Since they encountered a level five magical beast here, Lu Heng and the others concealed their presence to level five. This way, when they encountered magical beasts of level five or higher, they would not be deliberately avoided, and magical beasts below level five would likely steer clear.
Lu Heng only wanted to obtain magic crystals of level five or above this time, so he did not want to waste time killing magical beasts below level four.
The sunlight overhead today was very dazzling. Through the dense branches, it still shone into the misty forest, causing the mist to evaporate and thin out, making the visibility significantly better than yesterday.
The Blood Wolf carried Lu Heng as they sped through the depths of the forest. Occasionally, large dead trees blocked their path. The Blood Wolf leaped over them with ease, making "crunching" sounds in the scattered dead branches and fallen leaves upon landing.
Lu Heng sat on the Blood Wolf's back, cautiously using his senses to scan the surroundings. The deeper they went into the forest, the more dangers there might be. However, after the Blood Wolf had run for so long, Lu Heng had not sensed any more magical beast auras all morning.
It seemed they were very close to the interior of the forest. The ferocious beast mentioned by the Blood Wolf's father might reside there, which was why there were no other magical beast auras in the vicinity.
The Blood Wolf carried Lu Heng and ran for another quarter of an hour. The mist in the forest ahead gradually thinned, and in a moment, Lu Heng and the Blood Wolf stood in a clearing with a wide view.
The scenery before them was nothing like what one would expect in the depths of a forest. This area, enclosed within the forest, was a grassland where countless unknown small flowers bloomed competitively.
The sunlight overhead, no longer blocked by branches, shone dazzlingly upon the grassland.
A gentle breeze swept through, causing the flowers on the grassland to sway, and the air was filled with a fragrant floral scent.
"Interesting."
Lu Heng nudged the Blood Wolf beneath him and controlled it to move forward.
The Blood Wolf tentatively placed its left paw on the grassland, feeling a soft, spongy sensation on its paw pad.
At this moment, the instant the Blood Wolf's left paw touched the grassland, a pair of eyes deep within the grassland gradually opened, emitting a profound glow.
At the same time, Lu Heng, sitting on the Blood Wolf's back, sensed a strange aura. The aura seemed like that of a beast, or perhaps... a human?
Holding onto the Blood Wolf's mane, Lu Heng used his will to stop the Blood Wolf from advancing further.
The Blood Wolf, now completely on the grassland, twitched its nose and sniffed ahead. However, apart from the floral scent, it detected no other smells.
"Retreat." Lu Heng cautiously commanded the Blood Wolf to quickly retreat back into the forest, far away from the strange grassland.
The moment the Blood Wolf's paws left the grassland, the eyes that had been emitting a faint glow became hazy again and slowly closed.
As the Blood Wolf retreated from the grassland, Lu Heng felt the strange aura vanish instantly.
He called a halt to the still running Blood Wolf and looked at the dead branches and fallen leaves beneath its paws, pondering thoughtfully.
It seemed the creature inside could sense beings that stepped onto the grassland, and when they retreated, that strange aura also disappeared.
But if they didn't move forward, they wouldn't know what the creature inside was.
Humanity's damned curiosity drove Lu Heng to want to urge the Blood Wolf to venture into the depths of the grassland to investigate.
However, before he could issue the command, a familiar sound came from the soil beside him.
Lu Heng looked at the ground covered with fallen leaves to his left. The leaves there were constantly shaking, and in a short while, they were pushed up and then slid down towards the low ground.
Where the leaves were pushed up, a familiar small mound of earth appeared. Following that, a hole opened up on the mound, and a small, delicate nose was the first to emerge.
The nose twitched incessantly, and it stopped moving when its nostrils faced Lu Heng and the others, as if frozen in place, neither advancing nor retreating.
Lu Heng found the creature somewhat amusing. Since it dared to show its head, why was it now motionless as if dead?
Controlling the roots of the plants in the soil, Lu Heng pulled out the little thing that was feigning death.
Looking at the round body wrapped in soil and roots, Lu Heng used his vines to poke its belly.
Once, twice, thrice.
The creature continued to play dead, but the whiskers around its nose trembled slightly, revealing that it was still alive.
Controlling the roots to lift the plump body higher, Lu Heng then condensed a large water ball above the fleshy mass.
With a gesture from Lu Heng, the water ball naturally burst, and the water within naturally fell, washing over the round body below.
"Squeak, squeak."
"Heh, finally awake?"
"Squeak."
"You've been following me all this way. Tell me, do you want to be braised or stir-fried?"
The round body shivered. Although it didn't understand the meaning of "braised" or "stir-fried," it truly felt the threat of death.
It opened a pair of small, beady eyes and looked timidly at Lu Heng, "Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak..."
"Master, it says it was just passing by and wasn't following us," the Blood Wolf communicated with Lu Heng telepathically.
"You can understand rats?" Lu Heng looked at the Blood Wolf in disbelief. Do animals of different species understand each other?
Isn't communication usually done by shouting loudly to scare the other party?
"Yes, we beasts have our ways of communicating. Although these sounds sound different to human ears, we beasts inexplicably understand them," the Blood Wolf educated Lu Heng.
"Alright, but do you believe what it just said?"
The Blood Wolf stared at the small giant rat fixed in mid-air and shook its head. It didn't believe it either. The hole on the ground earlier was identical to the hole in front of them, which already proved that the giant rat had been tracking them and their master.
It was just unknown whether only one was following them, or if many giant rats were searching for them everywhere.
"Ask it why it's following us, and how many of them were mobilized."
Lu Heng felt a headache coming on. He still hadn't figured out that strange aura on the grassland, and these giant rats, which he had let go yesterday, were now following him again.
He hadn't killed the giant rat that was about to die yesterday to avoid more trouble. It seemed this trouble couldn't be avoided.
"Whimper, whimper..." the Blood Wolf whimpered softly.
"Squeak, squeak... Squeak, squeak..."
The Blood Wolf and the small giant rat had a lengthy exchange, and the final information received was:
This small giant rat was the grandson of the giant rat from yesterday. It saw its grandfather seemingly dying, and it had personally witnessed Lu Heng saving its grandfather yesterday. Therefore, it had followed Lu Heng all the way, wanting Lu Heng to go back and save its grandfather again.