Huh? They were rescued?
From a distance, Fang Chang saw that the eight human soul masters who should have been lying in the clearing were gone. All that remained was the crumpled ball of his Poison Web, discarded on the ground.
He hadn't killed them outright but hadn't planned to let them go either. Leaving them there as bait to lure nearby soul beasts had seemed like a good idea.
But now, they were gone.
Fang Chang understood the potency of his Poison Web. Given their strength, without an antidote, those soul masters should have remained unconscious for at least a full day.
If a soul beast had been involved, there would surely be traces left behind.
This left only one explanation: Someone had rescued them.
The thought made Fang Chang uneasy. He crouched in the distance, his eight eyes scanning the area with precision, as though magnified lenses.
Sure enough, hidden among the trees, he spotted two human tents.
The tents were strategically placed, hidden on three sides by dense foliage with one side open toward the clearing. Anyone not actively searching might overlook them entirely.
Fang Chang suspected he was the target. Had he been less cautious, he might already have fallen into their trap.
A sinister grin spread across Fang Chang's spider-like face. If they've come to ambush me at my doorstep, it's only fair I return the favor.
He moved silently, creeping toward the tents from the side.
The two tents were separated by some distance, strategically positioned to cover the clearing from two angles while staying out of each other's way.
One tent was quiet, while the other shook rhythmically with faint vibrations.
What kind of strange cultivation method is this? Fang Chang wondered.
The vibrating tent made him uneasy. Its aura was stronger than that of the quieter tent.
After only a brief hesitation, Fang Chang decided to approach the quieter tent. Activating his "Stealth" skill, he slipped into the nearby brush, waiting for an opportunity.
Inside the quieter tent, two men and a woman sat idly.
"Hey, Old Three, it's been three hours. Do you think Big Brother will ever recover?" Fatty Old Four asked Skinny Old Three, nudging him awake with mock concern.
"I doubt it," Skinny Old Three sighed, surprisingly not in the mood to retort. "Soul masters might be tougher than regular people, but we're not invincible. Big Brother... sigh, poor guy."
"Do you two ever stop?" Xue Wu, the young woman, rolled her eyes at them from the corner. "Can't you keep your voices down? I'm still a girl, you know!"
"Oh," the two men mumbled, shrinking back.
Xue Wu pulled a small porcelain flask of liquor from her pouch and sipped silently.
This particular wine, known as "Maiden's Sorrow," was smooth and sweet but had an unexpectedly strong afterkick.
Its flavor mirrored a young woman's heart: calm and serene on the surface but with explosive intensity beneath.
She and Bai Yu, her elder brother figure, had grown up together in the Spirit Hall of Whitewater City. Their bond was once the closest among the group, like two peas in a pod.
But later, Bai Yu had chosen Du Hongxue.
From then on, her relationship with Bai Yu became distant, reduced to the typical interactions between martial siblings.
"Little Sister, don't drink alone. If you're upset, tell me," Fatty Old Four said, sidling up to her with a hopeful grin.
"Scram," Xue Wu said flatly, her tone ice-cold.
Fatty Old Four returned to his seat, humiliated, gesturing to Skinny Old Three that he had no chance.
"I'm heading out," he muttered, leaving the tent to diffuse the awkward atmosphere.
After walking a short distance, he reached a thicket. Without looking, he began relieving himself.
Hidden within the brush, Fang Chang silently watched the scene unfold.
Just as the "rainstorm" was about to begin, Fang Chang struck.
A sharp spider leg shot forward, piercing Fatty Old Four's abdomen.
A blood-curdling scream echoed through the forest as Fatty Old Four clutched his wound and collapsed.
"Th-The Man-Faced Demon Spider... it... it..." His voice trailed off as he lost consciousness from the pain.
"What happened?" Skinny Old Three rushed out of the tent, finding Fatty Old Four lying in a pool of blood.
He saw the thicket rustling as a shadow darted away.
"Third Brother, what's going on?" Xue Wu asked, emerging from the tent, her cheeks flushed from alcohol.
The vibrations in the other tent had ceased during Fatty Old Four's scream. Du Hongxue emerged, straightening her disheveled clothes.
She glanced at Fatty Old Four with mild pity and handed Skinny Old Three a vial of hemostatic powder.
"Bandage him up. And be gentle—he's... no longer functional."
Bai Yu, looking gaunt and pale, was the last to appear. He glanced at the injured man and asked, "Was it the Man-Faced Demon Spider?"
Skinny Old Three nodded. "Not sure, but I saw a shadow running off, and Old Four did mention the spider."
"I see." Du Hongxue's expression darkened.
"That thing dared to act under my nose? It even ruined my... plans."
Her martial soul activated instantly—a Shadow Spider.
Three soul rings shimmered around her as her level 39 soul power flared menacingly.
"Big Brother, Little Sister, you're with me. Third Brother, stay here and guard Old Four."
Before her words even settled, Du Hongxue's figure blurred into a streak of black light, charging after Fang Chang's trail.