TRWSB – Chapter 133 Hidden Strengths in the Misty Forest

Yun Hu glanced at Yi Fan, who was leading the group, and lowered his voice. “Who’s that man in black? He’s dressed so strangely.”

“That’s just his sense of style,” Zhuang Hao replied.

“He looks… hard to deal with,” Yun Hu muttered, his voice tinged with unease.

Recalling how Yi Fan had easily used a water dragon to toss him aside earlier, Yun Hu felt a deep sense of embarrassment. If Yi Fan were an enemy, he wouldn’t have stood a chance.

Scratching his head, Yun Hu couldn’t shake the feeling that everyone around him was hiding their true capabilities. He felt completely out of place.

Yun Hu glanced at Zhuang Hao, then at Qi Shaorong, and finally managed to recover a bit of his shattered confidence.

Zhuang Hao, looking ahead at Yi Fan, said, “That guy does have a bad temper. Lately, it’s been worse. You’d better keep your distance.”

“Why has his temper been even worse recently?” Yun Hu asked.

Zhuang Hao sighed. “He finally got to experience some intimacy but was forced into a long-distance situation afterward. It’s no wonder he’s in a foul mood.”

Yun Hu blinked in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“Nothing important,” Zhuang Hao replied casually.

“That guy seems really strong,” Yun Hu said admiringly.

Zhuang Hao nodded. “Compared to you, yes, he’s very strong.”

“Compared to me? That means he’s even stronger compared to you, since you’re not as good as me,” Yun Hu said smugly.

Zhuang Hao: “…”

“Why is it that you seem to know so many powerful people?” Yun Hu asked, puzzled.

Zhuang Hao: “…”

“Being surrounded by such capable people must be really stressful for you,” Yun Hu added with concern.

Zhuang Hao: “…”

Yi Fan walked over to Zhuang Hao. Zhuang Hao greeted him with a smile. “Thank you for coming.”

“I didn’t come here for you,” Yi Fan replied curtly.

Zhuang Hao nodded. “I understand.”

“I heard you’ve been having quite the adventurous time lately,” Yi Fan remarked.

Zhuang Hao: “…”

“Your decision was the right one. On my way here through the Misty Forest, I ran into quite a few soldiers from the Rong Kingdom.” Clearly, setting up checkpoints was just the first step; the next would be a thorough search.

“Soldiers from the Rong Kingdom? What happened when you encountered them?” Yun Hu asked, sticking his head into the conversation.

Yi Fan glanced at Yun Hu, then turned back to Zhuang Hao. “I have to say, you’re barely able to protect yourself, and you’re dragging along this pig. Are you serious?”

Yun Hu: “…”

“I had no choice. I promised his grandfather,” Zhuang Hao replied.

Yi Fan gave Zhuang Hao a sidelong glance. “Enough. I’m going to find the young master.”

As Yi Fan walked away, Yun Hu blinked and looked at Zhuang Hao. “Did he just call me a pig?”

Zhuang Hao gave him a brief glance. “No.”

“No? Of course, he was talking about me!” Yun Hu exclaimed.

Zhuang Hao sighed. “If you insist. Yes, it was you.”

Clenching his fists, Yun Hu fumed. “That guy! How can he be so dismissive of people?!”

Suddenly, Qi Heng’s voice echoed through the forest. “Enemy attack!”

Zhuang Hao’s eyes gleamed with a golden light as a staff appeared in his hand. Thunder rumbled, and bolts of lightning crackled through the forest. The assassins hidden in the shadows were revealed and instantly reduced to charred remains.

Yun Hu stared at Zhuang Hao in shock. “You…”

Qi Heng glanced at Zhuang Hao. “You’re pretty fired up. Didn’t leave a single one alive, huh?”

Zhuang Hao replied calmly, “There’ll be more. I’ll leave some alive next time.”

Yun Hu looked at Zhuang Hao, utterly incredulous. “You… weren’t you unable to use magic or battle energy? How are you…” The thief’s strength was terrifying!

“There was a… situation before, and my magic and battle energy were sealed,” Zhuang Hao explained.

Yun Hu’s eyes widened. “I see… That explains it. Your strength—how strong are you?”

“It’s not bad,” Zhuang Hao replied nonchalantly.

Yun Hu stood there frozen, staring at Zhuang Hao. To wipe out so many assassins in an instant, and yet he called that “not bad”? What kind of monster was this?

Yun Hu sat by the campfire, grilling some meat. His face seemed less carefree and more serious than usual.

“Idiot, what’s wrong with you?”

“Stop calling me an idiot,” Yun Hu grumbled.

“What’s his name?” Yun Hu asked sneakily, pointing in the direction of Zhuang Hao.

“That guy? Didn’t he follow you around as a lackey for more than ten days? You still don’t know his name?” Qi Heng replied.

Yun Hu scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. “I’ve always called him ‘Little Thief’.”

Qi Heng: “…” Little Thief—what an interesting nickname.

“I heard another guy often calls him ‘Little Thief A Hao.’ Does that mean his name is A Hao? A man being called A Hao sounds so effeminate, don’t you think?” Yun Hu said with clear disdain.

Qi Heng stared at Yun Hu, stunned. “You, you really are a character!”

To think he mistook ‘A Hao’ for ‘A Hao,’ no wonder the young master wasn’t wrong! This guy’s head is clearly stuffed with pork.

Yun Hu, embarrassed, scratched his head and mumbled, “Actually, I’m… not much of a character myself.”

