Chapter 23 - Framed?
The night in the forest is very quiet. Most of the sound in this place comes from the wind passing through the trees and the rustling leaves. But despite that, the sounds of animals and Magical Beast looking for a meal can still be heard faintly.
Right now, Xue Yang is sitting in a lotus position on some large rock. His chest is moving up and down in an ordered pattern. Gentle winds are coming toward his body from all directions.
Xue Yang is doing the Qi Absorption Method. True to its name, this method gathers Qi from the surrounding air. The Qi in the nearby environment is absorbed through many parts of his body.
Inside his body, the Qi is then condensed. This is done to make the purer version of it, Spiritual Energy. That Spiritual Energy is then stored in the five acupoints.
Xue Yang keeps doing this until his stored Spiritual Energy is around a quarter of the maximum capacity.
'As expected, this method is slow.' though Xue Yang. 'I have a pouch full of Spiritual Water. Should I drink that instead?'
After getting used to absorbing Spiritual Energy from Spiritual Water, Xue Yang feels that absorbing Qi from the air is very slow. He wonders why he could do this in the past.
'No, I will keep absorbing until the morning comes. Only if I can't fill my storage will I drink the Spirit Water.'
***
Morning comes without any incidents. Xue Yang keeps absorbing Qi until the morning and could fill around eighty percent of his Spiritual Energy storage.
"Well, it is not that bad. But it is still not good," muttered Xue Yang. "I lost too much time gathering energy and could not train my body.
"Now, where should I go next? I want to catch more Iron Antler Deers. If possible, I want to catch three to five of them today."
Xue Yang is still able to receive a reward for catching nine more Iron Antler Deers. He wanted to get as many System Points as he could.
After the disappointment of not being able to bring the bear's body back, Xue Yang now wanted to have some dimensional ring or bag. It will help Xue Yang to carry materials.
Not only that, but he also wants to save some System Points. There is no reason to not get more System Points as it will be valuable someday.
Xue Yang then stands up and picks a random direction. He hoped that he makes the correct choice.
…
But too bad for Xue Yang. Just like yesterday, he didn't find any Iron Antler Deer in his path.
"This is weird," muttered Xue Yang. "There should be more of it around this place.
"Is there any stronger Magical Beast that roams around this place? The Iron Antler Deer might get scared and run away.
"But I have not seen any indication that some magical beast is walking around the place."
If that is the case, then Xue Yang is also not in a safe place. A magical beast that can scare Iron Antler Deer is surely stronger than Xue Yang.
Xue Yang looks around more. But he still can't find any Iron Antler Deer.
When the sun is right on the top of his head, Xue Yang can faintly hear a conversation between people from a place not too far away. He sneakily walks closer to the source before hiding in a bush nearby.
"Deng Jianhua, now you have done it, huh!?" shouted a man with a black robe. On that black robe, there is a green stripe drawn.
"I am not the one that has done that. It is a baseless accusation," said Deng Jianhua.
'Ah, it is that young man,' said Xue Yang in his mind.
Xue Yang remembers that he 'met' a man called Deng Jianhua when he entered the forest yesterday. That time, Deng Jianhua is flirting with a girl who is not far from his age.
This time, Deng Jianhua is alone with a bald man that looks fierce. There is a slash scar on his bald head that amplify his intimidating appearance.
That bald man has the aura of someone in the early Third Stage of cultivation.
The bald man that is angry toward Deng Jianhua shouted more loudly, "What baseless accusation! There is clear evidence that you are the culprit! That is your sword! Your sword!
"Your sword is stabbed in her stomach. How can you still lie?"
The bald man shakes his head, "I am disappointed with you."
Deng Jianhua's face is pale. He was not the one that has done that. "That is not me."
"Sure, whatever. Do you know what kind of punishment for injuring a fellow disciple of the Sword of the Verdant Shadow? Dead is the easiest one."
Deng Jianhua shuddered. He comes to this place following the group to earn experience fighting magical beasts. To think that he will get framed by other people.
"It is not me. Believe me, group leader. I am framed," said Deng Jianhua. "If I was the one that did it, I would not use my sword. Why would I use something that will make me get doubted?
"Not only that but there is no reason for me to hurt Tingting."
The bald man didn't know what to do. Deng Jianhua's reasoning is logical. He knows that Deng Jianhua and Cao Guanting were getting close in the last few days. He also knows that there is little sense in using weapons that can be used to identify someone. But there is no more evidence besides the sword that was stabbed to her stomach.
"Group Leader Li, is it still not finished?" another man showed up nearby the two. "You should just cripple him instead of wasting time."
"Sorry. So, how is her condition?" asked the bald man, the group leader.
"The injury has been closed. She has also stabilized. She should wake up soon," explained the man.
The group leader said, "Then we will wait for her to wake up. We will ask her about the culprit."