Chapter 85

"Let me handle this."

Xiaohua looked at Longchen, then at her grandfather.

"Xiaohua..." The old man frowned.

"Grandfather, Longchen is my man and will be a part of the village. He has the right to know about this," Xiaohua said firmly.

Hearing Xiaohua's words, the old man remained silent. The others quickly finished their thin porridge and returned to their houses, leaving only Longchen, Xiaohua, and her grandfather.

"That beast was sacrificed," Xiaohua said, looking into Longchen's eyes.

"Sacrificed?" Longchen was startled; it was the first time he had heard this term.

"Yes, your injuries were so severe that you could have died at any moment. We had no choice but to take you to the Forest God. The Forest God healed you, but in return, we had to sacrifice the rock leopard. That's why you were able to recover completely in just three days," Xiaohua explained.

Longchen was deeply shaken. The existence of a god in this world completely颠覆ed his understanding.

"Not only that, your injuries were so severe that we had to sacrifice all the flesh and blood in the village, including the rock leopard. Even then, we still owe the Forest God a lot of flesh and blood. We need to continue hunting to repay the debt," Xiaohua said softly.

Only then did Longchen understand why the entire village only had thin porridge to eat and no meat.

Thinking about these strong men who needed meat to build their strength, but had to go hunting on empty stomachs for his sake, he felt a deep sense of guilt.

"Longchen, I'm telling you this not to make you feel guilty, but because you are now a part of the village. I think you have the right to know the truth," Xiaohua said, holding Longchen's hand gently.

The more Xiaohua said, the more guilty Longchen felt. Having lived in the harsh environment of the capital for so long, this kind of trust made him feel incredibly warm.

"Can you tell me more about your Forest God?"

Xiaohua looked at her grandfather, and seeing him nod, she began to tell Longchen a story that seemed like a myth.

It turned out that the village had been established not long ago. Their ancestors discovered a very magical tree. Once, their ancestor was attacked by a beast and nearly died, but managed to escape to this tree. The tree dripped a drop of sap, and within half a day, their ancestor's severe injuries were completely healed.

To express gratitude to the tree, they hunted a wild animal and placed it as an offering before the tree. They found that the tree instantly absorbed the animal.

From then on, whenever someone was injured, they would go to the tree for healing, and the tree would always heal them.

To show respect to the tree, they called it the Forest God. Soon, after they sacrificed many animals, the tree began to communicate with them and established a covenant.

It could heal the villagers, but in return, it needed sacrifices. The amount of the sacrifice depended on the severity of the injury.

It was like a doctor charging a fee, but over the years, the Forest God had not demanded much in return.

They did not need many sacrifices, but in Longchen's case, the Forest God demanded a shocking price to heal him.

"What did it ask for?" Longchen asked.

Xiaohua looked at Longchen, bit her lip, and said, "Ten first-stage beasts and one second-stage beast."

Longchen's face changed. A first-stage beast required the entire village's strength to deal with, and it was a very risky task. A second-stage beast needed several Blood Condensation Realm experts to kill, which was an impossible task for Xiaohua and her people. The so-called Forest God was literally pushing them to their limits.

Seeing the anger on Longchen's face, Xiaohua quickly said, "Longchen, you must not harbor any resentment towards the Forest God. It is very fair. Over the years, no matter how many injuries we had, it never demanded such a high price. This time, there must be a reason. Besides, you are already healed. As long as we work together, we can repay the Forest God's debt soon. Even if it were ten second-stage beasts, we would agree. We cannot just watch you die. Sob..."

Tears streamed down Xiaohua's face as she collapsed into Longchen's arms, sobbing. The old man sighed and said, "Longchen, the Tree God is absolutely fair. It has its reasons for demanding such a high price. Don't be angry."

"I want to see the Forest God," Longchen said. He wanted to understand what this Forest God truly was.

As for the price it demanded, Longchen was not concerned. Now that his body was healed, he could easily kill a first-stage beast and, if it didn't escape, a second-stage beast as well.

A second-stage beast was equivalent to a human Blood Condensation Realm expert, but the beasts' bodies were too strong, making them formidable opponents for humans of the same level.

However, who was Longchen? Apart from Sinew Transformation Realm experts, he feared no Blood Condensation Realm expert. He did not like owing debts. If he confirmed that the Forest God was not a fraud, he wanted to repay the debt as soon as possible. He also wanted to know what a god truly was.

