Chapter 8: Using himself as bait to track them, the system

Are you trying to draw their attention?

Chen Wen repeated the old woman's words, and he showed no fear at all.

Instead, his eyes burst with a near‑mad look of resolve.

This sudden reaction left the old woman and the girl opposite him stunned, as if they were looking at a monster.

"Little brother… you… you didn't hear the old woman's words clearly, did you?"

The old woman spoke in disbelief.

"That gang of evil stars aren't human! They're death‑reaping ghosts sent by King Yama! You can't even dodge in time, so how…"

"Granny, I heard you very clearly."

Chen Wen interrupted her, his tone terrifyingly calm.

"Precisely because they're terrifying, I can't afford to hide."

"My mother and little sister are in their hands; every moment's delay puts them in greater danger."

"Right now, this thing on me…"

He raised his hand to sniff himself, but he couldn't smell anything.

"... Perhaps it's the quickest way to find them!"

He spoke these words with iron‑clad certainty, carrying a madness and determination that allowed no doubt.

Rather than wandering aimlessly like a headless fly in the vast mountains.

It would be better to actively let the hunters notice me as this "bait."

Instead, I'll follow the hunters' tracks straight to their lair!

The old woman opened her mouth, staring at Chen Wen's eyes that shone astonishingly bright in the twilight.

In the end she swallowed all her words of advice, letting out a long sigh:

"Crazy… truly crazy…"

"Never mind, everyone has their own fate."

"Little brother, do as you see fit."

The girl was even more frightened, unable to speak, feeling that this young man who looked only a few years older than her.

had an obsession and courage on him that were even more chilling than that gang of evil stars.

Chen Wen said no more, giving the old woman a slight fist‑and‑palm salute:

"Thank you for the information, granny."

"You too, leave this place of trouble as soon as you can!"

"Head south; Jiao Tu Zhen is still relatively safe for now."

Having said that, he hesitated no more, turned and walked off, his goal clear—head north into the mountains!

Watching his silhouette quickly vanish into the dim forest, the girl finally spoke timidly:

"Granny… will he… will he die?"

The old woman's cloudy eyes flickered with a complex expression as she murmured:

"Wrapped in killing energy, yet his will is as hard as iron…"

"This kid will either soon turn into a dry skeleton…"

"... or perhaps this world is really about to produce someone extraordinary."

……

Once again setting out alone, Chen Wen's state of mind was completely different from before.

Before, it was a purposeless, anxious search; now it has become a clear‑goal, active pursuit.

He even deliberately refrained from clearing any possible killing energy on his body.

Instead, he regarded it as a tool.

Night fell completely, the mountains pitch‑black, only a faint sky‑light barely outlining the rugged mountain path.

After the rain, the forest was especially slick, making night travel far more dangerous.

But Chen Wen discovered that his four‑fold stamina and recovery speed gave him a huge advantage in such extreme conditions.

His steps were far steadier than an ordinary person's, and his sight and hearing seemed slightly enhanced.

He could always sense pits and hanging vines ahead of time, so his speed hardly slowed.

【Night‑time arduous march, falls under the 'Labor' category, Diligence Points (WP) +0.3……+0.3……】

The system's prompt tone remained steady.

However

After walking about an hour, he began to feel something was off.

At first it was an inexplicable chill, not from the damp outside air but a yin cold seeping from his bones.

Then.

His mind began to struggle to focus, and he kept hearing faint, almost imperceptible phantom sounds in his ears.

Like the echo of clashing metal, or the death‑rattle of a dying breath.

Most noticeably, he found himself growing fatigued more easily.

The sense of vigor from his four‑fold recovery was being eroded by an inexplicable weariness.

Could it be… that this is the effect of that killing energy?

It really isn't just a smell and a psychological deterrent,

but something that can actually affect one's physical and mental state?

Chen Wen's heart tightened.

If that's really the case, then this thing is more troublesome than he thought.

Still haven't found the enemy, yet he's already worn himself out—then it's all over.

He tried to focus his mind and communicate with the system in his head.

