Chapter 84

In the summer, the days always seem a bit longer, with the daylight being more industrious and the night more lazy. As for people, they generally prefer to wake up early at such times. These days, the three of them had basically adapted to Lu Buqi's schedule, getting up at the end of the hour of the Tiger.

"Bu Li, look, Big Brother Buqi has caught another wild boar!" This was the first thing Bu Hui said upon opening her eyes, and it had almost become her catchphrase these days.

"Wild boar meat isn't very tasty. It's a pity we haven't encountered any black-jawed ghost tigers these days. Otherwise, I would let you try the tiger meat roasted by Buqi." Long Buli stretched her graceful body slightly and looked around. "No matter when we wake up, he always gets up before us... He's really diligent..."

Although they had Jingxue Pills and Guyuan Pills, Lu Buqi found that he still had some appetite. Plus, Long Buli had often praised his roasted meat, so the three of them would still have one or two meals of roasted meat each day.

"Same as usual, you're in charge of finding firewood, and I'll clean this boar. Although it's not as tasty as tiger meat, if you want to eat roasted meat, we'll have to make do with it." Long Buli smiled lightly, her charm captivating, but her hands were busy sharpening the knife.

Lu Buqi naturally found a place to practice his boxing, which was an essential part of his daily routine. With the Ice Jade Ointment, every wound on his body had healed, leaving only some scars, which didn't matter much to a man.

However, when Lu Buqi returned, his expression was slightly serious. "I found signs that someone else has been around here."

"There were about seven or eight people, probably here to hunt spirit beasts. Last night, when we were about to go to sleep, I sensed their aura from the hillside to the north." As Bu Hui spoke, she had already placed a mostly clean wild boar on the fire.

Lu Buqi was relieved to hear this, knowing that Bu Hui, as a spirit beast, was much more sensitive in this regard. He smiled slightly. "Since there are hunters, it seems we're not far from leaving the Great Hong Mountain... However, those who dare to hunt in the Great Hong Mountain are probably not weak, and they are likely not ordinary hunters."

Long Buli's face showed a hint of disdain. "Seven or eight people together to enter the Great Hong Mountain, how strong can they be?"

Lu Buqi was already immune to Long Buli's big talk and sat down in the spot Bu Hui had vacated. He was always the one roasting the meat; if Long Buli and Bu Hui did it, they probably wouldn't eat more than thirty pounds out of a hundred pounds of wild boar meat.

The salt was also running low, as they had used quite a bit these days, especially with Bu Hui, a spirit beast with a "bottomless" appetite. Just as the three of them were savoring the roasted wild boar prepared by Lu Buqi, Bu Hui, who had been praising it, suddenly stopped eating and her face turned cold. "Big Brother Buqi, those hunters are coming our way..."

Lu Buqi wasn't surprised by Bu Hui's change in expression. On the journey, whenever a spirit beast provoked them, Bu Hui's ruthless actions left him speechless. One time, a sixth-stage white-backed bear, which was equivalent to a second-level Blood Boiling martial artist, was decapitated by her in a single move, even in her human form. In her spirit beast form, her combat power was 30% stronger, meaning that even Lu Buqi and Long Buli together might not withstand five of her attacks.

This was the power of a first-stage spirit beast, surpassing a tenth-stage spirit beast. Even a ninth-level Blood Boiling martial artist would struggle to defend against her.

Having a powerful spirit beast as a slave, Lu Buqi was secretly amazed by Bu Hui's strength but didn't get carried away. He only told her that she didn't need to intervene in such level battles. If they relied on Bu Hui every time they encountered a spirit beast, Lu Buqi and Long Buli would have no chance to train, which wouldn't be good for a martial artist.

"Bu Hui, be careful with your expression; they might not have any ill intentions." Lu Buqi said, "Remember what I told you: the human world is much more complex than your original world. Observe more, learn more, and speak less. Also, remember to hide your strength and act similar to Buli."

Bu Hui's expression softened completely when she looked at Lu Buqi, as if the transition from a cold, hard glacier to a warm, spring day happened in an instant. "I understand, Big Brother Buqi."

