On the rocky ridge overlooking the secluded hot springs, the atmosphere was thick enough to cut with a blade.
Despite the profoundly serene, beautiful melody drifting up from the valley below, not a single person in Xiao Zhan's rescue party could focus on the magic of the music.
The sheer, suffocating mental pressure of watching two young clan members surrounded by a horde of magical beasts overrode any appreciation for the arts. To them, the music was merely the bizarre, fragile thread holding back a bloody massacre.
Xiao Zhan crouched low behind a boulder, his eyes locked onto the massive Rank 1 Iron-Hide Boar standing mere yards from Yoriichi. A single charge from that beast could shatter a Dou Zhe's ribs into dust.
The Patriarch forcefully tore his gaze away from the terrifying tableau and turned to the sweating Head Commander beside him.
"Commander Li," Xiao Zhan whispered, his voice a harsh, authoritative rasp that brooked no argument. "Take half of the elite guards you brought. Fan out and secure the entire perimeter of the back mountain. Act completely normal. Under no circumstances is anyone else allowed to enter this area."
"Understood, Patriarch," Commander Li whispered back, his hand gripping the hilt of his broadsword tightly.
"And listen to me," Xiao Zhan added, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Gag your men. If a single rumor spreads into the city that a Beast Tide is gathering within the walls of the Xiao Clan estate, it will create an absolute, uncontrollable ruckus. The commoners will panic, the merchants will flee, and the other clans might use the chaos to launch a preemptive strike. This stays buried here. Go."
Commander Li offered a crisp, silent nod and melted back into the pine forest, taking several guards with him to enforce the lockdown.
Left on the ridge, Xiao Zhan, Teacher Ruo Lin, First Elder Xiao Lu, and the Academy seniors remained frozen in place, their Dou Qi circulating silently, ready to launch a devastating preemptive strike the absolute second a beast bared its fangs.
Minutes ticked by like hours. The tension was agonizing.
Down the spring area, the ethereal, calming melody of the bamboo flute slowly began to shift. The notes grew softer, the tempo slowing down as Yoriichi reached the natural conclusion of the song he remembered from his past life.
The music seemed to grow thinner and thinner, blending into the gentle rustle of the wind through the willow tree, until finally, with a soft exhalation of breath, the music stopped completely.
The profound, supernatural stillness that had gripped the forest shattered. The absolute silence that followed was deafening.
Beneath the willow tree, Yoriichi slowly opened his eyes, the deep crimson irises adjusting to the bright midday sun.
He lowered the bamboo flute from his lips, taking a standard breath of air. As his vision cleared, he finally processed the scene in front of him.
His eyes, usually pools of unshakable, stoic calm, widened by a fraction of an inch. A genuine spark of surprise flickered across his face.
'What in the heavens...?' Yoriichi thought, remaining perfectly still.
Gathered in a massive, dense semicircle around his tree were dozens of wild animals and magical beasts. They weren't dead, and they weren't attacking. They were simply sitting there.
He saw the thick, armored plates of an Iron-Hide Boar. He saw the lethal, coiled forms of Emerald Serpents in the branches above him. He saw a pack of Spirit Wolves resting peacefully beside timid mountain hares.
'What is their business here?' Yoriichi wondered, his analytical mind rapidly trying to comprehend the bizarre gathering. 'I merely played a song to test the acoustic resonance of the bamboo. Did the specific frequency of the notes accidentally mimic a territorial call? No... predators and prey do not gather like this for a territorial dispute.'
As the lingering traces of the music faded from the air, the beasts slowly began to stir from their trances.
The massive Iron-Hide Boar snorted, shaking its heavy head as if waking from a deep, intoxicating dream. The Spirit Wolves blinked, their yellow eyes slowly focusing on their surroundings. The natural, violent instincts of the magical beasts were beginning to return to their blood.
Suddenly, a sharp, high-pitched yelp pierced the quiet clearing.
Yoriichi snapped his head to the right.
Behind the large resting boulder, Xiao Yu had finally awoken from her exhaustion-induced slumber. She had groggily rubbed her eyes, only to find her vision entirely obscured by thick, grey fur and the scent of raw meat.
Sitting less than an arm's length away from her face was a massive, adult Spirit Wolf. The beast was looking down at her, its jaws slightly parted, revealing rows of razor-sharp, saliva-coated fangs.
For a girl of her age and realm—even a proud, tough cultivator of the Xiao Clan—waking up to find an apex predator's jaws inches from her throat was a terror beyond rational thought.
"Ahhhhh!" Xiao Yu screamed, scrambling backward so fast she scraped her palms on the dirt. She hit the side of the boulder, her face entirely drained of color, her blue Dou Qi flaring erratically in pure panic. Tears immediately pricked the corners of her eyes.
The sudden scream startled the surrounding beasts. Several wolves stood up, the fur on their backs bristling. The Iron-Hide Boar stomped its hooves, a low, warning grunt rumbling in its chest.
On the ridge, Xiao Zhan's Da Dou Shi aura exploded outward. 'Now!' he thought, preparing to leap down.
But before the Patriarch could move, Yoriichi acted.
He was as calm as a still lake. He didn't panic, nor did he frantically draw the newly forged Sun-Steel Katana resting at his waist. He knew that if the worst came to pass, if these beasts truly frenzied, he could deal with the entire pack.
With his Sun Breathing and his new High Tier 2 Katana, he could slaughter them all—though it would be a bloody, difficult, and exhausting endeavor.
He preferred a peaceful resolution.
Yoriichi smoothly tucked the bamboo flute into his dark sash. He stood up from the roots of the willow tree, his movements slow, deliberate, and entirely devoid of aggressive kinetic energy.
He started walking directly toward Xiao Yu, charting a path straight through the middle of the beast pack.
As a precaution, Yoriichi subtly allowed his Dou Zhe aura to leak out. It wasn't an attack; it was a warning flag, letting the beasts know that he was not prey.
He kept his crimson eyes locked onto the beasts as he walked. He analyzed their reactions with intense fascination. To his surprise, there was no sudden aggression. The Spirit Wolves did not bare their fangs at him. The Iron-Hide Boar did not charge.
Even more bizarrely, they showed absolutely no fear. When a normal Unranked beast felt the aura of a human Dou Zhe, it usually fled in terror. But these creatures simply watched him walk past, their eyes reflecting a strange, lingering calmness, as if the profound peace of his music had permanently branded their instincts.