It had rained overnight.
In these mountains, the sky was dark and the paths were slippery.
Exiting the Yi Zhuang gate.
Zhang Chen saw Chen Yu Lou rushing along the mountain path.
As the leader of the Xie Ling, Chen Yu Lou had his own abilities.
Besides his extensive knowledge, he was also a top-notch fighter.
The light footwork he displayed was a family tradition passed down for three generations.
It was called "Embracing the Swallow's Tail."
It meant that he could chase after a flying swallow and grab it by its tail.
Chen Yu Lou had been trained by Taoist priests since childhood.
His body had been cleansed and refined with medicinal liquids.
His physical strength and skills far surpassed ordinary people.
The area had just experienced a heavy downpour.
The paths were slippery and difficult to navigate.
Moreover, the clouds were thick and the moon faint, making it impossible to see the path.
But Chen Yu Lou, with his unique background and exceptional eyesight, could see clearly even in the darkness.
Earlier, the thief cat had been struck by Zhang Chen's flying needle.
It was already a crippled cat with three legs.
Now, wounded and slow, it was still being pursued by Chen Yu Lou, who was holding his breath and focusing all his energy on the chase.
Zhang Chen followed behind.
He used his Ghost Shadow Misty Steps, following calmly and slowly.
His speed was surprisingly similar to Chen Yu Lou's.
Chen Yu Lou's mission was to chase after the thief cat and retrieve the female corpse's ear that had been bitten off.
However, he also had a motive to test this young man's abilities.
Although he was in a hurry, he wasn't using his full strength.
After running for a while.
He glanced back.
He saw that the young man had indeed caught up and was using his light footwork on the muddy mountain path.
His moves were indeed graceful and elegant, not inferior to his own.
Chen Yu Lou had heard from Red Girl.
He knew that this young man had the ability to walk on grass without leaving a trace.
Now, seeing it for himself, he realized he was a truly exceptional individual.
Chen Yu Lou, as the leader of the Xie Ling, was particularly proud of his skills.
Seeing the other's speed rivaling his own.
He instantly used his full strength.
His speed suddenly increased significantly.
He ran for a short while and glanced back.
The young man was still following calmly and slowly, the distance between them hadn't closed much.
He was amazed but also calmed down.
Just then.
Suddenly, his foot slipped, and he nearly fell into the deep valley next to him.
He was startled and quickly steadied himself, using all his strength to save himself.
Fortunately, Chen Yu Lou was skilled.
This wasn't his first time running through muddy forests.
He managed to save himself with his technique.
However, he dared not be distracted anymore.
This Old Bear Ridge was a barren and wild place.
The Yi Zhuang was built on its ridge.
There was only one difficult mountain path.
On both sides were deep cliffs and valleys that extended into the abyss.
Plus, the rain had made the paths slippery.
Even experienced mountain walkers wouldn't dare wander around in the darkness.
Chen Yu Lou, relying on his extraordinary skills.
And his burning anger.
But the near fall had immediately caused him to abandon his thoughts of observing Zhang Chen.
The top priority now was to catch the thief cat and give the poor female corpse a proper burial.
To chase, he needed to focus completely.
If he slipped and fell, it would be a heavy price to pay.
The limping thief cat, sensing pursuit, fled towards the foot of the ridge.
Chen Yu Lou pursued relentlessly, narrowly avoiding several falls.
The thief cat only had three legs.
And was injured.
Seeing the pursuer closing in relentlessly.
It suddenly darted into an old forest.
Chen Yu Lou stopped.
Old forests stretched out at the foot of the ridge.
Connecting to the vast mountains beyond.
This place was a considerable distance from the Yi Zhuang.
Whether entering the forest.
Or circling it, there was a risk of getting lost.
These night forests were filled with poisonous insects and miasma.
Don't lose your life because of this.
“Total Leader!”
At that moment.
Zhang Chen had also caught up.
Chen Yu Lou was startled when he turned back.
He had just stopped.
The young man had already caught up.
Meaning he had been following him the whole time, his speed never faltering?
At this point, Chen Yu Lou realized that Zhang Chen was most likely an extraordinary individual from birth.
He must have learned some unusual arts from other exceptional individuals.
Just his light footwork.
You couldn't find a third person with such skills in the entire Three Xiang Four Lands.
He was probably even more skilled than himself.
After this experience.
Chen Yu Lou no longer thought of competing with him.
Instead, he felt quite lucky.
To have found such a skilled individual to help him.
He said with a smile, “Brother Zhang, your light footwork is truly impressive! Red Girl said you could walk on grass without leaving a trace, I was skeptical, but today I've witnessed it firsthand. Truly remarkable!"
“Total Leader, you are exaggerating, I just pushed myself to keep up!”
Zhang Chen replied.
“Haha, with such skills, in this Xiang Yin land, I guess it's just you and me!”
Chen Yu Lou laughed.
Just as he was about to turn back.
He heard a mournful cat cry coming from the old forest.
The cry was filled with sorrow and despair.
It evoked a sense of indescribable fear.
And the cry grew louder and more terrifying.
Chen Yu Lou was filled with curiosity.
This old cat had lived for many years.
It was already somewhat strange.
But why was it crying so mournfully now?
Had it encountered something terrifying?
He was naturally curious by nature.
Hearing this, he naturally wanted to investigate.
However.
It was also because Zhang Chen was by his side.
He was skilled enough to go in alone.
Now with a young man with skills that rivaled his own.
He was even more confident.
He turned to Zhang Chen and said, “This old cat is very tenacious, it's said that cats have nine lives, referring to their ability to avoid danger and rarely die. This old, spotted cat has lived for so many years, it's already somewhat strange. Now, hearing that something has scared it so badly in this forest, why don't we go in and investigate? What do you think?"
“Of course!”
Zhang Chen nodded.
But he reminded him, “Be very careful when we enter the forest, whatever scared that old, magical cat must have some abilities!”
“Moreover, it's easy to get lost in this forest, we need to stay together and not rush!”
He had already warned Chen Yu Lou.
But Chen Yu Lou was confident in his skills.
He also thought that this young man was too young.
The tombs he had robbed and the strange things he had seen were more than the salt he had eaten.
He didn't take it seriously.
Of course, he didn't say anything.
He wouldn't offend someone with such skills.
He nodded and said, “Stay close to me, if anything happens, we'll help each other!”
Then, he lightly tapped his foot and entered the forest.
His speed was too fast.
Zhang Chen was about to remind him.
But Chen Yu Lou had already rushed ahead.
But Zhang Chen didn't speed up.
The forest was complex.
But under the Purple Extreme Magic Eye, it was still within his sight.
However, he didn't know how far the old cat's illusion extended.
“Let him explore ahead, if necessary, I'll just say I'm lost!”
Zhang Chen thought to himself.
After a while.
Chen Yu Lou had entered the forest.
Looking through the gaps in the trees.
He saw an old tree ahead.
Behind it was a cemetery.
Broken tombstones and scattered rocks, overgrown with weeds, looked familiar.