After the previous gazes had withdrawn, Lu Yuan continued deeper into the forest.
The Exploding Wolf Spider was a solitary spirit beast, which meant its range of activity was quite broad—it didn’t stay fixed in one area.
If not for this habit, given the effectiveness of its spirit ability, it would have long been camped at its spawn point by others—there’d be nothing left for Lu Yuan.
However, if one truly wanted to catch an Exploding Wolf Spider, it wasn’t too difficult.
It just required a bit of luck and enough patience.
After all, when an Exploding Wolf Spider hunted, the explosive effect caused by the sticky fluid it spat out was the best clue.
Lu Yuan had been carefully observing his surroundings the entire way, afraid of missing any useful lead—after all, he didn’t have much time.
“Oh?”
Just as Lu Yuan’s gaze swept over a patch of shrubs, he suddenly noticed several open areas about thirty centimeters in diameter nearby.
Without hesitation, Lu Yuan walked over with his trident in hand.
As he took each step, his body gradually turned pitch-black and deep.
In just two breaths, Lu Yuan reached that open area.
His eyes swept over the scorch marks left by explosions on the ground, as well as the Blue Silver Grass that had begun to regrow.
Lu Yuan began piecing together clues in his mind.
“Judging by the blast radius, it was likely caused by an Exploding Wolf Spider close to two thousand years old—the age range fits my requirements, but I’m too late.”
“Based on the regrowth of this Blue Silver Grass, this was at least three to five days ago.”
Then he checked a few other nearby explosion sites.
After comparing the marks on the surrounding tree trunks and the degree of disorder in the nearby thickets, Lu Yuan reoriented his direction.
Over the next several hours, Lu Yuan discovered a few more explosion sites, but still hadn’t found the Exploding Wolf Spider.
Evening arrived.
“Damn, this little thing roams all over the forest like a street bum.
I’ve been searching all day—the general direction is right, but I haven’t come across a single wolf spider.”
“Forget it.
I’ll stop here for today and find a safe place to spend the night.”
After walking a while longer, Lu Yuan found an open spot, sprinkled the prepared beast-repelling powder, and took out his dry rations to eat.
Chewing on the tough, hard jerky, Lu Yuan found himself missing the days in the Hunting Spirit Forest.
“Too bad I was in a hurry.
Otherwise, I could have brought some roasted meat and flatbread.”
After dinner, seeing that the sky hadn’t fully darkened yet, Lu Yuan decided to get some sleep early to recharge.
Just then, a rustling sound came from a thicket in front of him.
At the sudden noise, Lu Yuan’s right hand tightened around the trident as he quietly rose to his feet.
He picked up a stone from the ground, weighed it in his hand, then hurled it forcefully toward the source of the sound.
Thud.
Immediately after, Lu Yuan heard a man’s low groan of pain—quiet, but clear to his ears.
“Ouch, that hurts!
What the hell hit me?”
Judging by the voice, Lu Yuan speculated: “Sounds like a middle-aged man.
His voice is clearly lacking in energy—probably from excessive indulgence.
His spirit power level can’t be that high either.”
After waiting a while and seeing that the other party still showed no sign of coming out, Lu Yuan spoke sharply:
“Since you’ve already been exposed, why are you still hiding?
Come out!”
Then, Lu Yuan overheard the same man whispering: “Big Brother, we’ve been spotted.
Should we just take him out?”
Whack!
The one called “Big Brother” gave the first speaker a hard smack on the head, then cursed at him.
The latter clutched his head in pain, not daring to make another sound.
“Heh, impressive.
I didn’t expect you to notice us.”
Hearing the man’s idiotic remark, Lu Yuan kept his eyes fixed ahead.
“Moron.”
Only when he made out the man’s face did Lu Yuan see him clearly.
The man before him had a very peculiar appearance—a square face that looked like something straight out of Minecraft.
As for his build, he was rather sturdy.
The man behind him had a triangular face, a hooked nose, a thin, frail frame, and unsteady footsteps.
