Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

”Man-made?”

All eyes turned to the man named Meng Tang.

As if jolted awake by his words, a scar-faced man beside him slapped his thigh and said in a low voice,

”The Mutant Tiger tracks my team found along the way... they looked real, but thinkin’ back on it... every single one of ’em led to this Ancient Forest... Damn it all, that in itself is a sign of somethin’ man-made!”

”Hey! Now that you mention it, it was the same for my team!”

Another lean, core member of the Hunting Manor chimed in, his voice laced with the grinding sound of clenched teeth.

”So... it isn’t a toxic miasma in the forest...”

Zhu Kang’s pupils constricted slightly.

”It’s some kind of colorless, odorless poison gas... That would explain why our Nine Peace Anti-Miasma Pills have no effect at all... This gas was specifically designed for us!”

”Fuck! He’s right!”

Meng Tang slammed his fist into a large tree beside him, shaking loose a shower of snow-covered pine needles.

”Then that means... the enemy knows us very well...”

Wang Chuang’s brow furrowed, his voice trembling slightly.

”They know we have Antitoxic Pills, so they set an ambush with a specific type of poison gas... They also know we split into multiple teams, which is why the gas isn’t fatal. Their goal is...”

He swallowed hard, then slowly spat out four words:

”Surround point, strike aid?!”

Everyone was stunned by his words.

The facts before them perfectly matched Wang Chuang’s analysis.

The first team to arrive would be ambushed and would surely fire a signal arrow for help. All the subsequent teams rushing to the rescue—they were the real targets!

”Retreat! Everyone, fall back immediately!”

Zhu Kang made the split-second decision, his voice filled with an authority that left no room for doubt.

He was Manor Master Wang Peng’s sworn brother and the de facto second-in-command of Jiuan Hunting Manor.

He now completely agreed with Wang Chuang’s analysis. Their side had fallen completely into the enemy’s trap. They had to pull out at once. If they were surrounded in this Ancient Forest, the consequences would be unthinkable!

Everyone immediately sprang into action.

Though many had gathered, they were all elites from Jiuan Hunting Manor—well-trained, perfectly coordinated, and not at all flustered by the sudden turn of events.

Some bent down to carry the limp, injured men on their backs. Others unslung their longbows, nocking arrows and standing guard. Still others took a headcount and confirmed their direction.

The troop began an orderly retreat out of the Ancient Forest.

No one uttered a single unnecessary word, the only sound being the CRUNCH of dry branches and rotten leaves under their feet.

”Chuang! Let’s go... Come on, come with us!”

Wang Sun, carried on Meng Tang’s back, was as limp as a puddle of mud, but he twisted his head around desperately, his face wrought with anxiety as he yelled to Wang Chuang.

”I’m not leaving!”

Wang Chuang stood his ground, unmoving.

”Uncle and Cheng aren’t out yet! I’m not going anywhere...”

Before he could finish, a heavy blow struck the back of his neck.

His vision suddenly went black. He didn’t even have time to see who had hit him before his body went limp and he collapsed, unconscious.

Zhu Kang withdrew his hand—a karate chop—and caught Wang Chuang’s limp body. He and the scar-faced man supported him from either side, dragging him toward the retreating group.

Zhu Kang’s face was also filled with grief and reluctance, but at a time like this, there was no room for hesitation.

The fates of those trapped deep in the Ancient Forest were unknown, but the living couldn’t be sacrificed for them!

...

At Chen Cheng’s speed, the remaining two hundred meters were covered in a flash.

Sure enough, two people were collapsed just ahead.

One of them, lying face-up on a pile of rotten leaves, was Wang Peng.

His eyes were half-open, his lips purple and swollen. His chest rose and fell weakly, each breath looking as if it took all his strength.

The other was a young Manor Soldier, curled up nearby with his face buried in the leaves, his state—dead or alive—unknown.

This meant that even though only one Manor Soldier was left in the Ancient Forest, Wang Peng had still risked his life to come back and save him.

This was true righteousness.

”Manor Master Wang, are you all right?”

Chen Cheng strode over in a single step. After cautiously surveying the surroundings, he knelt and helped Wang Peng up, letting him lean against his body.

”To have hunted falcons my whole life...”

Wang Peng’s body was as limp as a heap of soft mud. His voice was a fragmented mumble, like someone talking in their sleep.

”Only to be blinded by one in the end...”

As he spoke, his hazy, unfocused eyes suddenly shot wide open, as if startled awake. He stared blankly at the young man who had appeared before him, his pupils contracting violently.

”Brother... Brother Chen?”

Wang Peng collected himself, his voice suddenly becoming urgent.

”You have to leave... Go, go back... Quick! Retreat... There’s poison gas in this forest...”

”Manor Master Wang, please calm down. This poison gas can’t harm me.”

As Chen Cheng spoke, he reslung the Tiger Sinew Hard Bow over his back and tucked the Silver Bullet into his clothes.

Then he helped Wang Peng up with one arm, letting him lean on his left shoulder.

Next, he walked over to the Manor Soldier and knelt beside him.

He checked for breath—still alive—and casually hoisted him up to lean on his right shoulder.

Wang Peng stared in a daze, his ashen eyes filled with disbelief.

Chen Cheng said no more and simply started walking out, supporting them both.

With Chen Cheng’s strength, carrying the weight of two grown men was a simple matter.

It just made moving around a little inconvenient.

”Brother Chen, what about Chuang and the others?” Wang Peng asked in a low voice.

”Don’t worry, they’re all outside. None of them rushed in recklessly,” Chen Cheng said.

”That’s good... that’s good...”

Wang Peng let out a long sigh of relief.

”Thank you so much for this, Brother Chen... For saving my life, I, Wang, will be sure to reward you generously when we return...”

”There’s no need to be so formal, Manor Master Wang.”

Chen Cheng said calmly,

”Back during the Middle Courtyard’s annual assessment, many people looked down on me because of my Root Bone issue...