Chapter 123: Running into an Old Acquaintance

Luo Binghui and Xiao Huan went to look for suitable housing, but Zheng Lan, like Zhang Pu, could not wait a single moment longer and insisted on going to see the Golden Wood herself. Although they found the village where the Golden Wood was supposed to be, they could not spot it in the moonlight that night.

Zheng Lan quickly had her subordinates knock on the door of a villager’s home. The villager inside seemed reluctant, but overwhelmed by the sheer number of people outside and fearing they might burn his house down, he finally opened the door. Upon seeing a beautiful woman asking for directions to the Golden Wood Forest—a place guarded by demons at night—the family was terrified.

"You cannot go! You must not go!" the master of the house said, looking at Zheng Lan. "Kind lady, that forest is a paradise for demons once night falls!"

"Talk nonsense again and I’ll—" A crude man among Zheng Lan’s subordinates began to threaten the villager, but Zheng Lan waved her hand to stop him. She could tell the villager was not speaking without cause. A thought crossed her mind: *My God! Could the location of this Golden Wood be as dangerous as the Poison Dragon Pool?*

"Tell me," Zheng Lan said, changing her tone after silencing her subordinate. "What exactly is going on?"

The villager hesitated, as if suddenly realizing the danger of speaking too much. "It... it is very powerful," he stammered, his words disjointed. "In any case, do not go. Do not go at night... wait until daylight to take a look!"

Zheng Lan had witnessed the terror of the Black Dragon before; if there were something similar here, she felt she could not afford the risk. She found herself hesitating. However, the experts who had accompanied her—Master Zhao, a boxing expert and teacher to Luo Binghui, and an old man in green robes who was both a scholar and a warrior, known as the foremost authority on feng shui and sorcery in the Golden Wood region—were already bristling with indignation.

The others joined in, their curiosity piqued and their resolve to enter even stronger. They were not afraid; instead, they were eager, leaving the villager stunned and speechless. Zheng Lan had known from the moment she met the old man in green that his power was on par with Master Yang’s. She marveled at how many talented people there were in China; even in this single region, she had encountered someone of such caliber.

Zheng Lan’s hesitation faded as the crowd’s excitement grew. Everyone was focused on the prospect of confronting demons rather than the Golden Wood itself. Some were skeptics, while others were eager to challenge the supernatural. Seeing that the villager could no longer stop them, Zheng Lan decided to proceed.

Meanwhile, Zhang Pu and his group, including Liu Yingde, had reached the other side of the forest. Zhang Pu found the place increasingly eerie. While he had not seen any demons, the signs—including traces of poisonous mist—suggested that the valley was under some kind of control. The minor tricks Lin Zhifa’s men had used to drive people away were nothing more than parlor games to Zhang Pu, who could easily counter them with his own cultivation arts.

He was not just studying the Golden Wood; he was searching for the source of the demonic presence. What was their cultivation level? If he didn't clear away these "spirits," he felt he could not study the Golden Wood in peace.

Lin Hongbin, having just emerged from his own secret hideout, was impulsive yet sharp. Having scouted the area yesterday, he immediately spotted Zhang Pu’s group. His eyes locked onto Zhang Pu like needles.

*Why is it him?* Lin Hongbin swallowed the words that had almost escaped his throat. He pressed himself into the grass, vanishing from sight.

However, a sudden ripple of sensitivity hit Zhang Pu. *Is someone here?* He glanced at Liu Yingde and realized the latter had felt nothing.

*A master!* Zhang Pu concluded. He could not pinpoint Lin Hongbin’s exact location, nor could he tell if this person was the one playing tricks in the valley or a new arrival.

Lin Hongbin was deeply wary of Zhang Pu’s power, which he felt was on par with his senior brother, Lin Zhifa. He felt his own strength was insufficient. *If only my master from the island nation were here,* he thought. *I wouldn’t let this Zhang Pu, or even my senior brother, be so arrogant in front of me.*

His master in the island nation practiced a different form of martial arts—external techniques combined with judo—entirely distinct from the sorcery Lin Zhifa practiced. Yet, that master had instilled in him a terrifying confidence: that before true, immense power, the sorcery of both Zhang Pu and Lin Zhifa would be reduced to ash. He craved that power.

Seeing Zhang Pu, Lin Hongbin’s initial urge to confront him turned to ice. He was no longer an impetuous youth. Having tasted Zhang Pu’s strength, he knew better than to engage in a head-on collision. He felt a surge of bitter disappointment; he had hoped to redeem himself after his defeat by Lin Zhifa yesterday.

Then, a thought struck him, and his eyes glinted. *Why did I forget my senior brother in my panic? He is here. Why not let him handle this? And that essence of the Black Dragon in Zhang Pu’s possession...*

As Lin Hongbin calculated, he suddenly tensed again. He sensed that yet more people were approaching the Golden Wood Forest.