Chapter 55 Night Raid

Night fell completely, and the campfire crackled.

Shen Lian and Chen Yun sat by the fire, cautiously observing their surroundings.

"Senior Brother Shen, what do you think the other contestants are doing right now?" Chen Yun asked Shen Lian softly.

Shen Lian added some dry branches to the fire: "They should all be resting elsewhere. The Black Mist Forest is fraught with danger, especially at night. Unless they are absolutely certain, no one will act rashly."

Chen Yun nodded and took out a jade talisman from her bosom. A line of small characters appeared on the light blue jade talisman: "Points: Fifteen".

"We hunted seven blackwater crocodiles, and each of us got nine points. Adding that to the first-tier monsters we hunted before, I now have fifteen points," Chen Yun calculated. "I wonder where this score ranks."

Shen Lian also took out his jade talisman, which showed "Points: Twenty-one". He had more points than Chen Yun because he had hunted a few more first-tier demonic beasts.

"The leaderboard won't be announced until after the trial." Shen Lian put away the jade talisman. "There's no use thinking about that now. Let's get through these seven days first."

Chen Yun was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Senior Brother Shen, do you think we can make it into the top ten?"

Shen Lian looked at the flickering flames and said, "With four of us working together, our hunting efficiency is quite high. As long as we don't encounter any major trouble, we should have a chance to enter the top ten."

As the two were talking, a beast's roar suddenly came from afar.

A roar pierced the night, filled with anger and pain, followed by a series of sounds of fighting and angry shouts from humans.

"Someone has encountered a monster."

Shen Lian immediately stood up and looked in the direction from which the sound came. However, the darkness and fog obscured his vision, and he could only vaguely see flickering lights in the northeast.

Chen Yun also stood up: "Should we go take a look?"

Shen Lian hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: "We don't know what happened over there, and going there rashly might put us in danger. Moreover, it could very well be a trap."

"A trap?" Chen Yun asked, slightly taken aback.

Shen Lian continued, "It's highly likely. During the day, everyone is still adapting to the environment after entering the forest. But at night, some people might have ulterior motives. They might create a commotion to attract others and then steal the jade talisman."

Chen Yun gasped, "These people really will use any means necessary to grab points."

Shen Lian said with a serious expression, "So it is precisely at times like these that we must be more vigilant and ensure our own safety."

Chen Yun nodded slightly, her expression becoming more serious.

The sounds of fighting lasted for about fifteen minutes before gradually subsiding. The forest fell silent again, as if nothing had happened.

Shen Lian sat down again, his right hand resting on the hilt of his sword: "Be extra careful in the latter half of the night. If what happened just now was indeed a trap, those people are very likely to make another move."

Chen Yun nodded and gripped the long sword tightly.

Time passed by, and the night deepened.

Apart from the occasional rustling of wind and chirping of insects, there was no other sound in the deadwood forest. Shen Lian and Chen Yun took turns closing their eyes to rest, while one of them remained alert at all times.

At 3:45 AM, Lin Feng and Chu Wen woke up on time to change shifts.

"Is there anything unusual?" Chu Wen asked.

Shen Lian recounted the sounds of fighting he had just heard and his own speculations.

Lin Feng snorted coldly: "If anyone dares to come, I'll just give them points."

Chu Wen frowned and said, "Brother Shen's concerns are not without merit. When I was in Baiyun County, I heard from my seniors that nighttime attacks were common in previous Demon Hunting Trials. Some teams specifically operate at night to target other participants."

"Then we should take the initiative." A cold glint flashed in Lin Feng's eyes.

Shen Lian shook his head. "Our goal is to get into the top ten. Taking the initiative is too risky. There's no need for us to do that."

Chu Wen nodded in agreement: "Brother Shen is right. Taking the initiative is too risky and will consume a lot of energy, affecting our daytime operations."

After the four discussed it for a while, Shen Lian and Chen Yun went to rest, and it was naturally Lin Feng and Chu Wen's turn to keep watch in the second half of the night.

Shen Lian leaned against the withered tree trunk, closed his eyes to rest, but remained vigilant at all times.

This was a habit he developed during his training at the Demon Suppression Division: he must never completely relax when in a dangerous environment.

About an hour later, Shen Lian suddenly opened his eyes.

There was some noise.

It was the sound of a dead branch being broken, coming from thirty feet west of the camp.

Shen Lian did not act immediately, but remained in the same posture, his right hand slowly reaching for the hilt of the sword. He listened intently, and the sound appeared again.

This time it was even closer, about twenty zhang.

More than one person.

Shen Lian could distinguish at least three different footsteps. They were slowly approaching, their steps were very light, and they were obviously specially trained.

Chen Yun also sensed something, then looked at Shen Lian. Meeting Shen Lian's gaze, she didn't say anything, but subconsciously tightened her grip on the long sword.

Shen Lian looked at Lin Feng and Chu Wen, who were on night watch. The two of them also noticed something and looked towards the west.

The four exchanged glances and tacitly prepared themselves.

The footsteps stopped fifteen feet away.

The other party was very cautious and did not rashly step into the camp area.