"Buqi, I don't like interacting with strangers. You deal with them when they come!" Long Buli suddenly spoke, which surprised Lu Buqi.

When you first met me, you were quite talkative with this stranger, Lu Buqi thought, but he didn't mind. He knew that Long Buli had a high spirit and didn't look up to just anyone, so he felt relieved.

"Ah, the smell of roasted meat! Someone must be enjoying a barbecue with beautiful companions!" As the sound of footsteps crunching through grass approached, a clear voice rang out. "Brother, you sure have good fortune, to have such a pair of beautiful sisters as company."

Lu Buqi frowned slightly; he didn't like this tone. He looked in the direction of the voice and saw a young man in his early twenties with a delicate face, slightly elongated, wearing a dark red outfit, a jade waist bow on his back, and a quiver of ornate arrows that were not ordinary.

"None of us are your brothers, so don't try to get close!" Lu Buqi's response was straightforward and blunt, but that was just him; he had no patience with people he didn't like.

As the rustling continued, a few more voices joined in, and several people with different weapons but similar clothing appeared. Including the young man, there were five men and two women, the youngest of whom was one of the women, possibly under twenty, and the oldest was a man who looked similar to Wang Lishou, tall and robust, with a large halberd in his hand.

The six newcomers, besides their similar attire, all showed the same look of amazement when they saw Long Buli and Bu Hui, even the two women.

Beauty that can amaze even women is true beauty. The younger of the two women was also quite pretty, with clear features, but her body, shaped by martial arts, wasn't as naturally curvaceous as Long Buli and Bu Hui, making her seem less impressive in comparison.

"Captain, a wild boy with two beautiful ladies, and he's quite rude. I wonder what his background is!" The young man who arrived first looked at Lu Buqi with displeasure but couldn't help glancing at Long Buli and Bu Hui.

"Ruisi, be respectful." The older man, clearly the captain, was much more composed. He pressed his hand slightly and bowed to Lu Buqi. "Young brother and the two ladies, there's no need to be suspicious. I am Lu Puxin, from the Lu family's Eagle Guard Camp in Hongshan County. We smelled the meat and were curious to see who was here in the Great Hong Mountain."

Lu Buqi's expression softened slightly, and he thought about their purpose in Hongshan County, which would inevitably involve the Lu family, possibly even closely. He naturally didn't want to start a conflict and bowed slightly, showing respect as a junior. "I am Buqi, and these are my two sisters, Buli and Bu Hui."

"Uh... May I ask, is your surname 'Bu'?" Lu Puxin was quite surprised.

Lu Buqi shook his head, neither humble nor arrogant. "We three come from humble backgrounds, and the names we just mentioned are just our given names."

Lu Puxin hummed, his gaze moving over Lu Buqi and his companions with a complex expression. Behind him, a young man with a face that was seven-tenths like a woman's spoke in a strange voice. "So, they're just three slaves, and their names are probably just lowly names. I wonder where they came from..."

Lu Buqi's face changed slightly, but Lu Puxin spoke sternly. "Young Master Yi, many of our brothers and sisters in the Eagle Guard Camp come from humble backgrounds. Please be mindful of your words."

"Are nobles born to be nobles?" Another young man, Lu Buqi glanced at him coldly. "If there's nothing else, please be on your way."

"Hey, you sure have a big mouth!" The young man called "Young Master Yi" stepped forward, standing next to Lu Puxin, staring at Lu Buqi with an air of superiority. "Talking about nobles, Captain, although our Eagle Guard Camp's mission isn't to track down slaves, as the direct grandson of the Lu family's patriarch, I have the authority to manage the issue of runaway slaves, right?"

"You have no authority!" Before Lu Puxin could respond, Lu Buqi, with narrowed eyes, said coldly, "Even if we three are slaves, we are not slaves of the Lu family. What makes you, a person who relies on others' power, think you can manage the entire Longyuan Prefecture or the entire Yunze Kingdom?"