“My apologies for the sudden intrusion. Were you setting up a trap for the monsters in the area?” Lin Xiao asked.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s no big deal,” Zhao Yunxiao Two waved him off nonchalantly before walking past him to examine the fallen black death. “Wow, you sure finished it off cleanly!”

“Is this brother here interested in the black death?” Lin Xiao asked with a smile. “If you are, we can share the meat for dinner tonight.”

“That would be great! Just let me take a closer look...” Zhao Yunxiao Two answered.

At the same time, Zhao Yunxiao Two deliberately revealed his back to Lin Xiao, showing a completely defenceless side as he focused entirely on examining the black death.

Despite how harmless and amiable Lin Xiao appeared to be, one could not be too careful.

And if Lin Xiao had merely been waiting for an opportunity to strike, now was definitely the best time to do so!

From the shadows, the trio watched intently as Lin Xiao casually pulled out a knife and started approaching Zhao Yunxiao Two from behind.

But much to their relief, he directly walked past Zhao Yunxiao Two and sank the blade into the black death.

“Haha, why are you just looking with your eyes? Go ahead and rip it apart if you want!” Lin Xiao laughed.

“I don’t have the strength to do so...” Zhao Yunxiao Two scratched his cheek in embarrassment.

“You don’t?” Lin Xiao revealed a look of surprise, but quickly controlled his expression. “Ah, my apologies. It looks like I’ve gotten ahead of myself. I saw that you have set up a trap for monsters, so I presumed that you must be either an experienced hunter or a strong cultivator. Here, let me do it then.”

After apologising, Lin Xiao quickly got to work and started making cuts on the black death’s carcass.

Zhao Yunxiao exchanged glances with Gu Qiansi and Lu Zhiying at this point.

It would appear that Lin Xiao truly did not bear any malice.

Otherwise, there was no need for him to keep acting despite having realised that the other party was too weak to resist him.

After acknowledging one another with meaningful nods, the trio carefully stepped out of their hiding spot and exited the shadows.

“Eh?” Lin Xiao looked over at the trio in surprise.

Unsurprisingly, his focus was initially drawn in by Lu Zhiying, but he quickly turned his attention towards Zhao Yunxiao instead.

His gaze darting between the newly arrived Zhao Yunxiao and the Zhao Yunxiao Two beside him, Lin Xiao revealed an obvious look of confusion.

The two of them looked exactly the same!

“Apologies, Brother Lin,” Zhao Yunxiao waved an arm, and his earthen clone crumbled to the ground. “My name is Zhao Yunxiao. That was just a clone that I’ve summoned.”

“...I see,” Lin Xiao smiled bitterly as he finally understood what was going on. “It seems like I have just been tested.”

“My apologies,” Zhao Yunxiao apologised. “I hope that you can understand that this is all for the sake of safety out in the wilds.”

“That’s understandable. I won’t hold it against you,” Lin Xiao let out a helpless sigh. “I guess you are right. Perhaps I should learn from Brother Zhao and start acting more carefully in the future as well.”

“Greetings, Brother Lin! I am Lu Zhiying,” Lu Zhiying stepped forward to introduce herself at this point, breaking up the awkward atmosphere.

“My name is Gu Qiansi,” Gu Qiansi quietly added.

“Let me formally greet everyone then,” Lin Xiao clasped his fists towards them. “Greetings, Brother Zhao, Sister Lu, and Sister Gu. I am Lin Xiao. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

It would appear that he had already gotten over being tested by Zhao Yunxiao.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance!” the trio returned the greeting.

“That said, is there a particular beast or monster that you are trying to lure in?” Lin Xiao asked.

“That’s not it. We were just hunting in the area and decided to make camp here,” Zhao Yunxiao said.

“Just hunting?” Lin Xiao glanced over at the pile of carcasses by the fire.

These were mostly regular animals and beasts. Just what reason could they have to hunt this many of such harmless creatures?

Were they trying out some special technique?

“That said, does your previous offer still stand?” Zhao Yunxiao asked.

“My previous offer?”

“Yes, about sharing the meat of the black death...” Zhao Yunxiao said.

Lin Xiao might have offered it earlier, but who knew if he had changed his mind after being tested by the trio?

It was only normal to feel offended, after all.

“Don’t worry. Like I said, I don’t hold it against you,” Lin Xiao seemed to have guessed Zhao Yunxiao’s thoughts. “Let’s have roasted black death for dinner tonight.”

“In that case, why don’t we let Gu Qiansi do the cooking?” Zhao Yunxiao suggested. “She is a rather good cook.”

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“I object to that,” Lin Xiao shook his head with a smile. “Since I have taken down the black death, it can be said that the monster belongs to me. As the host, let me show you a thing or two about my own culinary skills!”

“In that case, we’d just have to oblige!” Zhao Yunxiao saw no reason to disagree.

“That’s really nice of you, Brother Lin. Thank you in advance!” Lu Zhiying added with a smile.

Lin Xiao was momentarily stunned by the beautiful smile, but quickly shook himself out of his daze.

“All right then, watch me!” Lin Xiao said.

With that, the trio stepped aside as Lin Xiao effortlessly lifted up the fallen black death to place it on a huge rock beside the fire. After which, Lin Xiao grabbed his knife and quickly made numerous more cuts on the black death’s carcass.

And with a wave of his hand, the fire that had been started by Zhao Yunxiao’s group suddenly erupted in intensity.

Before everyone’s eyes, the huge flames formed into the shape of a firebird, extending its wings to span more than fifteen metres from end to end.

The majestic firebird reached towards the black death’s carcass, its claws of flames splitting into separate streams that entered each and every cut that Lin Xiao had made earlier.

