10
Law of the Forest
By the hot spring in Rizhao Forest, mist curled through the air as Bi Ling prepared to make her move, the atmosphere growing exceptionally tense.
“Uncle, it seems this little miss still doesn’t appreciate your kindness,” the young man spoke up. His name was Xu Kuang, the eldest son of Xu Kuan. The Xu family held considerable influence in Fengyuan City, and Xu Kuang, arrogant by nature, took pleasure in toying with Qian Lingyan and Bi Ling.
Seeing the hostility directed at Bi Ling, Qian Lingyan’s suppressed anger flared up once more. Bi Ling might one day become his grandmother—bullying her meant bullying his grandfather, bullying his mother, and bullying him.
Though furious, Qian Lingyan did not let it show on his face this time. Instead, he appeared humble and respectful. Anger on one’s face often signaled a loss of reason, but now, his reason told him he had every right to be angry.
“Esteemed members of the Xu family, I, Qian Lingyan, have taken a liking to this spring. If I’ve inconvenienced you, I hope you won’t take offense,” Qian Lingyan said, cupping his hands in a gesture of respect, his gaze sharp as a blade.
At these words, Li Haisheng and Xu Kuang felt both anger and contempt. Li Haisheng laughed loudly. “Kid, you’re really asking for death.”
As Li Haisheng prepared to strike, a hearty laugh echoed from the forest, interrupting his movement.
The newcomer had a long beard, an imposing appearance, and a voice like a booming bell. “The Xu family’s skills only extend to bullying children.” He led a team of five burly men and a young boy, likely his son. The boy resembled his father—tall and sturdy, yet expressionless and cold.
Xu Kuan spoke up. “No wonder these two youngsters dared to wander around Rizhao Forest so boldly. So it’s because Brother Lei is backing them.”
The “Brother Lei” Xu Kuan referred to was Lei Ming, the head of the Lei family in Fengyuan City. Fengyuan City had three major families: aside from the two present, there was also the Huang family. However, the Huang family had recently forged ties with Weidao City and thus did not appear in Rizhao Forest.
Lei Ming said, “I don’t know these two either, but this young man’s fearlessness in the face of tyranny suits my taste. If Brother Li insists on fighting, why not spar with me instead?”
Lei Ming’s words were clearly mocking the Xu family for bullying the weak and picking on the young. The Xu family members frowned at the remark.
Truth be told, the Lei family was even more arrogant and unrestrained than the Xu family, but they never harassed passersby without reason, making them far more likable. Now, Lei Ming’s words were an open challenge.
Without needing to intervene himself, Qian Lingyan was delighted to watch the drama unfold.
Unexpectedly, a young woman from Xu Kuan’s team spoke up. “Uncle Lei, we’ve all come here to hunt Icefield Wolves. Wouldn’t it be unwise for us to fight among ourselves before the hunt even begins?”
This woman was the Huang family’s young lady, named Huang Meier. Although the Huang family hadn’t brought their own team, they had sent Huang Meier along with Xu Kuan as an assistant, ensuring they could still claim a share of the spoils.
Knowing he was no match for Lei Ming, Li Haisheng echoed Huang Meier’s sentiment.
By now, Qian Lingyan and Bi Ling had become mere bystanders, no longer the center of attention. Having washed off the grease and grime, they were in no hurry to leave, eager to see how the two families would resolve the situation.
Lei Ming said, “Very well, it would indeed be inappropriate for us to start a fight now. However, there’s no harm in letting the youngsters exchange a few moves for fun. I’ve heard Youyou has already reached the fourth level of the Heart-Engraving Palm. Why not let her test her skills against Chuan’er? After all, once the new year passes, both of them will be attending Weidao Academy, and sooner or later, they’ll have to compete.” As he spoke, he pushed the young man beside him forward—clearly, this was Lei Chuan, Lei Ming’s son.
“Old man, don’t touch me,” Lei Chuan retorted, as domineering as ever, showing no respect even to his own father.
Lei Ming merely smiled, evidently accustomed to Lei Chuan’s attitude.
The Xu family knew that Lei Ming wouldn’t let the matter rest without a fight today. Besides, Xu Youyou might not necessarily lose to Lei Chuan.
“Youyou, since that’s the case, why not test your skills against Young Master Lei?” Xu Kuan suggested.
The young girl from the Xu family slowly stepped forward, seemingly reluctant to engage.
Lei Chuan and Xu Youyou were around the same age as Qian Lingyan, and he was eager to see their abilities.
