Chapter 158: Chapter 137: Guardian Beast’s First Battle!

Bringing Xiaojiu back up from the ravine, Yang Qi called for Hu Zi to join them and started heading back the way he came.

Just as he crossed a ridge, he saw an agile figure dashing out from the dense woods nearby.

It was Leopard, who was responsible for guarding the perimeter.

Upon seeing Yang Qi, Leopard immediately sped up and rushed over, screeching to a halt in front of him and letting out a series of urgent "WOOF WOOF" sounds.

’Master, there’s an injured Two-legged Beast over there.’

’Someone’s injured?’

’A hiker?’

A chill ran down Yang Qi’s spine.

While Cangshan wasn’t exceptionally treacherous, its deeper regions were rarely traversed and had complex terrain. Every year, a few unruly "hikers" who ventured too far in would end up in trouble.

"Lead the way."

Without hesitation, Yang Qi gave the order to Leopard, motioning for Hu Zi and Xiaojiu to follow.

The man, cat, and dog followed Leopard’s lead, hurrying deeper into the mountain forest.

They crossed two peaks and arrived on a lushly vegetated mountainside.

The terrain here was rugged with jagged rocks and tangled vines, and the light was dimmer than elsewhere.

Beneath a natural overhang formed by a large jutting rock, Yang Qi saw the "injured hiker" Leopard had mentioned.

The man was sitting with his back against the cold rock face, seemingly catching his breath.

He looked to be around forty, with messy, greasy hair and a scruffy beard. His face was smeared with dirt and sweat, giving him a thoroughly wretched appearance.

His face was pale from blood loss, yet a persistent, savage hostility was concentrated between his brows. His eyes were sharp, warily scanning his surroundings.

His left pant leg was torn wide open, revealing a significant wound on his calf. Blood had soaked through the fabric, forming a small, dark red stain on the ground beneath his foot.

When Yang Qi suddenly appeared in his line of sight with two imposing German Shepherds, the man was visibly startled. His body instantly tensed, and his right hand subconsciously reached for the back of his waist. His gaze turned exceedingly dangerous as he stared daggers at Yang Qi, looking as if he might violently attack at any moment.

"Whoa, easy there!"

Yang Qi’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly halted, raising his hands to show he meant no harm, and explained in a rush, "I was just hiking in the mountains. My dog has a keen sense of smell and picked up the scent of blood, so he led me over to take a look. What’s your name, sir? How’s that wound? Do you need any help?"

As he spoke, he quickly sized the man up.

’The more I look at him, the more suspicious he seems.’

The man’s bearing, his gaze, and his split-second reaction were nothing like that of an ordinary hiker or a lost tourist.

In particular, the savage air and wariness that even injury and weakness couldn’t conceal were more reminiscent of someone who lived on the edge, accustomed to life-or-death situations.

Although his clothes were caked with mud and torn, a closer look at the fabric and style revealed they weren’t professional outdoor gear.

"...My surname is Han."

"Brother Han" stared at Yang Qi for a good ten seconds, his gaze then sweeping over Hu Zi and Leopard, as if assessing the threat posed by the man and his two dogs.

Eventually, his tense body relaxed a fraction, but the wariness in his eyes didn’t diminish in the least. He spoke in a voice that was slightly hoarse and weary.

"Young man, you got anything to eat? I’ve been lost in these mountains for a day and I’m starving."

"Food... well, how about some chocolate? I happen to have a bar in my pocket."

As he spoke, Yang Qi casually reached into his jacket pocket, but he was actually accessing his Hundred Pouches Belt, from which he retrieved a high-energy dark chocolate bar.

He took a few steps forward and tossed the chocolate to the man from a distance of two or three meters.

"Thanks."

The man named Han caught it. The movement seemed to take some effort, but his fingers were steady.

He ripped open the wrapper and practically wolfed down the entire bar, shoving it into his mouth and swallowing it whole. A bit of color returned to his pale face, but his eyes remained just as sharp.

"Brother Han, that leg injury looks pretty bad. You’ve lost a lot of blood; you need to get it treated as soon as possible."

Yang Qi looked at the wound on his leg with concern, his tone sincere. "Your phone must be dead, right? I’ve still got a signal. I can call for a rescue team; they’ll get here quickly."

With that, he pulled out his phone.

"Don’t!!"

The man named Han cried out almost instantly to stop him, his voice urgent and shrill. "My injury’s nothing! I just took a fall and scraped my skin. I can handle it myself!"

He paused, then his tone softened.

"Don’t call for rescue, it’d be too much trouble. Young man, if you have things to do, just go on ahead. Don’t mind me."

’This reaction...’

’...is a bit extreme.’

Yang Qi’s suspicion reached its peak.

’An injured man, isolated and helpless deep in the mountains, refusing rescue when it’s offered right to him?’

"Well... I don’t know about that, Brother Han. Look, it’s getting late. The temperature in the mountains drops at night, and there are wild animals. With that injury..."

Yang Qi put on a hesitant and worried expression, like a well-meaning but slightly timid young man.

"I said I don’t need it!"

The man named Han’s tone hardened, now tinged with impatience and a veiled threat. "I know my own situation. You need to leave, now!"

"Well... alright then."

Seeing this, Yang Qi acted as if he were intimidated by the man’s attitude, or perhaps as if his kindness had been rebuffed. He put on a look of awkward resignation and nodded.

"In that case, Brother Han, you be careful. Try to find your way out before dark."

With that, he turned around, preparing to leave with Hu Zi and Leopard.

However, in the instant he turned his back on "Brother Han"—

An intense, cold sense of danger shot up Yang Qi’s spine like a striking viper!

The hairs on his neck stood on end and his heart clenched.

’Danger!’

Yang Qi’s intuition, honed to an extreme sharpness by the Great Derivation Spirit-Controlling Technique, allowed him to react the very instant the warning bells sounded in his mind.