Not far away, Song Jie heard the sound and immediately rushed toward it.
At the same time, he released a Flash into the sky.
The originally dark night was instantly illuminated.
Song Jie saw the Thunder-Marked Wolves surrounding the vine prison.
Raising his hand, several beams of light shot out like lasers, instantly killing them all.
He walked up to the vine prison, and as he approached, the vines slowly dissolved.
Seeing this, Song Jie finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he arrived in time—otherwise, Mu Nujiao might have…
He quickly stepped forward, examined Mu Nujiao's injuries, and frowned.
Without hesitation, Song Jie lifted Mu Nujiao into his arms and ran toward the exit.
Before coming, the Mu Family had arranged for a team of hunters to wait for them outside the post station.
As long as he could get her there, her injuries could be treated.
Song Jie dashed wildly through the darkness. Fortunately, Mu Nujiao was light; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to carry her so fast.
Outside Xiaokunshan, Mu Lei and the others were resting and treating their wounds.
Only one-fifth of them had survived. The rest had been killed by the Thunder-Marked Wolves.
Mu Lei looked anxiously toward Xiaokunshan. "Uncle Jin and Jiaojiao haven't come back for so long. Could something have happened to them?"
"Lei Zi, don't worry," said one of the High-level Mages. "Uncle Jin is with her. He won't let anything happen to the young lady."
"No, I'm going to check!" Mu Lei's unease grew stronger.
He turned toward the hunter team. "Send two people with me. I'm going back into Xiaokunshan."
Since the hunters had been hired by the Mu Family, the captain quickly assigned two men to accompany him.
"Lei Zi, listen to me—" the High-level Mage tried to stop him.
"I'll just go pick them up. You stay here and wait," Mu Lei interrupted firmly.
Seeing that his own wounds had been bandaged, Mu Lei grabbed his weapon and prepared to head out.
But before he could move, a dark shadow emerged from the forest, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
"Are they back?" the High-level Mage asked, eyes narrowing.
"Light, now!" Mu Lei ordered.
The Light Mage beside him instantly cast Flash.
A burst of bright light illuminated the clearing—and everyone could finally see who had come out.
"Song Jie!" Mu Lei exclaimed, spotting him—and Mu Nujiao in his arms.
Song Jie staggered to a stop before them, breathing heavily. "She's injured."
Hearing that, Mu Lei's face changed. "Someone, treat her wounds immediately!"
A female healer quickly stepped forward. Song Jie gently set Mu Nujiao down so the healer could begin her work.
As soon as he saw Mu Nujiao receiving treatment, exhaustion flooded Song Jie's body.
He sat down heavily, leaning back with a deep breath.
"Song Jie, thank you so much this time!" Mu Lei said gratefully. This was the second time Song Jie had saved Mu Nujiao.
Someone handed Song Jie a bottle of water. He drank a few sips and felt slightly refreshed.
After more than ten minutes, the bleeding on Mu Nujiao's wounds had stopped. Her life was no longer in danger.
"Song Jie, please take Jiaojiao back first. I'll stay here to wait for Uncle Jin," Mu Lei said seriously.
Song Jie nodded. There was no point staying any longer. It was better to escort Mu Nujiao back.
Soon, Song Jie joined the returning group and headed toward the Xiaokunshan Post Station.
The one-hour journey stretched into an hour and a half due to the wounded.
The Mu Family had already contacted their headquarters, and by the time they reached the post station, Mu Nujiao was picked up by the people sent to retrieve her.
It was already late, and no buses were running back to the city.
Song Jie decided to stay the night at the Xiaokunshan Inn.
He found a small hotel, checked in, and collapsed onto the sofa with a deep sigh.
Today had been dangerous, but everything ended safely—and he had gained quite a lot.
The Spirit of a Warrior and more than twenty Plant Stamens.
Even Xiaolu was full from today's harvest.
"It'd be great if I had a summoned beast to travel faster," Song Jie muttered. "Then I wouldn't have to run like this."
He smiled helplessly. For now, his second summoned beast just needed to help with transportation.
After eating something and resting for half an hour, Song Jie sat cross-legged on the sofa and began to construct his Summoning Star Path.
When his consciousness entered the Summoned Beast Plane, he started searching for a suitable mount.
Luck seemed to favor him—he quickly spotted several Wind Eagles soaring in the sky.
Among them was a familiar one—the same eagle that had ignored him before, no matter how he tried to persuade it.
This time, however, it was being bullied by a few others.
Song Jie didn't intervene immediately. He waited until the bullies left before approaching the wounded eagle.
The eagle turned to him warily, eyes filled with defiance.
"Do you want revenge?" Song Jie asked through spiritual communication.
The Wind Eagle stared at him, hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"If you trust me," Song Jie said gently, "I'll help you become stronger—and you can return today's humiliation yourself."
The eagle's eyes flickered with struggle, then determination. It finally bowed its head.
Song Jie smiled and imprinted his Spiritual Mark onto the eagle.
Through their connection, he learned its species—Wind-Riding Eagle.
He channeled his summoning magic power into it, helping the eagle recover from its injuries.
Moments later, Song Jie's consciousness returned to the real world.
"Finally done," he exhaled in relief. "Now I've got my own mount."
He stretched his arms and smiled.
He had promised to make the Wind-Riding Eagle stronger—and he would keep that promise.
Then, he began his next round of practice.
The Next Morning
Song Jie wasn't sure if he would still receive payment for this mission, but it didn't matter—his gains were already substantial.
After checking out, he left Xiaokunshan Inn and took a taxi back to the city.
He reflected on everything he'd learned from this experience and began planning when to go out for training again.
If he weren't short on money, he wouldn't want to take such risks—who knew what kind of danger awaited next time?
When he returned to his rental apartment, the familiar smell of home filled the air.
Just then, his phone buzzed with a new message.
[Song Jie, it's me—Mu Lei.]
Mu Lei soon added him as a friend.
Mu Lei: I finally found your account!
Mu Lei: Jiaojiao's fine now. This is her account too—if she messages you first, well, that's your chance!
Song Jie couldn't help but laugh softly.
Mu Lei was really something.