The first snow of winter this year was heavy. Deep within the Magic Beast Mountain Range, thick layers of snow blanketed many areas. All manner of footprints could be clearly seen on the snow's surface — some belonging to humans, others to Magic Beasts of various sizes.
"What heavy snow."
Lin Lei was dressed as usual in nothing but a pair of tattered hemp trousers, his upper body bare. Even though the temperature was cold enough to freeze rushing water into solid ice, Lin Lei felt not the slightest chill.
Barefoot, he strode forward.
"Boss, it should almost be the Yulan Festival by now," Bei Bei guessed.
Having stayed in the Magic Beast Mountain Range for so long, they had nearly lost track of time. Although Lin Lei carried a pocket watch, it only displayed the time, with no indication of the date.
"That sounds about right," Lin Lei nodded.
It had been roughly two years since he entered the Magic Beast Mountain Range. In that time, Lin Lei's growth as a warrior had been fairly rapid — he had reached the peak of the seventh rank. But his skill with the heavy sword had improved far beyond what it was when he first obtained the Blackjade Heavy Sword. In particular, ever since becoming an eighth-rank dual-element magician, combining magic and warrior abilities together, his overall strength had increased tremendously.
"Hm?" Both Lin Lei and Bei Bei turned to look.
Not far behind, two brawny men clad in leather armor and armed with weapons were running in a panic. Seeing they were human, Lin Lei simply turned back and continued walking. The Magic Beast Mountain Range constantly attracted powerful experts who came to train, and over these two years, Lin Lei had encountered quite a few humans. His policy toward humans in the Mountain Range was simple — don't provoke anyone.
After all, among them were many who made a living preying on other people's Magic Crystal Cores. Since Lin Lei carried a spatial ring, he had no bundle on his back, so very few people bothered targeting him.
"Wait, wait!" An anxious shout came from behind.
Lin Lei paid no heed and kept walking. The two men ran quickly and caught up in short order. The moment they drew near, Lin Lei stopped and turned around.
"What do you want?" Lin Lei looked coldly at the two burly men.
With his trained eye, Lin Lei could tell these two were no weaklings, though a human's true strength was hard to gauge from appearance alone. He remained on his guard.
"Us?" The two burly men exchanged a glance, then offered Lin Lei an embarrassed smile. One of them — a bald, one-eyed man — spoke apologetically. "We don't mean anything by it. It's just that the central region of the Magic Beast Mountain Range is truly dangerous. We were hoping, the two of us brothers, to… walk with you, friend. That way, we can help each other, and wouldn't everyone be safer?"
The other bald man paused briefly, then nodded eagerly. "That's right. The central region is far too dangerous. If we travel together, we can watch each other's backs. Then, once we all make it out of the central region and leave the Mountain Range, we'll go our separate ways."
"I'm not interested."
Lin Lei furrowed his brow, turned, and set off on his own once more.
He was no longer the inexperienced youth he had once been. He could clearly see these two men were lying through their teeth. Mutual help in the Magic Beast Mountain Range? What a joke. If they wanted to follow him, they certainly had ill intentions. Lin Lei didn't want trouble, and he couldn't be bothered to kill them. Naturally, he had no desire to travel with them.
The two bald men, seeing Lin Lei leave so decisively, exchanged another glance. After only a moment of hesitation, they hurried after him again.
"Wait, please wait, friend!" The two bald men caught up once more.
Lin Lei's frown deepened as he turned back to glare at the pair pursuing him.
They looked at Lin Lei sheepishly. The one-eyed man apologized again. "We're truly sorry. It's just that we really do want to travel with you. Don't worry — once we're out of here, we'll make sure to thank you properly."
Lin Lei swept his gaze over the two of them.
"If you want to follow, then follow," Lin Lei said flatly.
After spending so much time in the Magic Beast Mountain Range, Lin Lei had accumulated plenty of experience. If these two insisted on tagging along, he'd let them. He was fully confident in his ability to handle the both of them — not to mention he had Bei Bei on his shoulder.
"Thank you, thank you!" The two bald men expressed their gratitude.
They immediately fell in step beside Lin Lei, following closely. Every so often, the pair cast nervous glances in every direction, a flicker of fear in their eyes.
"Friend, we're from the southwestern provinces of the O'Brien Empire. And you are?" The bald one-eyed man tried to make conversation.
Lin Lei raised an eyebrow.
The O'Brien Empire?
He knew perfectly well that if he kept heading east, it wouldn't be long before he entered O'Brien Empire territory.
"Why do you ask?" Lin Lei glanced at the man. "If you want to follow, follow — just keep quiet."
"Yes, yes." The bald one-eyed man nodded repeatedly.
In their eyes, Lin Lei was clearly no ordinary person. Wearing nothing but trousers in the dead of winter was unusual enough, but what truly amazed them was how composed and unhurried this person was as he walked through the most dangerous part of the Magic Beast Mountain Range.
It was as if the deadliest zone in the world were nothing more than his own backyard.
"Big brother." The bald man behind tugged at the one-eyed man's leather armor and lowered his voice. "Big brother… do you think we'll make it out alive?"
The bald one-eyed man shot a fearful look around them, then whispered, "Stop worrying about it. For now, just stick with this mysterious fellow. Following him, we might actually stand a chance."
"Mm." The bald man nodded, though his heart still churned with unease.
Up ahead, Lin Lei walked with perfect composure. He was well aware that the two men behind him were whispering among themselves, yet he had a feeling they were not the type to actually make a move on him.
After walking a while longer, Lin Lei came to a stop to rest.
Each day, Lin Lei covered only about ten li on foot, spending the rest of his time in cultivation. When he stopped, the two men behind him truly began to panic.
"Why did you stop?" the bald one-eyed man asked anxiously.