from either side, walking along a clearing in the mountains. They hadn't spotted any creatures for a while when suddenly the scenery changed. Their faces darkened immediately, for as soon as the view shifted, a pack of wolves appeared before them! Was the previous formation also an illusion?!
The two exchanged a glance, their eyes twitching, and Ouyang Yue immediately shouted, "Run!"
The two turned and ran away. Ouyang Yue's lips twitched. She finally understood that the old monk Minghui was definitely playing her for a fool. She hadn't had a moment of peace since entering the Tianshan territory. First, she encountered the remnants of the Bloodthirsty Alliance, then she fell into the Five Elements Formation, then she encountered the Illusion Formation, and now she had encountered so many dogs. Damn it, they were trying to kill her!
Seeing the two flee, the pack of wolves immediately howled. Their eyes gleamed green, their mouths slightly open, revealing bright red tongues and sharp teeth, their expressions ferocious as they looked at Ouyang Yue and Leng Jue as if they were lambs to the slaughter. Although the two ran extremely fast, they were still slower than the pack of hungry wolves.
Ouyang Yue looked back and saw that in no time they were only a few meters apart.
"Awoo! Awoo! Awoo!" A loud wolf howl came from behind, followed by a chorus of howls from a pack of wolves.
"Shoot the wolf's head!" Ouyang Yue thought to herself. She pressed her hand tightly against the hidden weapon necklace around her neck. These wolves were known for their love of group attacks. If one was killed, a whole pack would come to swarm and attack. But if their wolf leader died, they would inevitably panic. This was their chance.
"Watch out!" Suddenly, Leng Jue pushed Ouyang Yue away. Ouyang Yue's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately flung the Immortal Binding Lock in her hand onto a tree trunk not far away. Then, her whole body suddenly plummeted: "Grab me!"
Then Ouyang Yue couldn't help but yell angrily, "Shit!"
She felt her body sinking deeper and deeper, as if something was swallowing them up. Leng Jue's eyes were deep and unfathomable: "Oh no, it's a swamp."
Ouyang Yue growled, "What a clever bunch of beasts." The wolves suddenly slowed down after running a few steps. They had known there was a swamp here, but they were probably in more danger here than facing the wolves. Fortunately, she had used the Immortal Binding Lock to secure the tree trunk.
But at that moment, the wolves suddenly moved. Staring at Ouyang Yue and Leng Jue, who remained motionless in the swamp, they turned and circled the Immortal-Binding Lock on the tree trunk. Ouyang Yue's heart was in her throat. However, these wolves weren't entirely heartless; after circling them once, they finally lined up on the land in front of the swamp, seemingly watching them mock, or perhaps waiting for them to come ashore before hunting them. This behavior, however, brought a slight sense of relief to Ouyang Yue and Leng Jue. If these wolves had taken advantage of their vulnerability to kill them, or kicked them while they were down, they would have been finished.
Ouyang Yue gripped the Immortal Binding Lock tightly, constantly raising her hands and feet above the swamp. Leng Jue, besides holding onto Ouyang Yue with one hand, did the same. When their bodies were floating on the clouds, Ouyang Yue shouted, "Quick!"
The two immediately put their strength together, and Ouyang Yue pulled hard on the Immortal Binding Lock. Using this force, they were propelled directly onto the shore. As soon as they reached the shore, the pack of wolves began to stir, but they were too weak to fight. Ouyang Yue and Leng Jue exchanged a glance, and suddenly half-unbuttoned their clothes, throwing all the dry rations tied inside to the wolves. What they had brought were liver and some dried meat, which, although not enough for the wolves, at least temporarily alleviated their crisis.
As soon as the food was thrown, wolves sniffed it and howled. A tall gray wolf from the pack stepped out, its head slightly raised, and stared intently at Ouyang Yue and Leng Jue for a moment before turning away to eat the liver. The food for the two wasn't enough for half the pack. When they turned back to look at them with gleaming green eyes, Ouyang Yue suddenly said, "I'm a famous chef in the capital. Anything in my hands becomes incredibly delicious. For example, these wild herbs—I can make them even more delicious than the meat you eat. How about it, want to try?"
