Chapter 41 Preparing to Depart

Struck as if by a sudden bolt of lightning, Su Hao’s eyes widened in horror. His once sharp and lively gaze instantly lost its luster, becoming blank, hollow, and utterly devoid of spirit. He looked like a man whose soul had been violently ripped from his body, muttering incoherently to himself, his words dripping with bitterness, grievance, and sheer helplessness:

"This trigger quest is absolute torture! It’s going to get me killed!"

The mere memory of that heart-pounding, death-defying excursion into the human forbidden zone sent a violent shiver down Su Hao’s spine. The biting cold pierced straight from the soles of his feet into his heart, causing his entire body to instinctively contract as if he were once again standing amidst those terrifying, mist-shrouded grounds.

That was a human forbidden zone—a place feared even by cultivators at the Golden Core stage. A dense, spectral fog drifted continuously through the area, weaving through every nook and cranny like a living, breathing entity, exuding an unspeakable sense of dread and peril.

During his last venture, Su Hao had gritted his teeth, kept his posture low, and crept into the forbidden zone with steps as light as falling snow.

Every single step he took felt as deafening as a beating war drum, echoing with agonizing clarity in the oppressive, terrifying silence of the surroundings.

He still remembered that colossal demonic bear, its body as massive as a small hill. If it hadn’t been for that specific artifact, he would have long since ended up as a light snack for the beast.

It had taken every ounce of his strength and wits just to seize a fleeting window of opportunity and finally bring down that demonic bear.

Su Hao had thought he could finally catch his breath. But before he could even begin to calm his wildly racing heart, he felt an unmistakable prickle of malice, as though an unseen pair of eyes had locked onto him.

The gaze carried a palpable, biting chill—like a razor-sharp blade pressing directly against his spine.

Su Hao whipped around, his eyes as wide as copper bells, sweeping his gaze alertly across his surroundings. Yet, aside from the perpetually eerie fog and the chilling, suffocating silence, there was nothing there at all.

And yet, that bone-chilling cold refused to dissipate. Instead, it slithered up his vertebrae, instantly wrapping around him like a tidal wave of ice, scaring him completely out of his wits.

Careless of anything else, he scooped up the three bear cubs—precious treasures that could fetch a small fortune—and bolted like a madman, his speed resembling a sudden gale, daring not to linger for even a fraction of a second.

As he ran, he kept casting frantic glances over his shoulder, looking thoroughly pathetic, as though a thousand-man army were hot on his heels, terrified that the nameless danger would swallow him whole once more.

He had foolishly believed that after surviving such a brush with death, he would finally enjoy some peace and quiet. But no, this accursed trigger quest had to pop up like an inescapable nightmare.

It demanded that he collect demonic beast cores—and not just any amount, but a strict quota of at least five cores within a mere three days!

Blood rushed to Su Hao’s face in a flush of rage, and he stamped his foot hard against the ground. The heavy thud echoed sharply in the quiet surroundings, a silent protest against the profound unfairness of fate.

His face twisted into an ugly mask of frustration and fury, his brows knitted tightly together, his eyes practically spitting fire as he cursed aloud:

"Isn't this just snatching food straight out of a tiger's jaws? Which of those magical beasts is easy to deal with? This is sheer madness—it's practically shoving me headfirst into a pit of fire!"

As he ranted, his mind raced furiously, calculating the logistics, his brows knotting so tightly they practically formed a knot.

Just walking from their current location to the human forbidden zone took a full day. A round trip would consume two entire days in the blink of an eye. That meant, by every calculation, he had a pathetic single day left to hunt down magical beasts.

How on earth was that supposed to be enough?

Su Hao paced back and forth like an ant on a hot pan, his footsteps frantic and erratic, kicking up tiny clouds of dust.

His brows were furrowed so deeply into the shape of the character for "river" that they could have crushed a fly. His hands clenched and unclenched repeatedly, his knuckles turning pale from the sheer force of his grip, laying bare the overwhelming anxiety raging within his chest.

