Chapter Six: Going Separate Ways

At the break of dawn, Qi Xiao was awakened by Laura.

He gestured to show he was already awake, then switched places with Laura and sat at the front of the vehicle.

A gentle breeze caressed his face; Qi Xiao thoroughly enjoyed the crisp coolness of morning air.

Wasting no time, he kept alert to his surroundings while reading the Alchemy Beginner’s Handbook: Extraction Chapter in his mind.

As the sun climbed high, the other three gradually awoke. Qi Xiao had just finished reading about extraction, marveling at the wonders of alchemy, then produced four portions of breakfast to share among them.

Once they were fed and rested, the group prepared to move.

“According to Bai’s observations, besides us, there are about thirty to thirty-five others here. Let’s take advantage of the early morning to eliminate some of them ahead of time; if they join forces, it could still be a threat.”

The four all agreed to strike first. For efficiency’s sake, they decided to split into pairs.

“I can sense the direction of the wind, and Bai can use her gift to locate them. So, I’ll go with Laura; Qi Xiao, you team up with Bai—any objections?”

After this simple division, Qi Xiao set off with Bai towards the direction where the group they’d encountered last time had fled.

“Can you see them now?” Qi Xiao asked as they were about to leave the quarry.

Bai nodded. “I’ve already marked the group from before. They’re quite far, the route is long. But their numbers are significant. Once we take out this batch, even if the remaining ones band together, they’ll pose little threat.”

Qi Xiao nodded and continued in the direction Bai indicated.

Along the way, they encountered two beasts that looked much like wolves but had horns. Not wanting to alert others with too much commotion, Bai mostly handled them alone, with Qi Xiao providing support.

It was Qi Xiao’s first time witnessing Bai in action. The bandages on her arms swiftly uncoiled, binding the two beasts tightly.

Qi Xiao used a speed rune to close the distance, then struck fiercely at the unicorn wolves’ waists with a wooden stick. After a brief struggle, the beasts fell still.

He cut off the horns with a dagger, intending to give one to Bai, but she shook her head, saying she had no use for them, so he kept both.

“What a peculiar gift,” Qi Xiao thought to himself, though he kept silent about it. He suspected the talent was closely tied to the wounds beneath her bandages, and he didn’t want to risk touching a nerve or bringing up painful memories.

They arrived at a bamboo grove. Bai nodded, indicating this was the place.

The two crept deeper, soon spotting a group camped among the bamboos.

A quick count showed eight people. Qi Xiao whispered to Bai, “How far can your bandages reach? Could you throw these two wooden planks over there?”

Bai eyed the inscribed planks Qi Xiao produced, estimated the distance, and replied, “About six meters for now. Let me get a bit closer. You should find cover.”

Taking the runes from Qi Xiao, Bai wrapped them with her bandages, one from each hand, and slowly edged towards the camp.

Boom!

Boom!

Two explosions echoed. As the dust settled, five figures writhed in agony on the ground, and another had been blasted aside, trembling as he tried to rise.

Two others, standing farther away, weren’t seriously hurt but were clearly terrified and fled without looking back.

Qi Xiao had anticipated their escape; the bamboo was thinnest there, with the fewest obstacles. He tossed a plank ahead of the pair.

Boom!

In this recruitment trial, where most had no real weapons, even crudely made explosive runes were overwhelming. The two were blown off their feet, unable to move.

Bai finished off the least injured survivor. A thorough search of the group yielded only two badges.

After some stern questioning, Qi Xiao was convinced they truly were poor and hadn’t hidden any more badges.

Disinterested, he tossed one badge to Bai, letting the group choose between death and leaving the trial.

Sensible enough, they all chose to withdraw. Qi Xiao watched with envy as several giant, eagle-like magical beasts swooped down to collect them, sighing, “How majestic!”

Bai glanced up as well and replied, “Those are Gale Falcons. Many witches and wizards like to contract one as a mount; they’re quite good-looking, swift, and sturdy. If you have spare money in the future, you could buy one. I believe you won’t lack for magic crystals.”

Qi Xiao shook his head; he was just expressing his admiration. If he were to contract a mount, he would choose carefully. After all, unless one was a summoner, most only had a few contract slots. Growing attached would make it difficult to break the bond later.

Bai’s comment was offhand. A faint light glimmered beneath her bandaged eyes as she spoke weakly, “Let’s head back. Feng and Laura have finished as well. Let’s regroup.”

Qi Xiao nodded, noticing Bai was looking exhausted, nearly unable to stand. He hesitated, then asked, “Are you able to walk? I can carry you.”

Bai seemed flustered, hastily waving her hands. “No need. I’m just drained from overusing my gift. I’ll recover if we walk slowly.”

Seeing the usually reserved and aloof Bai like this, Qi Xiao felt a mischievous delight. He replied sternly, “We can’t take it slow. With most of the others taken care of, once we join with Feng and the others, even if all the remaining newcomers gang up on us, they’re no match. The only danger is getting ambushed before we regroup. If you can’t fight and it’s just me, relying on equipment alone, I could mess up. Let’s hurry.”

With that, Qi Xiao crouched before her. After a couple seconds’ hesitation, Bai climbed on his back and murmured, “Sorry to trouble you.”

She was so light that even in his frail body, Qi Xiao found it easy to carry her.

Though there was some mischief in his actions, the final crisis of the trial truly was the journey back to regroup. He wasn’t exaggerating.

Activating the acceleration rune, he felt the breeze swirl at his feet and behind him as he hurried back to the quarry.

On the way, they encountered another participant. Upon seeing Qi Xiao, the person turned and fled. Qi Xiao didn’t give chase; they were already near the quarry.

They dashed through the tunnel to find Laura and Feng waiting to receive them. They were surprised to see Bai on Qi Xiao’s back but said nothing.

Qi Xiao could feel the person on his back tensing all over. Pity that Bai’s entire body was swathed in bandages—he couldn’t see her expression.

“We took care of eight, saw another on the way back, but he got away. How about you?”

With Bai’s face thin to the point of losing the ability to speak, Qi Xiao put her down and reported to Feng.

“Five. We dealt with two more on the way back. There aren’t many left outside. We should be able to handle it. Let’s lay some traps and wait here for the trial to end,” Feng said, obviously in lighter spirits.

Qi Xiao and Feng discussed it and decided to set traps in two concentric circles, leaving no gaps—they were going to wait it out here anyway, so there was no need to leave an exit.

Dividing up the work, Qi Xiao handled the outer ring, Feng the inner. Laura and Bai, unfamiliar with such things, could only watch from the vehicle as Feng and Qi Xiao worked.

Laura leaned in, lowering her voice by Bai’s ear and asked softly, “How are you feeling, Sister Bai?”