The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

"Oh, it’s the distinguished men from Flying Eagle Castle."

When the old steward saw they were from the Flying Eagle Castle’s Hawk Riders, he beamed and hurried forward to greet them.

Flying Eagle Castle was one of the top powers in Qinghe County. The Li Family couldn’t afford to get on their bad side.

Especially out here in the wilderness, offending them was not an option.

The Eagle Cavalry Commander at the head of the group glanced at the old steward. "Li Family?"

"Yes, that’s right."

The old steward nodded repeatedly.

Upon hearing it was the Li Family’s caravan, the Eagle Cavalry Commander’s expression softened considerably. He pointed to the carriage. "Who’s inside?"

The old steward trotted a few steps to the head of the Eagle Cavalry Commander’s horse. "Bai Yuan. Young Master Bai."

Hearing Bai Yuan’s name, the Eagle Cavalry Commander’s face showed a flicker of surprise.

The name Bai Yuan had become incredibly famous lately. He never expected to run into the legendary figure out here in the wilderness.

The Eagle Cavalry Commander nodded and asked no further questions.

’Bai Yuan showing up here obviously means he’s on his way to the Divine Mansion Sect. Even if Flying Eagle Castle is the local powerhouse, we wouldn’t dare provoke a colossal dragon like the Divine Mansion Sect.’

He gave a friendly wave toward the carriage, then led his Hawk Riders to the side, clearing a path for Bai Yuan’s entourage.

Such were the privileges of the strong.

Since the commander was being so courteous, Bai Yuan poked his head out from behind the carriage curtain and greeted him.

Many of the Hawk Riders had witnessed Bai Yuan in action that day, and a ripple of excitement went through them. After all, Bai Yuan could take on nine Yijin Martial Masters like their own commander.

Bai Yuan’s carriage proceeded slowly.

Looking at the silver-armored Hawk Riders, Bai Yuan was secretly impressed. ’Flying Eagle Castle really has what it takes to dominate the lands outside Qinghe City. If I had accepted Ji Hanming’s invitation back then, the position of Eagle Cavalry Commander would be mine right now.’

Since the annihilation of the Liu Family, Flying Eagle Castle had become the undisputed overlord outside the city walls.

He had seen Flying Eagle Castle’s banners frequently along his journey, a testament to how far their influence stretched.

The Li Family’s caravan soon left the Hawk Riders far behind, until they were no longer in sight.

...

Night fell.

The Li Family caravan formed a defensive circle with their carriages, lighting a bonfire in the center. This way, if they encountered bandits, they could take cover behind the wagons and wait for an opportunity to strike back.

"Young Master Bai, have some flatbread."

The old steward took a piece of soft, freshly baked flatbread and offered it to Bai Yuan.

When traveling in a merchant caravan, the rule was to cause as little trouble as possible. As long as everyone could fill their bellies, that was good enough.

Although the mountain forests teemed with wild game, the old steward strictly forbade the Martial Artists in the caravan from hunting. It would only invite unnecessary trouble.

This was a lesson the old steward had learned through years of travel, bought and paid for with blood.

When he was younger, a member of his caravan had given in to a craving and hunted a wild rabbit. It had ended up attracting a demon, and the entire party was nearly wiped out.

"Thank you."

Bai Yuan accepted the flatbread with a word of thanks.

He was used to hardship from his time in Baisha Town. Compared to the starvation he had known, this flatbread was a delicacy.

The other Martial Artists in the caravan were all seasoned travelers. Aside from a few Night Watchers, the rest gathered around the bonfire, eating their flatbread and chatting idly.

"Young Master Bai, are you really from Baisha Town?"

An energetic young Martial Artist mustered up his courage and asked curiously.

He was from a small town himself, though his circumstances had been far better than Bai Yuan’s. It was because of his origins that he knew just how difficult it was for the poor to rise up.

Bai Yuan gazed at the bonfire and smiled faintly. "It’s true."

Seeing that Bai Yuan wasn’t keeping them at arm’s length despite the difference in their status, the others all started chiming in at once.

