Chapter 43: Fleeing for Life [Third Chapter: Requesting Collection and Follow]

This time, Xia Daoming had experience and moved with ease.

Not long after, he turned back.

“Everyone be careful—this time there are two Ice Hares!” A voice rang out, followed by a figure darting through the crowd like a slithering snake.

Immediately after, two white shadows shot forward like lightning.

The large net was still thrown out as before.

But this time, they were a pair of adult male and female Ice Hares.

As soon as the net landed, the men pulling it were yanked off their feet within a few breaths and thrown to the ground.

Yet during this chaos, Xu Zhiji had already led the others in a swift assault.

Both Ice Hares were wounded.

The net was torn open.

The wounded Ice Hares went completely berserk.

They opened their mouths and blasted thick white mist, which solidified into a barrage of ice arrows.

“Ah! Ah!”

In an instant, two Martial Masters were struck and wounded.

A white shadow flashed like lightning, claws descending— one of the net-pullers, still dazed from being thrown down, had his skull pierced clean through, blood and brain matter spraying everywhere.

A brutal battle erupted between the Martial Masters and the two wounded Ice Hares.

Moments later.

The fight ended.

On the ground spanning only a few mu, ten Martial Master corpses lay scattered haphazardly.

Two of them were Xu family Martial Masters.

Of the remaining fourteen, all except Xu Zhiji bore wounds of varying severity.

Xia Daoming was no exception—his body was streaked with blood.

How much of it was his own, only he knew.

Xu Zhiji’s cold gaze swept over the ten corpses on the ground; only when it landed on the two Ice Hare bodies did it shift—turning eager and fiery.

Two Xu family youths stepped forward, extracted the Ice Hares’ hearts, and stuffed them into leather bags, tying them shut.

Some Martial Masters moved to collect their own fallen comrades.

A few factions were especially tragic—every one of their men had died, with no one left to bury them.

“Regardless, dig a pit and bury them!” Liang Jingtang, seeing two bodies untouched, spoke to Xia Daoming, then picked up a great knife from the ground and began digging.

Xia Daoming silently stepped forward to help.

The other Martial Masters watched, their expressions varied.

Some bowed their heads in shame; others glared with envy and mockery.

Five factions had joined Xu Zhiji on this hunt.

Aside from Qianjiao Martial Hall, the other four—even Xu’s own family—had lost men.

“We’ve hunted enough Ice Hares,” Xu Zhiyuan said slowly once the bodies were gathered.

All survivors exhaled deeply in relief.

“Next, search the valley’s perimeter for Ice Purple Shouwu. This time, no one will work for free—if you find any Ice Purple Shouwu, hand over only half.”

“But remember, do not approach the central icy pond’s burrow. You have one hour. After that, we leave—otherwise, nightfall will bring extreme cold.” Xu Zhiji added.

“Yes!” the crowd replied, many eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Soon, everyone scattered. Only Xu Zhiji and Xu Shisen, the grandfather and grandson, remained to guard the leather bags filled with Ice Hare hearts.

“Granduncle, are we really letting Liang Jingtang and his disciple go?” Xu Shisen asked, his face twisted with resentment.

“Do you understand ‘benevolence and authority combined’? Has my Xu family held exclusive control over Li City for so many years because we only rely on brute force? If that were true, every capable person in Li City would have fled long ago.”

“If all capable people left, how would the Xu family grow? If we’d hunted Ice Hares like this before, every dead man would’ve been one of our own! Your martial talent is decent—you’re already a Sixth-Rank Great Martial Master at your age. You may yet become a Clan Elder. Broaden your vision!” Xu Zhiji spoke with solemn gravity.

“Granduncle’s teaching is right, but I still feel Xia Daoming is strange—he’s only Fifth-Rank, yet he’s escaped danger multiple times.” Xu Shisen pressed, unwilling to give up.

“Hmph. No matter how strange, he’s still just a Fifth-Rank Martial Master, and not young anymore. What trouble could he possibly cause? I know your little scheme—if you truly want to kill them, wait until you become a Clan Elder and handle it yourself.” Xu Zhiji’s expression darkened slightly.

“Yes, Granduncle!” Xu Shisen nodded quickly, no longer daring to urge.

“Daoming, I never expected we’d be targeted so harshly this time. If not for you, my old life would’ve been lost.” Under the hazy mist, Liang Jingtang said.

“Master, you’re being too formal! Such a rare opportunity—let’s hurry and find the Ice Purple Shouwu!” Xia Daoming laughed.

“You brat, fine—if you find any, I’ll give you my share.” Liang Jingtang said.

“Heh.” Xia Daoming smiled noncommittally.

Soon, master and disciple began searching along the valley’s edge.

Ice Purple Shouwu, like ordinary Shouwu, was a perennial climbing vine.

But its vines and leaves were purple and emitted cold energy, drawing in mist.

So the master and disciple focused their search on areas where the valley’s edge mist was especially thick.

