The Jiang family elders remained silent, leaving Lin Xue and Ye Tiancheng to discuss the situation.
"Master, I don't think that person will harm you for now. He likely wants you to help him with something, probably to eliminate something using your hands. His treasure hunt plan must have been put on hold, otherwise his companions wouldn't have fled. He only has the blond guy by his side now, and he'll soon be all alone."
Lin Xue's analysis was indeed very insightful, giving Ye Tiancheng a sudden moment of clarity.
"Even if I'm weak now, he won't be able to hurt me easily. This matter requires careful planning; rushing won't help. We should take our time."
After a brief discussion, the master and disciple went to sleep. For now, the refined man was someone they needed to be cautious of, but he couldn't pose any significant threat to them.
They woke up to find it was already the next afternoon. The refined man had been trying his best to please Ye Tiancheng. As soon as Ye Tiancheng woke up, good food and wine were all prepared.
"Capable people are different from others. They even sleep longer than others. But this is normal; only when you are well can you serve the people."
As soon as he said this, Ye Tiancheng instantly understood the refined man's intention. The reason he was speaking indirectly was likely for the same purpose: to ask Ye Tiancheng to help subdue the bear.
"Thank you for preparing the meal. I will eat well; I cannot let your kindness go to waste."
Ye Tiancheng didn't mention the bear. Instead, he ate with his disciple and the Jiang family elders.
Ye Tiancheng felt he had recovered quite a bit. Although he was still much weaker than before, this was an unavoidable consequence of being attacked by the dark energy.
During the meal, everyone found opportunities to offer water or napkins, clearly trying to curry favor. Ye Tiancheng couldn't be too unapproachable. As the saying goes, one's mouth is softened by what one eats, so he had to consider their feelings more.
"You asked me to check the forest earlier. I've already planned to go. If there's a bear, I'll handle it; you don't need to worry about that."
Ye Tiancheng said this intentionally to appease the refined man and his blond companion. If he gave them no hope at all, it would be difficult to justify.
Upon hearing that Ye Tiancheng had finally agreed, the refined man was naturally overjoyed. "That's great! I knew that a master like you always has his own principles. You wouldn't just stand by and watch us weaklings."
This refined man was truly skilled with words. In his happiness, he poured wine for everyone. Before Ye Tiancheng set off, he repeatedly gave instructions, making it clear that he was truly looking forward to Ye Tiancheng helping to eliminate the bears.
Perhaps for ordinary people, bears are indeed very difficult to deal with, but for Ye Tiancheng, it was very simple; a little true energy would suffice.
Ye Tiancheng's intention this time was only to investigate, not to do anything more. As for his promise to the refined man, it was just casual talk.
The weather had already become much warmer compared to before. It had been so cold previously that people couldn't even open their mouths. Therefore, the risk of going into the forest this time was much less than before.
As for the bear mentioned by the refined man, Ye Tiancheng didn't even believe it was real. He strongly suspected that this was the annoying refined man's own delusion, and the so-called bear was something he had imagined.
Although it wasn't as difficult as before, Ye Tiancheng was still very cautious. Upon entering the forest, he walked and investigated, maintaining a high level of vigilance throughout the process.
There were no signs of any large animals moving in the forest. He only saw a thin layer of mist among the trees. Ye Tiancheng used his true energy to investigate and found traces of dark energy within the mist.
Giant animals were not as frightening as this dark energy; it indicated that the area had been contaminated.
Ye Tiancheng's goal now was to find a place with concentrated dark energy and eliminate the main source, otherwise, it would always pose a potential danger to him.
As Ye Tiancheng searched, he discovered a large mountain that he hadn't seen before, as if it had just formed.
The mountain emitted a massive amount of dark energy, and Ye Tiancheng dared not approach it for the moment. The situation was complex, and Ye Tiancheng had not fully recovered his abilities. If something happened now, he would be the one to suffer in the end.
Before Ye Tiancheng left, Lin Xue had already instructed him not to be impulsive, to discuss everything in advance, and never to act recklessly if he encountered danger. It was enough to remember the location. After all, this trip was only for investigation; there was no need to take so many risks.
Feeling the intense dark energy there, Ye Tiancheng did not dare to linger further and immediately turned back.
To Ye Tiancheng's surprise, the refined man was already waiting there. This person was truly amusing, keeping such a close watch on Ye Tiancheng, which inexplicably added more pressure on him.
"Master Ye, did you see the bear?"
"What bear are you talking about?" Ye Tiancheng was still in shock and hadn't recovered. After the other person finished speaking, he realized he had made a promise earlier.
"Oh, I remember now. The bear you mentioned. I haven't seen it yet."