With Xiaohua's grandfather's consent, Longchen followed Xiaohua out of the village and headed down a mountain path.

Clearly, Xiaohua was very familiar with the area. She led Longchen forward, carrying a bow and arrow, and occasionally stopping to listen to the sounds around them.

Sometimes she would take Longchen to check some traps she had set, to see if any animals had been caught.

However, to their disappointment, they checked over a dozen traps, but none had been triggered, and they had no harvest.

"This is really frustrating. The village hasn't had meat for days. We desperately need it to replenish our strength, or it will be very difficult to catch prey," Xiaohua sighed.

They were hunters, and meat was a stimulant for them. Not eating meat for several days was a significant blow to their morale.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it. Since this is my fault, I'll resolve it," Longchen said with a smile.

Xiaohua's face changed, and she said angrily, "What do you mean? Your problem is my problem, and the village's problem. How can we let you go alone and take the risk?"

Longchen smiled bitterly and closed his mouth. He liked the atmosphere in the village, where there was no selfishness and everyone lived in harmony. This was a luxury in the capital, where people were always plotting against each other.

This was a beautiful place, but Longchen could not stay here, and he certainly could not marry someone and have children without thinking.

His life was saved by the entire village, and now the village owed a debt because of him. He had to repay it before leaving.

"Wait."

As they were walking, Xiaohua suddenly stopped, looking at a footprint on the ground with a serious expression.

"A bear just passed here. Judging by the size and depth of the footprint, it must be an adult raging bear, over ten feet long. The soil color indicates it passed here about an hour ago."

Xiaohua, a seasoned hunter, could deduce so much from a single footprint. A raging bear was a first-stage beast, extremely aggressive and difficult to deal with.

Even with the entire village's strength, they might not dare to challenge a raging bear. They dared to hunt the rock leopard because, although it was fast, its attack and defense were not particularly strong.

With enough people and attention to its movements, they had a good chance of killing it.

However, a raging bear was different. It was not a speed-type beast, but its defense and strength were terrifying. No matter how many people they had, they had no chance of winning.

"It looks like we need to take a detour," Xiaohua said cautiously.

"Why?" Longchen was puzzled.

"Are you stupid? We are no match for a raging bear. Even if all the village's warriors gathered, we wouldn't have much of a chance," Xiaohua said irritably.

"Who said that?"

"You... you're really frustrating me," Xiaohua said, both angry and anxious. Suddenly, she widened her eyes and looked at Longchen.

"Are you planning to kill the raging bear?"

"Sure," Longchen said, looking at Xiaohua.

Xiaohua was stunned. She immediately recalled the scene when Longchen fought the rock leopard. At that time, Longchen was like a war god, invincible.

Her grandfather later said that Longchen had been severely injured before encountering the rock leopard, or he might have had the strength to kill it.

Seeing Longchen's expression now, she finally realized that Longchen might indeed have the strength to kill a beast.

"Have you ever killed a first-stage beast before?" Xiaohua asked tentatively.

"No."

Longchen shook his head. This was his first time out, and he had only eaten the meat of beasts that Ahman had killed.

But in his heart, he mused: I haven't killed a first-stage beast, but I've killed quite a few Blood Condensation Realm experts.

Xiaohua shook her head. "Then let's not take the risk. Killing a beast isn't just about cultivation or strength; it's about timing, technique, and experience. Since you have no experience in killing beasts, we shouldn't take the risk. Hunters never do things without a guarantee, or they become prey."

"Never do things without a guarantee? What about when you saved me?" Longchen smiled.

"Stop it, you're not allowed to mention that again," Xiaohua blushed and threatened him with a small fist.

"Alright, I won't joke with you. Don't worry, I won't risk our lives," Longchen said seriously.

Seeing Longchen suddenly become serious, with no trace of his previous playful smile, he gave a sense of security.

For some reason, seeing Longchen's serious face, Xiaohua felt relaxed, and the terrifying image of the raging bear faded.

With Xiaohua's experienced guidance, they walked for over an hour and saw a large natural cave ahead.

Inside the cave, a raging bear that had been sleeping lazily suddenly opened its huge eyes. It saw two people invading its territory.

"Roar!"

The raging bear stood up, its massive body over ten feet tall, and charged at them.

Seeing the charging bear, Xiaohua's face turned pale. This was her first time facing a beast so directly, which violated all the hunter's rules.

However, Xiaohua noticed that Longchen remained calm throughout, his eyes as calm as water. As the bear pounced, he swung his left fist.