Beast Taming Star Journey

Chapter 358 Exploring the Path of Clues

Inside the tents on the western front, the air was so thick it seemed to drip water. Su Yao and I both stared intently at the young man, awaiting his answer. But he remained silent, like a frightened deer, his eyes darting around, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

"He...he's here..." the young man suddenly whispered, fear spreading in his eyes. He stared intently at the tent entrance, his body trembling slightly. Su Yao and I followed his gaze, but saw nothing.

"Who's here?" I asked in a low voice, a sense of unease creeping into my heart.

The young man didn't answer, but instead gripped the hem of his clothes even tighter. The atmosphere in the tent grew increasingly oppressive, as if an invisible hand was choking me.

I took a deep breath and decided to stop waiting passively. I summoned my beast companion—a snow-white ferret named Little White, with a keen sense of smell and perception. It nimbly jumped onto my shoulder and nuzzled my cheek with its wet nose, as if to encourage me.

"Xiao Bai, go and sense what the young man is afraid of," I whispered.

Little White nimbly jumped off my shoulder and came to the young man, circling him a few times. Its little head was tilted slightly, as if it were carefully sensing something. Suddenly, it let out a soft whimper and gently patted the young man's hand with its paw, as if comforting him.

Sensing Xiaobai's kindness, the young man seemed to calm down a bit. "I...I saw him...he's outside...he's been watching me..."

"Who is he?" Su Yao pressed.

“I don’t know…I don’t know his name…but he’s terrifying…he always wears a black cloak and a mask…” the young man stammered. “I…I overheard him talking to the Beastmaster…they…they were plotting something…”

"What are you plotting?" I asked impatiently.

The young man took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind. "I...I heard them say...they were going to tamper with intelligence...to frame the Beastmaster of Jinlun..."

"Tampering with intelligence?" Su Yao and I exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes. If the intelligence had been tampered with, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Why did they frame the Beast Tamer of Jinlun?" Su Yao asked.

“I…I don’t know…” The young man shook his head. “I only heard…they mentioned a name…Brother Jin…”

“Brother Jin…” I repeated the name softly, my mind filled with questions. Who is this Brother Jin? Why did he frame Beastmaster Jin Lun? And what is his connection to the falsification of intelligence?

“And…they also mentioned a place…” the young man with the metal frame added, as if suddenly remembering something, “a…very mysterious place…”

"Where?" I asked hurriedly.

"Forbidden...forbidden place..." the young man uttered the two words in a trembling voice.

Forbidden area? A chill ran down my spine. Forbidden area on the Western Front, a secret location accessible only to high-ranking officers. What were they doing in the forbidden area?

“Let’s go!” I immediately stood up and said to Su Yao.

We quickly left the camp with Little White, heading towards the forbidden area. The young man's words instilled in me an unprecedented sense of crisis. I had to find out the truth as soon as possible and stop this conspiracy…

Upon reaching the entrance to the forbidden area, two metal-clad guards in silver armor blocked our path. "Halt! This is forbidden territory; unauthorized personnel are not permitted entry!"

I took a deep breath, trying to suppress my anxiety. "Guards, the situation is urgent, we must go in."

"No one is allowed to enter, that's an order!" one of the guards said coldly, showing no intention of leniency.

Su Yao stepped forward, her chilling aura causing the two guards to involuntarily take a half-step back. "We are ordered to investigate the intelligence tampering. Young Master Jin personally witnessed someone entering the forbidden area. This matter concerns the safety of the battle and cannot be delayed!"

The two guards exchanged glances, seemingly hesitant. I pressed my advantage, pulling out the token given to me by the Envoy of Jinmo from my robes. "This is the investigative authority granted to me by the Envoy of Jinmo; we can enter anywhere to investigate this matter."

The two guards carefully examined the token, and after confirming it was correct, their expressions turned serious. "But...we've been guarding this place the whole time, and we haven't seen anyone enter..."

“They might have used some kind of concealment method,” Su Yao said coldly. “Think carefully, have you heard any unusual sounds, or seen any suspicious traces?”

The two guards fell into deep thought, when one of them suddenly spoke up: "Wait... I think... a few hours ago, I heard a strange sound... like... like some kind of mechanism being activated..."

"A mechanism?" A thought struck me. Could there be a secret passage in the forbidden area?

Another guard chimed in, "Yes... I heard it too... At first I thought it was just the wind... But now that I think about it... something definitely isn't right..."

I looked at Su Yao, and a knowing glint flashed in her eyes. "It seems we must find this mechanism."

The three of us began to carefully search the area near the entrance to the forbidden zone. Little White also joined the search; its keen sense of smell and perception helped us find clues more quickly.

Time ticked by, and my heart grew heavier with each passing second. If we couldn't find the mechanism, we couldn't enter the forbidden area, and thus couldn't stop this conspiracy. Su Yao stood beside me, her hand gently resting on my shoulder, silently offering strength. I felt her support, and my heart gradually calmed down. I took a deep breath and continued to carefully search every inch of land, every rock.

Finally, behind an inconspicuous thicket, Little White noticed something amiss. It whimpered softly at the thicket, its paws scratching incessantly at the ground. I parted the thicket and discovered a fine line etched into a rock. This line was almost completely blended into the rock's color; without Little White's warning, I would never have noticed it.

I gently stroked the texture with my hand, feeling its shape and direction. Suddenly, my finger touched a small bump. I pressed it down, and with a soft "click," the ground trembled slightly.

"Found it!" I shouted excitedly.

As the mechanism was activated, a huge rock at the entrance to the forbidden area slowly moved aside, revealing a passage leading underground. A chilling aura emanated from the passage, sending a shiver down my spine.

I turned to look at Su Yao; her eyes were firm and composed. "Let's go in and take a look."

The three of us, carrying Little White, cautiously entered the passage. It was pitch black; you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. I lit a tinderbox, and the faint light illuminated our surroundings. The walls on both sides of the passage were covered with ancient runes, exuding a mysterious and eerie aura.

The deeper we went, the colder the air became, as if an invisible pair of eyes were watching us. My heart pounded faster and faster, and a nameless fear enveloped me.

"Wait..." Su Yao suddenly stopped, her voice low and heavy, "I...feel...a powerful...force..."

I followed her gaze and saw a massive stone door at the end of the passage… Carved on the door was a ferocious beast's head, its gaping maw seemingly ready to devour us… “What… what is this…” I murmured to myself…