Chapter 130: A Successful Rendezvous

Chu Hanyu crouched low, concealing himself within a patch of bushes as his eyes swept over the surroundings. His heartbeat had slowed to a terrifying rhythm. In truth, his condition was even worse than Zhang Ning imagined.

Chu Hanyu had been attacked almost the moment he arrived in this small world, before he had even recovered his senses—a leopard had suddenly sprung at him from behind. Had Zhang Ning been in his place, he would surely have lost his life then and there. Yet Chu Hanyu had remained calm, killing the leopard barehanded with a body he was neither accustomed to nor particularly strong in. Thus, he had narrowly survived the opening ambush.

The danger, however, had continued without pause. Chu Hanyu did not know what identity the body he had possessed held, nor why its former owner had been alone in this forest, but he had evidently chosen himself a “fine place.” At regular intervals, the earth beneath the woods would tremble. The quakes were not especially violent, yet they sent every beast in the forest into a panic. They fled in all directions, but seemed confined within some peculiar boundary, unable to escape the forest no matter how far they ran.

And those beasts—whether tigers, lions, or wolves—would “happen” to discover Chu Hanyu whenever they passed near him. Each one would then attack him as though he were its mortal enemy, hurling itself at him in a frenzy.

Chu Hanyu truly deserved his reputation as the peerless genius who appeared only once in ten thousand years in the Azure Sky Realm. Even after one battle followed another, while using a body he had yet to master and unable to call upon his martial spirit, he had still fought on through his familiarity with every muscle of the human body, as well as his astonishing control and restraint.

Even so, he could not prevent himself from becoming covered in wounds. After using dust to staunch the bleeding from every injury for the time being, he decided to conceal himself and observe the situation. He found a place to hide and worked to lower his heartbeat as much as possible in order to conserve his strength.

Yet even though Chu Hanyu made scarcely a sound, a lion passing in the distance suddenly detected him. Its eyes immediately turned crimson and savage, and it let out a roar that shook the heavens. Chu Hanyu could only sigh softly.

A moment later—

Chu Hanyu gazed thoughtfully at the transparent adhesive tape and several pieces of waterproof fabric in his hands. He still did not understand why, from the instant he had entered this small world, every living creature seemed to regard him with hostility, attacking him relentlessly wherever he went. In the end, he stopped trying to hide and began exploring the area. As expected, he soon discovered quite a number of broken human remains scattered throughout the forest.

He later found a tent left behind by someone who had camped there. After rummaging through it, he was fortunate enough to uncover these supplies. With a little thought, he understood how to use them, and at last he could devote his attention to the matter that had occupied his thoughts from the beginning: finding Zhang Ning.

He established contact with the safeguard he had left within Zhang Ning. Only after confirming that his disciple did not appear to be in any serious danger did he finally set his mind at ease and sever the connection.

Since his junior disciple was safe, he could act without restraint. He would find him after some time had passed, sparing him unnecessary worry. Even when Zhang Ning later used a rare spiritual technique to contact him, Chu Hanyu had thought the same way. He had never expected that he would see Zhang Ning again so soon.

After resting briefly, he found a suitable location and laid several traps. Since there seemed to be no opportunity to break out, Chu Hanyu had no choice but to put in the effort. Fortunately, he had been especially mischievous as a child. It seemed that having many skills truly never hurt.

When Zhang Ning finally reached Chu Hanyu’s side, he witnessed a sight that nearly tore his eyes from their sockets: every wild beast in the mountains was charging toward his master, while Chu Hanyu stood there calmly, looking as though he were waiting to die.

Zhang Ning had no idea that the entire area surrounding Chu Hanyu was filled with traps, waiting only for the animals to fall into them. All he knew was that his master was in danger. Without hesitation, he swiftly climbed a tree and leaped with all his strength, flinging his backpack behind him as he did so.

The backpack struck Zhang Ning squarely between the shoulder blades. Combined with his intense concentration, the impact immediately activated the safeguard Chu Hanyu had left within him. Only then did Zhang Ning roar, “Master!”

When Chu Hanyu heard Zhang Ning’s voice and raised his head, he happened to see Zhang Ning leaping toward him from the sky. With his limbs flailing wildly, he looked little different from the beasts rushing at Chu Hanyu from every direction.

The spiritual power Chu Hanyu had left within Zhang Ning had clearly been activated. Given Chu Hanyu’s cultivation, even the slightest trace of his spiritual power was extraordinarily potent. Under Zhang Ning’s impulsive and clumsy use of it, that power exploded in midair, sweeping outward in every direction.

Under such circumstances, the eruption of martial-spirit power was truly no different from a small bomb. The force spread outward in waves, not only silencing the earth, which had once again begun to tremble, but also stunning or killing every beast nearby. Because of the peculiar nature of spiritual power, their corpses remained whole; they merely looked as though their souls had been forcibly extracted.

The spiritual power naturally could not harm its master, Chu Hanyu. Even so, he was thrown into a panic as he caught Zhang Ning in his arms—for Zhang Ning had nearly fallen into one of the traps.

“Master, are you all right?”

Zhang Ning was somewhat dizzy, as though he had spun around countless times and then suddenly stopped. Clearly, using spiritual power came with a considerable burden. Yet when Zhang Ning lifted his head, his mouth slowly fell open.

His master’s eyes were closed—but that was not the important part. His master’s appearance was changing.

Before, only his bearing had been similar. Now, however, Chu Hanyu’s features were gradually drawing closer to the face he had possessed in the Azure Sky Realm. The sharply carved face that had once called to mind an overbearing corporate executive was slowly transforming.

It became a face for which no adjective could be found except perfect.

Its allure transcended the boundaries of gender and nearly those of humanity itself. When Zhang Ning had first seen him, he had described him in his heart with the words “my god.” Who else could he be but Zhang Ning’s master, Chu Hanyu?

Unable to contain his delight, Zhang Ning hugged Chu Hanyu and laughed. “That’s wonderful, Master!”

Zhang Ning was not a fool. Under such circumstances, the change in Chu Hanyu’s appearance clearly meant that his condition was improving. And that was indeed the case. When Chu Hanyu slowly opened his eyes, he felt that the inexplicable sensation he had experienced ever since arriving in this other world—the feeling that all things hated him—had weakened considerably.

They had obviously not yet escaped danger, however. Before Zhang Ning arrived, Chu Hanyu had been engaged in a battle of wits and strength with the beasts of the mountains. After Zhang Ning came, there was no longer any threat from the animals, but the eruption of spiritual power had clearly triggered a series of unfavorable consequences.

Moreover, ever since entering this small world, Zhang Ning had often felt what seemed to be minor earthquakes. The tremors were not strong, more like someone shaking the chair beneath him, but they occurred far too frequently for Zhang Ning to believe that the region was simply prone to earthquakes.

Someone was certainly manipulating things from behind the scenes.