The two assumed their stances and began their duel. Lei Chuan practiced the Thunderclap Tremor technique. As he fought Xu Youyou, faint arcs of lightning shimmered around him, his attacks swift and imposing. In contrast, Xu Youyou moved with much more grace. Her strikes were no slower than Lei Chuan’s, yet they carried an air of elegance.
The essence of the Heart-Engraving Palm emphasized ferocity and dominance, but Xu Youyou disliked conflict, infusing her movements with a touch of gentleness. Unexpectedly, this very gentleness allowed the palm technique to blend strength with softness, creating a unique and exquisite style.
The two were evenly matched, locked in a fierce struggle with no clear winner in sight. Seeing that the fight would continue for a while, Qian Lingyan and Bi Ling chatted as they watched.
“Bi Ling, who do you think will win this fight?” Qian Lingyan asked.
“The two are evenly matched; it’s hard to predict the outcome.”
“Then tell me, are they more skilled, or am I superior?” As soon as Qian Lingyan spoke these words, the Lei and Xu families looked at him with disdain, their gazes like city dwellers eyeing a country bumpkin.
Bi Ling, however, paid no attention to their stares and said, “If you had even one-tenth of your grandfather’s skill, these two combined wouldn’t be a match for you.”
Bi Ling’s words stirred up anger among the crowd. Xu Kuang was the first to speak up. “Where did this blind rat come from? Truly ignorant of the vastness of heaven and earth.” As he spoke, he stepped forward, ready to teach the two a lesson.
Lei Ming, considering himself an elder, felt displeased but couldn’t stoop to the level of someone like Li Haisheng by personally dealing with juniors. Thus, he remained still. Though he found Bi Ling’s words arrogant and disrespectful, he said nothing as Xu Kuang stepped forward.
Seeing Xu Kuang approach, Bi Ling said, “Mentioning rats makes my paws itch. Come, let this lady show you who the real rat is.”
Why would mentioning rats make her paws itch? The others were puzzled, but only Qian Lingyan understood the hidden meaning—Bi Ling was a cat demon, so naturally, she had a special fondness for rats.
Ignoring Bi Ling’s riddle, Xu Kuang gathered his Qi, ready to confront her.
Qian Lingyan had long disliked the Xu family and said, “Grandma, please rest for now. Dealing with small fry doesn’t require your esteemed presence.”
The others were even more confused. This woman was only a few years older than Qian Lingyan—why was he calling her “Grandma”?
Bi Ling was quite pleased by Qian Lingyan’s attitude, her joy evident on her face. Xu Kuang, however, was a completely different story—his eyes wide with fury, he was so enraged he could barely speak and immediately launched an attack on Qian Lingyan.
Xu Kuang struck a palm toward Qian Lingyan’s face, but Qian Lingyan didn’t dodge, instead meeting it with a “Mantis Arm Slash.” Qian Lingyan was younger and shorter than Xu Kuang, giving Xu Kuang the advantage of height. Qian Lingyan was forced back three steps, while Xu Kuang only retreated two before steadying himself. However, the slash of the “Mantis Arm Slash” was like a mantis seizing its prey—not only extremely fast but also razor-sharp in its assault. Xu Kuang’s right arm trembled slightly, and his palm was left bleeding.
Seeing the blood on his palm, Xu Kuang grew even angrier. He had already cultivated the “Heart-Engraving Palm” to the fifth layer and now unleashed a “Heart-Crushing Chain Palm.” This move was truly formidable, stirring gusts of wind in the air, with five or six faintly visible palm prints materializing—Xu Kuang had already grasped the basics of spiritual energy materialization.
Watching the five or six palm prints hurtling toward him, Qian Lingyan executed a “Mantis Whirling Slash.” This wasn’t a move from the “Beast-Form Fist” but one Qian Lingyan had derived from the “Mantis Arm Slash.” He slightly retracted his arms, pivoting rapidly on his right foot, surrounded by sharp slashing Qi that blocked the palm prints of the “Heart-Crushing Chain Palm.”
Seeing his palm prints blocked, Xu Kuang attacked faster, gradually pushing the palm prints forward, closer and closer to Qian Lingyan. Just a few more steps, and if the palm prints struck Qian Lingyan, they would break his “Mantis Whirling Slash.”
Xu Kuang was older than Qian Lingyan, so a direct clash wouldn’t put him at a disadvantage. It seemed Xu Kuang only needed one more step to defeat Qian Lingyan. Yet Qian Lingyan remained unflustered, suddenly accelerating his footwork, his slashing Qi forcing Xu Kuang back a step. Before Xu Kuang could steady himself, Qian Lingyan stopped spinning, planted his feet apart, lowered his center of gravity slightly, and transformed his right hand into a claw, using “Eagle Seizes Rabbit.” However, while Yang Mutong had taught Qian Lingyan to blend Qi with the environment, when Qian Lingyan’s claw struck the palm prints, it turned fierce and wild, tearing one of them apart.
