"Lazy people take a long time in the restroom."
Zhao Dachun harbored resentment, feeling dissatisfied with Li Xian.
Seeing the situation, everyone had to stop. This place was dense with mountains and trees, making it hard to orient themselves. Feng Huo was familiar with this road, and until he returned, no one dared to move recklessly.
"Stop it!"
Qiao Dashou felt someone patting his shoulder. He shrugged his shoulders and shouted once.
Soon after, the sensation returned. Annoyed, he turned around and cursed, "Are you done yet? Is this fun for you? Why do you keep patting my shoulder?"
The nursing home behind him was taken aback, saying in surprise, "What’s gotten into you?"
"Ah, and you won’t admit it, you’re looking for a beating." Qiao Dashou felt inexplicably irritable.
"Come if you dare, do you think I’m afraid of you? It’s a good chance to warm up."
The nursing home felt the same way.
Just as they were about to start fighting, they suddenly felt a hot wind blow from above their heads. The instinctive sense of danger made both of their hairs stand on end.
They looked up and couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Above them was a large tree, its leaves all fallen, with only clumps of snow on the branches. There was nothing strange about it.
After this interruption, neither had the heart to fight anymore.
Once Qiao Dashou’s fear dissipated, anger arose, and he kicked the tree, cursing, "Damn it, why is taking a piss so long!"
After a few kicks, snow fell from the tree.
"Qiao...Qiao...you..."
The atmosphere suddenly turned eerie, colder than the chilling wind, and a nursing home collapsed in the snow with a thud, legs unable to bear it.
His finger trembled as he pointed at the top of the tree.
"Shit!"
"You still want to scare me? I’m telling you, I’m furious right now, if gods come, I’ll kill gods, if Buddhas come, I’ll kill Buddhas."
"You think you can scare me?!"
"Watch me chop it with a single blade!"
With that, he drew the nursing home’s saber, nodded a few times in the air. Suddenly, another warm wind blew from above. In this weather, the warm wind brought not warmth, but a chilling horror.
"This... This..."
Qiao Dashou was dripping with cold sweat, his heart almost leaping out of his chest. He couldn’t move his body, could only swivel his wrist, using the blade to look at the treetop.
The blade... was not wide enough.
He could only see a pair of scarlet pupils. The eyes were huge and round, with a playful and mocking look in them.
The creature hung upside down in the tree, head down, gazing at them.
In an instant, screams and exclamations erupted.
...
On the other side.
Feng Huo would rather violate the villa’s rules than keep his life safe at first. When caught in the sudden wind and snow, he didn’t know if that "thing" was on the prowl again.
"I’ll use a bathroom break as an excuse to escape, leave everyone behind as bait. If that thing doesn’t appear, I’ll claim I got lost while relieving myself."
"If something happens, I’ll have to trouble everyone to buy me some time."
After parting with the group, he gradually picked up speed.
But he kept hearing Li Xian calling out from behind, "Master Feng, why are you going so far just to pee?"
"I’m in the mood, don’t follow!" Feng Huo quickened his pace, walking even faster.
Li Xian furrowed his brows even tighter, increasingly feeling a sense of impending danger.
Ears listening in all directions... the only sounds around were from him and Feng Huo, that thing hadn’t followed.
It must be over with the other six people.
"Newcomer, you’re making it awkward, I can’t go with you tagging along. Could you step back a little?" Feng Huo found he couldn’t shake off Li Xian, feeling both angry and annoyed.
"Well, it’s convenient, I’m scared alone, need someone with me to be able to go." Li Xian said solemnly.
The two grew increasingly urgent in their steps, increasingly urgent in steps. Claiming to relieve themselves, they had already covered more than a mile.
Just then...
A sudden scream echoed from behind.
"Damn it, I’m unlucky, faced that thing again!"
"Wasn’t it near Wang Family Village, how did it get here?"
With hairs standing on end, Feng Huo couldn’t care about anything, breaking into a full-speed run for dear life.