“Kid, what did you just say?”
When the thin man stepped out, he happened to catch Lu Yuan’s comment.
He just didn’t understand what it meant.
Seeing this, a mischievous grin curled at the corner of Lu Yuan’s mouth, and he explained in an earnest tone: “Oh, that?
It’s a dialect from my hometown—it means ‘clever and sharp-witted.'”
Hearing this, the thin man grinned and hurriedly flattered his boss: “Big Brother, what he just said—moron—is his hometown dialect.
He’s complimenting us!”
“Hehe, so that means you’re the Big Moron, and I’m the Little Moron—we’re both morons among spirit masters…”
“Mm-hmm, I get it.” The sturdy man nodded casually, feigning nonchalance, but the smile on his face was unmistakable.
Of course, it wasn’t surprising they believed Lu Yuan was praising them.
After all, Lu Yuan’s tone had been exceptionally sincere when he explained—and with their level of intelligence, it was hard for them to spot any flaw.
“Pfft!”
Lu Yuan had been able to suppress his laughter internally, but the moment he saw the sturdy man nod, he couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“Hey, kid—what are you laughing at?”
“Let me tell you, I’m a Great Spirit Master, and my big brother is about to become a Spirit Elder.
Hand over all your money if you know what’s good for you.”
Hearing the laughter, the thin man turned to look at Lu Yuan.
But after getting a clear view of his appearance, the contempt on his face only deepened.
“Oh ho—so you’re just a little brat.
At your age, shouldn’t you be home sucking on your mother’s teat?
“Hahaha…”
Both of them burst out laughing.
Hearing this, Lu Yuan’s tone turned ice-cold.
“Hey, you two mongrels—have you laughed enough?”
“You dare insult us?
Looks like you’re asking to die!
Big Brother, let’s go together—let’s just kill him.”
“Judging by this kid’s looks, he’s probably carrying something worthwhile.”
The sturdy man waved his hand, his face dark as he glared at Lu Yuan, speaking contemptuously: “Killing him would be a waste.
I’ve recently heard of some nobles with…
particular tastes looking for good-looking children.”
“This kid seems perfect.”
Hearing this, the thin man also wore a nasty grin.
From a distance, Lu Yuan listened to their loud scheming, a vein throbbing on his forehead.
Not wanting to hear another word from these two fools, Lu Yuan made his move.
Gripping the trident in his right hand, he hurled it forward.
The long trident tore through the air, its tremendous force piercing through the thin man’s body, dragging him back several meters and pinning him to a tree.
The laughter in the forest abruptly ceased.
Feeling the bloody, sticky, warm liquid on his face, the sturdy man froze in place.
His brother—who just moments ago had been fantasizing about striking it rich together—was now pinned to a tree.
How could he not be furious?
Even now, he still didn’t take Lu Yuan seriously.
He believed his brother had been killed by a sneak attack.
And so, his rage boiled over.
Turning around, flames of fury blazed in his eyes as he stared at Lu Yuan, wanting nothing more than to tear him apart.
“You’re asking for—”
But before he could finish his threat, he felt a chill at his neck.
His vision blurred, and his head involuntarily tilted downward.
Lu Yuan glanced calmly at the ground, ignoring the man.
When his gaze shifted to the distant tree trunk, he channeled his spirit power through both hands, drawing the trident toward him—man and weapon both pulled in.
As Lu Yuan grasped the trident, he gave it a sharp flick with his right hand, flinging the thin man’s body beside the sturdy one.
“Just a Great Spirit Master, and you dare pull a double-cross in the Sunset Forest?
I really don’t know where you got the nerve.”
Looking at the two corpses on the ground, Lu Yuan felt none of the nausea or dizziness described in novels.
Instead, he felt clear-headed and at peace, without any discomfort whatsoever.
“Could it be that I’m actually a great demon?”
“Heh, how could that be?” Shaking his head, Lu Yuan quickly dismissed his earlier guess.