Chapter 333: Sudden Arrival

"Keep these things to yourself; don't tell anyone else," He Lingchuan reminded the skinny man. "The authorities haven't made an announcement, so don't even mention it at home; your family talks too much." Several days had passed since the Chifeng Mine incident, and Dragonwood City outwardly remained calm, with no shocking cases being revealed.

It meant the matter was handled privately, kept from public knowledge.

The skinny man sighed and nodded. "You're right. We ordinary folk have food and drink; what do we care about such things? It's not like they'll share the gold from the mine with us. Let Commander Zhong worry about it."

"Didn't you also get a reward for your anonymous report?"

"Indeed." The skinny man was pleased and about to boast about his keen eyesight when a gasp and a howl suddenly erupted from outside!

The sound was like a wolf's howl mixed with a ghost's wail—definitely not human—making listeners want to cover their ears.

He Lingchuan and the skinny man exchanged glances, then moved swiftly, rushing out.

Wen Daolun stepped out of the training hall, and two guards immediately followed him.

He patted his sleeve, realizing he'd forgotten something important. "Oh, how could I forget to bring the lecture notes?" He quickly pointed to one of the guards. "Go to my house and fetch the lecture notes; they're on the desk, titled 'Enquiry Hall'."

The guard acknowledged and strode away.

"I'm getting old; I can't even remember such small things," Wen Daolun said, pressing his forehead. "Without the lecture notes, how am I supposed to hold forth for an hour at Enquiry Hall?"

Wen Xing looked back at the training hall, full of anticipation. "Entering the North Court competition, I wonder when I'll be eligible."

"Just do well in the patrol squad for now," Wen Daolun thought, recalling his elderly mother's earnest warnings. The Dragonwood Wilderness was too dangerous; she wanted him to keep Xing'er as a patrol guard on Chipa Plateau.

The old lady only worried about family matters. Earning fewer merits was fine; safety was paramount.

Wen Xing murmured, "If I join the patrol, will it cause people to criticize Father?"

"Promoting relatives isn't wrong if they're capable," Wen Daolun said, patting his young son's shoulder. "You passed the martial arts test and entered honorably; what is there for others to criticize?" He sighed deeply as he spoke.

Wen Xing asked, surprised, "What's wrong, Father?"

Wen Daolun lamented, "If everyone had a pure heart, where would Dragonwood City find so much trouble?"

The Wen family residence was very close to the training hall's back entrance, so father and son strolled along the riverbank, waiting for the guard to retrieve the lecture notes.

Dragonwood City had seven or eight inner rivers and numerous tributaries. Unlike South Gate Plaza, which had hot springs, most of these rivers were frozen solid in this weather, with a thick layer of ice on the surface.

As the father and son passed a small bridge, a gray stone larger than a millstone lay at the base of the bridge pier. Although its presence there was a bit odd, passersby paid it no mind.

Who would notice a mere rock under a bridge?

However, as Wen Daolun walked casually past, the stone suddenly moved, instantly transforming, growing limbs, long legs, a head, and a tail…

As if a breeze had swept through, the monster sprang from beneath the bridge arch in a single bound, lunging directly at Wen Daolun, crashing into him, and then trying to twist his head off.

Its hands were like eagle claws, and the veins on its back looked like steel bars. Finishing off a spellcaster like Wen Daolun would only take a snap.

Fortunately, though Wen Daolun stumbled from the attack, a white light flashed before him, frost-like illusions appeared in the air, and the monster was directly repelled, crashing with a thud against the bridge.

His protective artifact had been triggered.

Nearby pedestrians screamed, instinctively scattering and fleeing.

Both of the monster's claws and its large mouth were covered in solid ice. Only then could its size and shape be clearly seen: it resembled both a monkey and a cat, but it was hairless. Upon touching the wooden bridge, its body naturally turned dark brown.

This creature could change color and was adept at camouflage.

The monster shook twice, and the ice shattered instantly. At this moment, the guard rushed forward to attack, while Wen Xing protected his father and retreated.

But this creature was astonishingly fast, too quick for the human eye to follow.

The guard managed to hold on for seven or eight breaths, but was eventually sent flying by its tail whip.

However, Wen Daolun also seized the opportunity to throw five bamboo talismans. Four yellow talismans automatically positioned themselves around the monster, and the last green talisman hovered four feet above its head.

The monster, having struck the guard, charged at Wen Daolun again, but was repelled by an invisible wall of energy within two steps.

Where it hit the energy wall, a faint white mark appeared, and then the struck area quickly solidified into ice. If not removed quickly, the ice would spread to cover its entire body.

This technique was "Drawing a Prison on the Ground," which Wen Daolun combined with ice-coagulation magic for better enemy restraint.

The more frantically the monster crashed against the wall, the more ice formed, and the less agile its body became.

However, no one noticed a bug silently crawling out of the dark alley behind Wen Daolun and his son.

Though called a bug, it was actually larger than an adult's palm, resembling a cricket but with a head as sharp as an awl.

It leaped a few steps forward, then swiftly shot three sharp spines at Wen Daolun's back!

Wen Xing turned his head just in time to see it emerge from the shadow of a wall crack to attack. Without hesitation, he lunged to shield his father.

With three faint sounds, the sharp spines all struck Wen Xing.

Wen Daolun turned in alarm and pulled his son into an embrace.

The cricket-like monster adjusted its angle, aiming again for his forehead.

However, just as it was about to fire again, a shadow flashed from behind; the person hadn't arrived, but the gleam of a blade did.

