Chapter 1685: Sounding Out

Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales

Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

“Hang on, aren’t you with the Cangjin Hunter Squad? The Cangjin Hunter Squad met with such misfortune, yet you two are perfectly fine here…” Xie Hao blurted out as a sudden thought crossed his mind.

Li Yumei’s expression shifted upon hearing the words.

How did Xie Hao know what had happened to the Cangjin Hunter Squad? Did Xie Hao see them!?

She recalled what Lu Zhuo had told her. She must harden her heart whenever it was necessary. Her eyes were already flickering murderously!

Lu Zhuo held Li Yumei back with his hand. He was signaling her not to do anything reckless with his gaze.

Lu Zhuo reacted quickly, and said with a defeated look, “We were in trouble, and we almost died. We barely escaped and immediately came back to Minghu Outpost to ask for backup… why are you here alone? Is the rest of your team here too? If they are, come with me to the island. I’m afraid the Cangjin Hunter Squad will be killed if we are too late.”

“Killed? They were almost wiped out when we reached the Cave Island. Only Wu Dong is alive, but he’s mentally unstable. What the hell are you two leaders even doing!?” Xie Hao cursed them.

“Did you go to the Cave Island? Was it just you, or…” Lu Zhuo continued to sound Xie Hao out.

“Our team!”

“Where is your team now?”

“At the front of the island.”

“Bring us to them. Even if there are some misunderstandings between us, we should be helping one another out, since lives were at stake,” Lu Zhuo said righteously.

Lu Zhuo acted sincerely, so Xie Hao did not think too much about it. Considering how serious the Cangjin Hunter Squad’s situation was, he immediately brought Lu Zhuo and Li Yumei back to where the team was.

Xie Hao did not stop jabbering as he was leading the way. Lu Zhuo and Li Yumei exchanged glances with one another, feeling extremely uneasy. They were supposed to be the only people that knew what had happened on the Cave Island, so they could explain it however they wanted once they were back at Minghu Outpost. The Seven Star Hunter Master would have no choice but to believe them!

Lu Zhuo would only have to reflect on his negligence of duty. The Seven Star Hunter Master might even give the families of the Hunters compensation for their loss, and soon forget about it. After all, it was common for the Hunters to leave their wills behind beforehand.

To Lu Zhuo’s surprise, the Foehn Hunter Squad had gone to the Cave Island after them. Most importantly, they had managed to find someone alive!

How could anyone survive? Li Yumei was panicking. She was worried that the plan would fall through and expose them!

“I did seal the entrance of the cave. Even if someone was still alive inside, there’s no way they could find their way out,” Lu Zhuo said anxiously.

Li Yumei had gained a whole new understanding of Lu Zhuo after the incident. He was truly vicious. Not only did he kill Lan Jin, he even sealed up the cave!

Lu Zhuo had no idea if the people inside the cave were all dead. He did not dare to go inside the cave, so he ended up sealing the cave instead. Any people alive inside would have no chance to find their way out. It was only a matter of time before they were eaten by the creatures in the cave!

Li Yumei and Lu Zhuo left only after making sure they did not leave any clues behind. Lu Zhuo could not understand why the Foehn Hunter Squad would go to the Cave Island and how they had found someone alive!

Luckily, Xie Hao was not the brightest. Otherwise, Lu Zhuo would have had trouble sounding him out.

“Didn’t you two know Wu Dong is still alive? How could you abandon him?” Xie Hao turned around and asked them.

Lu Zhuo and Li Yumei were talking softly. They pretended to be sorrowful whenever Xie Hao turned around.

“Didn’t you already see how the cave was blocked by some strange rocks? We tried to find our way in, but we couldn’t dig a hole. We immediately came back to ask for backup, but it was already dark before we could make it back to Minghu Outpost. We have no choice but to wait here. How did your team dig a hole through the rocks? They were extremely tough!” Lu Zhuo said quickly.

“We have the Wolf Ancestor with us, the Seven Star Hunter Master’s Summoned Beast. His claws are very sharp…” Xie Hao said.

Lu Zhuo was relieved when Xie Hao did not hesitate to tell them everything. Luckily, it was Xie Hao that had found them. If it was Gu Ying or Zhong Li, they would be suspicious of them from the very beginning. They still had a chance to manipulate the truth with the information provided by Xie Hao.

Li Yumei whispered to Lu Zhuo when Xie Hao went further ahead, “What now? What should we tell them?”

“The situation isn’t that bad. Our biggest problem is Wu Dong. Once Wu Dong is dead, we can easily bluff our way through. After all, they have no idea about exactly what happened,” Lu Zhuo replied.

“But they are looking after Wu Dong now, if he dies for no reason…” Li Yumei said.

“I’m a Poison Mage; how difficult will it be to make him die a reasonable death?” Lu Zhuo sniffed.

“But not everyone in the Foehn Hunter Squad is as dumb as Xie Hao!” Li Yumei said.

Gu Ying had always had a strong grudge against Li Yumei and Lu Zhuo. She would never believe their words so easily!

“It depends on whether or not they know their place…” Lu Zhuo harrumphed.

“What do you mean?” Li Yumei asked curiously.

Lu Zhuo grinned coldly in response to the question.

Li Yumei had already guessed Lu Zhuo’s intention from his expression. She was shocked once again.

How many similar deeds had Lu Zhuo done in the past? Why did he keep rewriting her impression of him!?

“Don’t panic. Gu Ying might notice something is wrong because of you,” Lu Zhuo reminded when he saw Li Yumei’s reaction.

“But… I’m scared!” Li Yumei admitted.

Lu Zhuo shook his head and said helplessly, “There’s nothing to be scared of. Forget it, I’ll go meet the Foehn Hunter Squad and sound them out first.”

“Oh, alright, but how do I excuse myself now?” Li Yumei asked.

—

“We haven’t had anything to drink since we left the Cave Island. Li Yumei, go get some water from the spring,” Lu Zhuo said.

“Oh, alright,” Li Yumei nodded and received the water pouches from him.

Xie Hao did not think too much about it. He could tell that the two had yet to recover from the shock. It must be torturous if they had not drunk for so long.

“We have water too,” Xie Hao offered them.

“It’s fine, the spring is cool and refreshing. We need it to calm our minds,” Lu Zhuo said firmly.

—

Gu Ying immediately noticed the unwanted guest Lu Zhuo after they arrived at the Foehn Hunter Squad’s tent.

The thing that had troubled Gu Ying the most was the whereabouts of Li Yumei and Lu Zhuo.

They were the leaders of the Cangjin Hunter Squad. Did they die in the cave too, or did they manage to escape from the danger?

Gu Ying noticed Lu Zhuo’s miserable look and the light injuries on his body. He did seem like he had been in some kind of trouble.

“It’s good to see you all,” Lu Zhuo continued with his act.

Gu Ying was suspicious, just as Lu Zhuo had expected. She asked, “Why are you well and alive here?”

“Do I look well?” Lu Zhuo said with a wry smile.

Lu Zhuo had inflicted the injuries on himself. He was not an idiot. Hurting himself was the most basic way to trick others!