The sun shone brightly, and the birds in the trees sang their morning tunes when Xue Wei and his two friends stepped out of the entrance in the mountain wall.
"Gou?" Xue Wei looked next to him and saw that his friend was leaning against the mountain wall.
He looked a little bored, but his eyes brightened when he heard Xue Wei's voice. He turned to look at the people who had finally come out from the grave.
"Took you long enough!" he exclaimed. It was impossible for him to hide the smile on his lips and the happiness surging in his eyes from being reunited with his friend.
"What did you get in there?" He asked curiously. "I was thrown out after the spiritual energy test; my soul was simply not strong enough."
Xue Wei nodded his head. He had already guessed it. "What did you find out about the Primordial Beasts while waiting?" Xue Wei asked curiously. Hei Gou paused for a moment and frowned.
"It is strange," he began. "They were gone when I left the grave, but then after a month, another set of beasts arrived. They seemed to be searching for something, but none of them noticed me."
"It continued like this. A new group arrived every month. The groups of Primordial Beasts stayed for a week or two and then they left."
"It has already been three and a half months since you entered the grave and they have been repeating this like they were a clockwork."
Xue Wei frowned when he heard this. "What are they searching for?"
"I don't know," Hei Gou shook his head. "I was alone, so I didn’t dare to move too close to any of the groups."
"That makes sense, well done" Xue Wei said approvingly and fell silent. "So we have two more weeks until the next wave arrives?" Hei Gou nodded his head. "Approximately, yes."
"Well, let us leave before then. I’ve made some thoughts about these Primordial Beasts and the Elder Wan they mentioned, but ultimately I don't really have to get involved with the affairs of the Primordial Beasts."
"But are you not worried?" Wang Xiaoyun suddenly asked. "If this Elder Wan related to the Primordial Beasts happen to be Elder Wan Qiang, is it not very dangerous to return to the Black Iron Fortress?"
"It should be fine," Xue Wei said after a bit of hesitation. "He has saved my life before, and he has shown me great favor a few times."
"But if he has something to do with the beasts, don't you think that he is too dangerous? Since we have already wasted this much time, why don't we just not go back to the Black Iron Fortress and keep the Seven Star Nightflower for ourselves?" Wang Xiaoyun was not comfortable.
"That won't do," Xue Wei sighed. "I don't like the fact that Wan Qiang might have something to do with the Primordial Beasts, but considering how friendly he has been towards me, and the promise I made him, I would rather give him the benefit of the doubt."
Hei Gou did not care. He was slightly worried, but he had personally witnessed how Wan Qiang had saved them before, so he also felt that it would be quite unlikely for the elder from the Black Iron Fortress to want to harm them. He had had so many chances.
Wang Xiaoyun was quiet. She was not pleased, but she conceded to the fact that she had not personally experienced the things in the Black Iron Fortress.
"I trust your judgment," she sighed after thinking it over. "But be aware that it is dangerous, and don't take any risks!"
"I promise," Xue Wei said. He was moved. Wang Xiaoyun did not mind walking into what was possibly a trap, just for him.
He then reached out and grasped Wang Xiaoyun's hand, squeezed it gently and held it as they walked forward.
It was a picturesque scene. Xue Wei and Wang Xiaoyun were walking side by side, hand in hand. A slight blush was on the woman's face, and Xue Wei could not hide a smile on his face.
Hei Gou and Bai Tianyi were walking calmly a few steps behind them. None of them spoke, but both of them were snickering due to the cute behavior of the couple in front of them.
One has to know that those two were both cold-blooded murderers deep down, but they were inexperienced in the aspect of love.
Just a simple gesture like holding hands was enough to make them feel embarrassed but happy.
They walked through the forest casually. No Fierce Beasts came out to trouble them, and the Primordial Beasts had already returned, and no human had come close to the formation for a long time.
The formation was no longer active. It had been fueled by the Moon Prince's soul energy, but now all of it had been absorbed by Bai Tianyi, so there was no energy left to fuel the formation.
Together, the four friends left the forest without any incidents. Wang Xiaoyun could not help but feel puzzled by how different her exit from the forest was from her entrance into it.
When she entered the forest, she had fought every step of the way. Fierce Beasts had arrived time and time again to block her way. But now that she was leaving, these Fierce Beasts had hidden far away from them.
After leaving the forest, the group spent the month it took to return to the Black Iron Fortress on the road. There were no particular issues; only a few bandit groups attacked them.