【Cow Horse System】

Host: Chen Wen

Level: 2(128/500)

Current multiplier: 4x

Status: Light injury (healed), fatigue (minor), abnormal status: Evil Qi Erosion (weak)

Sure enough! A negative status clearly appeared on the system panel!

【Evil Qi Erosion (Weak): Continuously drains stamina and energy, slightly reduces focus and recovery speed. May attract attention from unknown entities.】

Though the description is brief, it makes Chen Wen's scalp tingle.

Continuous drain? Attract attention?

He immediately tried to inquire with his thoughts:

"System, can you dispel or counteract this status?"

【Command received. Analyzing……】

【Plan One: Spend 100 Diligence Points (WP) to instantly purify the current weak Evil Qi.】

【Plan Two: Perform high-intensity yang labor (such as full-speed sprinting, tempering and forging iron, cultivating yang-hard martial arts).】

Accelerating qi and blood circulation allows gradual dispersal by oneself. Current efficiency: estimated to require sustained high-intensity labor for four hours.】

100 WP! He only has 128 points total right now!

This is almost like asking him to lose everything he owns!

Moreover, would "instant purification" also erase the tracking clues?

The second plan is feasible, but it requires four hours of high-intensity labor?

Where can he now find four hours of safe time to stop and practice forging?

All-out sprinting is simplest, but to run desperately for four hours in this pitch-black forest?

That's hardly different from seeking death!

Just as he hesitated, that chilling fatigue grew a bit stronger.

He can't hesitate any longer—he must make a decision!

Chen Meng gritted his teeth and chose the compromise—run!

But not a desperate sprint; rather, maintaining a speed he can control that's fast enough.

This counts as high-intensity labor while allowing him to continue tracking.

At the same time, he tries to conserve energy for sudden situations.

He adjusted his breathing, swung his legs, and ran north at a steady pace along the rugged mountain road.

His quadrupled basic stamina supports him, but that ever-present chilling weariness constantly tries to slow his steps.

【Continuous running falls under 'high-intensity labor', Diligence Points (WP) +0.8……+0.8……】

【Qi and blood circulation accelerates, the effect of Weak Evil Qi Erosion diminishes……】

The system's prompts and his bodily sensations come in sync.

It works!

But the process is extremely agonizing, like running while shackled with heavy weights.

He doesn't know how long he's run, but the mountain road grows steeper and harder to traverse.

Just as he felt that chilling sensation weaken a little, his fatigue hit a peak.

Up ahead in the darkness, several points of extremely faint flickering firelight suddenly appeared!

Not a bonfire.

More like……some kind of eerie blue, icy phosphorescent fire?

Or perhaps the cold glint of metal reflecting in the extremely weak light?

At the same time, the silver hairpin from his mother in his bosom.

Suddenly, without warning, a sharper icy chill came, freezing his chest with pain!

【Warning! Detected a significant rise in the concentration of the same-source Evil Qi!】

【Unknown entity approaching!】

The system's sharp alert rang like a bell in his mind!

Chen Wen's hairs stood on end; without thinking, he flung himself to the ground, using a huge mountain rock to conceal his figure.

He fully exerted the system-enhanced hearing and vision, locking his gaze on those few strange points of light ahead.

His heart pounded violently in his chest, not from running, but from extreme tension and……

A hint of excitement at finally finding the target!

Those people……are right ahead?!

He cautiously, ever so slowly, lifted half his head upward.

Using that faint, cold light, he faintly saw a concealed mountain valley entrance not far ahead.

It seemed two stone-carved figures stood there.

They wore pitch-black, indistinct-style heavy armor, with their faces covered by ferocious iron masks.

Motionless, the long weapons they held reflected a chilling gleam in the faint light.

Just looking at them from afar

A terrifying oppressive pressure—icy, deathly, utterly devoid of life—ten times, a hundred times stronger than the killing aura on his body!

It came at him like a tidal wave!

Found it!

Chen Wen clenched his teeth tightly, suppressing the gasp that almost escaped his lips, even holding his breath.

But just then.

The head of one of the stone statues, covered by the iron mask...

It seemed to turn ever so slightly, a tiny angle, toward the direction where he was hiding.