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Qing Ziyi looked at the skull on the table with a solemn expression. "Something—or someone—threw this in front of me while I was on watch. I saw a silhouette, but couldn't make out many details due to the darkness. That figure was extremely skilled at hiding within the shadows."
Silence filled the room. Qing Xuanling glanced around at the faces surrounding her—all equally grave.
They were currently inside one of the shelters, gathered with the squad captains and Instructor Huan. Qing Xuanling and the rest of the Crimson Sword Squad were present because the incident had occurred during their watch shift.
Qing Junzhe—the captain of the Crimson Ray Squad, a mature man with a short beard—took the skull from the table and examined it carefully. After touching it thoroughly, inside and out, he stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"It's a human skull over three years old, so I don't think a human threw it. Most likely, it was an intelligent demonic beast. And there's a high chance it's actually a group of demonic beasts—they're the ones who usually play mind games with their prey like this."
Qing Linxi, who was also a squad captain, scratched her head in annoyance. "Tsk, these kinds are the most troublesome. These particular ones seem especially good at unnerving their prey."
Everyone present was experienced. They all knew that revealing their presence in such a way was solely meant to sow panic among them. Even the platoon's soldiers—expert cultivators of the Qing clan—now felt slightly uneasy, not knowing when they might be attacked.
Of course, the attackers' strategy had a flaw.
Instructor Huan frowned. "We won't be in this forest much longer, so they don't have enough time to break our mental defenses. The problem is, this kind of creature rarely strikes unless they're certain their prey is already weakened by fear…"
They didn't have time to wait. The Ink Sword Sect's vigilance was currently weaker as they prepared for the coming attack—but if they failed to arrive in time and the sect returned to full alertness…
Well, facing over five hundred enemies with only fifty wouldn't be unusual at that point.
Qing Ziyi sighed. "We can't do much. We'll just have to keep advancing toward the spiritual mine. We'll have to face whatever comes—whether they attack before or after we arrive."
Though this wasn't the optimal situation, they had no other choice—or so they thought.
At that moment, Qing Huayan raised her hand. "Captain Ziyi, I believe I could help—if what we're facing are demonic beasts."
Everyone turned to look at Qing Huayan, whose face held a trace of excitement.
Qing Ziyi frowned slightly at Qing Huayan speaking without permission, but Instructor Huan simply looked at her and nodded. "What idea do you have, Comrade Huayan?"
Qing Huayan and the others, though young, were now officially cultivators serving the clan, so they couldn't be casually addressed in formal settings. This small recognition thrilled Qing Huayan—it wasn't every day an adult, especially someone as legendary as Qing Huan—one of the few cultivators in the clan worthy of being called a hero—acknowledged her this way.
She smiled and pointed at herself. "I was thinking that instead of leaving everything to luck, we could try hunting those demonic beasts. In case you didn't know, I'm a beast tamer, so I'm confident I can track those slippery little creatures if they show up again. If I'm lucky, I might even temporarily control them to attack the spiritual mine."
Instructor Huan's eyes lit up. "How certain are you that you can tame these demonic beasts?"
Qing Huayan didn't boast. "It depends on the species, but at best, no more than forty percent chance. However, I'm absolutely confident I can find their tracks."
Instructor Huan stroked his chin. The other captains remained silent, waiting for him to decide. Following Qing Huayan's plan could yield either miraculous success or catastrophic failure.
It wasn't an easy decision—but Instructor Huan had never been indecisive.
"Alright, we'll follow your plan. However, we can't halt the entire platoon just to hunt a few demonic beasts." Instructor Huan's gaze sharpened. "So the Crimson Sword Squad will split from the main group to hunt or tame these demonic beasts. Captain Ziyi—are you in agreement?!"
Qing Ziyi's frown was barely perceptible, but she quickly nodded. "Of course!"
The rest of the meeting proceeded normally, simply reporting tonight's supply expenditures and the cultivators' mental states.
