Hearing this, Lin Wen paused for a moment, then asked, "May I ask why teammate Yang chose this route?"

"Since we must traverse this forest, we need several essential items. The biscuits in our bags will only last one day, and the water, barely more than half a day. Because it is currently summer, we must replenish our water supply constantly to prevent dehydration. Moreover, staying near water not only provides drinkable water but also potential food." Yang Yi explained with a faint smile.

"Replenish food?" Fang Yunyun looked at Yang Yi with a sour expression and asked, "Are you suggesting we hunt those animals?"

"What if we do?" Xuanyuan Bing queried.

"I fear it won't be the animals becoming our food, but rather us becoming their prey," Fang Yunyun mumbled, pouting.

"This is the suggestion I offer. Whether you accept it is up to you. Besides, look around—we are the last ones left to set off." Yang Yi sighed, feeling that he had already pointed out the easiest path. Whether they followed it or not was largely irrelevant to him.

Even if they didn't take the water route, he was confident he could reach the destination alive, but they might not. Indeed, as Yang Yi thought, he could manage, and Xuanyuan likely could too, perhaps even Shangguan Yunmeng. But for the remaining Lin Wen and Fang Yunyun, he couldn't be so sure.

Not everyone understood the principle of not using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. What kind of person was Yang Yi? He was the Rogue King who commanded the majority of the underworld empire in Huaxia. Leading this small team certainly felt like overkill. However, Yang Yi paid no mind to such trivialities; currently, he only wanted to get through this month relatively peacefully. Although 'peacefully' was debatable, given that Nan Gongsan’s men wouldn't give up easily and were likely already lying in ambush somewhere in the forest, the route they ultimately chose made little difference to Yang Yi.

Ultimately, because Yang Yi’s current thoughts clashed sharply with those of Fang Yunyun and Lin Wen, especially since they had no idea why Yang Yi held such unique insights, they ended up choosing the other path—one farther from the water source, hoping to avoid carnivores.

"Those two are practically committing suicide," Xuanyuan Bing stated in a low voice as they walked.

"Heh, that has little to do with us. What matters is..." Yang Yi glanced casually in Shangguan Yunmeng's direction. He felt that since she had been assigned to his group, she had been deliberately, subtly testing him, as if she desperately wanted to know something about him.

"She seems quite interested in you," Xuanyuan Bing remarked, a hint of jealousy coloring her words as she pursed her lips.

"Mm?" Yang Yi looked at her in surprise and chuckled, "Whether she’s interested in me, I don't know, nor do I care to find out. But what I do want to know is whether her Shangguan Clan will be enemies or allies to me in the end."

Xuanyuan Bing glanced at Yang Yi and fell silent. In truth, she had been persistently asking her father about his stance toward Yang Yi. Yet, all she ever received was an inexplicable answer—Xuanyuan Hao would only sigh and proclaim, "Unspeakable, truly unspeakable," a response that nearly resulted in Xuanyuan Bing smashing an ashtray over his head.

They had set off at nine in the morning, and now it was nearly two hours later. During these two hours, the sun seemed to show a peculiar degree of 'affection' for these rookie soldiers, refusing to be anything but scorching, causing the recruits to sweat profusely until their clothes were practically dripping. Though it was summer, the trees were relatively dry, yet not desiccated.

Summer differs from autumn; summer heat is intensely fiery, whereas autumn is drier, making it the season prone to fire. Therefore, at this time of summer, not only was the weather intensely hot, but the heat also made people more irritable. After two hours of walking, Fang Yunyun was already pouting, grumbling, "What kind of weather is this? It’s boiling hot." She muttered as she walked, causing her to drink water continuously.

"Yunyun, save some water. Don't drink it all at once; what if we can't find a source later..." Lin Wen worried. Based on how Fang Yunyun was drinking, she would surely finish her supply in less than half a day.

Furthermore, in the entire team, everyone started with only one canteen of water, an equal footing. If she ran out due to selfish consumption, asking others to share would likely be met with refusal; very few people would willingly share. However, one shouldn't generalize about the whole team. At least at this moment, Lin Wen was thinking that if she truly ran out of water later, he would spare some for her.

"Okay, okay! I'll watch it," Fang Yunyun said, yet she continued to gulp down water mouthfuls.

After walking some distance more, Yang Yi’s group stopped at a spot to rest and nibble on biscuits.