After a long while, as if finally reaching a desperate resolution, he slammed a hand against his thigh with a sharp crack that rang out clearly in the quiet space, sounding like a rallying horn to steel his own nerves.

Gritting his teeth, he muttered, "Screw it! There's no point overthinking this anymore. I have no other choice. If I drag my feet any longer, missing the deadline will bring punishment far worse than facing magical beasts!"

With that, he drew a deep, ragged breath, as though expelling all his lingering fear and hesitation in one go.

He quickly adjusted his equipment, pulling the straps of his belt tighter. The intricate carvings on the hilt of his sheathed sword pressed uncomfortably against his palm, yet the physical sensation grounded him, lending him a sliver of much-needed reassurance.

Biluochun lazily twirled a fallen leaf between her slender fingers, watching it flip, flutter, and land delicately back onto her fingertips, repeating the motion over and over again as if trying to pass the dull, dragging moments of time.

At that moment, she inadvertently lifted her gaze, and her attention was instantly snagged by Su Hao standing not far away.

Usually the very picture of calm and composure, her Senior Brother Qingming was currently rushing frantically about, packing his belongings with desperate haste.

The pack, which was normally kept in neat and orderly fashion, was now a complete mess. Various items were scattered haphazardly around him—some tossed carelessly onto the ground, others half-jammed into the pouch before being yanked back out in a frenzy, as if he were desperately hunting for some desperately crucial item.

Though Su Hao moved with blistering speed, he couldn't mask his underlying panic. His hands trembled slightly, and a fine layer of sweat beaded across his forehead, glistening faintly under the sunlight.

Seeing this, Biluochun’s delicate brows knitted together slightly, and a ripple of doubt bloomed within her chest, expanding in widening circles.

She sprang to her feet with a sudden urgency that caused her stone stool to scrape against the ground with a soft screech.

Taking two or three quick steps, she marched right up to Su Hao. Tilting her head, her large eyes filled with unadulterated curiosity, her gaze pinned itself firmly onto him like a pair of bright beams as she impatiently demanded:

"Senior Brother Qingming, where on earth are you headed? Why are you in such an absolute panic? Did something catastrophic happen?"

As she spoke, her gaze darted back and forth between his slightly tense face and the chaotic pile of gear, as if attempting to employ her keen observation skills to pry out whatever dark secret her senior brother was desperately trying to conceal.

Su Hao’s hands froze mid-motion, as though someone had hit an invisible pause button. Slowly, he lifted his eyes to meet Biluochun’s, a flicker of fleeting hesitation flashing through his gaze. Though his eyes wavered for a split second, he quickly forced himself to steady his expression, masking the anomaly without a trace.

He cleared his throat softly, lowering his voice into a deliberately steady and even cadence as he replied:

"You guys just stay here and properly guard the Supreme Elder. I’m simply stepping out for a moment to check on the situation outside. I expect to be back within three days at most. There's nothing to worry about, so put your minds at ease."

Even as he spoke, his eyes drifted unconsciously past the courtyard walls toward the unknown distance beyond, as though deliberately evading Biluochun’s probing, scrutinizing stare.

Biluochun was hardly someone who could be easily brushed off. Pouting her rosy lips slightly, she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned forward, stepping closer into his personal space. Her posture clearly signaled that she had no intention of dropping the matter until she got answers:

"Senior Brother, your explanation is far too vague! What on earth are you going out there to do? You know as well as I do that the outside world is an absolute mess right now—it’s crawling with danger. If you’re facing some sort of trouble, you might as well tell us. We’re martial siblings, after all; if something's wrong, we can figure it out together. That’s infinitely better than you going off to court danger all by your lonesome."

Her bright eyes brimmed with genuine concern, her gaze as warm as spring sunshine as she locked onto Su Hao, as if hoping her absolute sincerity would melt his defenses and coax out the absolute truth.

Su Hao groaned inwardly. He knew full well that he didn't have the luxury of time to sit down and recount the whole story from beginning to end. The merciless deadline of that fatal quest hung over his head like the sword of Damocles, ticking downward with every passing second. Every moment he wasted here only compounded the mortal peril waiting for him.