Time passed slowly, and the area around the campsite became quiet.

Suddenly, a whooshing sound rang out!

Three crossbow bolts shot out from the darkness, heading straight for Lin Feng and Chu Wen by the campfire!

"Watch out!" Shen Lian shouted, and his body, which had been poised to strike, suddenly leaped up.

Lin Feng reacted with lightning speed, drawing his sword and sweeping it horizontally the instant the crossbow bolts were fired. With two clangs, two crossbow bolts were deflected. Chu Wen dodged to the side, and a third crossbow bolt grazed his shoulder, embedding itself in a dead tree behind him.

Lin Feng's eyes turned cold, and he immediately rushed towards the direction from which the crossbow bolts had come.

Shen Lian didn't rush out after them, but instead stayed protectively beside Chen Yun, cautiously observing their surroundings. Since the other side had launched a sneak attack, they certainly had more than just this one method.

Just as Lin Feng had charged ten zhang, two dark figures flashed out from his left and right sides simultaneously. The two men, wielding long swords, attacked Lin Feng with perfect coordination.

Lin Feng snorted coldly, and his longsword transformed into two streaks of cold light, heading towards the two men respectively.

Clang! Clang!

The clanging of metal echoed through the forest, startling the birds into scattering.

Lin Feng fought two opponents alone and did not lose ground. Instead, he forced the two men to retreat repeatedly.

Just then, a third dark figure silently appeared behind Lin Feng, thrusting a short sword straight at Lin Feng's back!

"Lin Feng, watch out!" Chu Wen exclaimed, drawing his longsword to try and save him, but the distance was too great.

At the critical moment, Shen Lian made a move.

He pushed the "Tiger-Taming Stance" footwork to its limit, his entire body sweeping across twenty zhang like a ghost, his long saber arriving first after the opponent's attack, intercepting the short sword.

clang!

The short sword was knocked away, and the dark figure groaned, taking three steps back.

Shen Lian then saw the newcomers clearly. The three men were dressed in black robes, their faces covered with black cloth, only their eyes were visible. They had disguised themselves, so it was impossible to tell which county they came from.

"A cowardly rat hiding its head and tail," Lin Feng said coldly. He had already forced the other two back and was standing back to back with Shen Lian.

Chu Wen and Chen Yun also arrived, and the four of them formed an encirclement formation.

Upon seeing this, the three people opposite exchanged glances. The leader made a gesture, and the three of them simultaneously retreated, seemingly intending to withdraw.

"Trying to leave? Not so easy!" Lin Feng said, and was about to give chase.

"Don't chase!" Shen Lian stopped him. "Chasing in the dark is too dangerous. There's a good chance of an ambush. We need to be careful."

Although Lin Feng was dissatisfied, he still stopped.

The three men quickly disappeared into the night, as if they had never been there.

Chu Wen walked to where the short sword had fallen and picked it up. The short sword had an ordinary design, but there was a small mark engraved on the hilt: an eagle with outstretched wings.

"An eagle?" Chu Wen frowned. "The emblems of the seven counties and three prefectures of Qingzhou don't feature eagles. Could it be someone from a martial arts family?"

After taking the short sword and examining it carefully, Shen Lian said, "The marks on this sword have been deliberately worn away."

Chen Yun said softly, "It seems they're afraid of being recognized."

"It seems Brother Shen was right." Chu Wen's expression was grave. "Someone did indeed try to steal points at night. Those three worked together seamlessly; they're clearly seasoned veterans. If we hadn't been on guard, we probably would have fallen into their trap."

Lin Feng said coldly, "If they dare to come again, none of them will leave alive."

Shen Lian said, "They won't give up easily. Since they chose to operate at night, it means they are skilled in night combat. They failed to probe tonight, so they probably won't give up."

"Then what do we do?" Chen Yun asked.

Shen Lian pondered for a moment, observed the surroundings, and then said, "We'll continue hunting demonic beasts during the day as usual, but we need to be more careful to avoid being followed. This place has already been exposed; we can't stay here any longer. We'll move immediately after dawn."

All four agreed to the decision. After the attack, no one was sleepy, so they simply sat around the campfire and waited for dawn.

Chu Wen took out a small porcelain bottle from his backpack and poured out four pills: "These are 'Mind-Clearing Pills,' which can refresh the mind and eliminate fatigue. Everyone take one to maintain your condition."

Shen Lian took the pill and swallowed it. A cool sensation spread from his throat throughout his body, instantly invigorating him. He looked at Chu Wen: "Brother Chu, you've prepared very well."

Chu Wen smiled wryly, "Baiyun County's performance has been poor in recent years, and I'm doing everything I can to get a good ranking this time. These pills and talismans have almost used up all my savings."

Shen Lian said earnestly, "As long as we can get into the top ten, it's all worth it."

As dawn broke, the hazy morning light pierced through the mist and shone into the withered forest.

The four quickly tidied up the campsite, extinguishing the campfire completely without leaving a trace. Following the plan they had discussed the previous night, they decided to venture deeper into the Black Mist Forest.