Chapter 140: Section 141: Can’t Go Back Anymore
The roar of the bat monkey, Zhenjin, startled nearby birds, sending them soaring into the sky.
This commotion also caught the attention of Hei Juan and his companions.
They instinctively stopped in their tracks and turned to look behind them.
“What was that sound?”
“Did you guys just hear something?”
“It sounded like a bat monkey was roaring.”
...
“How could that be?” Hei Juan chuckled, “Bat monkeys always move in packs, and even those cast out from the group wouldn’t dare to venture near the valley camp.”
“Should we go check it out?” someone suggested.
Hei Juan shook his head, “No need. A single wandering bat monkey poses no threat. Did we actually hear something? I didn’t. The wind is picking up, getting louder. The camp is right ahead; are some of you just too nervous?”
Knowing Hei Juan’s capabilities as a Bronze Level elite anyone felt reassured.
“It must have been just the wind.”
“Alright, let’s head back to the camp.”
Hei Juan and his companions entered the valley.
In the distance, among the treetops.
The bat monkey, Zhenjin, stopped roaring and was clenching his teeth tightly.
That roar seemed to have vented all the murderous intent and impulse in his heart.
“No, no!”
“I am Zhenjin.”
“I am Zhenjin!”
Half-kneeling on a tree branch, Zhenjin was bent over, hunched, as if bearing a tremendous weight.
“I am… Holy Temple Knight.”
His forehead was now damp, oddly enough; the previous running and chasing should not have caused so much sweat.
The fog of confusion in his eyes was gradually clearing, and within it seemed to be a flickering candle flame, burning, steadily firming.
“I am not the killer. I couldn’t do it, and I shouldn’t kill Hei Juan.”
“I protect the good and the weak, I uphold justice and fairness, I do not slaughter the innocent, never!”
Zhenjin kept swearing to himself internally.
He breathed heavily, feeling utterly exhausted at the moment.
He felt drained.
Finally, he cast a deep glance at the valley, turned around, and returned the way he came, with staggered steps and a faltering stride.
“Hurry up.”
“Your secret is out.”
“Go, and never come back. Pretend ‘Zhenjin’ is already dead. At least this might still leave you with a good reputation. If your secret gets confirmed, the Hundred Needle Family will all be disgraced!”
“Shut up!” Zhenjin roared inwardly.
“I will not flee. I am a leader; I must lead these people to escape this island. No matter how they see me, I must follow my knight’s path, I must fulfill my responsibilities as a leader! If the secret is fully exposed, then I shall face it nobly. Even if they misunderstand me, despise me, reject me. Because these are all things I must do!”
On the way back, Zhenjin steeled his heart.
He found his equipment and dressed neatly.
Despite having donned them many times, he never felt the weight of his clothes as he did now.
Heavier even than Bi Zong Ge’s full suit of steel armor.
The steps of the young man seemed even heavier.
He walked back toward the valley, expressionless.
The dark and gloomy rainforest, the overlapping vegetation filling his vision, seemed like walls. The night was dense, like his future that had no light.
What a difficult journey!
Zhenjin was used to trekking in the rainforest, and the pathway now had no Magic Beasts obstructing it.
However, Zhenjin felt an immense difficulty; it seemed every step he took greatly exhausted his physical and mental strength.
Deep inside, a weak voice emerged, constantly praying—let this journey be infinite, let him keep walking forever, never reaching the end.
The return was finite, and Zhenjin eventually arrived at the outskirts of the small valley.
He saw the camp’s gate, saw the firelight inside the valley, felt the presence of people.
In the past, whenever he returned and saw these signs of human presence, he would feel warmed. But now, whether it was the camp’s gate or the guard, the firelight, or the smoking food, it seemed there was a layer between them and him. Just one layer, yet as distantly apart as heaven and earth!
Zhenjin took a deep breath, tried to stand tall, as if walking to his execution, he approached the camp’s gate.
“Lord Zhenjin?”
“Lord Zhenjin is back!”
The guards greeted him, hastened to open the camp’s gate for Zhenjin, looking at him with admiration and love.
However, such words and looks no longer warmed him as before, no longer motivating him to move forward. They were like arrows, shooting into his heart, piercing him sharply, causing a twitching pain.
Passing through the gate, Zhenjin quickly reached the open ground in the middle of the valley.
The place had been transformed into a dock; dragon bones and masts were arranged in the corners, and a large amount of hemp rope, treated with ointment provided by Zi Di, was laid out. After drying and then being left in the sun, the ropes would become stronger and more durable, ideal for use as riggings.