Unable to stop a fresh frown from forming, he forced a wry, helpless smile to his lips—a smile rich with bitterness and strained patience. Reaching out, he gently patted Biluochun’s shoulder in a gesture that was half-consoling, half-encouraging to himself, and spoke with forced nonchalance:

"Oh, Junior Sister, it truly isn't any major crisis. I’m just heading out to scout the terrain a bit. I know what I'm doing, so please stop pressing me. Once I return, I promise to give you a full, detailed account. For now, just stay put and guard this place with peace of mind, or you won't let me leave with a clear conscience."

With those final words, he turned and strode resolutely toward the direction of the human forbidden zone. Though his back looked somewhat slender and lonely against the vast, perilous expanse of the world, it carried an unyielding, indomitable momentum—as if nothing on earth could halt his advance.

Biluochun stood frozen like an ethereal statue, her graceful posture rigid, her beautiful eyes fixed unblinkingly on the spot where Su Hao had disappeared, as though trying to pierce straight through the receding figure.

Her pearly teeth instinctively sank into her lower lip, leaving faint imprints on her tender pink flesh. Her mind was a chaotic tangle of yarn as she silently chewed over Su Hao’s utterly abnormal behavior.

From what she had observed, Su Hao had moved with the frantic urgency of a hunted beast, every single stride laced with desperation. The heavy, dark solemnity etched across his features was as thick and unyielding as undiluted ink; his tightly locked brows seemed weighed down by countless untold secrets, churning with an ocean of worry and hidden anxiety that remained shrouded behind a thick wall of fog, impossible for anyone to read.

Biluochun’s delicate willow-leaf brows puckered together like budding leaves in early spring as she muttered inwardly to herself:

"For him to look so utterly distressed and frantic... what manner of nightmarish trouble has he run into? By the looks of it, this is no ordinary predicament. But what on earth can I do to help?"

At that thought, she let out a soft, forlorn sigh, feeling a crushing wave of helplessness wash over her.

With light, hesitant steps, she turned slowly around, casting her gaze toward the Supreme Elder resting nearby. Her eyes initially flickered with helpless pleading and the desperate impulse to ask for assistance, like a stray lamb seeking guidance.

Yet, after barely a moment, she gave a soft, resolute shake of her head—a gentle motion laced with sudden finality, as if steeling herself to abandon the thought.

"Forget it. Since Senior Brother Qingming keeps his mouth shut as tight as a clam and refuses to utter a single syllable, pressing him further will accomplish nothing. I'll just have to let him go."

Su Hao cut through the mountain forests like a streak of black lightning, moving with ferocious speed.

His physique was as agile and powerful as a dragon coursing through the vast seas, his robes whipping violently against the wind like a battle banner roaring in a tempest. The speed under his feet was astonishingly fast, leaving little more than a blur of afterimages in his wake, resembling a phantom haunting the night.

At this moment, he was burning with anxiety. The relentless countdown of that life-or-death deadline echoed like a death knell inside his mind, acting as a razor-sharp, flashing blade suspended directly over his head, urging him onward every split second without granting him a moment to breathe.

"Time is running out! If I'm even a fraction late, it really will be too late for anything!"

He roared furiously within the depths of his consciousness, sounding like a cornered beast letting out its final, desperate howl.

At the same time, a crushing wave of bitter regret battered relentlessly against his heart, threatening to overwhelm his reason.

"I was a complete fool back then! I shouldn't have hesitating like an old woman worrying over trifles, weighing options back and forth. Look where it's gotten me—I've driven myself straight into a dead end."

Su Hao clenched his teeth so hard his jaw muscles bulged, a look of profound remorse crossing his features, tasting as bitter as coptis root.

"There's no point in hesitating anymore! When is all this second-guessing ever going to end? Screw it—I'll just throw caution to the wind and fight my way out of this! It's all or nothing now. Even if I have to risk my life, I refuse to back down!"

With a fierce mental roar, Su Hao forced his legs to pump even faster, driving himself deeper into the unknown.