Rainy Night Conversation

Satania the rabbit watched Ye Chuan's retreating movements, a hint of wariness flashing in her ruby-like eyes.

She had secretly infiltrated the human territory this time, and her identity absolutely could not be exposed.

The strength of the man before her was unfathomable. Even if she could win a head-on fight, her aura would inevitably be exposed. If that drew the attention of human experts, she would be completely finished.

Moreover... she still hadn't figured out this man's background.

He clearly looked like an ordinary frontier adventurer without even a decent set of armor, yet his body was as hard as a dragon's vital scales.

She had just rammed him with half of her strength, but let alone injuring him, she couldn't even make him cough up a drop of blood.

"Forget it, I guess I'm just unlucky today," Satania muttered in her heart, her adorable face remaining expressionless.

A miniature pale purple magic circle lit up beneath her feet. Her figure instantly turned transparent, and in the blink of an eye, she vanished deep into the dense forest without leaving a single trace of her aura behind.

Ye Chuan maintained his defensive stance for a full half-minute. Only after confirming the rabbit was truly gone did he let out a long sigh of relief, his legs giving out as he nearly collapsed onto the ground.

He walked over to the tree trunk and pulled out his deeply embedded fine steel longsword. Looking at the deep claw marks gouged into the blade, a chill ran down his spine.

"What the hell is this place... even the rabbits are this freakish."

He leaned against the tree trunk, sulking in self-doubt for quite a while.

He originally thought that with his great strength and durability, even if he couldn't defeat a Tier 3 Demon Wolf, he could at least hold his own for a bit.

Now it seemed that, let alone a Demon Wolf, any random rabbit that popped out could pin him to the ground and mop the floor with him.

"No, Angelina is still waiting for me..." Ye Chuan shook his head, driving away those negative thoughts.

He couldn't give up. Even if he couldn't win in a fight, he had to find a way to complete his mission.

He inspected his body. Despite being scratched and rammed by the rabbit just now, it had actually only left a few shallow marks.

"What exactly... is my body made of?" Ye Chuan touched his arm.

The sky gradually darkened. The night in the Black Pine Forest was even more terrifying than the day.

Ye Chuan found a dry cave, gathered some dry firewood, and started a campfire. The dancing orange-red flames dispelled some of the chill and darkness.

He leaned against the cold stone wall, not daring to fall asleep, merely resting his eyes to recover some energy.

Strangely, despite days of continuous training and the fierce battle just now, his body didn't feel tired at all; only his mind felt a bit exhausted.

He didn't know how long it had been when a heavy rain suddenly began to pour outside.

Bean-sized raindrops pattered fiercely against the leaves, converging into streams that trickled down the edges of the cave, forming a curtain of water over the entrance.

The campfire was dampened by the drifting rain, making a sizzling sound and emitting puffs of white smoke.

Ye Chuan added a few sticks of dry wood to the fire. Just as he was about to block the cave entrance a bit, he suddenly heard footsteps and voices coming from outside.

"Lady Bess, there's a cave ahead! Let's go in and take shelter from the rain!" a man's voice called out.

"Be careful. The Black Pine Forest is very dangerous at night," a cold, clear female voice responded.

Ye Chuan immediately gripped the longsword in his hand, staring warily at the cave entrance.

Soon, two figures appeared at the entrance.

Walking in front was a young woman wearing silver knight armor. Her long blonde hair was tied in a high ponytail, and an exquisite longsword hung at her waist. With sharp eyes and an upright posture, she clearly looked like a strictly trained knight.

Behind her followed a middle-aged man in a silk robe, carrying a heavy leather suitcase, looking like a merchant.

Seeing Ye Chuan in the cave, the two of them also froze for a moment.

The female knight immediately pressed her hand against her sword hilt and looked at him cautiously, "Who are you?"

"I'm just a passing adventurer, taking shelter from the rain here." Ye Chuan lowered his sword to show he meant no harm,

"I bear no ill will."

The female knight looked Ye Chuan up and down. Seeing his tattered clothes and that rust-spotted fine steel longsword, the vigilance in her eyes relaxed slightly.

She moved her hand away and gave Ye Chuan a slight nod. "Sorry to intrude. We are from the royal capital and encountered heavy rain while passing through. I wonder if we might rest here for a while?"

As she spoke, she took a glittering gold coin from her pocket and offered it to Ye Chuan:

"This is for your trouble."

Ye Chuan stared at the gold coin sparkling in the firelight, his eyes widening.

It was his first time seeing a gold coin.

However, he still shook his head and pushed the gold coin back. "No need. The cave isn't mine anyway. You're just taking shelter, there's no need to pay."

The female knight was taken aback, clearly not expecting Ye Chuan to refuse the gold coin.

She looked into Ye Chuan's clear eyes, a hint of appreciation flashing in her own, and took back the gold coin. "Thank you. I am Bess Reinhardt, a knight of the Reinhardt family, and this is the merchant Toby."

"I'm Ye Chuan." Ye Chuan nodded and shifted to the side, making some room for them.

Merchant Toby hurriedly thanked him, placed his leather suitcase on the ground, rubbed his freezing red hands, and huddled close to the campfire.

Bess also unfastened the shield from her back and sat down not far from Ye Chuan. The rainwater on her armor dripped down the edges of her clothing onto the ground, forming a small puddle.

The three sat in silence, with only the crackling sound of the firewood filling the air.

"Mr. Ye Chuan, are you adventuring in the Black Pine Forest alone?" Bess asked, her tone much gentler than before.

"It's very dangerous here, especially at night. High-tier monsters frequently roam about."

"I came to hunt a Demon Wolf," Ye Chuan answered honestly.

Although getting taught a lesson by a rabbit was a bit humiliating.

Maybe he really should just stick to dealing with slimes.

"A Demon Wolf?" Bess raised an eyebrow, looking at him in surprise. "That's a Tier 3 monster. You came to hunt it all by yourself?"

Ye Chuan scratched his head in embarrassment. "I... have my reasons. I have to kill it."

Seeing his awkward demeanor, Bess didn't press further; after all, everyone had their own secrets.

"By the way, the Reinhardt family..." Ye Chuan suddenly remembered something and asked, "I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before..."

How strange...

Why would he remember this?

Bess looked at him. "The Reinhardts are the guardian family of the Hill Empire. We have guarded the royal capital for generations, so it's quite normal that you've heard of us."

"Is that so? I probably heard it at the Adventurers' Guild... Yeah, I must be misremembering." Ye Chuan shook his head. He didn't know why, but hearing the name Reinhardt evoked an inexplicable sense of familiarity in his heart.

"That's also normal. Information is scarce in frontier towns, so it's understandable if you don't know much about it," Bess smiled and explained.

"We came to the frontier this time because of the birth of Princess Irena. His Majesty the King ordered our family to patrol the borders, purge the monsters, and protect the safety of the frontier, while simultaneously praying for the princess's blessings."

"Princess Irena?"

Ye Chuan repeated the name.

At that very moment, a sharp, piercing pain suddenly struck his head.

"Mr. Ye Chuan? What's wrong?" Bisi asked with immediate concern, noticing his face suddenly turn pale.

"I'm... I'm fine."