Chapter 399: Mist Forest
However, Jin Hongtao’s tone changed as he added slowly,
"But don’t you worry, President Xue. The Wu Family is nothing special. They only have two Grandmasters with them. They’re no threat at all!"
Upon hearing this, the somber look on Xue Chengdong’s face instantly gave way to one of relief.
He nodded and said with a smile,
"In that case, I’ll be counting on all of you today!"
Jin Hongtao patted his chest and said proudly,
"Don’t worry, President Xue. With me here, you can rest easy!"
The group of disciples from Xingyi Hall behind him were all brimming with confidence, their faces filled with arrogance.
Ma Youcai, for his part, shot a provocative glare at Qin Tuo from a distance, his eyes dripping with ridicule.
However, Qin Tuo completely ignored Ma Youcai’s existence, treating him as if he were thin air.
A wave of anger inexplicably surged through Ma Youcai, but he knew better than to cause a scene right then and there.
At that moment, Qin Tuo just wanted to laugh. ’This Jin Hongtao’s judgment is truly abysmal,’ he thought.
Qin Tuo had just clearly seen that there were at least ten people with Grandmaster-level strength in the Zheng Family’s party, yet the assessment that had come from Jin Hongtao’s mouth was off by more than half.
What’s more, Qin Tuo could also see that the old, goat-bearded Daoist was unfathomable. He was likely a Magic Master.
A man like that could single-handedly sweep through all the experts the Xue Family had hired. It wouldn’t even be a contest!
Even the Wu Family had a full eight Grandmasters. The most formidable of them was probably the giant of a man over two meters tall; his strength was likely on par with Jin Hongtao’s, if not greater.
Qin Tuo saw all of this with his own eyes, but Jin Hongtao was completely oblivious, spouting utter nonsense.
When Xue Chengdong saw that the other two families had disappeared into the distance, he waved his hand and announced,
"It’s getting late, everyone. Let’s get moving!"
With that, the large party began their ascent up the mountain.
Just then, Xue Qingqing couldn’t resist moving to walk beside Qin Tuo.
Qin Tuo, however, showed no reaction, remaining as cold and distant toward Xue Qingqing as he had been the day before.
As they walked, Xue Qingqing suddenly whispered a reminder,
"Qin Tuo, when we get to the Mist Forest, you have to be careful and stick close to the main group. It’s very easy to get lost otherwise!"
Hearing this, Qin Tuo was a bit puzzled and asked casually,
"Oh? Miss Xue, what is the Mist Forest?"
A flash of joy went through Xue Qingqing’s heart when she saw that Qin Tuo was finally talking to her.
Then, she patiently explained,
"It’s a forest on the mountainside where the fog gets extremely thick. If you’re not careful, you can get lost in an instant and may never find your way out. That’s how it got its name."
Huang Junkai, who was walking nearby, had heard of it before, but after hearing this detailed explanation, a look of apprehension appeared in his eyes.
Qin Tuo nodded, showing that he understood.
Seeing Qin Tuo’s seemingly unconcerned expression, Xue Qingqing grew secretly anxious.
At that moment, Xue Chengdong, who was walking at the very front, turned back to the group and shouted,
"Everyone, listen up! Stay with the main group. If you accidentally get separated, stay exactly where you are and fire the signal flare you were given. Someone will come to rescue you. Understood?"
Everyone nodded to show they understood.
Only then did Xue Chengdong finally relax. After all, the reputation of the Mist Forest was so dreadful that no one could claim to be completely fearless.
Even Jin Hongtao and his group wore serious expressions, not daring to let their guard down for a moment.
Huang Junkai looked extremely nervous, his breathing growing noticeably more rapid.
Qin Tuo smiled and patted his shoulder reassuringly.
"Don’t worry. Just stick with me."
Huang Junkai nodded, managing an awkward smile.
It couldn’t be helped. He wasn’t a Martial Artist, so in an environment like this, it was only natural for him to be on edge.
The people at the head of the party gradually pulled away, but Xue Qingqing fell to the back to walk with Qin Tuo, showing no signs of wanting to speed up.
She made idle small talk with Qin Tuo, and he would offer a brief reply here and there, clearly not very enthusiastic about conversation.
But Xue Qingqing didn’t mind in the slightest. In fact, she quite enjoyed the feeling of walking and talking with Qin Tuo.
Just then, a servant of the Xue Family ran over and said quietly,
"Young Miss, the Patriarch asks that you hurry to the front of the group and walk with him!"
But Xue Qingqing just shook her head and refused.
"No, I’m going to walk with Qin Tuo."
The servant looked troubled and said,
"But Young Miss, the Patriarch insisted..."
But a clever glint appeared in Xue Qingqing’s eyes as she said with a smile,
"You go back and tell my father that I’m walking with Qin Tuo. If I happen to get lost, he can just send people to find and rescue me!"
Hearing Xue Qingqing put it that way, the servant could only look helpless, shake his head, and return to deliver the message.
In reality, Xue Qingqing was worried that if Qin Tuo got lost, Xue Chengdong might just choose to ignore it.
But if Xue Qingqing was by Qin Tuo’s side, things were different. No matter what, Xue Chengdong would send out a full search party to find them.
Therefore, Xue Qingqing’s actions were, in their own way, a silent form of protection for Qin Tuo.
Qin Tuo was exceptionally sharp, so of course he understood Xue Qingqing’s reasoning.
Because of this, Qin Tuo couldn’t help but steal another glance at Xue Qingqing, his estimation of her rising considerably.
In Qin Tuo’s eyes, Xue Qingqing had just been a narcissistic and brainless woman, but he never expected she could be so considerate.
By now, the main party had ventured deeper into the mountains and entered the bounds of the Mist Forest.
Meanwhile, the members of the Zheng Family, who had set out much earlier, reached a deeper part of the forest, where they all slowly came to a halt.
As if thinking of something, a wicked grin spread across Zheng Guoping’s face.
He turned to the old, goat-bearded Daoist priest beside him and said,
"Master Huang, the time has come. You may make your move."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the goat-bearded Master Huang nodded, his expression impassive as he took out a Talisman.
He then respectfully raised the Talisman with both hands, muttering a series of mysterious incantations under his breath.
All the surrounding members of the Zheng Family watched this scene nervously, their hearts a mixture of tense anticipation and anxiety.
Zheng Guoping’s eyes narrowed, his gaze fixed on the Talisman, not daring to even blink.
After a few moments, ferocious beasts with glowing bodies began to leap out from the Talisman, one after another!
The sight made every member of the Zheng Family jump in shock.
With guttural roars, the beasts scattered in all directions, dashing into the forest and quickly disappearing from sight!