The refined man immediately put on a disappointed expression. For him, Ye Tiancheng's main role was to help him eliminate obstacles, but he hadn't succeeded yet, so his disappointment was somewhat evident.
"It's alright. It seems that bear is hiding too well. I believe it won't be long before that bear reveals itself. Perhaps it's been suppressed by your powerful aura."
"I'll go again with my disciple later to investigate more thoroughly. That bear can't stay hidden forever."
Ye Tiancheng was just making a casual remark. He found the refined man's appearance strange, his expressions odd, and his actions peculiar. Ye Tiancheng had no intention of trusting him.
"Then I'll trouble you. I think this kind of thing shouldn't be delayed. How about we go first thing tomorrow morning? I feel that the sooner, the less threat there is to us. Otherwise, I'm truly worried that other variables might arise!"
This person was now trying to rush him in every way possible. Ye Tiancheng knew this but deliberately didn't expose him.
"Alright, I'll try to be as quick as possible. I definitely won't let you get hurt, you can rest assured of that."
After Ye Tiancheng made his promise, the refined man's expression improved, and he seemed slightly more relaxed.
"Then get some rest quickly. We still need to plan the next steps, which should be quite tiring. Try to rest as much as possible when you have the chance. I don't want you to be too uncomfortable."
Ye Tiancheng returned a little after 11 PM. Sleeping at this time wasn't considered staying up late.
Perhaps because he had expended too much energy in the forest, he slept very soundly when he returned.
The next morning, during breakfast, Ye Tiancheng and Lin Xue quietly discussed. Both felt that the forest was strange, as if some danger might suddenly appear. Therefore, to find the snow lotus, they had to eliminate these dangers first, otherwise, they would always face unpredictable risks.
Seeing the master and disciple enter the forest together, the refined man became even more excited. He continued to watch them off with his gaze even after they had left.
Once they were in the forest, Lin Xue still found it strange. "Master, we need to be careful. I don't think this person with glasses is a good person at all."
Ye Tiancheng just nodded and said nothing more. It wasn't the time to discuss this. The dark energy that was rarely encountered before now seemed to be everywhere. The master and disciple couldn't be careless; they had to treat this as a major issue.
Following Ye Tiancheng's memory, he led his disciple to the place with the heaviest dark energy.
"This is too sinister. I haven't seen such a sinister place in a long time. We need to be extremely careful; this place is definitely not simple."
As Lin Xue approached, she could feel the dark energy constantly drilling into her pores. Goosebumps rose all over her body.
Lin Xue released her phoenix to investigate the dark energy, and the phoenix quickly flew out.
Lin Xue soon received the phoenix's message: she couldn't enter yet because the dark energy was too dense. The fog was too thick. To continue investigating, it would be best to wait for the dark fog to dissipate a bit.
"When will the dark fog dissipate?"
"According to the little phoenix, it will likely be tonight. This is actually good; it's easier to act at night."
The master and disciple immediately made a decision. Since it wasn't the best time, they would wait. Being too reckless wouldn't be good.
The master and disciple didn't want to waste time. They decided to first find places with water to see where they could find snow lotuses at night. Once the fog in the forest thinned out a bit, they would proceed to the next step.
Thus, the master and disciple identified three locations where snow lotuses might appear at night. They couldn't confirm which one it was and would have to check all of them tonight.
As dusk gradually fell, the fog thinned. This was an excellent opportunity. This was when the dark energy was weakest. They should eliminate the dangers first, otherwise, even during the search for the snow lotus, they would remain in an unsafe state, constantly vulnerable to attacks.
The master and disciple arrived at the place where they had previously found the most intense dark energy. As soon as they reached it, they heard a mournful howl. The sound was not entirely clear, but it sounded like the cry of some wild beast.
"Master, did you hear that? It sounds like the bear the refined man mentioned. The sound I heard really resembles a bear's."
"It sounds like a bear's voice to me too. Could that dark energy be related to the bear?"
As they were discussing, a bear suddenly rushed out. The bear seemed to have gone mad, charging at them recklessly. The master and disciple were ready to defend themselves.
However, with a thunderous crash, everything happened too quickly. Before they could do anything, a bear as tall as two people collapsed before them.
The sound of the collapse also kicked up a large amount of dust, giving the impression that something major had happened.
The two looked at each other. Finally, Ye Tiancheng spoke, "Xue'er, tell me honestly, did you secretly make a move just now?"
"What do you mean, Master? I didn't even see clearly. Where would I have the extra spiritual energy to act so rashly?"
This statement was actually true. Lin Xue was always very cautious; she wouldn't do something so thoughtless.