At this moment, Xu Kuang’s right arm was fully extended, leaving him vulnerable with no follow-up strength. Yet Qian Lingyan’s claw wasn’t the most effective against a palm, so he transformed it into a fist, smashing it hard onto Xu Kuang’s right palm. A sharp crack echoed as Xu Kuang’s arm dislocated. Xu Kuang stumbled back five steps, sweat pouring from the pain.
“Impressive.” Lei Ming hadn’t expected Qian Lingyan to be so skilled and couldn’t help but praise him.
As this fight concluded, the battle between Lei Chuan and Xu Youyou also reached its end. Hearing her brother’s cry of pain, Xu Youyou grew distracted with worry, allowing Lei Chuan to seize the opportunity with a sudden attack. Lei Chuan stopped his fist just before Xu Youyou’s face, clasped his hands, and said, “I concede.”
Xu Youyou had no time to return the courtesy, rushing over to check on Xu Kuang’s injury. Meanwhile, Lei Chuan looked at Qian Lingyan with a fighting spirit, calculating his chances against him.
At that moment, Xu Kuan reset Xu Kuang’s arm, eliciting another agonized scream. Seeing his nephew in such a state, Li Haisheng hated Qian Lingyan to the core and said, “Kid, today your grandpa is going to tear off both your arms and legs.”
Xu Kuan, having witnessed Qian Lingyan’s extraordinary skills and the presence of an elderly woman who hadn’t yet made a move, felt some apprehension, fearing they might offend a master. He stopped Li Haisheng and asked, “May I know your esteemed names?”
“Qian Lingyan from Weidao City. If what you said about going to Weidao Academy is true, after the new year your daughter will be my junior sister.” Qian Lingyan thought that since they would often see each other at the academy in the future, he couldn’t be bothered to make up a name to fool them.
Upon hearing Qian Lingyan’s surname, Xu Kuan was slightly startled, wondering if he might be from the Qian family, one of the Seven Great Clans.
“Yang Bi Ling.” Bi Ling also spoke up. Qian Lingyan had thought Bi Ling was simply called Bi Ling, never expecting she had a surname as well.
Xu Kuan wondered if there was a prominent Yang family in Weidao City, and why Qian Lingyan had to call this woman “grandmother.” Suspicion gnawed at him, so he asked, “Might you be from the Qian family of the Seven Great Clans?” His tone had grown noticeably more respectful.
Hearing Xu Kuan’s words, Lei Ming realized that Qian Lingyan was likely from the Qian family of the Seven Great Clans. He silently praised Weidao City for being truly remarkable, confirming that sending Lei Chuan to Weidao Academy was indeed necessary.
Seeing Xu Kuan’s change in attitude, Qian Lingyan hadn’t expected the Qian family’s reputation to be so useful. He replied, “That’s right.”
Upon confirming Qian Lingyan was indeed from the Qian family, Xu Kuan hurriedly said, “Young Master Qian, the Xu family has offended you. Please forgive us.” Xu Kuan didn’t want to completely alienate the Qian family, hence the apology. In truth, the Xu family was quite influential, and Xu Kuan didn’t hold Qian Lingyan in particularly high regard.
“The Seven Great Clans are renowned far and wide, but are their skills truly as formidable as the rumors claim?” The speaker was none other than Lei Chuan. Gifted with exceptional talent himself, he didn’t think too highly of Qian Lingyan.
Lei Ming no longer looked down on Qian Lingyan, but like Xu Kuan, he didn’t place too much importance on members of the Seven Great Clans. He said, “Young Master Qian’s skills are indeed impressive. How about a friendly spar with Chuan?”
Qian Lingyan glanced at Bi Ling, who said, “Let’s go back. Don’t keep your grandfather waiting.” Bi Ling guessed that Qian Lingyan had seen through her thoughts, so she refrained from calling Yang Mutong “that old rascal.”
Qian Lingyan thought that since his grandmother wanted to see his grandfather, he shouldn’t be too willful. He said, “The Qian family’s reputation is well-known. Whether it’s exaggerated or not is for everyone to judge. I am untalented and not considered anyone remarkable within the Qian family. If Young Master Lei wishes to spar, I should oblige, but I have urgent matters to attend to. I must take my leave now.”
The others assumed Qian Lingyan was afraid and had found an excuse to back down. However, Xu Kuang rubbed his still-aching right arm, knowing full well that Qian Lingyan had no reason to be afraid.
