Zhang Ergou and Lin Yichen immediately fell silent upon hearing this.
The few of them exchanged glances in the beam of light coming from the cave entrance, seeing bewilderment in each other's eyes.
They had stopped before dawn and no longer targeted lone inner sect disciples. Su Dan Novel Network
Moreover, to avoid retaliation from those inner sect disciples, the group had deliberately run ten miles to choose this inconspicuous cave and hide.
Could it be that their whereabouts had been discovered, and they were being pursued?
The four immediately held their breath and listened tensely to the movements outside.
Hmm?
A confused sound came from outside the cave.
Zhang Ergou and the others became even more tense. After a long wait with no movement, they finally relaxed.
Roar!
Suddenly, a beast's roar sounded, making Zhang Ergou, who had just relaxed, tense up again.
"Did you guys hear a beast's roar?" Zhang Ergou transmitted to the others.
Uncertain if there was anyone outside, Zhang Ergou dared not even speak aloud.
"A beast's roar?" Lin Yichen and the other two looked at Zhang Ergou in confusion. "We didn't hear any beast roar!"
"Did I mishear?" Zhang Ergou shook his head, perhaps he was just too on edge.
Roar!
Another beast's roar, clearer than before, sounded. Zhang Ergou sat up.
This startled Lin Yichen and the other two as well: "What's wrong with you, kid? Can you stop being so jumpy!"
Lin Yichen shot Zhang Ergou an exasperated look, truly bewildered by his actions.
"Did you really not hear the beast's roar?" Zhang Ergou transmitted to the others again.
This time, the sound was clearer than before, but why did the other three seem completely unaware?
"No!" The three nodded affirmatively, looking at Zhang Ergou as if he were an idiot, convinced he was suffering from delusions.
"That's strange!" Zhang Ergou sat on the ground, also puzzled. He was certain he had heard the sound correctly.
However, he couldn't pinpoint the direction of the sound. Even more bizarre, the sound seemed to possess a magic that could interfere with one's mind.
"Someone's coming!" Xiao Qingyu suddenly transmitted as Zhang Ergou was pondering.
The sound of footsteps breaking dry branches was heard from outside the cave entrance. Zhang Ergou and Lin Yichen exchanged glances.
Everyone became fully alert, ready for battle.
"Huh, I just sensed a faint aura here, but now it's gone?" A voice sounded from outside the cave.
"Senior Brother Qin, are you sensing it wrong?" Another voice replied, seemingly not entirely trusting the feeling of the person who spoke earlier.
"Li Tong, Senior Brother Qin is already at the Golden Core mid-stage. His spiritual perception far surpasses ours. How could he be mistaken!" A third voice chimed in.
More than one person!
The expressions on Zhang Ergou, Lin Yichen, Wang Teng, and Xiao Qingyu's faces could no longer be described as merely solemn.
They had never expected there to be so many people outside, and judging by the conversation outside the cave, one of them was at the Golden Core mid-stage.
If they were discovered, they would be in for a rough time!
The four unspokenly prayed that the people outside wouldn't find them, but as fate would have it, their prayers went unanswered.
"Senior Brother, I've found an opening here." A voice like a thunderclap boomed from outside the cave.
Zhang Ergou, Lin Yichen, Xiao Qingyu, and Wang Teng were stunned!
What was happening? Of all the insignificant cave entrances, this one was discovered. Were you a dog, my friend?
Suddenly, Xiao Qingyu, in his panic, dropped the twin hammers in his hand.
Bang!
A loud noise!
Damn it!
The other three glared at Xiao Qingyu, furious that he had made a sound at this critical moment.
Lin Yichen and Zhang Ergou exchanged a look and, before the people at the entrance could gather, scrambled out.
Wang Teng followed closely behind.
Xiao Qingyu, realizing the gravity of his mistake, quickly picked up his hammers from the ground and rushed out of the cave.
When Zhang Ergou and the others burst out, the inner disciple who had just discovered the cave entrance, startled, failed to notice them.
Before he could react, Lin Yichen and Zhang Ergou had already passed him and fled.
"Where do you think you're going?" Several others standing further from the cave entrance noticed the commotion and immediately shouted.
Zhang Ergou and the others didn't dare to look back, pouring all their strength into running towards an empty direction, not caring where they were going.
As for Xiao Qingyu, the last to exit the cave, due to his robust physique, he nearly got stuck in the entrance. Fortunately, the inner disciple standing at the entrance was still stunned from Lin Yichen and Zhang Ergou's initial escape.
This saved him from being captured on the spot!
"Help!" This fellow, carrying two large hammers, ran surprisingly fast, shouting as he fled.
"Senior Brother Qin, the ones who just escaped are Zhang Ergou, the one who scammed us in the Beast Forest. The other three are close to him!"
Someone beside a young man in a purple daoist robe recognized Zhang Ergou and Lin Yichen.
"I suspect the ambushes on our fellow disciples last night were also their doing!"
"Interesting!" The purple-robed youth's face showed a playful smile upon hearing this, but he did not order the people following him to pursue Zhang Ergou and the others.
Instead, he let Zhang Ergou and the others escape.
"Senior Brother Qin, aren't we going to chase them? The Head of the Disciplinary Peak ordered this morning, before dawn, to find the culprits of this incident."
Seeing the purple-robed youth's inaction, a disciple in a green daoist robe beside him spoke up.
"I naturally have my own plans. I will explain the reason to Master, so my junior brother can rest assured." Although the purple-robed youth spoke politely, his tone was unquestionable.
Seeing the purple-robed youth's indifference, the other disciples quietly waited by.
Since the leader was not in a hurry, their haste was useless. It was best not to cross this Senior Brother Qin.
Although this Senior Brother Qin appeared gentle and polite, speaking with extreme courtesy, presenting himself like a scholar,
those who knew him understood that his petty-mindedness was renowned, and "retaliation for the slightest grievance" described him accurately.
These inner disciples following him were well aware of Senior Brother Qin's character, and naturally would not court trouble.
Zhang Ergou and the others, fleeing ahead, felt a sense of relief as no one pursued them from a distance, and their pace slowed considerably.
In their view, since those people weren't chasing them, they must not have been looking for the four of them.
They probably had other matters to attend to and just happened to encounter the four of them.
As Zhang Ergou and Lin Yichen rounded a corner and disappeared from sight.
The young man in the purple robe finally spoke slowly: "The game has just begun. Brothers, chase them!"