Qi Heng looked at Yun Hu and said, “His name is Zhuang Hao.”

Yun Hu tilted his head, a look of realization dawning. “That name sounds familiar. Oh, I remember now! He’s worth a million gold coins! If I sold him, I could get a million! Wait, so… could I sell Zhuang Hao? A million, that’s a lot of money! If I had that much, I wouldn’t have to eat pork anymore!”

Qi Heng sneered. “Zhuang Hao is from the Zhuang family. You couldn’t buy him for a million.”

Yun Hu’s eyes widened. “That guy’s worth that much? If he’s so valuable, why doesn’t he…?”

“His family’s fallen on hard times. They can’t even open their spatial ring. It’s kind of funny, really—having a gold mine but not being able to use it,” Qi Heng said.

Yun Hu’s face turned bright red as he suddenly realized something. “So, the people looking for treasures near my house earlier… that was him?”

Qi Heng looked at Yun Hu. “Well, it’s good to see you’re not hopeless.”

Yun Hu blinked, reflecting on what his sister had said. If you don’t have fate, you can’t even seize a treasure right in front of you.

Qi Heng looked at Yun Hu and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Yun Hu scratched his head, feeling guilty. “I think I’ve been pretty rude to him.”

Qi Heng raised an eyebrow. “Rude? It sounds like you’ve been more than just rude.”

Yun Hu froze, a chill running down his spine. He had been treating the heir to one of the largest families, the Zhuang family, as a mere servant. He was truly… asking for death.

Yun Hu glanced at Zhuang Hao and then at Qi Shaorong standing by his side. “Who’s that?”

“That’s my young master—Qi Shaorong,” Qi Heng said.

Yun Hu’s eyes widened. “Isn’t that the guy who scams people with overpriced cosmetics?”

Qi Heng looked at Yun Hu. “My young master never cheats people.”

Yun Hu nodded quickly. “Of course, of course. I misspoke.”

Yun Hu looked over at Qi Shaorong and Zhuang Hao, his heart racing.

Yun Hu clenched his teeth, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart. After a long while, he finally managed to settle down. Since Little Thief was Zhuang Hao, it meant his actions in the Misty Forest weren’t reckless; they were calculated. This meant he didn’t have to worry about dying in the forest.

Qi Shaorong, bundled up in a thick coat near the fire, complained, “It’s so cold here!”

If only his magic power still worked, he could cast a light spell to alleviate the chill.

Zhuang Hao looked at Qi Shaorong and said, “You really seem to be afraid of the cold.”

Qi Shaorong shot him a glance. “Yeah.”

“If you’re that afraid of the cold, you can always hug me,” Zhuang Hao said with a straight face.

Qi Shaorong: “…”

“We’ve shared a bed before. It’s just a hug, no need to be shy,” Zhuang Hao added, spreading his arms wide.

Yi Fan overheard and shot a surprised glance at Qi Shaorong.

Qi Shaorong couldn’t help but blush.

“Why is it that you’re already recovering, but I still haven’t made any progress?” Qi Shaorong grumbled, visibly upset.

Zhuang Hao shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m just stronger.”

Qi Shaorong furrowed his brow, eyeing Zhuang Hao with a mix of disbelief and irritation. Stronger? What an arrogant answer.

Yun Hu, excited, walked up to Zhuang Hao and Qi Shaorong. Now that he seemed to know something, Yun Hu had become much more reserved.

“Zhuang… Young Master, you said you’d help me find a mentor if the opportunity arose. Is that still true?”

Zhuang Hao smiled at Yun Hu. “Of course it’s true. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get a great mentor.”

Yun Hu’s face lit up with gratitude. “Thank you, Young Master Zhuang.”

After receiving Zhuang Hao’s promise, Yun Hu walked away, beaming.

Qi Shaorong glanced at Yun Hu’s retreating figure. “What kind of mentor are you planning to find for him?”

“Wucheng,” Zhuang Hao answered.

“Are you talking about the instructor from your Saint Emperor Academy, the one who loves to beat his students?” Qi Shaorong raised an eyebrow.

Zhuang Hao glanced at him and said nonchalantly, “Instructor Wucheng doesn’t like beating students. He just enjoys practical combat.”

Qi Shaorong: “…” Doesn’t like beating students? Who else would enjoy that?

Rumor had it that this guy loved to drink. When drunk, he would find someone to spar with. Everyone around him would become his target for indiscriminate attacks. However, there was one reassuring fact: despite injuring many people, he’d never killed anyone.

“Although Instructor Wucheng’s teaching methods are a bit brutal, they’re effective. He’s produced a lot of excellent students,” Zhuang Hao said lazily.

Qi Shaorong smiled. “Sounds like a good guy. Let him handle it. After all, Yun Hu looks like someone tough enough to take a beating.”

Qi Heng watched the enthusiastic Yun Hu and asked, “Did something good happen to you?”

Yun Hu smiled widely. “Not much. Zhuang Hao said he’ll introduce me to a mentor!”

Qi Heng glanced at him. “Zhuang Hao is going to find you a mentor?”

“Yeah! Young Master Zhuang is really broad-minded. Even though I offended him so much before, he’s still willing to help me out,” Yun Hu said happily.

Qi Heng looked at Yun Hu and thought, What an idiot. He really thinks Zhuang Hao is a good person. I wonder what kind of mentor Zhuang Hao will find for this pig. I can already guess—it’s definitely not someone easy to handle.