Inside the stone hollow, darkness thick as ink, with only a few pale moonlight rays leaking through gaps in the vines, barely outlining the interior contours. Tang Xiao Qi sat leaning against the cold rock wall, cross-legged, yet not in deep meditation. Last night's fierce battle with the Swiftwind Wolf had exhausted much of his mental and physical energy; several claw wounds on his body, though treated with Golden Sore Medicine, still throbbed faintly. More importantly, in this completely unfamiliar and perilous environment, he dared not relax for even a moment, devoting most of his mind to vigilant observation of the surroundings.
A sleepless night, only recovering through breath regulation.
When the first glimmer of dawn struggled to penetrate the dense forest and rock crevices, dispelling some of the darkness, Xiao Qi slowly opened his eyes. The bloodshot had not faded from his eyes, but his spirit had largely recovered. He carefully listened to the sounds from outside, confirming no abnormalities nearby, before cautiously pushing aside the vines concealing the entrance and crawling out.
The morning secret realm forest was filled with a thick mist and the fragrance of grass and trees, but also carried an inescapable primitive pungency. He first vigilantly observed the direction where the Swiftwind Wolf had vanished last night, then meticulously examined the surroundings of the stone hollow, confirming the beast had not returned, finally allowing himself a slight relief.
Hunger pangs arose in his stomach; he took out a Fasting Pill he had refined himself and swallowed it, then drank a few mouthfuls of clear water. His gaze then fell on the site of last night's fierce battle. The ground was a mess, claw marks deeply etched into the humus layer, snapped saplings and scattered dirt all showing the intensity of the fight, along with several patches of dried, blackened wolf blood.
His heart grew solemn; he dared not linger here, deciding to leave immediately, continue exploring, and try to find teammates.
Selecting a path opposite the direction the Swiftwind Wolf had fled last night, and one where the trees seemed relatively less dense, Xiao Qi once again tightly gripped the Frying Pan and began a new day's trek. He walked more cautiously than yesterday, his spiritual sense like the finest sieve, filtering all information around him.
After advancing for about half a shichen, the sound of gurgling water came from ahead. A small stream about a zhang wide, with clear water visible to the bottom, meandered through the woodland. The vegetation along both banks seemed much lusher.
Where there is water, it often means more living beings gather, opportunities and dangers coexist. Xiao Qi did not rashly approach, but instead hid behind a dense thicket by the stream, carefully observing.
At that moment, his gaze was drawn to an area not far on the opposite bank.
There, the grass and trees showed clear signs of trampling and breaking; several streamside rocks still bore some disorderly, unnatural scratches, and a small patch of soil appeared slightly darker, as if soaked by some liquid.
"Signs of a fight!" Xiao Qi's heart tightened. Judging by the freshness of the marks, the occurrence should not have been more than a day ago.
He immediately raised his alertness to twelvefold, his gaze sweeping like a falcon across every inch of land, every leaf on the opposite bank. Moments later, his line of sight fixed on the rough bark of an old banyan tree near the edge of the battle marks.
There, a mark shallowly carved with a sharp weapon, inconspicuous—three short dashes, above them a small circle.
Qingxu Temple's communication mark! Meaning "safe, have left, can follow this direction"!
Xiao Qi's heart suddenly pounded! Fellow sect members! And judging by the mark's meaning, the disciple who left the mark should have disengaged from the battle and headed in a certain direction.
This was undoubtedly an exhilarating discovery! This meant he was not completely alone; other sect members were active nearby, likely more than one. If he could find them, whether for reuniting or exchanging information, it would be extremely beneficial to his current situation.
He forcibly suppressed the impulse to rush over immediately, again carefully observing the surroundings, especially the forest on the opposite bank, confirming there were no ambushes or other dangers, before cautiously wading through the knee-deep, icy stream water, reaching the opposite bank.
He first examined those fight marks. The traces were somewhat chaotic, as if the combatants moved quickly; from the trampled grass and scratches on rocks, one side (likely the Qingxu Temple disciple who left the mark) seemed to fight while retreating, using some kind of sharp weapon (likely a sword), while the other side... fewer traces, but considerable destructive power, temporarily impossible to determine exactly what.
No obvious bloodstains were found, which was good news.
Afterward, he walked to that old banyan tree, carefully examining that mark. The carving was fresh, edges still bearing fresh wood shavings, confirming it was left not long ago. He noted the direction indicated by the mark—roughly upstream along the stream.
Should he follow?
Xiao Qi pondered briefly. The situation of the disciple who left the mark was unknown—was it a lone individual or a squad? What had they encountered? Was ahead safe or greater danger? All this was unknown. Following recklessly carried significant risk.
But on the other hand, this might be his best chance currently to find teammates and escape his solitary situation. The mark itself conveyed a relatively safe signal. Moreover, walking upstream along the stream itself counted as a clear direction, better than wandering aimlessly like a headless fly in the vast sea of forest.
Ultimately, the desire to find companions and trust in the mark's meaning gained the upper hand.
He decided, following the direction indicated by the mark, to advance upstream along the stream. But simultaneously, he must be even more careful than before, not only guarding against the secret realm's inherent dangers but also paying attention to potentially existing, unknown sect members or... other things.
On that old banyan tree, he also used his dagger to leave his own mark—a simple symbol representing "Tang Xiao Qi, Qi Refining fifth layer, has seen the mark, following direction forward". This way, if fellow sect members saw it later, they would know his movements.
After completing all this, he once again tightly gripped the Frying Pan, his gaze firmly fixed on the deep, unknown forest upstream, and took a step forward.
The lonely journey seemed to show a glimmer of light. Whatever awaited him ahead was better than aimless drifting. He followed the stream, pursuing the possibly existing traces of fellow cultivators, his figure once again disappearing into the vast ancient forest.