Chapter 798: line with translation of chapter title, then ===GLOSSARY=== with JSON list

One of the five, a hunchbacked man, suddenly flung himself onto the ground, his ears—twice as large as a normal person's—pressed flat against the earth, and a strange smile appeared on his face: "The black wolf has returned."

The bald-headed man threw the bloody lamb leg in his hand to the one-eyed man opposite him. The one-eyed man was burly; even seated on the ground he stood a head taller than the others. He took the lamb leg and took two bites, gnawing off all the flesh, leaving only a bare bone. He then tossed it aside; a black shadow shot up silently from afar—it was the mastiff, which opened its huge jaws and, with its gleaming white teeth, snatched the bone in one bite.

With a crack, the mastiff snapped the white bone in two. A small figure lunged forward—it was a dwarf man. Though short, he was plump and white-skinned, looking at first glance like an innocent child, but his eyes were full of scheming and ferocity.

The dwarf affectionately patted the mastiff's head; the beast swallowed the white bone and let out low growls from its throat. The dwarf seemed to understand its words, nodding repeatedly. He turned to the group and said, "The black wolf has already found their trail!"

The bald-headed man took another big swig of liquor and said in a deep voice, "Fifth sister! It's time to strike!"

The woman knelt alone about a zhang away from them, hair disheveled, bowing toward the moon. She wore a cloak woven from feathers of differently colored birds, and her face was daubed with strange patterns in fresh blood. She murmured: "Heaven speaks not; strike it and it answers. The spirit of the gods is potent; sense it and it connects. Now someone of a certain surname has a matter weighing on his mind—I know not fortune or misfortune, I do not dispel my doubts; only the gods, only the spirits—if it can be, if it cannot, I pray for a clear sign!" Her narrow eyes suddenly opened. She flung out three copper coins with both hands, her gaze fixed on them, and whispered, "All six lines are moving!"

The bald-headed man called out again, "Fifth sister!"

Only then did the woman gather up the coins and return to the side of the four.

The dwarf, versed in beast speech, said softly, "Those two are just five li ahead."

The hunchbacked, large-eared man spread a map on the ground, judging from the dwarf's information. He pointed to a winding little river marked on the map: "White Sand River! Without a doubt they are camped on the riverbank."

The tall, one-eyed man bellowed, "Let's rush over under cover of night, twist off their heads, and head back early to collect our reward."

The bald-headed man's gaze, however, turned to the woman whose face was covered in blood markings; he was clearly waiting for her opinion.

The woman shook her head and said, "This hexagram shows all six lines moving; even I cannot read its fortune or misfortune."

The tall, one-eyed man chuckled, "No need to divine; we five siblings can easily take those two."

The bald-headed man slowly shook his head and said, "We must not be careless; they are extremely vigilant, and our employer warned us as well. These two are no ordinary foes—needless to say, Huo Shengnan's martial skill and scheming are formidable, and Hu Xiaotian once defeated the Sword Palace master Qiu Mubai; direct confrontation has never been the forte of us Five Absolutes Hunters."

It turns out these five are famed hired killers of Da Yong, known collectively as the Five Absolutes Hunters. The eldest is the bald-headed man, Tuying Zhou Juetian; the second is the hunchbacked, large-eared man, Feiluotuo Yang Juedi; the third is the one-eyed giant, Zhao Jueding; the fourth is the dwarf, known as the Black-hearted Child, Xie Juehou; the fifth is this woman, called the Blood-sucking Demoness by the martial world, Cao Juexin. All five are hired. They have been tracking Hu Xiaotian and Huo Shengnan all the way, calling themselves the Five Absolutes Hunters, each with their own specialty, especially skilled at tracking and tailing. Their employer gave them items once used by Hu Xiaotian and Huo Shengnan. They have followed them for over two thousand li, and now they are nearing the border between Dakang and Da Yong. According to the employer's prior demand, they must act south of Yuyang City, which is why they have persisted in the pursuit until now.

Cao Juexin said, "Such a thing has never happened before."

Zhao Jueding chuckled, "Fifth sister, your divinations have never been accurate!"

Cao Juexin's narrow eyes flashed with a chilling light, full of malice as she fixed her gaze on Zhao Jueding: "I have calculated that you will die tomorrow!"

Zhao Jueting snapped, "Vile wretch! How dare you curse me!" He strode forward, but Tuying Zhou Juetian stopped him with a look, saying coldly, "You keep saying she's inaccurate—why get angry? Second brother, tell us your plan."

Feiluotuo Yang Juedi said, "Eldest brother is right—we must not confront them head-on; we siblings must use our strengths to attack their weaknesses. Although they are camped at White Sand River ahead, tonight is absolutely not the right moment to strike." He pointed at the map and said, "Come look: according to their current itinerary, they will re-enter Mangyu Mountain tomorrow. Since they ride horses, they will not choose the nearest route over Wild Bear Ridge; instead they will pass through the mountain valley known as Gray Bear Valley. No matter how divine their steeds, once they enter the valley the jagged rocks will impede their pace, and without two days they will surely be unable to pass through Gray Bear Valley smoothly."