"Elder Bai, is it true that once you become an Yijin Martial Master, they don’t charge you at Xiangnuan Pavilion?"

"No." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"Elder Bai, can you take twenty concubines, like the Flying Eagle Castle Lord?"

"No."

"Elder Bai, can you... go for an hour?"

"Longer."

"!!!"

...

The atmosphere around the bonfire grew increasingly rowdy until the old steward, who could bear it no longer, let out a soft cough. Seeing his signal, the young Martial Artists obediently fell silent.

The moon climbed high among the eastern branches.

The members of the caravan, leaning against tree trunks or their wagons, had all fallen into a deep sleep. Only the few Night Watchers remained, yawning constantly.

Given Bai Yuan’s status, he was naturally exempt from watch duty.

Suddenly!

His eyes snapped open. His ears twitched slightly, back and forth, in a regular rhythm.

This was an auxiliary ability of his Monster-Seeking Skill—Wind-Hearing. In essence, it just meant his hearing was vastly enhanced.

He could faintly hear the sound of weapons clashing in the distant woods. The sound was indistinct due to the great distance.

Bai Yuan stood up.

A Martial Artist standing watch nearby asked in surprise, "Young Master Bai, is something wrong?"

"Can’t sleep. Going for a walk."

The Martial Artist’s face showed immediate understanding.

’Waking up at this hour, he must need to relieve himself. Young Master Bai is just too polite to say so.’

Bai Yuan walked a short distance away, then executed his Soul-Hooking Step. He leaped onto a branch and, with light taps of his feet, began to bound through the treetops like an ape.

Soon, he spotted a patch of forest ahead, bathed in the red glow of torches.

...

The Eagle Cavalry Commander was fleeing for his life through the forest, his breaths coming in ragged, heavy gasps.

His squadron, which had originally numbered over a hundred, had been reduced by more than half. A group of men in black pursued them relentlessly, like ghosts.

"Damn it!"

He cursed angrily.

They had been searching the mountain forests for remnants of the Soul-Chasing Tower, but had instead been ambushed and suffered heavy casualties.

He never imagined that even after being purged multiple times by the Divine Mansion Sect, the Soul-Chasing Tower could still have so many assassins in hiding. Their depths were truly unfathomable.

"Leave none alive."

A cold voice rang out.

The speaker was the leader of the men in black—a Strong Internal Martial Master!

It was because of that man’s intervention that the otherwise invincible Hawk Riders had been thrown into such a wretched state.

The Eagle Cavalry Commander’s brow furrowed. The voice was unnervingly familiar.

Suddenly!

His eyes shot wide open. He finally remembered who that voice belonged to—the Liu Family Patriarch, Liu Wen!

After Tu An was brutally slain by the Thousand-Handed Butcher that night, both the Soul-Chasing Tower and the Liu Family faced a reckoning. But the Liu Family Patriarch had long prepared an escape route and had managed to slip away.

Everyone had assumed Liu Wen had fled to an Outer State. No one would have guessed he was hiding in the forests outside Qinghe City.

Despair flooded the Eagle Cavalry Commander’s heart.

’It looks like my bones will be buried in this forest tonight.’

Flying Eagle Castle had been merciless during the purge of the Liu Family. Every member of the clan was slaughtered, not even the women and children were spared. He himself had the blood of over a hundred members of the Liu Family on his hands.

’How could the Liu Family Patriarch possibly spare me?’

Things were exactly as he’d feared.

Liu Wen was consumed by thoughts of revenge. His entire clan had been nearly wiped out in a single night, and he was the sole survivor.

He had now become an assassin for Soul-Chasing Tower.

He didn’t dare provoke the Divine Mansion Sect, but he would never let powers like Flying Eagle Castle go unpunished.

If Tie Tu and Ji Chang knew that a Strong Internal Martial Master was secretly targeting them, they would probably never sleep soundly again.

Killing intent flooded Liu Wen’s eyes.

His true target today was actually Dong Wanjun’s new disciple. These Hawk Riders from Flying Eagle Castle were just an unfortunate coincidence. He’d consider it a warm-up, a chance to draw first blood.