A moment later.
The RV door opened.
An elderly man stepped out.
He appeared to be around sixty years old, of medium height, with a darker complexion. His eye sockets were deeply sunken, and he had a hooked nose. His eyebrows were so faint they were almost non-existent, and he had heavy bags under his eyes. His gaze was indifferent, and his expression solemn.
Overall, he gave off an unusually fierce, solitary, and unapproachable vibe.
After scanning his surroundings, the old man's gaze settled on a tent not far away.
Behind him, two young men attempted to follow, but the old man stopped them with a glance.
The old man approached the tent alone, inspecting the area, and finally arrived at the tent where Du Xiu resided.
Suddenly, his eyes focused on some powder in the tent's zipper gap. He leaned in to sniff it.
A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
Then, he glanced around to ensure no one was nearby, took out a satellite phone, and dialed a number.
"Speak, I've arrived. What's the situation?"
"Cult Leader, as agreed, we've received the people. According to those who delivered them, two mine slaves escaped during transport. Their people went after them but haven't returned."
The person on the other end sounded mournful.
This should have been a minor issue, easily resolved by sending a few people to search.
But when they shared their location in a group chat to call for nearby help, they accidentally alerted their Cult Leader.
Their Cult Leader had been dormant for years, hiding his identity, only speaking on major cult matters.
Unexpectedly, he showed up, and they had to face him.
"How old are the slaves?"
"Sixteen, named Du Xiu." After a moment's thought, the person on the phone added, "Cult Leader, there's another piece of news. According to the other slaves, one of the escapees is not simple; he's an apothecary. Of course, the slaves' knowledge is limited, so there might be exaggeration. But one thing is certain: the poison he concocted was colorless and odorless, killing dozens of mine guards and helping them escape."
The person on the other end knew their Cult Leader was famous for poison and quickly shared this newly acquired information.
"Interesting."
A smile appeared on Master Leng's rigid face.
However, paired with his looks, it was somewhat frightening.
A casual task had unexpectedly yielded additional rewards.
"Alright, I'll handle the slave issue. As for the person we captured, plant a Poison Seed on him and release him. As for the others, deal with them all!"
"Understood! Also... Cult Leader... about this month's antidote..."
"Someone will deliver it to you."
Before the person could finish expressing loyalty, Master Leng had already hung up.
Master Leng turned and approached the slicked-back man, saying, "Captain Wang, please follow the tracks in the snow and help me find a young man."
"Alright, leave it to me!"
Captain Wang agreed readily, then turned to make arrangements.
Soon, several drones followed the bright footprints in the snow, flying toward the Snow Forest.
The two disciples behind Master Leng exchanged glances, seeing surprise in each other's eyes.
As one of the Deputy Hall Masters of the Bote City Hunters Guild Apothecary Hall, Master Leng held a prestigious position in Bote City.
At the same time, his personality was widely criticized.
He was known for being solitary, cold, and unsociable.
As his disciples, they had mixed feelings about being under his tutelage.
The good part was that, thanks to Master Leng's reputation, they had successfully entered the circles of Bote City's elite.
The downside was that after a simple assessment, Master Leng seemed somewhat disappointed with them, often retreating to study potions and rarely offering guidance.
They had the title of disciples but not much of the reality.
This trip to the wilderness was because Master Leng lacked a crucial herb for his research.
Moreover, the herbs he needed were extremely rare, requiring him to personally identify and purchase them from various wild towns.
Thus, the two disciples had the opportunity to accompany him.
But they never expected Master Leng to suddenly take an interest in a young man.
Half an hour later.
"Master Leng, we've found him."
A hunter came to report.
Captain Wang took over, "Old Wang, connect the footage to the big screen. Old Four, take some people and bring that young man over."
Inside a modified truck, equipped with radar and various precision instruments, was the Silver Fox Hunter Group's fire control center.
In front of the control room screen sat a girl with a graceful figure and a pretty face, around sixteen or seventeen years old.
She wore a single-breasted beige coat, covering her entire body, with only her black boots visible.
She watched the scene on the screen with great interest.
She was equally intrigued by the person Master Leng was searching for.
Following Captain Wang's order, the operator switched the drone footage to the screen.
Master Leng and the girl sat in front of the screen.
Captain Wang and others stood nearby, craning their necks to watch.
They were also curious to see who the lucky person was that had caught Master Leng's eye.
On the screen.
Deep in the Snow Forest, there was a black dot.
As the image zoomed in, it revealed a rather handsome young man.
He sat on a hill, chewing food, gazing into the distance, his eyes gradually turning fierce.
It was Du Xiu.
"The image quality is good," commented Ding Yao, the young man behind Master Leng.
"Ah, don't mention it. This reduced version of the fire control system cost me over three hundred thousand gold coins. Sending a good screen was the least they could do," Captain Wang said, half proud, half pained.
Soon, the screen split.
One screen showed Du Xiu, the other Zhou Yuan.
At this moment, Zhou Yuan was leaning against a tree trunk, gasping for breath.
"Hey, isn't that Zhou Yuan?"
Captain Wang said in surprise.
"Zhou Yuan? Do you know him, Captain Wang? If you do, maybe you could use the drone to ask him to spare that young man's life," Ding Yao suggested.
One was running, the other chasing; even a fool could see Zhou Yuan was pursuing Du Xiu.
The young man his teacher was interested in was in danger, so he had to take the initiative to help.
"I've had a few dealings with the Ma Consortium before, seen him a few times, but we're not close. I can call out, but I don't know if he'll give me face. Although he's only in the Qi-Blood Realm, he is, after all, with the Ma Consortium," Captain Wang said awkwardly.
As an Origin Cultivator in the Aperture Opening Realm, he could easily handle an ordinary Qi-Blood Realm cultivator.
But Zhou Yuan was with the Ma Consortium, and even when dealing with a dog, you had to consider its owner. He could only try, not daring to threaten or make enemies.
Of course, this was only the case with outsiders present.
Master Leng waved his hand, "No rush, let's wait and see."
"Hey, something's wrong with Zhou Yuan. His Qi and blood are scattered, and he's out of breath," Captain Wang suddenly remarked.