The sky gradually darkened.

A thin mist like a veil enveloped the mountain forest.

Even during the day, the mountain forest outside Lion Valley remained shrouded in a thin mist.

The mist was light during the day, but grew thicker at night.

Lin Zheyu lightly tapped his toes, transforming into a black shadow, swiftly moving through the forest.

He had been keeping watch here for ten days, without any major discoveries.

Almost every day, civilians fell victim to the chaos of war, becoming refugees.

Bandits from Lion Valley came and went each day, continuously bringing refugees into the valley.

In ten days, at least a thousand refugees had been brought in.

Besides the refugees, they somehow transported a large amount of grain and supplies, otherwise it's impossible to support the consumption of all these refugees.

"Should I disguise myself as a refugee and sneak into Lion Valley?"

Lin Zheyu pondered to himself.

He originally planned to wait for those in black and red robes to head out, then take action.

Unfortunately, ten days had passed without seeing those in black and red robes leave.

At the entrance of Lion Valley, the only ones coming and going were the bandits and the recruited refugees.

The strongest among them had barely broken through to the Qi Blood Realm.

Lin Zheyu estimated that the Qi Blood Realm bandit must have taken a Blood Elixir to break through.

"No way, those bandits aren't fools, they wouldn't bring people into Lion Valley without checking."

"If I want to sneak in, I need to make myself look like I've been starving for a long time, skin and bones."

Lin Zheyu contemplated and gave up on this idea.

Exiting the mountains surrounding Lion Valley, without the cover of mist, the visibility was much clearer.

Roar——

Passing by Beast Roar Mountain, a loud roar suddenly echoed from the forest.

Lin Zheyu was no longer surprised; deep in Beast Roar Mountain lived many powerful beasts. Once night fell, loud roars often echoed within the mountains.

Rustle rustle rustle.

The wind blew gently, causing the leaves to rustle.

Lin Zheyu moved swiftly through the forest; due to the impact of war, there were far fewer hunters in Beast Roar Mountain.

Civilians outside the city fled, leaving only the hunters in the city who occasionally ventured out.

Howl——

Suddenly, a vicious beast with tusks, over two meters long, and extremely stout, shot out from the forest, charging at Lin Zheyu.

The beast was very strong; a typical Peak of Bone Forging martial artist would not survive an impact from it.

However, it was facing Lin Zheyu, disguised as a Peak of Bone Forging practitioner.

Bang!

Without warning, Lin Zheyu shifted to the left and planted his right foot on the ground, his arm muscles rising as he punched the beast's head.

He didn't use a blade, not wanting to stain the beast's carcass with blood.

Crack.

A terrifying force exploded, sending the beast flying, bones cracking in its head, blood spurting from its eyes, nose, and ears.

It crashed through two tree trunks and only then came to a halt.

Its body convulsed a few times, clawing with its sturdy limbs, struggling to stand.

However, after a moment of struggle, it convulsed violently once more, and became motionless.

"Not bad luck, managed to catch a beast on the way back."

Lin Zheyu smiled, hoisting the beast onto his shoulder, and headed towards Songyi City.

"Senior Brother!"

Passing by the city gate, Lin Zheyu greeted Han Mo who was on patrol.

After the chaotic army captured Baohe City, the garrison's sorties to wipe out bandits had significantly decreased, focusing mainly on defending the city.

"Out hunting again."

"These days, outside is very dangerous; you should avoid venturing out of the city too much."

Han Mo frowned slightly, looking at the beast on Lin Zheyu's shoulder, and advised.

"Hmm, I'll be careful."

"I'm fast, regular Bone Forging practitioners can't catch me, it's not too dangerous," Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

He sized up his senior brother, noticing Han Mo had broken through to the Qi Blood Realm, feeling very happy for him.

"Senior Brother, come over for barbecue tonight. The meat of this Cyan-Haired Beast is quite good, very chewy. It pairs excellently with wine."

Lin Zheyu invited with a grin.

Since Xu Qinyi and Ren Qingfeng left Songyi City, his life had become much duller, with no one to join him for music and theater at night.

Jia Yanrong, Xie Jiang, and Ning Hui occasionally invited him to Baihua Tower, but not daily, as daily visits were taxing on both wallet and body.

"Next time, I have to patrol tonight."

"I heard the chaotic army has reorganized and plans to attack Guanning City; I'm not sure if Guanning City can hold."

Han Mo said with a frown, somewhat worried.

"Don't worry, it should be fine. Recently, I've seen tens of thousands of soldiers passing by on the official road, headed for reinforcements."

"With so many troops reinforcing, they should be able to hold, right?" Lin Zheyu said.

During this period, nearly every day, thousands of troops passed by, the largest force having over ten thousand soldiers.

The leaders of these forces were incredibly formidable, with an overwhelming aura of Qi and Blood. Even Lin Zheyu couldn't gauge their strength.

"Let's hope so..."

Han Mo sighed.

Though he had planned an exit route for his family, no one wanted to leave their homeland and live elsewhere.

It would be best if they could stop the chaotic army and hold Songyi City.

After chatting with Senior Brother Han Mo, Lin Zheyu carried the beast back home.

Following the killing of Xing Penghai and his son, his life returned to its usual tranquility, and the fifth elder of the Xing Family did not approach him again.

At home, Lin Zheyu processed the Cyan-Haired Beast and had a hearty meal.

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