A pack of wolves looked at Ouyang Yue with confusion, but Ouyang Yue only stared at the wolf king. She had just discovered that these wolves were very intelligent, and they hadn't taken advantage of their misfortune. If they had broken her Immortal Binding Lock earlier, she and Leng Jue wouldn't have been able to get out so easily. Because of their character, she had no intention of killing them. Of course, with so many people, she and Leng Jue's strength was limited, and they would probably end up with both of them injured, and they would become food for these wolves.
The wolf king moved gracefully over, looking down at Ouyang Yue with sharp, gray eyes that held a strange quality.
Ouyang Yue patted Leng Jue: "Catch a few rabbits, we're all hungry, we can eat them together."
Leng Jue's eyes flashed: "You go and get the food, I'll deal with them."
Ouyang Yue raised an eyebrow: "You really don't trust me at all? You should know that you can't compare to my skills."
Leng Jue's eyes turned cold, but Ouyang Yue remained frozen in place. Then Leng Jue sighed and picked out some things from his pocket, saying, "Here's some poison powder, medicinal powder, and a dagger. Use it to protect yourself if necessary." He pulled out a bunch of things at once, but Ouyang Yue pushed the dagger back, saying, "I have plenty of things to protect myself too. You should hurry back. I'll be in real danger if you come back too late."
Leng Jue glanced deeply at Ouyang Yue, then turned and used his lightness skill to fly away. The wolves immediately howled, seemingly complaining that their prey had escaped so easily, a huge miscalculation. They then stared at Ouyang Yue with even colder expressions. Ouyang Yue only smiled at the wolf king and said, "You see? Of course we could have escaped. The reason we stayed here was to make friends with you. Anyway, we all need to eat. We can actually be drinking buddies. The jerky I threw out earlier was delicious, wasn't it? I guarantee the next thing will be even more delicious."
The wolf king gazed at Ouyang Yue with a scrutinizing look. At that moment, the pack slightly dispersed, and another gray-white wolf, half a head shorter than the king, emerged. The wolf nuzzled the king's body gently, and the king's eyes softened slightly. It howled at Ouyang Yue, seemingly in agreement. Ouyang Yue smiled as she looked at the gray-white wolf. Its fur was exceptionally beautiful, and its eyes were bright and clear; this must be the wolf king's wife. Ouyang Yue nodded immediately.
He squatted down and started digging a pit, then laid some firewood to start a fire. He gathered some wild vegetables and mushrooms and began grilling. Soon, Leng Jue returned, covered in black, carrying seven or eight rabbits and over ten pheasants he'd hunted from who-knows-where. He skewered them and brought them over. Seeing that Ouyang Yue was alright, he visibly relaxed. Ouyang Yue set up a wooden frame and skewered the rabbits, while Leng Jue plucked their feathers in preparation for grilling. Leng Jue was quick at bleeding them, but how could someone of his background possibly pluck their feathers?
The wolf king howled, and the pack echoed, seemingly mocking Leng Jue's incompetence. Leng Jue, his dark eyes fixed on Ouyang Yue, couldn't help but laugh. After a while, Ouyang Yue finally finished roasting the plucked chicken and rabbit. Soon, the aroma of meat filled the air, and the wolves immediately howled excitedly. In her previous life, Ouyang Yue always carried her own tools when she traveled, and since she was also a cook, she was particular about her food. So, she brought some seasonings with her. Finally, she sprinkled some seasonings on the meat, and it immediately sizzled. The golden sheen was incredibly tempting, and even Leng Jue's eyes flickered.
The two of them each broke off a chicken leg to fill their stomachs, then threw a rabbit and two chickens from the rack over. The wolves immediately swarmed around, and the sound of them devouring the meat filled the air. Ouyang Yue resignedly continued grilling. By the time she finished, the wolves had also finished eating, and their crisis was temporarily over. Ouyang Yue sighed. She never imagined that she, the dignified SSS special agent captain, would one day become a chef cooking for animals. Sigh…
After the wolf king had eaten his fill, his gaze towards Ouyang Yue and Leng Jue became much more friendly. He walked slowly over with his wife, wagged his tail at Ouyang Yue and Leng Jue, and then howled again, causing all the wolves to leave.
Ouyang Yue sighed, "They really are a bunch of beasts. They eat and then run away, sigh..."
Leng Jue's eyes seemed to hold a smile: "I didn't expect your skills to be so good. Even the head chef of Babaozhai would have to admit defeat."
Ouyang Yue replied, "It sounds to me like you're mocking me."