Chapter 159 - Finding the First Group
When the last jaguar was killed, the conflict finally came to an end. The winners were Hei and his companions. They had suffered no casualties, and apart from a few injuries and the fatigue from using spirit power, none of them were in severe conditions. It could be said that their victory was a good result considering the jaguar pack had ambushed them.
"Nice job, everyone. I'm sorry I didn't notice before the approaching pack. We would have spared ourselves a futile fight." Hei said when he reunited with the others. Behind him, Ye and Xing, still in their true form, were carrying the carcasses of the three jaguars killed by them.
"You don't have to apologize. It wasn't something you could have foreseen. Instead, you have shown that you have the qualities of a leader despite the situation." Leon replied quickly, expressing his opinion.
The others also expressed similar thoughts and praised Hei's work. Despite their praise, however, Hei wasn't at all convinced. Inside himself, he knew that things could have gone differently. But in the end, none of his companions had died, and that was what mattered most. He then decided to ignore his self-criticism thoughts for the moment and return to focus on their trial.
"Okay. Now we have to decide how to move since the plans have changed. Staying outdoors here is dangerous. The ideal would be to go somewhere sheltered where we can rest and heal our wounds." Hei communicated to the group as his little sisters finished collecting the rest of the jaguar corpses.
"We can see if we find any cave in the surrounding area, wouldn't it be okay?" He Fen proposed. However, his proposal was immediately rejected by Lang.
"No. If we went to any cave, we would likely have to fight again with those who live inside. In the whole forest, there is only one sheltered place which isn't occupied—the lair of this pack of jaguars. My Fenrir can follow their smell and trace their path backward. But..."
At that point, Lang's voice died away. Her usual icy expression now contained a trace of hesitation but, above all, remorse. The others were surprised by her reaction, in particular Lilian and Mia, who were the closest to her.
"But it is likely that the jaguar pack's cubs occupy that lair along with some adults left as guards. Considering the number of their pack which is already unusually numerous for their species, this hypothesis is very feasible."
The person to conclude Lang's sentence was Hei, who could understand the state of the young female beast tamer. Hei knew that taking the life of even the tiniest living thing had its consequences. So, when he gave the order to attack, he was conscious that there would be cubs who wouldn't see their parents come back that day. It was the law of survival.
Leon and everyone else didn't know how to react. It was the first time that they seriously thought about all this. Inside them, they felt disgusted when they understood what they had done. Having spent so much time with Ye, Xing, and Fenrir, they had learned to appreciate spirit beasts. At the same time, though, it meant that it became increasingly difficult for them to take the life of these creatures considered as enemies or, at most, beings to be exploited for the good of humanity. Yet, despite what they felt, they hadn't given any weight to the implications that would come from killing the jaguars.
Within the group, leaving out the two beast tamers who knew this rule well, the only one who wasn't shocked by the news was Lian. She had been living with Hei for a long time, and she had been educated with the same ideals with which the young beast tamer had grown up. However, she also had human education and was well aware of what it felt like to discover the extraordinary nature of spirit beasts despite being taught that they were nothing more than creatures dedicated to killing and destroying. Hence, she decided to intervene to restore her companions to their normal state and alleviate their guilt.
"I know very well what is going on in your mind. Honestly, I don't feel proud to have killed this pack of jaguars. However, at the same time, I don't regret it. Hei has given them several opportunities to withdraw without consequences, yet they have chosen to continue. If we hadn't killed them, we would have died. What we can do is to honor and give these corpses a purpose so that their deaths weren't in vain. Generate life from death, that's what she taught us, right Hei?"
Lian smiled brightly at Hei. Hei was stunned by the view. He could count with the fingers of his hands the few times he had seen such a smile from Lian. With the filtered sun rays illuminating her shiny blue hair and her warm smile, Lian looked like a forest goddess who had come to console the poor martial artists after the fight. Everyone, even the other young women in the group, was amazed by the majesty that flashed around Lian for a few moments.
'The feeling I feel is similar to what I felt when I saw Gaiya the first time. Is it the influence of the Lotus of Love Bloodline?' Hei thought to himself but then left it alone. Regardless of whether it was due to the influence of the Lotus of Love Bloodline or was intrinsic to Lian, this wasn't important.
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"Lian is right. I won't tell you to celebrate or not to feel sad; just don't regret your decision. You have defended yourself and your companions, that's all. As for the jaguars' den, let's leave it alone. We will find another place."
After saying this, Hei began leading his group even deeper into the forest. On his shoulders, Ye and Xing, who had returned to their petite sizes, were working hard to pick up every sound and smell within the range that their techniques allowed them to perceive. Fenrir also stayed alert, sniffing out any possible dangerous odors.
