Chapter 31

As the first light of dawn broke through, the beauty of the early morning pierced through the thick fog, gradually dispersing it. In the distance, one could now see the woods hidden in the mist.

Keling turned her head in anger but suddenly froze, then she was almost jumping with joy, tugging at Zhou Lu's leather armor and whispering,

"Quick, look, it's a Gold-eating Purple Lightning Sable..."

Zhou Lu and Xiaoluan turned their heads at the same time. They saw a small, light purple head peeking out from behind a purple-brown rock about a hundred feet away. Soon, the body of the sable, about the size of a mountain cat, was fully exposed outside the rock.

The little sable was plump and furry, with a light purple coat that looked quite adorable.

After obtaining the Barbaric Qi Whirl technique, Zhou Lu's senses had become much sharper. Even from such a distance, every strand of fur on the little sable was clearly visible to him. He could see the sharp claws under the furry paws and the occasional baring of teeth that could gnaw through metal.

Zhou Lu sincerely exclaimed, "Wow, it really is a Gold-eating Purple Lightning Sable."

Zhou Lu didn't understand why such a little sable was worth getting so excited about.

The two women, seeing Zhou Lu's lack of seriousness, became anxious. Keling whispered, "Zhou Lu, hurry up and shoot. Catch it, catch it quickly, don't let it get away."

"Huh?"

Zhou Lu was taken aback. Wasn't he supposed to be mining? He hadn't thought he was supposed to hunt. His mind was slow to react, and in a hurry, he took down the longbow from his back, drew it taut with a creak. The Purple Lightning Sable, sensing danger, quickly darted into a crevice in the rock and disappeared.

The Purple Lightning Sable was incredibly fast, and its small size made it almost impossible to catch, even for the most experienced hunter, once it had escaped into the crevice amidst the fog.

Seeing the sable disappear into the crevice, Keling angrily shook off Zhou Lu's sleeve, her chest heaving with anger, and she glared at him with wide eyes.

"You... you're so stupid..."

If Zhou Lu hadn't hesitated for a moment, he would have had a chance to shoot an arrow.

Zhou Lu still didn't understand what had happened, scratching his head in confusion.

Xiaoman's face also showed a look of great regret. She stomped her foot, sighed deeply, and said softly, "Keling, don't blame Zhou Lu for being angry. You didn't explain it to him clearly."

Then she turned to Zhou Lu and explained,

"Zhou Lu, it's like this. The Cloud Gold veins are so thin that even the miners can't detect them, so we have no way to mine them. In the 'Barbaric Records,' it is recorded that the Gold-eating Purple Lightning Sable feeds on Cloud Gold. They can find the Cloud Gold veins that we can't and eat the ore."

"According to legend, the intestines of these sables often contain high-grade Cloud Gold crystals. Capturing a Purple Lightning Sable would provide us with enough materials for our weapon forging. That's why we specifically invited you, the Eagle Wing Army's hunter, to help us catch one today."

Only then did Zhou Lu understand.

Xiaoluan shook her head regretfully and said, "The Purple Lightning Sable is very rare and hard to encounter. We had such good luck today to find one as soon as we entered this mountain area, but alas, it got away..."

Zhou Lu opened his mouth in surprise, not expecting so many details. He regretfully slapped his thigh and said, "Why didn't you tell me earlier? What a pity..."

Keling was still fuming, her face red as she panted heavily, glancing at him sideways and huffing, "Pity? If Master Brother were here, he wouldn't have let the Purple Lightning Sable get away with his archery skills!"

"Master Brother again!"

Seeing Keling's proud expression, Zhou Lu suddenly felt a surge of anger. Was it his fault? Who told him they were hunting? The opportunity slipped away in an instant, and what could he do without being prepared?

And now she was comparing him to Master Brother. What was so special about Master Brother? Was he better at everything?

Zhou Lu's chubby face turned red with indignation as he retorted,

"What's so great about Master Brother? I used to be a hunter in the Eagle Wing Army. Do you think I'm worse at hunting than Master Brother?"

Even a fat person has a temper and isn't to be pushed around. Zhou Lu had been patient enough for these past few days.

Xiaoluan was about to speak with a look of regret, but Keling's expression suddenly became intense.

She was already furious about Zhou Lu missing the opportunity, and now this fat man was daring to question Master Brother's abilities.

Keling still remembered how Master Brother, Yelaoqiang, had worked tirelessly day and night to perfect the design of the Eroding Sun Bow.

She still remembered that afternoon when Master Brother tested his archery skills and strength on the wasteland, leaving the centurions and decurions speechless.

That day, all the weapon forgers in the Western Mountain Array Fire Pavilion felt a great sense of pride and excitement. Weapon forgers were respected, but because they were always engrossed in their research, their own strength was often criticized. Any hunter who couldn't stand the arrogance of a weapon forger would often use force to belittle them.

But that afternoon, Master Brother Yelaoqiang brought great honor and respect to the weapon forgers. From then on, no one in the Western Border dared to underestimate the strength of a weapon forger.

Keling couldn't forget the excitement she felt that day. She wasn't just defending her respect for Master Brother; she was defending the belief that weapon forgers were no less than anyone else.

Seeing Zhou Lu's indignant look, Keling's face turned red, and she huffed, "It was clearly your fault. What's so special about you being from the Eagle Wing Army? How can you compare yourself to Master Brother? Do you know what level Master Brother is at?"

"In martial cultivation, Master Brother reached the sixth level of the Totem Heart Sutra before he was twenty. This year, he passed the sixth-level examination for the Quasi Mounted Archer, and with just four more levels to go, he will finally become a noble and prestigious Divine Mounted Archer."

"Divine Mounted Archer, do you know what it means to become one?"

Keling's voice was both proud and aggressive,

"Tell me, how can you compare yourself to Master Brother? How can you even begin to compare?"

Zhou Lu's face turned red, and he was drenched in sweat from Keling's words. She was usually gentle when teaching him fire control and was quite kind to him, but he didn't expect her to get so worked up over this sensitive topic.

A high-level hunter at the sixth level of the Totem Heart Sutra? At least four more levels to become a Divine Mounted Archer?

Zhou Lu secretly counted on his fingers, but he couldn't figure it out. He looked up at Keling, who was still angry, and after a long pause, he sighed, hung his head, and said with great frustration,

"I can't compare. I guess I can't compare..."

"Hmph!"

Keling huffed forcefully.

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