C29 I must Become Strong!

Everyone was quiet.

No one had expected Zhang Yong to say such a thing.

Just then, Zhang Yong continued, "As the Acting Village Chief, I couldn't protect a fellow villager and lead to his untimely death. It was a mistake, and I won't shrink from taking the responsibility. To prevent something like this from happening again, I had reached the various experts of our village. Just when we were about to discuss the countermeasures..."

"That's right, I can prove it."

A hunting party member pushed his way through the crowd.

"Village Chief Zhang had indeed gathered over ten people, including me, before you came here all angry to discuss countermeasures."

It didn't take long for a few more people to testify for Zhang Yong.

The corner of Zhang Yong's mouth raised into a cold smile. He disdainfully swept a glance at Zhan Tianming and said with his original calm, "Alright, Zhan Tianming, you can scram now. Tomorrow is the day of your assessment. I won't pursue your rude behavior just now, but if you dare to run away, I will definitely kill you with my own hands."

"Then, throw your body into the Purple Cloud Mountain."

Zhan Tianming glared at Zhang Yong.

"Zhang Yong, if I find out Third Uncle Mu's death and Liu Yu's disappearance have anything to do with you, I will definitely kill you!"

With that, Zhan Tianming turned and left.

Right now, he had no choice but to leave.

First, he had no proof that both of those incidents were related to Zhang Yong.

Second, he knew Zhang Yong was strong, but knowing and experiencing were two totally different concepts.

Currently, he had no way of defeating Zhang Yong.

'Endure!'

'I can only swallow my anger for now.'

For a while, all the villages were stunned and confused. 'Just what the hell did we just see!'—was the thought roaming all their heads. When they finally regained their calm, they only saw Zhan Tianming's retreating back, which they saw silently, without uttering a single syllable.

This man, was he really Zhan Tianming?

No one dared to believe it.

Linjiang City.

It was the largest and most bustling city in the entire Lin Shangjun.

The County Prince Palace was situated in the middle of Linjiang City. It was an absolute powerhouse that covered about one-twentieth of the entire Linjiang City.

The County Prince Palace was so expansive that servants would often find themselves lost in the palace.

Just that was enough to express how massive it was.

Within the inner courtyard of the palace:

A woman donning an exquisite white dress with delicate eyebrows could be seen looking at something contemptuously. Her skin was rosy and soft like whipped cream, and her figure was the very origin of the golden ratio. Though she looked 17 at most, she already had that graceful and mature air to her.

"What!"

"It's already been ten days, yet there is no sign of that pervert!"

"You idiots, can't you find a single human?"

Zongzheng Wanyou curled her moist red lips.

She was very, very angry.

And the consequences of her anger were grave.

In front of her, a few astute and capable Martial Practitioners knelt on one knee; with their head buried in the ground, they did not dare to say anything.

"County Princess, don't be angry," Xiang Er advised.

Zongzheng Wanyou sat back down on her chair with anger still clouding her face. She pointed at the Martial Practitioners kneeling in front of her and said, "You guys, go and look for him once again! If you can't find the person, don't come back!"

"Yes!"

"Also, remember to capture him alive."

"Yes!"

After the Martial Practitioner left, Zongzheng Wanyou gritted her teeth.

"Humph! Stupid pervert, you won't be able to run away."

Thinking about Zhan Tianming, Zongzheng Wanyou's anger crossed new heights.

In the same palace:

In a certain quiet and elegant courtyard filled with green bamboo stood a middle-aged man dressed in luxurious robes. His hands were clasped behind his back as he raised his eyes to look at the bamboo forest.

He had a square face, thick eyebrows, and fierce eyes.

After hearing the old steward's report, the middle-aged man asked softly, "Is that the truth?"

The old butler nodded.

"This child Wanyou... I've really spoiled her rotten." The middle-aged man in luxurious robes smiled as he shook his head.

"Your Highness, do we need to help her secretly?" the old butler asked.

