Volume 1, Chapter 62: Fierce Battle in the Dense Forest

Right after that, Zhou Xiao tentatively asked, "Senior Brother, supposing I indeed choose to help that old man, but my starting point is fundamentally not out of a sense of chivalry, but for something else."

"Like someone like me, is that still considered justice?"

"You still helped others, didn't you? How could it possibly not be for justice?" Lu Chen was slightly taken aback, but after thinking it over carefully, he answered earnestly:

"Of course it counts. Didn't Master say once? A gentleman is judged by his actions, not his intentions. No matter what, you have genuinely and solidly helped others."

"Having just this point alone is enough."

"A gentleman is judged by his actions, not his intentions..." Zhou Xiao muttered in contemplation, seemingly beginning to ponder the logic within.

Seeing Zhou Xiao lost in thought, Lu Chen hurriedly changed the subject:

"Ah, let's not think about this for now. Senior Brother asks you, what do you think of Senior Brother's actions just now?"

Seeing Zhou Xiao shake his head, Lu Chen smiled knowingly and said:

"That didn't exceed my expectations, but Junior Brother, you must remember. For a person like that, they must be taught a harsh lesson. If they aren't taught..."

"No, Senior Brother, that's not what I mean. I mean you shouldn't have let that fellow go; you should have killed him directly."

Zhou Xiao spoke with absolute conviction. Lu Chen froze, and only after a long moment did he offer a dry laugh:

"Well, it seems your ideological realm is still higher than mine as your senior brother."

...

The two of them continued to stroll around the city for quite a while, only deciding to return to the sect when the sun was about to set.

Lu Chen and his companion were walking along a narrow path in the dense forest when suddenly, recalling something, Zhou Xiao curiously asked the calm-faced Lu Chen beside him:

"Senior Brother, that fellow whose hamstring we severed earlier said he was going to come back and bring people to take revenge on us."

Lu Chen let out a disdainful snort, then said:

"Oh, come on! Listen to that guy brag? Even if he really dares to come back for revenge, with that little bit of strength of his, do you think he's capable of anything?"

Just as the words left Lu Chen's lips, a voice rang out from the shadows:

"I indeed might not be capable of much by myself, which is why I went and called for backup."

In an instant, several cultivators darted out, surrounding Lu Chen and Zhou Xiao tightly.

Immediately after, the cultivator whose hamstring had been severed by Lu Chen stepped forward, looking at the two of them with triumph:

"Well? I'm here now, do you believe it?"

Looking at the several people surrounding them on all sides, the expressions of Lu Chen and Zhou Xiao grew solemn.

Zhou Xiao probed the cultivation levels of the group, his heart sinking as he leaned toward Lu Chen and whispered in explanation:

"Senior Brother, there are quite a few Core Formation realm cultivators among them."

Lu Chen forced a bitter smile and nodded. "Yeah, I can see that."

A short-haired man nearby rubbed his head, then looked at the young cultivator with extreme annoyance and said:

"Old Chen, I'm telling you, they're just two damn brats. Why did you invite us over for this? I thought it was some genius from the Great Desolate Immortal Sect."

The young cultivator offered an awkward, sheepish smile, then explained:

"Senior Brother, don't let their young age fool you. Their cultivation is truly extraordinary; with just a single sword strike, they severed my hamstring."

Seeing this, a hint of curiosity appeared on the short-haired cultivator's face.

"No way, right? You brat are considered a Foundation Establishment cultivator yourself, yet you got made to look this foolish by two kids?"

Lu Chen felt a trace of displeasure. Cursing inwardly, he spoke up:

"Hey! Are we going to fight or not? If you want to fight, bring it on. If not, get lost and stay out of my grandpa's way."

Zhou Xiao twitched the corner of his mouth, and in a low voice, he advised Lu Chen:

"Senior Brother, I think right now, instead of talking big, we should be hurriedly begging for mercy."

A flash of surprise crossed the short-haired cultivator's face, followed by a ferocious grin:

"Alright! Not big on age, but big on mouth."

"Fine! Today, I'll teach you two brats what it means when they say there are people beyond people and heavens beyond the sky!"

With that, the cultivators surrounding the pair charged murderously toward Lu Chen and Zhou Xiao in an instant.

Watching the enemies charging at them, Lu Chen drew his wooden sword, his expression turning grave as he said to Zhou Xiao beside him:

"Junior Brother, when you find an opening later, run first. Senior Brother will hold them off here."

Zhou Xiao's expression wavered. He genuinely wanted to readily agree, but at a time like this, abandoning Lu Chen to escape alone meant he wouldn't know how to explain himself when he got back.

With no other choice, he gritted his teeth and shouted, "I'm not running! I refuse to believe these fellows actually dare to kill us!"

Lu Chen's lips curled upward into a smile as he said:

"Consider you brat having a conscience. Let's go!"

With that, the two sides clashed instantly, and the sound of numerous swords and sabers clashing echoed through the dense forest.

...

Meanwhile, Lin Hongye, who was cultivating within her dwelling, suddenly twitched her brow.

She immediately halted her cultivation, massaged the bridge between her eyebrows, and frowned, muttering:

"That's not right. Why would I feel a sense of unease in my heart for no reason?"

Lin Hongye had always trusted her intuition; after all, having lived through two lifetimes, her divine soul was much stronger than that of other cultivators.

Such an ominous premonition, signaled by the twitching of her brow, naturally caused Lin Hongye to worry.

Feeling anxious, she no longer had the heart to cultivate and left her dwelling.

Lin Hongye arrived outside Lu Chen's dwelling and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Xiao Lu! Xiao Lu! Have you returned?!"

There was no reply from Lu Chen's dwelling, so with no alternative, Lin Hongye had to head over to Zhou Xiao's dwelling.

She shouted outside Zhou Xiao's dwelling as well, but still heard no response.

Lin Hongye couldn't help but frown, muttering to herself, "What is going on? These two kids haven't come back yet at this hour."

Helpless, she went to Lin Yang's dwelling and yelled, managing to shout Lin Yang out after a short while.

"I'm telling you, Hongye, what are you hollering about in the middle of the night? Your master is still recuperating here."

Lin Yang walked out limping; a few days prior, Zhang Xian风 had given him a severe beating, leaving Lin Yang unable to recover fully to this day.

Ignoring Lin Yang's complaints, Lin Hongye said anxiously:

"Master, Xiao Lu and Xiao Xiao still haven't returned to the peak. Could something have happened to them?"

Lin Yang wasn't too worried about this and simply shrugged, explaining:

"What's so strange about that? Probably those two little rascals are playing around somewhere in the sect and didn't think about coming back to the peak yet."

"That's impossible, Master. They don't have playmates inside the sect, and besides, it's so late; they definitely know they should return to the peak."

Lin Yang thought about it. Although Zhou Xiao and Lu Chen both possessed children's bodies, they both had the souls of adults. If nothing had happened, it was impossible for them not to return to the sect late at night and cause people to worry.

His gaze sharpened, and his tone turned serious: "Alright then, let's search around within the sect first. If we truly can't find them, we'll head outside the sect to look."

Lin Hongye nodded, and the two of them immediately left Chiyang Peak, beginning a thorough search of the Great Desolate Immortal Sect from top to bottom.

...

Meanwhile, the battle within the dense forest was also drawing to a close.