Following which, its giant wings wrapped around the massive carcass, engulfing it in flames that roasted it from all directions at once.

A loud sizzling could be heard as the black death was rapidly being cooked to doneness.

With such a setup, it did not take long before the surroundings were filled with an aroma that was slightly greasy, yet exceptionally fragrant at the same time.

As this was happening, Zhao Yunxiao could not help but narrow his eyes as he closely observed Lin Xiao at work.

He was not interested in learning the culinary techniques that Lin Xiao was performing right now.

Instead, Zhao Yunxiao was taking this chance to gather as much information about Lin Xiao as possible.

The physical prowess he displayed when lifting up the black death...

The finesse with which he controlled the flames, both for something as violent as combat and for something as delicate as cooking...

There was no doubt about it.

Lin Xiao’s cultivation level was at least at the Advanced Essence Physique realm, if not Peak Essence Physique.

And that was only if he specialised in fire element techniques.

Otherwise, his true cultivation level could even be higher than that!

With his high mastery of flames, Lin Xiao was done cooking in the blink of an eye.

“Dig in!” Lin Xiao cut up slices of meat and offered them to the trio.

“Thank you for the food!” Lu Zhiying was the first to step forward and take a piece. “Wow! This tastes good!”

“Thank you for the hard work, Brother Lin,” Zhao Yunxiao politely received a piece and bit into it as well.

He had to admit that Lu Zhiying was right.

At the very least, the fire control was impeccable. The skin was crisp and the meat was tender.

Not just that, but the meat of the black death was naturally rich with spiritual energy, giving one a refreshing feeling with each bite.

If he had to give his criticism, it would be the fact that it was not seasoned, which robbed them of the enjoyment that they could have gotten from having additional flavours coupled with the delicious meat.

Thinking about seasoning, Zhao Yunxiao could not help but glance over at Gu Qiansi who was quietly enjoying her share as well.

“What?” Gu Qiansi asked upon noticing his glance.

“Nothing,” Zhao Yunxiao said before turning back to his meat.

Gu Qiansi initially raised an eyebrow in response, but quickly decided to ignore him and go back to eating.

“It’s good to see that it suits your tastes!” Lin Xiao laughed before digging in himself.

The quartet sat around the fire as they took their time savouring the food. The massive black death provided more than enough meat for the four of them, so they had no need to rush.

“So, what brought you here to the Red Forest, Brother Lin?” Zhao Yunxiao asked out of curiosity.

Not only was the Red Forest located in a secluded location, but there was also nothing really unique about it. Unless he was trying to avoid other cultivators, Zhao Yunxiao could not think of any reason for Lin Xiao to make a trip to this place.

“I wanted to take some time alone to clear my mind,” Lin Xiao explained with a bitter smile. “Or perhaps you can say that I came out alone to find myself.”

“Did something bad happen?” Gu Qiansi asked. “We might not be of much help, but we can at least lend you a listening ear. That is only if you don’t mind sharing, of course.”

“I guess there’s no harm in telling you,” Lin Xiao said. “To start with, I am a member of an orthodox sect.”

“Mm,” Zhao Yunxiao nodded.

That much was to be expected, considering the manner with which he carried himself.

“A month ago, I was part of a sect mission to purge an unorthodox sect in the area,” Lin Xiao continued. “However, what happened there gave me a rude awakening.”

“Was it the killing?” Zhao Yunxiao guessed.

As cultivators, it was nigh impossible to avoid the taking of lives, especially if they belonged to a faction.

And this was not simply limited to the killing of spiritual beasts and monsters.

After all, it was extremely difficult for any faction to be completely neutral and without enemies.

With the accumulation of resources and territories, there would also be a need to implement rules that kept everyone in check. And the thing about implementing rules was that there would always be those who did not agree with them.

It was still fine if these dissenters were powerless to do anything about the situation and could only choose to silently accept their fate.

However, when these people either grew strong enough, or at least brazen enough, to challenge the existing rules, then there would come a need to forcibly enforce these rules.

And in the cultivation world, more often than not, this would lead to the taking of lives.

Only then would it completely eradicate the root of the problem, simultaneously sending a strong signal to others who might be harbouring similar thoughts.

Unfortunately, there were many young cultivators who did not fully appreciate this concept, until they were actually forced to partake in such enforcements to defend their faction’s interests.

For these people, suddenly being plunged into such a situation would come as a huge shock, especially for the tender of heart.

This was not just limited to those at lower cultivation levels, either.

It was also possible for someone to have been groomed within the sect all their lives, sheltered from the harsh realities of this world, until they finally left the sect with a high cultivation level.

In fact, those were usually the ones who were impacted the most, as their worldviews could crumble completely upon realising how different the world was, as compared to the one that they had in mind.

“Yes, it’s the killing,” Lin Xiao admitted.

“The first few times are always difficult,” Zhao Yunxiao agreed.

“No, that’s not it,” Lin Xiao shook his head. “If it’s about eradicating unorthodox cultivators who have done wrong, then I am all for it as well. However, what I experienced this time is slightly different.”

“Hmm?”

The trio turned their attention to him.

“This time, we killed innocents,” Lin Xiao said through gritted teeth.

“You killed innocents?” Gu Qiansi frowned. “Didn’t you say that you are from an orthodox sect?”

“What happened exactly?” Zhao Yunxiao probed.

“Before I continue, perhaps I should ask you this. What is considered orthodox? And what is considered unorthodox?” Lin Xiao said. “Because on that day, we even killed babies who are tied to the so-called unorthodox cultivators – babies who never had the chance to choose their paths. We call ourselves an orthodox sect, but is this really what an orthodox sect should be doing? Are these babies really considered to be on the unorthodox path as well?”