"No need, let her be," The middle-aged man said.

The old butler was about to nod when he heard the middle-aged man change his mind. "Wait a moment. Butler, first check if the person who made Wanyou angry has some enmity against the royal family. After that, if Wanyou doesn't seek our help, we'll just pretend we know nothing."

"If there is any enmity?"

"Kill!"

"Yes, Your Highness." The old butler bowed and left.

Zhan Tianming did not know about all these.

He searched everywhere in the village for Liu Yu's whereabouts.

Unfortunately, he couldn't find Liu Yu anywhere.

He visited all the places that Liu Yu frequented, but he couldn't find a single trace of him.

Liu Yu's parents were also very anxious.

"Little Purple, did you still not find anything?" Zhan Tianming frowned and asked.

Little Purple sniffed the ground.

"Master, Liu Yu's aura in this place is at least three days old."

Since the aura was three days old, it proved that Liu Yu didn't come here before he went missing.

Distressed, Zhan Tianming switched locations to look for Liu Yu.

There was no way he was giving up on his friend so easily.

One of the two people he loved and trusted the most was already dead.

He wasn't going to let any mishap happen to his last friend.

Soon, the sun went down, and darkness surrounded the villager.

The villagers did not dare to leave the village during nighttime.

The darkness of the night belonged to the wild beasts and vicious beasts.

Leaving the village at night was akin to serving yourself on a silver platter to the beasts outside.

Even the hunting squadron members did not dare to leave the village alone after midnight.

Owing to that, the search for Liu Yu had to come to a stop.

"Uncle, Aunt, don't worry. I will definitely find Dog Egg." Zhan Tianming promised Liu Yu's parents.

"How dare you say that!"

"It's all your fault! It's all your fault!!"

Liu Yu's mother hit Zhan Tianming's chest hard with her fist. Tears of pain, maternal love, and worry streamed down her face.

"Sob, sob, sob..."

"If it not for you, my Yu'er wouldn't have gone missing."

"Sob, sob, sob..."

Zhan Tianming did not retaliate, allowing Liu Yu's mother to beat him up.

"Alright, stop messing around." Liu Yu's father scolded his wife and said to Zhan Tianming, "Tianming, I know this has nothing to do with you. I apologize on her stead."

Zhan Tianming shook his head and did not say a word.

What could he even say?

A mother had just lost her son. It was more than reasonable for her to blame the person responsible for that.

Liu Yu's father pulled his wife back.

That soft, sobbing voice came from afar and drilled into Zhan Tianming's mind.

Kacha, kacha!

Right now, he hated himself for being this weak and useless.

He hated himself for not being able to find Uncle Mu's killer.

He hated himself for not even being able to find Dog Egg.

"Stronger!"

"I must become stronger!"

"If only..."

"If only I had spiritual sense like those cultivators in wuxia novels, I would've definitely been able to find Dog Egg."

It was a pity that Zhan Tianming did not know how to use his spiritual sense right now.

Let alone using spiritual sense, he didn't even know if it existed in this world in the first place.

He raised his head and looked outside the village.

Outside the village, the night seemed especially dark.

The roars of wild beasts and vicious beasts could be heard.

Zhan Tianming was being guarded by a few villagers and was not allowed to go out.

After all, among the two people who guaranteed Zhan Tianming's safety, one was dead, and the other was missing. So, if he decided to run away now, no one would be able to take responsibility.

In the house, Zhan Tianming was worried about Liu Yu.

Liu Yu was not in the village.

Then it could only mean he was outside the village.

Going outside in the middle of the night was simply courting death.

It was only with the help of Little Purple and his group of tamed beasts that Zhan Tianming was able to survive nine nights in the mountains. Without their help, he would've become a feast for the bests there.

It just went on to show how ferocious beasts were at night.

No! Instead of being just ferocious, they were extremely ferocious.

The night passed, and the sun rose again.

It was the beginning of the second day.