"Yi, I don't really like biscuits. Here, I'll give you some of mine," Xuanyuan Bing offered.

"Mmm, mmm!" Yang Yi shook his head. "Actually, I don't really like them much either."

"Uh, then save them for when you're really hungry."

"Right."

Shangguan Yunmeng, watching from the side, looked on with a flicker of envy. There was a time when she wished she could share such a moment with someone, but alas, they were now separated into different teams. He had his group, she had hers. Thinking this, she quietly ate two biscuits, took a sip of water, and then announced, "Alright, we need to hurry. We must cover half the distance before dark. If we dawdle any longer, we won't reach the destination before nine tomorrow."

"What? I just sat down, and we have to move again?" Fang Yunyun complained, kneading her calves petulantly.

"In wilderness survival training, don't think your spoiled, delicate young lady airs will keep you from being eaten by beasts in this forest," Xuanyuan Bing said, her face stony, every word radiating a profound chill.

"You..." Fang Yunyun was struck speechless. She didn't know how to retort to Xuan Yuan, so she sulked silently.

"Let's go!" Yang Yi also stood up. He felt helpless, even speechless, dealing with women like her.

As the three of them stood up to leave, Lin Wen also told Fang Yunyun, "Yunyun, let's go."

"Hmph, you’re treating me like this too?" Fang Yunyun snorted, reluctantly hoisting her pack and walking ahead. Lin Wen shook his head with a look of weary resignation.

After walking for a while, observing the sun growing fiercer, Yang Yi felt a strange sensation for some reason. Since they started trekking, they hadn't encountered anyone from any other team, nor had they seen any common wildlife—no snakes, frogs, not even mosquitoes or ants.

This greatly perplexed him, and he wasn't the only one; Xuanyuan Bing and Shangguan Yunmeng felt it too. As for the other two, there was no need to mention it. After Yang Yi glanced back at them, he could only shake his head. Fang Yunyun was nothing but trouble—gulping water wildly, then demanding some from Lin Wen when she ran out. Now, because she had walked too much, she needed Lin Wen to support her. The girl wasn't training; she seemed to be treating it like a game.

"Yi, there seems to be something wrong with this area," Xuanyuan Bing stated with certainty.

"Yes. Judging by the path we’ve taken so far, the terrain is becoming increasingly cracked. This is clearly a drier, hotter zone. And in areas like this, there isn't even an ant. We need to be careful; something might be ahead," Yang Yi said, frowning.

"Hey, you two in the back, hear that? This area is abnormal; be careful. If you get hurt later, you’ll just slow us down," Xuanyuan Bing warned them without offering any warmth.

Shangguan Yunmeng, sweating heavily and panting, felt that what Yang Yi and Xuanyuan Bing said made sense, and a sliver of alarm crept into her vigilance.

Suddenly...

"Ah..." A shriek cut through the air. Fang Yunyun seemed to have been knocked down by something.

"Be careful! Ah... what is that thing?" Lin Wen rushed to support her, then stared wide-eyed at the round, somewhat flattened object, easily the size of a dinner plate. His face instantly turned pale.

"Aah—" Fang Yunyun screamed.

Yang Yi, focusing his gaze, shouted, "Careful, it's a python!"

"How can it be this big?" Shangguan Yunmeng looked on in disbelief, staring at the serpent's body. A python easily fifty meters long, with such a massive girth—it was an incredibly huge snake.

This wasn't a movie set, nor some fantasy epic; this was a real python, one that had likely lived deep in the arid mountains for ages. Yang Yi didn't know the species, or why it possessed such incredible length and size. He froze as he watched the tongue flick out incessantly...

Everyone was stunned. Although the python's body was immense, its head was relatively small. Yet, one bite would certainly mean instant death. "Bing'er, go protect the others."

"Understood!" Xuanyuan Bing drew her military knife. Though she knew it wouldn't necessarily help against her unique abilities, she drew it just in case. "Yi, be careful."

"I know." A cold glint flashed in Yang Yi's eyes. This was no time for joking; this python probably wouldn't drop dead easily even against a Grandmaster-level expert. "Classmate Shangguan, may I ask about your..."

Shangguan Yunmeng understood immediately what Yang Yi was implying. She drew her military knife, saying, "I'll lend you my strength."

"Good! You attack its tail from behind, and I'll intercept any sudden movements from its head. We need to get those other two away from here first," Yang Yi said, his eyes locked on the coiling serpent head.

"No problem."