Li Xian hearing the scream, felt likewise terrified, thinking: "Demon? Or something else?"
Regardless of anything, he furiously sprinted after Feng Huo with all his might.
Soon they had raced out of the woods when a second scream rang out. Fright struck Feng Huo’s legs limp, nearly causing him to fall.
"Master Feng, what is going on, you’ve known all along, right?"
Li Xian asked while running.
He didn’t hear that thing’s footsteps, for now, he was safe. But...not much time had passed, two cries already heard, showing the situation was not optimistic.
"You come over, you come, I’ll tell you." Feng Huo said.
Li Xian narrowed his eyes, thinking how Feng Huo had fled on his own, clearly with the intent to use everyone else as bait.
So he stayed on guard, feigning breathless: "Master Feng, please slow down...I...I can’t catch up."
Hearing this, Feng Huo’s heart settled, he no longer responded, just focusing on running with all his might.
Soon after, a third scream broke out. Among eight people, three were already dead.
Before long, a fourth scream pierced through the air.
Hair on end, Li Xian ran for his life. At that moment, the [Running] skill came into great play.
Approaching great success with [Running], he could treat the mountain path as flat, making natural strides, enduring long, keeping breath evenly.
Rapidly closing the gap from Feng Huo, he exerted full force but refrained from overtaking, maintaining a certain distance.
"If I surpass him, he might attack me from behind. Must wait for the prime moment to surpass decisively."
Thus, when the fifth scream erupted, Feng Huo turned limp with fear, lost his senses. Li Xian seized the moment, rushing past at full speed.
"Newcomer, didn’t you say you can’t run anymore?"
"Wait up for me!"
Feng Huo’s eyes widened in vain anxiousness, hastily trying to catch up with Li Xian. In a life-and-death moment, speed burst forth remarkably.
Li Xian also charged blindly, channeling inner qi into his legs, making great strides.
One moment one would catch the other, then fall back, never widening the gap.
"Damn it."
"How can you brat run so fast!"
Feng Huo fumed and cursed, not slow in speed, but lacking in stamina compared to Li Xian, the gap gradually widened.
"Don’t...don’t...ah!"
The sixth scream erupted.
That meant...out of eight, only Feng Huo and Li Xian remained.
Zhao Dachun, Qiao Dashou, Ye Xiaoluo, all were dead as nails already.
"It’s here!"
"That thing is too fast!"
Ears listening in all directions, Li Xian captured a slight abnormal sound.
He dared not look back, for fear of slowing down. Apart from this, he also caught Feng Huo’s fearful breathing, cursing voice.
"Damn it!"
"Bastard!"
"I’m going to die because of you, it’s your fault!"
"Even in hell, I won’t forgive you!"
Li Xian ignored him, quickening his pace. By that time, the villa’s lights were already within sight.
"Ah!"
A scream broke out, Feng Huo was knocked down.
The sound of flesh tearing, heart shattering, and blood splattering followed.
"Next, it will be me!"
Instead, Li Xian grew calm, touched the longknife at his waist, thinking if caught up, must slash once at least, fight back a bit first!
[Skill: Running]
[Skill Level: 1486/1500 Minor Achievement]
[Description: A life-and-death sprint, life’s at stake. Run faster, faster, to live longer, longer. Young one... you should be grateful for usual training, never lax.]
[Skill Level +2]
[Skill Level +1]
Li Xian’s [Running] skill close to great success, now fully mastered.
Fatigue vanished instantly, flying as if leaping.
But still not enough, that thing’s speed was even faster, unexplainably fast!
Running was not "Lightweight Skill," advancement had limits!
Li Xian finally understood now. Why Feng Huo said he died because of him.
Solely on speed, even if eight dispersed running, couldn’t outrun it.
However...each time it pounced, there’d be a pause, perhaps taking time to eat something warm.
Feng Huo succumbed.
Next, Li Xian’s turn! Footsteps rapidly closing, the thing already here.