Walking across the open space, halfway toward the cave, Zhenjin saw many people.
They had just finished their work and were gathered around long tables eating their evening meal.
Zhenjin’s arrival made the diners stand up and salute.
It was a gesture they made on their own.
Now, facing them, Zhenjin felt an invisible oppressive force!
“They don’t know yet, but when the secret is exposed, how will they look at me?” Zhenjin thought bitterly to himself, while smiling at them, motioning them to sit down and not to bother with formalities, to continue their meal.
Moving past the crowd that continued to eat, Zhenjin saw Bai Ya.
“Lord Zhenjin, you’re back. The other leaders have been looking for you; they’re all in the big cave now,” Bai Ya said respectfully.
Zhenjin nodded. He approached the entrance of the large cave.
This cave was the largest in the valley, used for meetings and discussing important matters. Before, when the shipwright presented the sea ship sketches, it was done here.
Now, Zong Ge, Zi Di, Cang Xu, and others were inside.
Clearly, they had already learned about the situation from Hei Juan.
Standing in front of the big cave, Zhenjin inevitably hesitated.
At that moment, his feet felt as if they were being pressed down by invisible mountains, the voice urging him to flee grew louder within.
He couldn’t step forward!
The cave seemed to grow larger in his eyes, the entrance turning pitch-black, forming a deep abyss that swallowed everything.
Lord Zhenjin took a deep breath, closed his eyes, then opened them again.
He held his breath, steeling himself as he walked into the large cave.
As he had anticipated, the moment he appeared, he immediately attracted everyone’s attention.
Cang Xu, Zi Di, Zong Ge, Sanda, and Hei Juan were all seated around the rectangular stone table, with the main seat still empty, reserved for Lord Zhenjin.
“Lord,” Zi Di, who was seated to the immediate left of the main seat, greeted Zhenjin with a smile, albeit a strained one.
The expressions on the others’ faces were all grave.
Fear still lingered on Hei Juan’s face.
“He has finished speaking, hasn’t he…” Zhenjin sighed to himself.
“Perhaps, we are in big trouble,” Zong Ge spoke up.
Zhenjin felt his mouth dry, standing in place like a criminal awaiting his sentence. Sear?h the Novёl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Zi Di said, “Hei Juan, repeat the information you just shared.”
Hei Juan swallowed, his voice hurried and still filled with aftereffects of fear, “I saw from a distance a monster, it was terrifying! A large group of Scale-Horned Black Panthers stood no chance against it, it attacked in a bizarre and mysterious way, just a touch, and those Scale-Horned Black Panthers, no matter how strong, would immediately fall to the ground, lifeless. It was an absolute massacre, a thorough slaughter. A large group of at least fifty Scale-Horned Black Panthers was easily wiped out by the monster, easier than drinking water.”
“Too terrifying.”
“Really too terrifying!”
“I feel that none of us would be its match. After spotting it, I immediately rushed back to the camp to report this important military intelligence. To avoid panic, I didn’t tell anyone else.”
Lord Zhenjin: …
“We analyzed it, and this fearsome Magic Beast is at least of Silver Level,” Zi Di stated gravely.
“No, even a Silver Level like the Blue Dog Fox Wolf wouldn’t slaughter a group of Scale-Horned Black Panthers so effortlessly. It’s more likely a Golden Level Magic Beast!” Zong Ge expressed his opinion.
“Golden Level?” Zhenjin chewed on the word, his brows slowly furrowing, then he slowly walked to his seat and gradually sat down.
“What kind of Magic Beast is it?” Zhenjin stared at Hei Juan, pressing for answers.
Hei Juan shook his head, “I was very far from it at the time, I didn’t see it clearly. In fact, I only noticed it by chance. I was drawn by a strange noise. Since the others weren’t as fast as me, I immediately went to investigate. The noise stopped, and as I looked around, I spotted this fearsome Magic Beast. I thought this information was too critical, and feeling that the Magic Beast might have noticed me, I immediately turned and fled, doing my best to rush back here.”
Zong Ge snorted coldly, clearly dissatisfied with Hei Juan’s account, his eyes on Zhenjin: “His view was very blurred, he couldn’t even make out the physical characteristics of the Magic Beast. He only saw it was a huge primate with golden fur. To deal with this Magic Beast, we need more detailed intelligence!”
Hearing this, Zhenjin leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and exhaled heavily.
Then, he heard Zi Di’s voice: “Indeed, more information is needed, but I believe Hei Juan did nothing wrong. Given the combat strength of this terrifying Magic Beast, Hei Juan wouldn’t have stood a chance against it, any hesitation might have cost him his life. That he was able to bring back the information promptly and alert us is commendable enough.”
