Chapter Ninety-One: Yielding It Up with a Bow

As I ran, I kept glancing back—a classic case of curiosity killing the cat. Suddenly, a massive bear lunged out from behind. This bear was enormous, forced to stoop as it moved through the cave, but despite its bulk, its speed was undiminished. In just a heartbeat, it closed several meters of distance.

With a powerful swipe to my back, the beast sent me, along with the box I carried, flying through the air. The blow was devastating; I nearly died on the spot. I heard the faint crack of bones in my back, only stopping when I crashed into a large tree.

Instantly, my throat itched, and I spat out a mouthful of blood.

The bear’s eyes were blood-red, brimming with murderous intent. I shouted to Chen Chen and Li Zijian, “Go all out! This thing won’t be easy to kill!”

After saying that, I struggled to my feet and tucked the yellow box away into my phone for the time being. Gritting my teeth, I tightened my grip on the long knife in my hand.

Both Chen Chen and Li Zijian drew their weapons. They were each ranked third among the Spiritleaf cultivators, but it seemed their attacks couldn't harm the bear at all; they could only keep it occupied.

I circled the bear, searching for an opportunity to probe its weaknesses, but it was all in vain. Even my strongest strike barely scratched its hide.

The bear let out a thunderous roar, making my ears ache and sending an invisible force that pushed me back.

With a savage charge, the bear sent Chen Chen flying across the ground.

I clutched my long knife, uncertain where to strike, but intuition told me that everything has a weakness—even this bear.

Chen Chen wasn’t seriously injured; after catching his breath, he rushed back into the fray.

As the bear’s eyes grew ever redder, its strength increased, and its swinging paws looked all the more ferocious.

Wait—the eyes! Every other part of the bear was impenetrable, but its eyes were different.

I wasn’t sure, but with no other choice, I decided to take a gamble.

I shouted to the two fighting the bear, “Circle it! Distract its attention!”

Then I began running circles around the beast, both to confuse its vision and to position myself for a strike.

Truthfully, this bear was terrifyingly strong. Had the classmates from our group chat encountered it, they’d likely have perished; only the three of us could hold our own.

As I ran, I kept slashing at the bear. Though I couldn’t wound it, my attacks bought Chen Chen and Li Zijian precious moments to recover.

Despite my frustration, I focused all my attention on the bear.

Previously, with my Spiritflower realm strength, joining forces with Chen Chen and Li Zijian to kill this bear would’ve been effortless. Now, however, it was a struggle.

All three of us bore injuries of varying severity, and our attacks gradually weakened.

I knew that if this continued, we’d soon become the bear’s dinner, so I chose to act quickly.

When the bear’s paw struck Li Zijian’s shoulder, I seized my chance.

Leaping forward—though not very high—I managed to align myself level with the bear.

I gritted my teeth and stabbed straight for the bear’s eye.

This time, my guess was right—the tip of the blade plunged into its eye. The bear immediately smacked me away with a powerful swipe.

Its eye was ruined, the eyeball protruding grotesquely, making me nauseous.

Enduring the agony, I twisted in mid-air and staggered back several steps before regaining my footing.

Clutching my bloodied chest, I glanced at my discarded long knife, then swiftly drew the newly acquired longsword.

As I unsheathed the sword, it let out a clear ringing sound.

There was no time to examine it; I raised the sword and lunged at the bear again.

With one eye destroyed, the bear seemed to lose its invincible defense—its body became ordinary once more.

I seized the moment and thrust the longsword deep into its belly. The bear roared to the heavens, and Chen Chen seized the opportunity to sever its head with a single stroke.

Even headless, the bear’s corpse remained standing. I kicked it over and collapsed to the ground.

Chen Chen, exhausted, sat beside me, hands trembling as he offered me a cigarette.

Li Zijian’s injuries weren’t as severe; he still had strength to walk. He retrieved my long knife and settled next to us.

The three of us exchanged smiles—another brush with death survived...

...

We leaned against a boulder, smoking one cigarette after another until the whole pack was gone. Only then did I take out the yellow box.

This box was different from the ones Li Zi and I had previously discovered. The patterns were strange, almost indescribable.

But one thing remained unchanged: the box was trimmed with gold, exuding opulence.

Even without opening it, I sensed a faint aura emanating from the box—something absent in the others.

That meant the contents were entirely different from what I’d found before.

When I opened the box, I found something quite peculiar.

Inside lay a single glowing black pearl—not particularly remarkable.

“Where’s the Ghost King token?” Chen Chen murmured beside me.

I was puzzled as well—could this not be the Ghost King’s relic? Had I fought for nothing?

Beneath the pearl was a black cushion. As I touched it, I realized something else was hidden underneath.

I handed the pearl to Li Zijian and lifted the black cushion.

Sure enough, a Ghost King token lay quietly in the box.

I grinned wryly. “I knew my luck couldn’t be that bad.”

“There really is one…”

I took the black pearl, looked at the other two, and said, “There’s only one—so who should keep it?”

I glanced at Chen Chen, who deliberately turned his head away, making it clear he wanted us to have the pearl.

“Take it, Jianzi,” I said, tossing the black pearl to Li Zijian, who caught it firmly.

“Uh… I’m really not sure I deserve this…” he said awkwardly, as if unused to such generosity from us.

“Enough, it’s yours—don’t fuss,” I said, brushing the dust from myself.

Chen Chen didn’t speak, but he smiled gently.

Li Zijian cradled the pearl, head bowed like a guilty child, tears glistening in his eyes.

I understood—this token represented a life. For Chen Chen and me to give the only token to Li Zijian moved him deeply.

“All right, if either of you ever needs me, just say the word—I’ll go through fire and water for you…”

I laughed. “Alright, let’s head back.”

Patting Li Zijian’s shoulder, the three of us began our descent.

By the time we reached the bottom, afternoon was approaching.

Chen Chen led the way, but before we exited the forest, he stopped and retreated.

“What’s wrong?” I asked softly, peering outside. Unfortunately, from where I stood, I couldn’t see a thing.

“Outside…” Chen Chen whispered, pointing beyond the trees.

Just as I was about to ask, a voice thundered from outside:

“You wretches inside, come out now! You’re the culprits—come out and face your death!”