That was where Ice Purple Shouwu typically grew.

One hour passed.

Everyone gradually returned to the gathering point.

The lucky ones returned laden.

One man even unearthed a hundred-year-old and a two-hundred-year-old Ice Purple Shouwu.

The unlucky returned empty-handed.

Liang Jingtang was unlucky—his hands were empty.

Xia Daoming had average luck—he dug up one hundred-year-old Ice Purple Shouwu.

Aside from Xu family Martial Masters, everyone else handed their Ice Purple Shouwu to Xu Zhiji.

Xu Zhiji collected them all and distributed shares according to the earlier agreement.

But this old fox was cunning and stingy.

When Xia Daoming handed over a hundred-year-old Ice Purple Shouwu, Xu Zhiji gave him back one worth only fifty to sixty years.

It looked like half the age—but in value, it was several times less.

Yet Xia Daoming said nothing, merely accepted it silently. This earned Xu Zhiji’s quiet approval—he saw him as a young man who understood restraint and composure. Xu Shisen, however, was disappointed.

He had hoped Xia Daoming would lose his temper—then he could find an excuse to kill him.

Just as Xu Shisen was tying up the Ice Purple Shouwu assigned to the Xu family, thick fog suddenly rose across the valley.

The fog swallowed the sky and earth, spreading rapidly.

Under the dense mist, looking up revealed nothing but blankness.

Looking down, even one’s own body grew hazy.

Worse, the fog brought bone-chilling cold—Fifth- and Fourth-Rank Great Martial Masters trembled uncontrollably; even Xia Daoming, channeling his blood and qi, still felt a creeping chill seep into his body.

“Goo! Goo!” A sound vibrated through the eardrums, shaking the spirit.

Everyone turned toward the sound and saw two purple lights flickering in the fog.

“Shi! Shi! Shi!” As they tensed, the fog churned violently—ice arrows shot out in rapid succession.

Faintly, they saw behind the arrows a giant Ice Hare, its size rivaling a tiger.

“It’s the Rabbit King! Quickly, block it!” Xu Zhiji, who had always appeared calm, turned deathly pale and screamed.

Screaming, he grabbed Xu Shisen with one hand, snatched both bags with the other, and bolted back the way they came.

If Xu Zhiji himself was fleeing in terror, who among the others would be foolish enough to stand and fight? Seeing this, everyone scattered like rats, sprinting toward the cliffside.

Xia Daoming, too, realized this Ice Hare was far beyond his strength to face. He abandoned all pretense and reached out to Liang Jingtang, ready to grab him and run.

Unexpectedly, Liang Jingtang was reaching for him too.

“Quick, follow your master!”

Xia Daoming paused slightly, then understood Liang Jingtang’s intent. A bittersweet mix of amusement and warmth rose in his chest.

In that moment, his hand twisted like a snake’s body, evading Liang Jingtang’s outstretched palm, then seized his arm.

Liang Jingtang startled, about to speak—when a powerful tug surged through his arm.

Next, his entire body was lifted involuntarily.

He was dragged forward by the force, running uncontrollably, wind howling past his ears, stinging his cheeks.

Yet Liang Jingtang felt nothing.

He reflexively channeled his blood and qi, matching the pull’s speed, his eyes fixed in utter shock on the young man ahead.

He wanted to speak—but mist flooded his mouth, blocking all words.

“Goo! Goo!”

“Ah! Ah!”

Behind them, the Ice Hare’s furious roars and screams of dying men rose in succession.

Master and disciple unleashed their full blood and qi, running faster.

In an instant, they reached a steep slope, leaping upward using protruding cliff rocks.

The dense fog and panicked flight hid their terrifying speed—had anyone noticed, they would have been stunned beyond measure.

Soon, the master and disciple broke through the mist shrouding the valley, and patches of sunlight fell upon them.

“Huh!”

Looking back down, the fog still blanketed everything—both master and disciple felt the trembling relief of survival.

"I never expected the Ice Rabbit to evolve into a Level Two beast!" Liang Jingtang said, still shaken.

"Yes, truly unexpected!" Xia Daoming agreed, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

Originally, when he lured two Ice Rabbits the second time, the hunting team suffered heavy casualties, which favored his secret plan to kill and plunder.

But the risk of word getting out was still high!

Now it’s different.

The unexpected appearance of the Rabbit King sent everyone into a panic—some dead, some wounded, others scattered.

If he could find a lone member of the Xu family, the risk of word getting out would drop to its lowest.

And now he had someone to blame!

Soon, Xia Daoming spotted two figures emerging from the mist in the distance, climbing rapidly upward.

One of them carried two sacks, yet moved faster than the other.

Xia Daoming’s eyes narrowed sharply.

PS: Today I’m pushing hard—here’s the third update. My three updates combined total nearly ten thousand characters, more than most new books offer. If I keep this up, I’ll soon exceed the word limit and drop off the charts. Please support me, readers—I’m giving my all.