On the way towards Goat Mountain and the formation, these bandit groups had posed no threat. Furthermore, they had only been two back then, but now they were four people, all of which were stronger than before. The bandits stood no chance.
As they traveled, they finally saw the domineering structure of the Black Iron Fortress in the distance. Xue Wei's body was taut; his mind was in turmoil.
He wanted to be a man who kept his word. Although he was hated by humans and beasts alike, he had his own code of conduct and he wished to keep his words.
He was relieved that Wang Xiaoyun did not go against him. That she respected his decisions and did not raise a fuss about it despite disagreeing.
Xue Wei and the others slowed down. They started to walk at a slow pace towards the city. Many merchant caravans and cultivators were heading the same way. The dust was constantly kicked up by both the beasts that dragged the carriages and the cultivators dashing towards the fortress city.
The four friends did not rush towards the city. They took it slow. Their bodies were taut, and their senses were heightened as they observed everything around them to ensure that there was no hidden plots or traps to cause trouble for them.
However, nothing happened. Everything was as normal as could be, but none of the four slacked on their vigilance.
"Halt!" a guard called out just as they reached the gates. There were many long queues into the city, but every person was checked according to a painting in the hands of the guards.
When they saw Xue Wei, a smile finally broke out on one of the stern guards' lips.
"Elder Wan Qiang has looked for you for a long time," the guard said to Xue Wei. "We have been told to guide you to him as soon as you arrived. He hoped that you would be successful in your quest."
Xue Wei was stunned when he realized that these guards were checking the front gate just for him. When he saw that they even stood with drawings of him in their hands as they observed the incoming horde of people, he understood that Wan Qiang was evidently looking very much forward to his return, for some reason.
Xue Wei was not too worried, but a part of him remained on edge at the thought of how much attention Wan Qiang put on them. Perhaps this Seven Star Nightflower was much more important than he had expected.
The guard led them towards the main keep of the fortress where they were led into the same room they had been in before they were sent out on their mission to find the Seven Star Nightflower.
"Wait here," the guard ordered before he strode towards a few servants that were in the middle of cleaning the room.
He whispered something to one of them. The servant straightened her back with fright. She glanced at Xue Wei and his friends before rushing out of the room, most likely to announce the arrival of Xue Wei to Wan Qiang.
Xue Wei and company nervously waited inside the room lit up by rows of light orbs on the walls. Xue Wei was especially concerned.
He had initially planned on having his friends wait in town while he went to speak with Wan Qiang. But because the guards were already singling them out prior to entry, he had not had time to split up with his friends.
At some point, the sounds of movement emerged in the hall outside the room, and it sounded as though many pairs of feet came running. Soon, the entire room was filled with the many elders of the Black Iron Fortress.
Many of these elders looked at Xue Wei with shock. Some of them gazed skeptically, while a second group gave him hostile looks.
"Young friend!" Wan Qiang's voice sounded through the room as he stepped through the door. Those who had hostile expressions on their faces suddenly withdrew their hostility.
Xue Wei noticed that Wan Qiang did not use his false name to refer to him. Instead, he called him 'friend' – he had behaved similarly before they left, as if he was aware that the name Xue Wei had given was fake.
Last time, Xue Wei did not notice it, but now he was on guard. He was not sure about Wan Qiang's involvement with the Primordial Beasts, but he was becoming more and more convinced that they had something to do with one another.
Although he had said that he would stay out of it, he was still worried because he knew of the hatred between humans and beasts.
It was likely that he and his friends would be caught in the middle if he proved to be with the beasts and some sort of battle broke out.
Xue Wei nodded to Wan Qiang, but he said nothing. His body was taut; he was vigilant, and his eyes continued to survey the surroundings and the expressions of the many Elders.
Xue Wei saw that there was a myriad of expressions on the Elders’ faces. Some were filled with trepidation and fear, while others appeared merely curious and as if it had nothing to do with them. A third group seemed to hold almost what seemed to be reverence and hope in their eyes.
"It took you longer than expected to finish the mission you were given," Wan Qiang said with a slight smile on his face. "Maybe you encountered some troubles or perhaps some good fortune?" he continued, causing Xue Wei to frown. Why did Wan Qiang sound like he knows what had happened?
Xue Wei was alert. The other three were uncomfortable. Wan Qiang started laughing.
"Well, even if it took you a year, we would still have waited for you! Tell me, were you successful?"
At first, Xue Wei had planned to bargain with the flower for their protection, but then he realized that they could kill him at any moment and acquire the flower if they wanted. His expression turned grim.