Lu Yong decided to do a preliminary check on the location of the Devil Bear without Wu Chen along. His training in concealment gave him an advantage in reconnaissance that Wu Chen lacked. The day had already lengthened, and hunting the bear in the dark was not his plan. Getting a better idea of the bear's hunting grounds, or even the chance to observe the bear, would be enough for today. Tomorrow they would hunt.

He had Wu Chen stay at camp to begin setting up drying racks and the hide stretcher while he headed out alone. It was late in the day, and the shadows stretched ominously as he traversed the tree choked forest. He spread his senses out searching for his prey. It didn't take long to find it.

He had gotten about five li from the campsite when he picked up the iron scent of blood and the sound of a large animal huffing low and loud. Stretching his senses a little further, he detected the fierce creature shuffling along and dragging a carcass. It was approaching the base of a tall cliff in the foothills of the mountains. He would have to hurry to catch up. Daylight was waning.

He moved silently through the undergrowth, his scent and aura completely shielded. Like a shadow, he slipped closer to the bear until he was finally able to get a good look at it. He crouched in the foliage, his eyes blazing at the sight before him.

The creature was massive. It towered over Lu Yong, its thick black fur glistening in the dying sunlight, powerful muscles rippling just beneath its shaggy coat. Its blood splattered claws were razor sharp, and the size of short swords. In its iron jaws it gripped the carcass of a large spirit deer that it dragged towards an opening in the cliff face. He had gotten lucky and discovered not only the bear but its den as well.

The bear snuffled and grunted as it pulled the deer closer to its den. Lu Yong debated whether he should kill it now or wait until he could bring Wu Chen here. It would be good combat training for him. Wu Chen excelled in arena battles and duels, but he lacked experience in true life or death situations. Better to use the bear for training then, he decided.

Spreading his senses carefully, he took a look at the cultivation level of the behemoth. It looked to be in the mid-Foundation stage. Good. That meant that it would be strong enough for a good fight, but not so strong that Lu Yong couldn't protect Wu Chen should it become necessary. The only question that remained was exactly what its abilities would be. He had missed the attack on the deer, so there was no way of knowing what tricks it might use in battle.

Taking note of the encroaching darkness, he knew it was time to head back to the camp. He committed the location to memory and headed back swiftly towards the site. It was time to let Wu Chen know what he'd discovered and figure out their next course of action.

By the time he arrived at the campsite, night had fully descended. He allowed his aura to emerge so that Wu Chen would know it was him approaching. Wu Chen felt it, so he barely looked up from sharpening his long sword by the fire when he entered the camp. Lu Yong was a little hurt by his attitude, but until he could explain things there wasn't anything he could do about it.

'Anything?' Wu Chen asked, examining the sword for nicks.

'En,' grunted Lu Yong. He sat down near Wu Chen, not encroaching on his space, and took a pull from his waterskin. 'I found it along with its den.'

'Is the den that close then?' Wu Chen asked, pulling out his cleaning rag to finish his work on the sword.

'It's around five or six li from here, so not too far.' Lu Yong glanced at Wu Chen, getting annoyed by his behavior. 'The bear deserves its name. With all four of its feet on the ground, it stands about the same height as two men. It will be much taller when it rears on its hind legs during the battle. Cultivation is around mid-Foundation level, so it may be a tough fight depending on its abilities. I didn't get a chance to see those, so I don't know what it can do yet.'

'En,' nodded Wu Chen as he continued cleaning his sword. 'I got the drying racks and hide stretcher finished. Since I didn't do as much as you today, I'll take first watch. You should rest so you're ready for tomorrow.'

'Wu Chen...' Lu Yong started, his face darkening in frustration.

But Wu Chen got up and sat himself a distance away on a boulder near the stream. Lu Yong watched him go with a heavy heart. He shouldn't have kept the truth from him. This whole mess was his own doing. That was a fact. He didn't know what Wu Chen would think once he found out who he was, and even worse, that Lu Yong had known about it all along. It was going to be rough for a while. He'd better just be patient and give him his space.

He shook the dark thoughts away and hid a smug smile as he spread out his blanket to rest. He hadn't told Wu Chen that he was going to treat the Devil Bear as a training lesson. He was willing to admit to being petty enough to enjoy some pay back for his treatment tonight. He'd be right there if things went badly after all.

The night went quickly, and they soon found themselves headed in the direction of the den. The sky had only just lightened enough to see, so they felt sure that the bear wouldn't even be awake after its feast from the day before. Wu Chen hoped that the creature would be sluggish and sleepy if they arrived early enough.

The sound of the beast's even breathing from the enormous cave could be heard before they were even in sight of the den itself. Lu Yong silently signaled for Wu Chen to take up a position just a short distance in front and to the right of the den. Wu Chen nodded, and quietly got into position, his swords drawn.

Lu Yong carefully approached the den and peeked inside. The cave itself was very dark as the sun wasn't high enough yet to penetrate the inky blackness within. Even so, he could just make out an even darker massive shape near the back of the cave. The smell of blood was strong here, and he noticed a second dark mass off to the right side. It was the half-eaten carcass of the deer. There did not appear to be anything else of note in the cave. At least not physically.

There did seem to be an odd fluctuation now and then from a mysterious power that rippled through the air. That was more intriguing than even the bear in his eyes. They would have to thoroughly examine the cave once the animal was dead.

The bear stirred in its sleep. It hadn't survived this long by dropping its guard while it slept. It eventually opened one eye and glanced around. Seeing nothing, it used its cultivated senses to detect just what had woken it. After a few passes with no threat nearby it put its head back down and went to sleep.

Once he was sure the bear had returned to sleeping, Lu Yong silently made his way back to Wu Chen. He got as close as he could and whispered, 'I'm going to position myself, and then get its attention to draw it out. Be ready.' Wu Chen nodded, his eyes never leaving the den.

Lu Yong stepped out so that he was directly in front of the den entrance and began a hand seal. Soon, a number of razor-sharp ice shards appeared in front of him. He looked over at Wu Chen and noticed the confusion on his face. He grinned widely as he sent the shards at top speed directly into the den where muffled impacts could be heard.

Then there was a tremendous roar as the bear, having been pelted by the shards, burst from the den in a full rage.

'We didn't need that much attention!' Wu Chen harshly whispered to Lu Yong.

The bear heard him, having the sensitive ears of a cultivator, and its enraged gaze shifted itself to Wu Chen.

'Right.' Wu Chen mumbled, his gaze hardening as the bear charged at him with impressive speed.

Lu Yong laughed, and using his qinggong, he leapt branch by branch to the top of a nearby tree. He stood there easily with his arms crossed watching his ward closely. He wanted him to get this experience, but he also wanted to ensure that he wouldn't actually get hurt.

'You need these experiences Wu Chen.' Lu Yong shouted down at him. 'I'll be here just in case.'

'You're a real bastard sometimes, Lu Yong!' Wu Chen shouted as he dodged the gigantic claws of the attacking bear.