A few insects chirped from the grass, and brightly colored birds hopped among the branches. If you could ignore their menacing appearances, this dense forest looked much like any ordinary forest.

A few of the females, who were entering the dense forest for the first time, wore worried expressions but did not pause in their actions. They stopped on a branch of a tall camphor tree, and Aming turned to ask one of the females beside him, “Are we going in the right direction?”

The female wrinkled his nose. His sense of smell was the best among the group. He took out a fabric pouch from his clothing, sniffed it, and then sniffed the air. Nodding, he said, “Yes, the scent is coming from this direction.”

Every female had one of these fabric pouches. Chen Qi had accidentally created them while handling various dried flowers. He discovered that, although the scent was not strong, it could linger in the air for a long time. Given the beastmen’s keen sense of smell, Chen Qi decided to make a scent pouch. This way, if someone got lost, they could puncture the pouch, and the scent powder inside would serve as an excellent trail marker, helping their companions find them. To perfect the scent, Chen Qi had even conducted several tests with Aze before finalizing the current formula.

As soon as Azhang had grabbed onto the pterosaur’s tail, he’d punctured the scent pouch he had kept at his waist. Aming and the others followed the trail of the scent, but since the pterosaur was flying at such a high altitude, the scent powder dispersed quickly in the wind, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact location. The group could only move in the general direction of the scent.

After receiving the confirmation, the group of beastmen set off again. Their agile forms swiftly moved through the trees, leaving behind only the sound of rustling leaves before even the shadows disappeared from sight.

Azhang led the way for Ashu, clearing a path ahead. In this area, there weren’t many tall trees, and the ground was covered with gray-black gravel. There was no sound of birds or insects, making it difficult to discern their direction. Azhang couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that something was wrong. It wasn’t a good sign, so he decided to leave the area as quickly as possible.

Ashu’s hands were weak due to the injury on his shoulder. When his wound was accidentally scratched by a protruding branch, he winced in pain, sharply inhaling. Azhang turned back with concern, “Are you okay?”

Ashu, his face pale, shook his head. “I’m fine, let’s keep moving.”.

Azhang nodded and cautioned, “Be careful. It’s too quiet here; we’d better not make too much noise.”

“En.”

Unable to determine the exact direction, Azhang could only choose a path based on the sun’s position and move forward. After leaving the area with short trees, they entered a dense forest where the tall trees blocked out most of the sunlight. Azhang had to periodically climb to the treetops to confirm they were on the right path before continuing.

After walking like this for most of the day, they finally heard the faint sound of running water. Both Azhang and Ashu felt a surge of relief. This forest had very few edible wild fruits, and they were almost out of water. Fortunately, Azhang’s backpack still held enough food to keep them from starving, but they definitely needed to find a way to replenish their water supply.

The two of them remained cautious. As they neared the source of the water sound, Azhang suddenly pulled Ashu to a stop and signaled him to be quiet. They hid behind a fig tree, and Azhang’s eyes widened in astonishment as he watched the scene unfolding in the distance, unable to believe what he was seeing.