Astray

"If the commotion had disturbed them and they got involved in this chaos, I'm afraid I might have lost these little ones today." Ji Tang heaved a sigh of relief as he continued his search.

Afterward, he caught sight of another three which he was confident he and his sworn brothers could handle, whilst the rest didn't seem like they could pose much of a problem as long as one of the three of them was present.

---

"I had better inform Fang and Wang about this situation; these parts of the mountain are very dangerous, but excellent to train these kids provided one of us is standing guard.

There is also the issue of the person who saved Min'er and Qing'er; I need to know why they are here and what they want." Ji Tang strategized as he recalled his sea of consciousness.

He then walked over to the unconscious duo and gave them some very much-needed urgent care (First Aid) as Sensei had intentionally left some bruises around Ji Min's body and some blood stains around his neck and mouth.

After tending to them for a bit, Ji Tang brought out a small jade which he crushed.

About half an hour later, Ji Fang zapped into position whilst Ji Wang simply morphed out of a tree shadow.

"Brother!"

Ji Wang said in a low voice whilst Ji Fang simply rushed over to the kids snuggly covered by a blanket.

"What happened?" Ji Fang asked.

"That's what I'm still trying to find out. But there is one thing I know for sure, there is something wrong with this forest, and we need to be very careful."

Ji Tang spoke with a similarly low tone, and from the way he was looking all over the area, Ji Fang and Ji Wang got the signal that they might not be alone.

Ji Fang and Ji Wang instantly appeared on either side of the unconscious duo.

"What do you mean?"

"Fang, how powerful do you think someone-or-thing which can rescue these kids by fighting off 3 Lord Stage and two Peak Commander Stage beasts with awakened bloodlines be?"

Ji Tang asked as Ji Fang's eyes widened in shock, a reaction to which Ji Tang nodded.

"Wang, if you then add several dozens of Advanced Commander Stage rodents to it, how powerful do you think such an entity will be?"

"Brother; one would need at least a 6-Star Lord Stage, or an 8-Star Qi Sea Stage cultivation to achieve such a feat." Ji Wang said as he caught onto Ji Tang's dilemma.

"Now that you mention it, the scenes in this battle indicate the person used the chains on the kids to do so." Ji Fang added from the side.

"Exactly my point; even that expert should have been forced to use one strong move within this battle; one which I am very sure I will detect.

But no, not only did he not use a single powerful technique, but the marks also indicated that the person only used martial arts and the chains to settle the situation, and in such a short amount of time; because I passed this area about fifteen before my return here." Ji Tang revealed with a sigh.

"If we add that to the sudden increase in the number of demon beasts within this area, then I can't vouch that it is a simple coincidence." Ji Fang gave his opinion.

"You're both right. Which begs the question, are they an ally or enemy?" Ji Tang said as he sunk deep into thought.

"If this expert was the one who started it, then he's an enemy." Ji Fang concluded.

"Even if he wasn't the one who started it, he's still the enemy until proven otherwise." Ji Wang gave a more cynical conclusion.

"Sure, but then; why did he save the kids?" Ji Fang optimistically added.

"That's one question we will have to find out in person.

Come; let's return with the kids first, we will simply have to secure the entire mountain range so that the kids can train safely." Ji Tang said as his sworn brothers nodded in unison.

The trio cleared the area and carried the unconscious duo while Ji Tang led the way to the mountaintop.

Though they had a lot of unanswered questions and felt like waking the duo and asking them some questions, Ji Tang suggested otherwise, claiming that the event might have scared and scarred the duo mentally.

He claimed it is better to allow them to recuperate, spend some time adjusting their minds to the nightmarish encounter they had just experienced, and once he feels the time was right, go on to ask them about it.

Ji Fand and Ji Wang also felt that was the reasonable direction to follow, and as a result, they all pended their curiosity until Ji Tang notifies them of the right time.

The trio really cared about Ji Min and Ji Qing and it was one of the reasons they had shrewdly made Ji Qing promise them to stand by him forever.

Though they had yet to make Ji Min make a similar commitment, they believed that he wouldn't be against the idea since they had both spent time gazing at the stars together.

Then from Ji Qing's reaction to their probing, they could tell that their escapade had a tinge of romance to it; after all, Ji Qing had taken the initiative to leave a band behind of her own will; a band that Ji Min still wore on him.

"Perhaps, I will ask sometime in the middle of their training." Ji Tang's words jolted them out of their thoughts as they nodded and focused on the road ahead.

---

Meanwhile, back at the Tian Li Empire, within the domain of the most elusive and respected figure within its borders.

A female figure could be seen rushing up a flight of stairs that spiraled around the central mountain of this domain.

"Master… master!" There was a tinge of urgency in her voice as she knocked.

"Little Ling; whatever the matter is, make sure it is very important." An old voice casually said from within the room.

"It is a letter from the Royal Family." The girl answered with urgency still apparent in her voice.

"What type of seal?" The voice asked in a more serious tone.

"It's a red-"

The girl hadn't even completed her statement when the door of the room suddenly swung open.

"A red seal; what is it this time?" Old Lao murmured to himself as a look of concern flashed across his face for a moment.

"Little Ling, you may return first. Tell your sister I would be making a quick trip to the palace; both of you should handle all affairs till I return." Old Lao instructed as he sent Little Ling off.

"Oh, and one more thing…" He added as Little Ling was about to take off.