Of course, killing Luo Hou was not what Lin Xiao Tian wanted.
Killing Luo Hou might solve the immediate problem, but it wouldn't solve the problems that would follow.
Luo Hou came from a prominent family. Although his status was humble, he was still a blood relative of that family. If they were to investigate, Lin Xiao Tian and his companions would be in trouble instead.
After all, even if Lin Xiao Tian and the other two kept the matter in the forest a secret, the team members who had left earlier could not guarantee it. By then, it would be obvious that Luo Hou was with Lin Xiao Tian and his companions before he died.
There was no reasoning in this world.
Sometimes, all it took was a little suspicion to decide a person's fate, especially for people like Lin Xiao Tian who had no background or status.
Powerful families often only needed an explanation. In the years Lin Xiao Tian had spent in Black Rock City, he had witnessed such scenes many times.
Sometimes, if someone from a family died, even if it was a natural death, if the family members had the slightest suspicion, they would implicate those around the person. It was perfectly normal to decide someone's life or death with a single word.
Therefore, Luo Hou had to live.
Moreover, Luo Hou's survival would also benefit Lin Xiao Tian.
He believed that with Luo Hou's intelligence, it was only a matter of time before he discovered the issue with the powder, and then Liu Yue would be the one in trouble.
Of course, Lin Xiao Tian wanted to let Luo Hou go, but he couldn't let him off so easily.
An hour later.
Beside a stream in the forest.
Luo Hou was covered in blood, nearly half of his body torn and bloody.
And beside him, of the original team of ten, only two remained.
"Captain, Xiao Gao and the others... they died so horribly!"
"Why? Why did the Phantom Moon Demonic Wolves appear?"
The two team members cried.
They had paid a great price to cover their retreat.
Luo Hou clenched his fists, anger surging through his body.
"The powder... it must be that powder! Liu Yue, how dare you do this to me!"
...
After leaving the forest safely, Wan Hao and Zhu Kai were extremely excited.
"What do you call this? Great calamity brings great fortune. Heaven is truly on our side," Zhu Kai waved his fan.
"We were really lucky this time. But we can't celebrate too early. We don't know what happened to Luo Hou and the others. If he gets into trouble, it will be a significant problem for us. I think it's best to stay away from the city and lie low for a while," Wan Hao was grateful to have survived, but he was more worried about what was to come.
His worries were exactly what Lin Xiao Tian had considered earlier.
"But won't leaving so suddenly make people think we're guilty and trying to escape? If Luo Hou's family investigates us, we won't have any chance to explain," Zhu Kai said.
"We have no choice. Do you think those powerful families will give us a chance to explain?" Wan Hao sighed.
He knew this world all too well.
The three of them reported back at the medical clinic. The clerk couldn't help but look surprised when he saw them returning empty-handed.
"Captain Wan, what did you encounter this time? I saw some of your other team members return earlier," the young clerk asked.
"We ran into some trouble in the forest. We weren't very lucky this time," Wan Hao didn't explain further.
Seeing that Wan Hao didn't want to elaborate, the clerk wisely stopped asking.
As the three of them were registering, they noticed Liu Yue appearing before them.
"Captain Wan, what happened to you all? Your team members returned earlier. When I asked them why you weren't with them, they wouldn't say a word. What exactly happened?" Liu Yue asked with concern.
As she spoke, she glanced at Lin Xiao Tian.
Lin Xiao Tian narrowed his eyes slightly.
This woman was truly good at putting on an act.
"We just encountered some difficult demonic beasts. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries."
Wan Hao was relieved that his older team members hadn't mentioned Luo Hou's situation, which saved him a lot of trouble. Therefore, he didn't want to explain further.
But how could Liu Yue let it go so easily?
"Captain Wan, don't hide it from me. You're so loyal, you wouldn't let your teammates leave ahead of you. What exactly happened?"
"Physician Liu, it's really nothing."
Wan Hao no longer flattered her. He used to call her "beautiful Liu," but considering that he would be leaving soon and they wouldn't have much interaction, he decided to stop flattering her.
Hearing this title, Liu Yue was stunned for a few seconds.
Physician Liu!
Such a strange address.
This person had never called her that before!
Liu Yue felt a surge of inexplicable anger.
"Oh, right, Captain Luo said before leaving the medical clinic that he had something urgent to find you for. Did you meet him in the forest?" Liu Yue asked tentatively.
"Really? Captain Luo was looking for me? We met at the medical clinic just before we set off. Captain Luo is really something, not saying it face-to-face if he has something to say, but having to say it in the forest. Could it be something big?" Wan Hao frowned, appearing to be deep in thought.
Liu Yue looked at him carefully and found his expression natural, not like he was lying.
Did Luo Hou not meet them in the forest?
His expression inexplicably turned angry.
This Luo Hou dared to deceive her!
Her gaze then fell on Lin Xiao Tian and Zhu Kai.
Lin Xiao Tian's expression remained calm, while Zhu Kai seemed to be dodging, which made Liu Yue suspicious again.
"Zhu Kai, what's wrong? You don't look well?"
"I..." Just as Zhu Kai was about to explain, Wan Hao interrupted him.
"He's injured and still feeling a bit frightened by everything he sees."
"Injured? Let me take a look!"
"No need, it's a minor injury. He's mainly just shaken."
"I'm quite curious, what could have scared a professional hunting team like you?"
"Heh, well..." Wan Hao said, glancing at Zhu Kai, "If Physician Liu is interested, I'll tell you separately in a few days. After all, the person involved is here..."
At this point, if Liu Yue continued to ask, it would be impolite.
Liu Yue had no choice but to let them leave.
"Then I won't disturb you any further," Liu Yue smiled slightly.
"Heh, what does a little disturbance matter?"
At that moment, a voice echoed from the doorway.
Everyone looked over and saw Luo Hou, covered in blood, walking in. The hall was crowded, and the blood-soaked appearance of Luo Hou and his two companions immediately drew attention.
Seeing Luo Hou alive, Zhu Kai's large, glamorous eyes widened.
Wan Hao grabbed his arm, signaling him to relax.
"Captain Luo, I didn't expect... we were just talking about you," Liu Yue continued to feign.
Luo Hou's gaze swept coldly over Lin Xiao Tian and the other two. "I didn't expect you to still be alive?"
Wan Hao took a deep breath. "Captain Luo, at this point, I don't want to say much more. If Captain Luo insists on going head-to-head with us, we'll have no choice but to fight!"
Luo Hou was silent for a moment, then suddenly he burst out laughing.
"Captain Wan, I apologize for what happened before. I hope you don't take it to heart."
Wan Hao nodded, believing that Luo Hou didn't want to escalate the situation.
But the next second, a loud sound reverberated through the hall.
*Slap!*
After the sound, everyone turned their heads in unison to look at Luo Hou.