Zhenjin opened his eyes, he could tell.
There had probably already been a minor dispute here earlier.
Zong Ge was dissatisfied with Hei Juan, thinking him cowardly for fleeing, believing he could have brought back more information.
And as the employer who hired Hei Juan, Zi Di naturally wanted to defend her own.
Sure enough, Zong Ge immediately snorted, “If Hei Juan had perished, wouldn’t we have noticed? Even corpses can speak, and we would have obtained more information. His actions have breached our protocols. At least after rejoining the squad, he should have sent two to report back while the rest continued scouting. Now, we only know of this Magic Beast’s appearance, nothing else! In this vast forest, finding a Magic Beast is too difficult. If we don’t find it, we have to be constantly on guard for its attacks, leaving us defensively passive, and it will consume our massive attention and energy.”
“Zong Ge,” Zhenjin gestured with his hand, “I understand you, but please try to understand them as well. Hei Juan is a mercenary, not a soldier.”
Zong Ge didn’t speak further.
Zhenjin then turned to Zi Di and Hei Juan, switching his tone: “Of course, Hei Juan, your actions indeed violated the rules. Your subsequent actions and commands indeed made us miss the opportunity to gather intelligence.”
“But I do not believe it was due to cowardice.”
“You are not a coward, I clearly remember the first time I saw you, you were fighting for your life against a bat monkey.”
“You brought back the intelligence to us, which is commendable, but as you see, others have significant objections towards you. I will assign the task of scouting this Magic Beast to you, tomorrow, you will lead a small team to delve deep into the rainforest, to scout for relevant information. I hope you can complete this task and dispel the doubts others have towards you.”
Lord Zhenjin had barely finished speaking when Hei Juan stood up immediately, his posture straight and rigid, loudly declaring, “Lord Zhenjin, I accept this mission! I will make the others shut up.”
After speaking, he glared at Zong Ge, bristling with anger.
Zong Ge snorted coldly and dropped the matter.
The meeting concluded, and Zhenjin left the large cavern with the others.
His heart was filled with intense relief.
He hadn’t expected that he could still walk out of this cavern as a Holy Temple Knight.
“The truth is actually like this; Hei Juan didn’t see clearly at all.”
“Thinking back, it actually makes sense. Human vision is limited; we’re not falcons or hawks. From such a distance, seeing a vague figure and mistaking a golden scorpion shell for fur, Hei Juan’s vision is already beyond that of ordinary people.”
“That was close, very close… What if I hadn’t controlled myself at that moment and had killed Hei Juan or even the members of that squad?”
“For the rest of my life, I would be tortured by regret and guilt!”
“Thankfully, in the end, I adhered to the knight’s code!”
Grumble…
Zhenjin’s stomach growled.
After completely relaxing, he suddenly felt a strong sense of hunger.
After eating a hearty meal, Zhenjin returned to his dwelling.
He was extremely tired.
More tired than during the initial defense battle at the camp.
He lay on his bed, breathed out a long sigh, and hope flickered in his azure eyes.
“I am still a Holy Temple Knight, still a Divine Favored Knight, no one suspects me!”
“From now on, I will be extra careful, transforming only at night and practicing privately. I will minimize mutations during the day, and if I must mutate, I will definitely use ultrasound to scout the surroundings.”
“To those who are frightened and worried because of this, I can only apologize. But just like the previous Blue Dog Fox Wolf, I believe with time, you will all gradually get used to it.”
“I won’t practice tonight; I need a good rest.”
“Today was really exhausting… Oh, I didn’t absorb those Scale-Horned Black Panthers…”
“Forget it, let Hei Juan find out.”
With that, Zhenjin drifted into a heavy sleep.
Shortly afterward, he suddenly opened his eyes and sat up.
He panted heavily, shaken, having just had a nightmare. Everyone had discovered his secret; he was abandoned by all, even Zi Di looked at him with questioning eyes.
“It was just a nightmare.”
Zhenjin gritted his teeth and went back to sleep.
A while later, he was again awakened by a nightmare. The content was similar to before, but this time, Zi Di, who had always supported him, was also regarded as a monster.
After calming his emotions, Zhenjin fell back into deep sleep.
When he was woken by a nightmare for the third time, he sat on his bed in silence for a long time.
The physically and mentally exhausted young knight finally realized something—
His secret had not been revealed, and everything seemed unchanged.
But in reality…
he could never go back.