He Lingchuan had arrived.

He saw the monster retract its head, poised to shoot a spike, but realizing they were more than ten feet apart and he might not be fast enough, he immediately delivered a "Wave Slice."

The tree branches on the ground in front remained undisturbed, but the monster's forehead suddenly burst open, and the spike poised to be shot from its forehead was sliced into two by the faint glow of the blade!

"Chirp!" It burst into a gush of green fluid.

With one successful strike, He Lingchuan paid no mind to anything else; he immediately moved to seal the acupuncture points near Wen Xing's wounds.

"Xing'er!" Wen Daolun's thoughts were entirely on his son, and the "Drawing a Prison on the Ground" talismans immediately weakened. With another crash, the trapped monster broke free.

At this point, the Great Wind soldiers from the training hall arrived en masse, attacking, while the rest guarded Wen Daolun and his son.

The monster attempted to pounce twice but was suppressed by the opposing force, accumulating many new wounds on its body.

Trapped and surrounded by fourteen or fifteen Great Wind soldiers, it could no longer effectively use its abilities, no matter how capable it was.

Defeated, the monster no longer lingered, turning and leaping into the river.

The river surface was thick with ice, but the water underneath was still flowing. It also possessed a talent for disguise; once it entered the water, it had a high chance of escape.

However, while the monster was still in the air, a long spear shot forth like lightning, forcing it to raise an arm to block.

It was Xiao Maoliang, who had just arrived, striking in fury.

"Thud!" With a dull thud, its left arm was pinned to the bridge.

The monster let out a shriek, twisted vigorously twice, and its left forearm actually detached itself. It was about to leap into the river, but the Great Wind army had already fired three or four grappling hooks, forcefully pulling it back from the surface of the river.

"Jindu Ghoul!" Wen Daolun's face was ashen. "How are there still two of them?!"

Dragonwood City had clearly killed nine ghoul cubs before!

Seeing the monster roar incessantly while the wound on its left arm gradually healed, Wen Daolun told He Lingchuan, "Break another one of its hands and fracture its leg bones."

He Lingchuan's blade rose and fell; amidst splashing green blood, the monster lost another arm, and its leg was broken.

The precious blade's sharpness astonished his companions. It was known that this monster's hide was incredibly thick, and many holding magical artifacts couldn't even penetrate its defense.

Wen Daolun immediately pushed a crystal into its wound, disregarding the corrosive green blood on his fingers. Then he pulled out a bamboo talisman and handed it to Xiao Maoliang. "Severely wounded Jindu cubs will return to their mother. Keep this tracking talisman well. It will glow when near the crystal!"

Xiao Maoliang understood his intent, took the tracking talisman, and only after seeing it glow did he signal for everyone to release the monster.

The Jindu cub, regaining its freedom, let out a fierce howl at everyone and leaped into the water.

Xiao Maoliang led his men in pursuit.

Meanwhile, Wen Daolun gave his son a few life-saving pills, then scooped him up and rushed into the Box Tower of the training hall—a small central building that served as a resting place for martial artists and separated the North and South Courts.

It was the closest place with beds, medicine, and a physician.

The entire training hall became agitated.

Alo emerged from a corner, took Wen Xing's pulse, discussed a few words with his colleagues, then hurried out, shouting:

"Get out of the way, get out of the way! Lives are at stake, don't block the path!"

He actually jumped onto a carriage and left.

He Lingchuan saw Wen Daolun's frozen gaze and knew things were bad.

By now, Wen Xing had fallen into a coma, and the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth was green. Wen Daolun wiped it repeatedly, one hand pressed to his own forehead.

"Just now, thank you," he managed, even in his distress, thanking He Lingchuan.

If not for this young man, he would have followed his son's fate, and by now, father and son would likely be lying side by side.

There were too many people in the training hall, so Wen Daolun, annoyed, shooed most of them out, leaving only He Lingchuan and two guards.

The three sharp spines had been pulled out and placed to one side.

He Lingchuan examined the three weapons, noting they were about the length of toothpicks but had a woody texture and bark-like spiral cracks on their surface.

The small monster that shot them also lay on a tray. From He Lingchuan's feel when he cleaved it open, this creature had low defense, as if all its abilities were focused on sneak attacks.

The room suddenly fell silent. Wen Daolun stayed by his son's side, staring at him blankly, occasionally muttering to himself.

He spoke very unclearly; He Lingchuan only caught a few fragmented words:

"Could it be... happening now...?"

Not long after, Alo returned, followed by reinforcements—

His adoptive father, Helian Chen, the Grand Apothecary of the Elixir Bureau.

Upon entering the training hall, Helian Chen didn't even have time to greet Wen Daolun before going to examine Wen Xing.

Now, with his clothing pulled back, the blood flowing from Wen Xing's wounds was pure green. The surrounding skin had hardened, become brittle, turned iron-gray, and was covered in fine lines—

In short, his skin seemed to have turned into tree bark.

Of the three sharp spines, one was blocked by his raised arm, one hit his abdomen, and the last struck his leg.

Therefore, all three locations showed symptoms of bark-like transformation, slowly spreading outwards.

A peculiar fragrance permeated the air. He Lingchuan couldn't quite place it; it smelled somewhat like honey and somewhat like pine resin.

That such a pleasant scent emanated from Wen Xing's wounds made everyone feel even more uneasy.

As Helian Chen took a step back, Wen Daolun quickly asked him, "Well?"