It is in the mountains and forests that we can truly show our prowess; we can advance overnight, set an ambush in the heart of Gray Bear Valley, and wipe them out there.

Xie Juehou let out a tinkling, bell-like laugh, his expression innocent yet unusually excited: "I've heard Hu Xiaotian is a eunuch; his flesh must be absolutely delicious."

Zhao Jueting blinked his bell-like eyes and asked, "How do you know that?"

Xie Juehou declared confidently, "Mutton is fresh beyond compare; naturally, so is a person."

Zhao Jueting felt it made sense, nodded, and said, "Fourth brother is right—truly erudite."

Feiluotuo Yang Juedi said, "I won't compete with you for the eunuch; I'll take Huo Shengnan." He drew a silk handkerchief from his bosom, pressed it to his nose, inhaled deeply, wore an expression of bliss, as if his hunchback straightened instantly: "I want to savor the taste of this female general."

Tuying Zhou Juetian said, "This must not be taken lightly; Huo Shengnan's head is worth ten thousand taels of gold, and though Hu Xiaotian's skull is a dark blossom, it too is worth five thousand. Pulling off this job will keep us fed and clothed for life."

When morning came, Hu Xiaotian appeared before Huo Shengnan, neatly dressed. Though the early sunlight was not harsh, Huo Shengnan felt she could not lift her head; she had slept poorly the latter half of the night, as if she had done something wrong, even contemplating slipping away without a word and parting ways with Hu Xiaotian to avoid awkwardness on the road. In the underground chamber of Wild Goose Tower, when they had joined forces to deal with the black corpses, her hand had merely touched something she ought not to have—since they were clothed, nobody mentioned it and the matter was glossed over. But last night she had again seen what she ought not to have seen; she had told herself over and over that she had not seen it, yet the ugly image immediately flashed in her mind.

The usually broad-minded Huo Shengnan felt she was about to lose face before anyone.

Hu Xiaotian, however, was carefree as if nothing had happened. He took out his map, glanced ahead, and pointed to the distant, cloud‑piercing peaks: "That ahead is Mangyu Mountain; its highest summit is Wild Bear Ridge. The mountain paths are perilous—Little Black and Little Gray cannot cross them—so we must take the Gray Bear Valley, go through the gorge. What do you think?"

Huo Shengnan stared blankly for a moment before realizing he was asking her: "Ah? What?" Her mind was clearly adrift; their eyes met, and her face flushed red—fortunately she had already put on her mask, so Hu Xiaotian could not see.

Although Hu Xiaotian could not see Huo Shengnan's changing expression, he had long detected her embarrassment and shyness from her gaze. In truth, last night had not been intentional on his part; he was not a natural exhibitionist. Logically, he had gained no advantage, yet he had let Huo Shengnan see clearly—she should be the one feeling embarrassed. But he had underestimated the thickness of his own skin; he felt no shame, only a touch of self‑satisfaction. After this incident, their feelings grew subtly ambiguous, a little vague. "Grandma's," he thought, "I'm still a bit excited."

Hu Xiaotian was clearly better at concealing himself than Huo Shengnan. He packed up the tent and said to her, "Let's go! We'll probably have to spend these two days in the mountains."

Huo Shengnan swung onto her black horse, looked back, and assured herself no one was pursuing them. She let out a long breath; the journey had been fairly smooth, with no ambushes or pursuits. Once they passed through Gray Bear Valley, the land beyond Mangyu Mountain would be plain; in about seven days they could reach the Yong River, cross it, and enter Dakang territory—then they need not fear troops from Da Yong, nor worry about exposure. Huo Shengnan secretly thought that upon entering Dakang she would part ways with Hu Xiaotian to avoid constant awkwardness. For some reason, she felt a budding fear of Hu Xiaotian stir in her heart, though she could not say when it began.

Hu Xiaotian had already ridden his horse across the White Sand River; ahead the river narrowed, the water shallow—just enough to reach Little Gray's thighs. He lifted his legs to keep them dry, turned to Huo Shengnan, and said, "Little brother, hurry up!"

As he spoke, Little Gray suddenly plunged underwater without warning, catching Hu Xiaotian off guard and soaking his trousers—it was Little Gray's deliberate prank, leaving Hu Xiaotian torn between laughter and tears.

Seeing his sorry state, Huo Shengnan could not help but giggle; she urged her horse forward into the stream. Little Black proved even less reliable than Little Gray, sinking completely, and Huo Shengnan's entire outfit was drenched, revealing her curvaceous figure—now it was Hu Xiaotian's turn to gloat over her misfortune.

Huo Shengnan glared fiercely at Hu Xiaotian, yet felt no anger at all. She suddenly realized that traveling with him made everything endlessly amusing—was it her own mindset that had changed, or had Hu Xiaotian changed her? She could not say, could not figure it out.

Extra chapter fourth chapter delivered! (To be continued~^~)