Chapter 22: Die
No One Cares If You Die
"Courting death, huh?" Fang Yuan thought, immediately breaking into a cold smirk. "You're cooked lil bro."
Without warning, Fang Yuan flicked his wrist, and a moonblade shot out like a TikTok trend going viral. At the same time, he charged at the hunters like a sigma male on a mission.
The hunters froze, their faces turning pale faster than a Gen Alpha's attention span. "Gu Master?!" one of them screamed, diving out of the way. But one unlucky dude wasn't fast enough. The moonblade sliced through his forearm like butter, and his hand plopped to the ground like a dropped Fortnite loot box.
"AHHHH!" The guy screamed, clutching his stump like he'd just lost a 1v1 in real life. Blood gushed out, painting the ground red. The other two hunters immediately dropped to their knees, kowtowing like their lives depended on it (because they did).
"Spare us! We didn't mean to offend you!" they begged, their voices trembling like a noob in a ranked match.
But Wang Er? Oh no, this dude was built different. He stood his ground, his bow and arrow ready. "Stop, or I'll shoot!" he barked, his voice full of sigma energy.
Fang Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You think you're him?" He shot another moonblade, but Wang Er dodged like he was playing Dark Souls. Then he fired an arrow, the kind of shot that would make any Fortnite pro jealous.
Fang Yuan ducked, the arrow whizzing past his head. He closed the distance, his eyes locked on Wang Er like a predator. Wang Er, realizing he couldn't win at range, tossed his bow aside and charged like a bull on Red Bull.
"Die!" Wang Er roared, his fists flying like he was trying to punch his way out of a TikTok dance challenge. Fang Yuan sidestepped, using the sunlight to blind Wang Er for a split second. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he sent a moonblade straight at Wang Er's head.
The hunters watched in slow motion, their brains buffering like a bad livestream. The moonblade flew, Wang Er dodged, and for a moment, it looked like he'd made it. But then—splat.
Half of Wang Er's head went flying, painting the ground red like a gruesome art project. His body crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
The hunters stared, their mouths hanging open like they'd just seen Baby Gronk hit a griddy in real life. "Brother Wang Er…?" one of them whispered, his voice shaking like a noob in a horror game.
"He's dead!" the other screamed, his face pale as a ghost. "He shouldn't have messed with a Gu Master!"
Fang Yuan stood up, brushing dirt off his clothes like he'd just finished a casual workout. "This Wang Er was strong," he muttered, staring at the corpse. "Stronger than that Mo family servant, Gao Wan. If any other student had faced him, they'd be dead. But me? I'm built different."
He walked over to the hunters, who were still kneeling like they were waiting for a TikTok apology video. "Life and death are nature's laws," Fang Yuan said, his voice cold. "A person's death is no different from a pig's. They're both dead."
The hunters nodded frantically, too scared to argue. Fang Yuan turned and walked away, leaving them to deal with the mess. As he disappeared into the forest, the hunters finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Bro, that guy's scary," one of them whispered.
"Yeah, let's never mess with a Gu Master again," the other replied, still shaking.
Meanwhile, Fang Yuan was already planning his next move. "Time to get that pork," he muttered, his mind focused on the White Boar Gu. But deep down, he knew this was just the beginning. The wilderness was full of dangers, and Fang Yuan was ready to face them all.
Lol Dead
The two hunters clutched the bamboo papers they found, their hands shaking like they were holding the rarest Fortnite loot. Their eyes sparkled with greed, like they'd just found the cheat codes to life.
"This is hunter Wang's life work! All the trap placements, beast territories, and secret spots! Bro, this is like the ultimate hunter's guide!" one of them whispered, his voice trembling with excitement.
"Yeah, look at this! A whole herd of wild deer in this valley! If I bag those, I'm set for months! And this cave of mountain bears? I almost hunted there last time. This map is OP!" the other added, his eyes wide like he'd just discovered a hidden TikTok trend.
These bamboo papers were the hunter's equivalent of a sigma male's playbook—passed down through generations, soaked in blood, sweat, and probably a few tears. Old man Wang's family had been hunting for centuries, and this map was their legacy.
But Fang Yuan wasn't impressed. He glanced at the two hunters, then at old man Wang, who was still kowtowing on the ground like his life depended on it (because it did). The young girl lay motionless, her face pale, like she'd just been hit with a "skill issue" notification.
"There's no problem, lord. The trap areas are all accurate," the hunters confirmed, nodding like bobbleheads.
Old man Wang raised his head, his eyes pleading. "Lord Gu Master, this concerns me and my daughter's life. I wouldn't dare lie to you!"
Fang Yuan smirked. "Mmm, not bad." Then his tone shifted, colder than a Discord mod's basement. "But I don't believe you."
Before anyone could react, Fang Yuan flicked his wrist. A moonblade shot out, slicing through the air like a TikTok trend going viral. Old man Wang's head flew off, blood spraying everywhere like a gruesome art project.
"ARGH!!!" the hunters screamed, their faces pale as ghosts. The young girl cried out, leaping toward her father's lifeless body, but another moonblade cut her down mid-air. She collapsed, her beautiful face split in two—half still perfect, the other half a bloody mess.
Fang Yuan tilted his head, admiring his handiwork. "At least she looks decent," he muttered, like he was critiquing a TikTok filter.
The two hunters were frozen in shock, their brains buffering like a bad livestream. One of them fell to his knees, sobbing. "Wang family's daughter…!"
The other hunter kowtowed frantically. "Lord Gu Master, spare us! We'll do anything!"
Fang Yuan ignored their pleas. "Get up. Go inside and search. I know hunters keep a beast skin map. Find it, and I'll let you live."
The hunters scrambled to their feet, rushing into the wooden house like their lives depended on it (because they did). They ransacked the place, overturning furniture and smashing everything in sight. But no matter how hard they searched, the beast skin map was nowhere to be found.
"Lord, please give us more time! We'll find it!" they begged, their voices trembling like noobs in a horror game.
Fang Yuan sighed, stepping into the house. "Useless trash," he muttered, his eyes scanning the chaos. He walked over to the firepit, where some charcoal remnants lay. Using a shovel, he dug through the ashes until he found a heavy, oddly shaped piece of charcoal.
He smashed it on the ground, revealing a hidden bamboo tube. Inside was the beast skin map—a massive, intricately detailed masterpiece. The map covered areas far beyond the village, with colored lines marking trap locations and beast territories.
Fang Yuan's eyes narrowed as he spotted a giant red cross on the map. "A large boar herd," he murmured, a smirk playing on his lips. "Old man Wang, you sly fox. You thought you could hide this from me?"
The two hunters gasped, realizing they'd been outplayed. Fang Yuan glanced at them, his expression cold. "You two can go. Consider this your lucky day."
The hunters didn't need to be told twice. They bolted out of the house, their footsteps echoing like they were running from a TikTok cringe compilation.
Fang Yuan rolled up the map, tucking it into his robe. "Innocence? Please. In nature, there's no such thing. Big fish eat small fish, and small fish eat shrimp. It's the food chain, baby."
As he walked out of the house, the bodies of old man Wang and his daughter lay still, their blood staining the ground. Fang Yuan didn't look back. He had what he came for, and the wilderness was waiting.