Qian Lingyan and Bi Ling moved swiftly through the forest. Bi Ling remained silent, her expression grim. Qian Lingyan didn’t know how to start a conversation, so both stayed quiet as they continued searching for Yang Mutong.
They had only gone about a hundred meters when they heard Yang Mutong clear his throat softly.
“Did you enjoy the hot spring?” Yang Mutong asked.
“You old rascal, don’t play dumb. There were people at the hot spring. Don’t tell me you didn’t know,” Bi Ling said loudly.
Qian Lingyan also looked at Yang Mutong, wondering if he had truly known about the people.
“When I went to gather herbs for Yan’er today, I saw that group. But I never expected they would come to the hot spring as well. I don’t like meeting strangers, so I let you go on your own,” Yang Mutong explained.
Indeed, Yang Mutong had spent the entire afternoon catching and roasting fish, unaware he would run into this group. However, there were skilled individuals among them. Despite so many people traveling, they left no obvious traces. It was only because Yang Mutong had sharp eyes that he noticed their tracks.
“I saw them setting traps in the forest today, probably hunting. I wonder what they’re after,” Yang Mutong continued.
“Icefield Wolf,” Qian Lingyan recalled Huang Meier’s words.
“Icefield Wolf?” Yang Mutong frowned. “That shouldn’t be. Icefield Wolves live in the Extreme Cold Snowfield. Why would they appear in Rizhao Forest?”
“Is the Icefield Wolf a demon? Does it harm people?” Qian Lingyan asked. But as soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted saying them. Bi Ling frowned unhappily—Qian Lingyan had forgotten that Bi Ling was also a demon.
“Ah…” Yang Mutong sighed softly. “Icefield Wolves live in the Extreme Cold Snowfield, where humans rarely set foot. How could they harm anyone? Instead, their fur provides excellent protection against the cold and is exceptionally beautiful, which has brought them misfortune.”
“Is it worth it for the two great families to come to Rizhao Forest for a single wolf?” Qian Lingyan asked.
“Icefield Wolves are scarce and exceptionally powerful. Ordinary Demon-Slayers can hardly capture them, so their price is extremely high. A complete Icefield Wolf pelt could cover a wealthy household’s expenses in Weidao City for an entire year.”
“That expensive?” Qian Lingyan was astonished. No wonder the two great families were competing to come to Rizhao Forest.
“Enough, let’s not talk about this. Your mother asked me to teach you fist techniques. It’s time to focus on the task at hand. The beasts’ struggles and fights begin at night, Yan’er. Observe from the side and see if you can gain some insight.”
Night fell, and darkness enveloped everything. The sharp fangs of demon beasts thirsted for blood to fill their foul-smelling stomachs, while the eerie glow in their eyes brimmed with hunger and greed. Every filled stomach meant a body had once struggled in its death throes, only to be torn apart and chewed to pieces.
Qian Lingyan hadn’t expected the laws of the forest to be so cruel. He watched as an antelope had its throat torn open by a leopard, blood flowing from between the leopard’s teeth. The antelope struggled desperately at first, but soon, due to excessive blood loss, its limbs twitched, and it died.
Qian Lingyan had wanted to stop the leopard’s hunt, but Yang Mutong held him back.
“Yan’er, this is the law of nature. Since ancient times, it has been survival of the fittest. We shouldn’t interfere. If you save the antelope today, this leopard will go hungry. She won’t produce milk, and her cubs might starve to death. In the forest, it truly is a life of ‘you die, I live.'”
“In the forest, not everyone can survive. But this competitive elimination mechanism allows healthier and stronger antelopes to survive and reproduce. It’s a kind of mutually beneficial mechanism, though one side pays a heavy price. But overall, from ancient times to the present, everyone has gained more or less from this mechanism—until you humans appeared,” Bi Ling said, her eyes distant. The matter of the Icefield Wolf had unsettled her.
Qian Lingyan pondered thoughtfully, unsure how to respond to Bi Ling. The three of them wandered through the forest. Whether intentionally or not, as Qian Lingyan moved through the trees, he inadvertently damaged several traps set by humans.
The three came across another beastly struggle: a tiger had mistakenly entered another tiger’s territory, leading to the legendary clash of two tigers.
Qian Lingyan was watching the lively scene with great interest, thinking it would be even more amusing if the little tiger beside him also jumped down to join the three-tiger brawl. Just then, Bi Ling gently patted Qian Lingyan on the shoulder, startling him. Could it be that Bi Ling possessed mind-reading abilities and had seen through his thoughts?
Qian Lingyan turned to look at Bi Ling. Bi Ling spoke up, “Are you willing to learn the ‘Fish-to-Shadow Transformation’ technique your grandfather mentioned today?”