At the moment, they were still on the outskirts, although they were getting closer and closer in the inner layer of the forest. Consequently, the strength of the spirit beasts wasn't so high. The meeting with the jaguar pack could be called unexpected. Fortunately, after almost half an hour of walking, they managed to find a large underground hole dug under a tree.
"Fenrir says the smell inside is almost nonexistent. Evidently, those who lived here left this hole." Lang informed Hei. Since he was the leader, it was up to Hei to decide if the hole was fine as a temporary refuge.
"The hole is large, but it isn't enough to hold nine people and three spirit beasts. We need to enlarge it a little. Ye, Xing. Come, there is to dig. You guys stay on guard, okay? Lian, you help us move the earth we dig."
Receiving his orders, Lian nodded as the others stood around the large tree with their senses alert. Hei and his sisters went down to the hole instead and began to dig at high speed. Given their experience of digging the ground when they were still on Rainbow Island, it didn't take them long to get the space they needed to accommodate the whole group.
"Okay. We finished. You can come. "Hei called the others from inside the underground hole.
His companions entered the hole and were surprised because Hei, with Ye and Xing, had managed to dig so much space in a short time.
"Wow! I didn't think you were so good at digging." Mia confessed as she took a seat inside, near Lilian.
"It's nothing. The credit goes to Ye and Xing as well. Alright, now that we have our refuge, it doesn't mean we are out of danger. Mia, Lilian, heal anyone who has wounds, even the most minor ones. You others rest and cultivate to recover your lost spirit power. Haruno, can you make some pasta in the meantime?"
"Yes, there are no problems."
"Good. He Fen, you are the only one who knows the Law of Fire among us. I need your help to cook the jaguar meat."
"As you wish Hei. I am at your disposal."
Hei, therefore, began to work to skin one of the jaguars they had captured. The bodies of the killed spirit beasts had been kept in the group's space rings and could be taken out whenever they wanted. Thus, the group took a couple of hours to regain strength and make a big meal.
*
After cultivating and resting for a couple of hours, Hei ordered the others to continue the march. It was essential to regain strength, but they couldn't stay in the same position for too long.
"We have to go even further. The forest is large, so it is difficult to meet our other classmates if we stay here. But first-"
In the middle of his speech, Hei paused. Without warning, he activated Spider Hair and Snake Tongue and ordered his little sisters to do the same. The others were amazed to see Hei's body hair swinging and his saliva drooling down on his exposed tongue.
"They are detection techniques that Hei has. They allow him to perceive the sound and smell of what is around him." Lian, beside Hei, explained for everyone else.
"They are techniques based on the detection system of spiders and snakes, aren't they?" Lang asked as she looked closely at Hei. From her expression, it was clear that she was amazed.
"Yes, they are. Don't you Beast Families have sensing techniques based on the senses of your spirit beasts?" Hei asked in turn, surprised by Lang's reaction.
"No, we don't have techniques like that. But..." At that point, Lang stopped and widened her eyes. However, she quickly put herself together again and continued." It's nothing. "
Hei looked at her for a few moments with intensity.
'Could she have understood something? Since there is an infinite number of techniques, normal martial artists don't think of anything strange when they observe me using Spider Hair and Snake Tongue. But Lang is part of the Beast Families. I have to be more careful when dealing with any of those families.'
Leaving aside his doubts as to what Lang might have perceived, Hei went on to reveal what he had found. "I was wrong. There is a group that has just passed the limit of my detection range. They masked their smell with earth and leaves, but as they are moving so fast, they can't be plants. Fenrir, you can smell their smell from here, can't you? That way."
Hei pointed to the spirit beast wolf the direction in which he had perceived the sound of movements. The wolf immediately moved his nose to sniff in that direction and sensed the smell of earth and foliage that was getting lighter.
"Woof!" Fenrir barked quickly to confirm what Hei had said.
"Let's go then. Lang, go ahead with Fenrir and guide us. We will go in pursuit of that group, but remember not to use your Spirit Sense. We must not be detected for any reason." Hei immediately gave the order to go after him. After all, he had already decided to attack the other groups from the beginning.
Lang was surprised by Hei's orders and asked, "How come you want me to go first? Isn't it better for you to be the pathfinder?"
"My detecting techniques have a limited range. I can perceive sounds and smells within a maximum of twenty meters. The same goes for Xing and Ye. Even if we ignored all sorts of stealth, our Spirit Sense Techniques don't go beyond about five meters for now. Your Fenrir's nose, however, covers a much greater distance. If we have to chase the prey at full speed, then you and your Fenrir are the most suitable to guide us." Hei explained, without hiding the truth.
Lang thought that his explanation was reasonable, and she did what Hei asked. So the group, under the leadership of Lang and Fenrir, ran at full speed into the forest. Their target was the other group of their classmates who didn't know about the danger they had behind them.