It was hard to say how Yuan Lang and Teng Kun had dug it, but the pit was an incredible two Shun Yuans deep.
The injured Shun Yuan let out a continuous stream of furious roars that echoed throughout the forest.
The Beastn howled and cheered in celebration.
Yuan Lang raised a hand, cutting the Beastn’s wild celebration short. "Deal with this thing quickly and see if it has a Crystal Core. We need to get out of here fast. If we attract a large pack of Shun Yuans, we’ll be in big trouble."
The Beastn nodded. Facing the Shun Yuan trapped in the deep pit and covered in wounds, they all broke into savage grins. "You wanted a piece of us? Go to hell!"
Even a creature as powerful as the Shun Yuan couldn’t last long against the Beastn’s onslaught. A mont later, it let out a final, mournful cry and breathed its last.
Teng Qian laughed heartily and leaped into the pit. "Leave finding the Crystal Core to !"
The young Beastn gathered nervously around the edge of the pit, watching as Teng Qian struggled to flip the Shun Yuan’s body over. He plunged his sharp claws into its chest and rummaged around for a mont before looking up, his expression stiff.
Seeing his expression, a wave of disappointnt washed over the Beastn.
"It’s alright. You can’t expect to get a Crystal Core after just one or two hunts. I heard my Father say they had to kill a lot of Fierce Beasts before they found one."
"Yeah, exactly! We’ve only killed a few so far. We’ll just go back, rest up, and we’ll be ready to fight again."
A smile touched Wu Yue’s lips as she watched the Beastn encourage one another.
"BWAAAH-HA-HA-HA-HA!"
Suddenly, a burst of incredibly smug laughter erupted from the pit. The Beastn stared down at Teng Qian, their faces a mask of stunned confusion.
There he was, his blood-soaked right hand holding up a white crystal.
Its size, its shape... Wu Yue, having owned one before, couldn’t have been more familiar with it.
It was a Crystal Core!
’So that ans Teng Qian did that on purpose... That guy is just asking for a beating!’
But the surrounding Beastn didn’t seem to mind his little prank. Their faces were filled with excited smiles as they reached down to pull Teng Qian out of the pit.
Pleasant surprises always co when you least expect them.
Before Teng Qian could even start gloating, the expressions of the other Beastn changed in a flash. One by one, they brandished their fists and charged him.
Listening to Teng Qian’s pained cries from the middle of the crowd, Wu Yue could only sigh. ’Happy tis are always so fleeting.’
Back in the cave, an old Beastman gathered the young hunters to review the mistakes they had made during the hunt.
The scene reminded Wu Yue of school in her past life.
’Except, the lessons here were far more brutal. They learned and grew through one dangerous trial after another, where a single misstep could cost them a limb, or even their life.’
"Hey, little female, got any herbs for pain?"
That cheeky voice was all too familiar. Wu Yue turned and, sure enough, it was Teng Qian.
She looked at him with amusent. "If I rember correctly, you didn’t get hit in the face while we were fighting the Shun Yuan, did you?"
Teng Qian’s lip twitched. "It was that shaless pack of beasts," he muttered resentfully. "There’s a rule about not hitting soone in the face, you know! They must be jealous of my good looks."
Wu Yue was speechless.
’This blockhead... I think you have so serious misconceptions about yourself.’
’What does being handso have to do with you, anyway?’
Shaking her head helplessly, Wu Yue got up and took a few herbs from her basket. "Pound these until you can squeeze the juice out. Apply it to the sore spots, and the pain will go away in a bit."
Then, she pointed to the red and purple bruises on his face. "But the marks themselves won’t fade until tomorrow."
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