Legend of The Young Master

Chapter 116: Prepare Yourselves

As they reached the outskirts of the untamed lands, Wuyi observed that the trees remained largely barren. Occasional buds hinted at the coming spring, but the eastern territory was still gripped by winter, with snow accumulating in the shelter of larger boulders. Wuyi's eyes scanned the mystical forest ahead.

Utilizing the Statue of Harmony, he quested within the forest, realizing that quite a few beings had their eyes on him and his group. He led the formation another third of a li, the warriors following in pairs, effortlessly navigating the sparse underbrush. The trees towered above them, their expansive branches reaching high into the sky.

As they neared their destination, the Statue of Harmony warned Wuyi of looming danger—visions of a clawed creature ambushing the column flashed in his mind. He raised his right hand to signal a halt, then stretched his arms wide—an exerting task in armored cloak—and waved them downward. "Dismount," he commanded.

He carefully dismounted, much to Haruki's disappointment. Haruki, a low-grade spirit beast, had cost Wuyi a lot to acquire. This special breed, used by Qi warriors in battle throughout the empire, was a patient beast that fed on not just food but even the rider's Qi.

Feeding on Wuyi's Pure Qi, Haruki had developed better than any other lower-grade beast, and Wuyi had connected well with the horse through his statue. The spirit beast, specially bred by the empire, relished the thrill of battle and the smell of fresh blood.

"Not this time," Wuyi thought, patting Haruki's shoulder.

Dong came over to take Haruki's reins. The warriors waited, alert and puzzled, until they noticed a towering figure approaching from behind. It was the Red Daoist, who took his place beside Wuyi. Wuyi hadn't used the Red Daoist for 30 minutes last time, so he had recovered energy fairly quickly. A collective sigh of relief washed over the Qi warriors, including the Qi masters.

With the Red Daoist present, they felt assured that no matter the difficulty of the battle ahead, victory was within reach.

"Stay close, young Dong," Wuyi instructed. "All Qi masters, gather."

Jia, already dismounted and composed, played a brief tune on his jade flute.

All Qi Masters and adepts came closer, their armor barely making a whisper.

"Jin has spotted the beast, less than a li from here," Wuyi announced, his eyes scanning the assembled warriors.

"Form a Yin-Yang battle array. Place our strongest Qi warriors on the outer edges, keep the inner circle agile, and ensure each melee fighter is accompanied by an archer skilled in Qi-infused arrows."

Then he turned to the Red Daoist, "You engage the beast head-on and don't hold back."

The Red Daoist nodded.

Everyone gasped, but they knew if anyone could confront any beast head-on, it would be the Red Daoist.

"So, the general approach, I presume?" Yun Ming remarked, his voice tinged with a hint of skepticism.

"Indeed, the general approach. We'll unleash a volley of Qi-infused arrows and resolve this swiftly," Wuyi replied, opting not to engage in a verbal duel with Yun Ming, his most competent Qi master, who nonetheless tended to discuss random things in inopportune situations. He scanned the surroundings for tactical advantages.

"The forest is dense, not ideal for our archers," Yun Ming observed.

Wuyi raised a hand. "Let's not forget Jin and our two beast tamers are out there. We don't want to fill them with arrows either."

The warriors at the back of the formation advanced, fanning out to the left and right to form a crescent-shaped line about two hundred zhang long. The formation consisted of three layers: Qi Masters at the front, Adepts and Initiates in the middle, each shielding an archer behind them.

The archers were armed with a variety of bows—some with long single-stave bows, others with heavy crossbows, and a few with traditional Eastern recurve bows crafted from horn and sinew.

Wuyi surveyed his troops and nodded approvingly. He spotted Meiying to the north and Baijian further beyond.

"They're skilled, all of them," he thought, even including the likes of Littlenose and Yuei. It wasn't just about cultivation but also battle skills. Having high cultivation doesn't guarantee victory against demonics or beasts, who are cunning and dangerous.

A well-fed level 9 lower beast could even battle a Qi master. Over the last few years, with missions, his faction had faced a lot of demonics and beast challenges, so except for the new Qi initiates, almost all adepts and Qi masters of faction were fearless. These menaces of society, thrown away by this world, were now warriors in the true sense.

'What would they have become if they hadn't met me? Might have died or become demonic cultivators,' he pondered.

"Let's finish this," he declared. Jia sounded two sharp notes on the flute, and the formation began to move.

After advancing about two hundred steps, Jin emerged from the foliage to Wuyi's left. Wuyi raised his hand, signaling the formation to halt. An arrow, loosed by an anxious archer, whizzed past Jin, missing him by a mere zhang. Jin shot a glare in the direction of the errant arrow.

Shen snorted. "Find out who that was," he muttered. "Inexperienced fool."

Jin hurried over to Wuyi. "The creature is massive, but it's not what we're after. It's... different. Even larger," he reported, shrugging. "I could be mistaken, though."

Wuyi nodded. He signaled to follow quietly. The Red Daoist was in front, with everyone quietly following behind.

They arrived at an area full of green trees and alders, which were taller than the old oaks and ashes. The Statue of Harmony alerted Wuyi about a large flying creature close by. Another large creature of the same kind was further away, occupied with its meal. There were other animals around, but the one nearby was different—it was aware of their presence.

"It's going to attack us," Wuyi stated, doing his best to keep his voice steady to prevent alarming his team.

"Prepare yourselves," he directed, gearing up to confront the threat.

Behind Wuyi, Jia's breathing grew noticeably louder, filling the air with tension.