Half an hour later, the meeting ended, and everyone dispersed. The Crimson Sword Squad left together, though Qing Ziyi's expression wasn't entirely pleased.
Qing Huayan scratched her cheek, embarrassed. "Perhaps I shouldn't have said anything...?"
Qing Ziyi opened her mouth, momentarily speechless. "No, it's not that. It's just… this mission could be quite dangerous. I was just thinking how to minimize the risks."
Qing Xuanling smiled faintly. That was clearly an excuse. Qing Ziyi was obviously annoyed about taking on such a risky task. However, she, the squadron captain, could not simply stifle her soldiers' enthusiasm to help the platoon solve its difficulties.
A coward like her was in a rather difficult position.
"I think we should first assess these demonic beasts' situation before acting," Qing Tanwei said gently. "Though we suspect it might be a group, it could just be a single beast playing tricks on us."
"And even if it is a large group, we have a battle formation we haven't used yet. This could be the perfect opportunity to test it."
Qing Tanwei's words excited everyone. None had forgotten the Golden Cauldron Formation—they simply hadn't had a chance to use it until now. But they were eager to try it.
Qing Ziyi hesitated, then nodded. "Agreed. But right now, the most important thing is whether Huayan can track the beast that threw the skull."
Her gaze turned to Qing Huayan, who simply smiled.
"I've already set things in motion, haven't I, boys?" She stomped the ground in a specific rhythm, making it tremble for a few seconds before several figures emerged. "Little earth-diggers, scatter and search for any demonic beasts nearby!"
Qing Xuanling watched curiously as the moles burrowed back into the earth. "It really is impossible to detect them underground."
Qing Huayan's expression turned proud. "Of course! These are beasts on the verge of becoming spirit beasts! My parents spent considerable resources teaching these little ones how to turn earth into mud! With that skill, as long as they're more than five meters underground, they make absolutely no noise while moving!"
Qing Ziyi stroked her chin. "So that's the project the Fourth Branch was working on three years ago. I heard they invested heavily to awaken hidden lineages in mortal beasts. I didn't expect they'd succeeded."
"It's more than that," Qing Huayan's eyes sparkled. "With enough time for breeding and resources, we can further enhance the Little earth-diggers' bloodlines! Maybe in a decade, the clan will have its first breed of companion spirit beasts!"
The others were stunned. Qing Huayan's ambitions were quite grand. Spirit beasts were naturally proud—though far calmer than demonic beasts, their pride was many times greater.
In truth, it was easier to tame a demonic beast than a spirit beast. The latter would rather die than dishonor their lineage.
After that, they waited with little to do. Although the Little earth-diggers' search skills were impressive, the demonic beasts first needed to be present. So they waited several hours before one of the moles discovered something.
It was already 7 a.m. when Qing Huayan received a message from one of her moles. She leapt to her feet, lighting up the others' expressions.
The rest of the platoon had departed at 6 a.m., just as the sun rose—so they'd been bored for quite a while, eagerly awaiting Qing Huayan's news.
Qing Ziyi stood up and asked, "What did you find?"
"The moles sensed several vibrations heading in the direction the platoon went," Qing Huayan said, chin in hand, eyes gleaming. "These beasts seem to be following the main group, waiting for a chance to hunt them!"
"But isn't that a bit strange?" Qing Xuanling frowned. "If we're talking about opportunity, attacking us—since we're alone—would be their best chance…"
Fwissssh!
The sound of wind being sliced interrupted Qing Xuanling's words as a crude-looking spear flew toward her neck!
She leaned sideways, easily dodging the spear, but couldn't help smiling bitterly.
"Idiot, after all this time, you still haven't learned to keep quiet?" Qing Wentian laughed, pulling out a pair of gloves embedded with rubies. "Though honestly, this worked out well—we didn't have to wait long thanks to you."
Qing Xuanling gave a dry laugh as she unsheathed Memory. Her eyes were sharp as she watched the figures gradually appearing on the tree branches around them.