My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

The wine entered my mouth without any spiciness, only a sweet taste that melted on my tongue. Then, a warm current flowed down my throat, into my stomach, to my limbs, and to the top of my head.

He felt much lighter.

It felt like a heavy burden had been lifted, like some dust had been washed away; I felt completely relaxed and indescribably happy.

He closed his eyes and enjoyed it for a while before opening them, his face full of ecstasy.

"Master, this wine...it's so delicious!"

Ye Qingfeng ignored him and poured Shen Zhaoyue another full cup.

It was more than twice as much as what was given to the hunters.

Shen Zhaoyue was taken aback and looked up at him.

Ye Qingfeng:

"Your injuries are quite severe. Drinking this cup will help you recover and improve your strength."

Shen Zhaoyue remained silent for a moment, then picked up her cup and drank it all in one gulp.

The moment the wine entered her throat, her brow furrowed slightly, then relaxed.

She could feel the warm current rapidly repairing her injuries. Broken ribs were healing, open wounds were closing, and even the hidden injuries from years of martial arts training were gradually improving.

She closed her eyes and regulated her breathing for a moment. When she opened her eyes, a strange light flashed in them.

"Thank you, Taoist priest."

Ye Qingfeng nodded in response.

He picked up the wine jug and tossed the remaining wine, along with the leather case, to Lü Yang.

"Take it."

Lu Yang caught it in a flustered manner, and was stunned for a moment:

"Master, this... should I carry it on my back?"

Ye Qingfeng had already sat back down on the rock, and glanced at him upon hearing this:

"What else? I'll carry it?"

Lu Yang opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

He looked down at the wine jug in his hand and suddenly felt as if he had been assigned some extraordinary task.

"Then...then I'll carry it." He muttered to himself, tying the wine jug tightly around his waist, as if afraid it would fall off.

Shen Zhaoyue watched from the side, her lips twitching slightly.

The hunters watched this scene, wanting to laugh but not daring to.

"Oh, right, Immortal Master, that ghost mentioned there were two tiger demons, but only one has appeared so far. Where is the other one?"

Lu Yang seemed to have thought of something and quickly asked.

Ye Qingfeng did not answer.

He raised his right hand and tapped his thumb lightly on the knuckles of his index, middle, and ring fingers a few times.

Upon seeing this action, Lü Yang's eyes lit up, and he immediately held his breath, afraid of disturbing the process.

Shen Zhaoyue leaned against a tree beside her, watching quietly.

A few breaths later, Ye Qingfeng's thumb stopped on the second joint of his middle finger.

He looked up and gazed northwest:

"Over there. Five li."

Lü Yang followed his gaze, but couldn't see anything in the pitch-black forest. He scratched his head:

"Five miles... Shall we go now, or wait until dawn?"

Ye Qingfeng did not answer, but simply lifted his foot and walked forward.

Lü Yang quickly followed, with Shen Zhaoyue close behind.

In fact, Ye Qingfeng didn't need to go through all that trouble; a simple sword control technique could have solved the problem.

Unfortunately, the sword was gone, and no one knew where it had been thrown away.

Several hunters stood around the campfire, looking at each other.

The bearded man gripped the steel fork tightly, while the young hunter held his bow and arrow, his knuckles turning white.

They watched Ye Qingfeng's departing figure, their lips moving as if they wanted to say something, but dared not speak.

The bearded man finally mustered his courage and stepped forward:

"Master, we'll go with you!"

The other hunters nodded in agreement and gripped their weapons tightly.

Ye Qingfeng glanced at them but didn't say anything.

The bearded man said urgently, "We may be ordinary people, but we've hunted all our lives, so we can help in some way! If that tiger demon comes out and harms people, we can hold it off..."

Ye Qingfeng shook his head.

"No need. This journey is dangerous, but we are sufficient. You may remain where you are."

The young hunter wanted to say more, but was stopped by the bearded man.

Since the immortal has refused, going with him will only make him resentful, so it's better to obey him.

Ye Qingfeng turned around, took a few steps into the darkness, and then suddenly stopped.

He looked up at the distant mountains and forests, then looked back at the hunters standing by the campfire.

That tiger demon is cunning; even if one tiger dies, the other tiger will surely be enraged.

If it can't find itself, it might take its anger out on the hunters.

He thought for a moment, then turned around and walked back to the hunters.

The hunters didn't know what he was going to do, and just stared at him blankly.

Ye Qingfeng offered no explanation.

He simply raised his right hand, bringing his index and middle fingers together, and a golden-red light shone from the fingertips.

Then he squatted down.

The finger touched the ground and made a light stroke.

A thin, golden-red line flowed from the fingertip, like ink falling onto rice paper, meandering across the ground.

He rowed very slowly.

One stroke, one line, one fold, one finish.

The golden-red line followed his finger, tracing a perfect arc on the ground, more than two zhang in diameter, encircling the hunters and the campfire in the middle.

The night wind blew by, but the lines remained motionless, lying quietly on the soil like a painted beam of light.

Ye Qingfeng stood up.

He looked down at the circle, then lifted his foot and walked along it step by step.

One step, two steps, three steps...

He walked very slowly, stepping on the line he had just drawn.

As he took his first step, the line suddenly brightened slightly.

As the second step landed, a very faint wisp of smoke rose from the line.

When the third step landed, the smoke turned into flames.

The fourth step is that the flames begin to flicker.

Fifth step: The flames merge into one.

When he finished walking the whole lap and stood back at the starting point—

The circle had transformed into a ring of flames.

The flames were not fierce, just a thin layer that danced gently along the ground, like a golden rim around the circle.

The firelight illuminated the faces of the hunters, revealing the shock in their eyes.

Ye Qingfeng looked down at the circle of flames and nodded slightly.

Then he looked up at the hunters:

"As long as you stay within this circle, nothing can hurt you."

The bearded man swallowed hard, looking at the still-burning flames at his feet, and asked cautiously:

"Anything...?"

Ye Qingfeng nodded.

The young hunter opened his mouth, wanting to ask something, but couldn't get the question out.

Ye Qingfeng glanced at him:

"Once you leave, it's none of my business."

The young hunter immediately shrank back, wishing he could stand in the center of the circle.

Ye Qingfeng said no more and turned to walk into the darkness.

Lü Yang and Shen Zhaoyue followed.

After walking a few steps, Lü Yang turned back and said to the hunters:

"Stay put! Don't wander off!"

After saying that, the three disappeared into the night, their footsteps gradually fading into the distance.

Several hunters stood in the circle of flames, remaining silent for a long time.

The young hunter looked down at the still-burning fire at his feet. The flames flickered gently, and although it was right at his feet, he couldn't feel any heat.