Chapter 21

Outside the village of Fiyun, a group of strong villagers, led by Zhou Zhong, walked toward the vast mountains in the distance.

Lin Xun was also in the group. He had already promised to help Zhou Zhong clear the pests from his family's spirit fields after they returned from hunting, but the only condition was that Zhou Zhong must take him along on the hunt.

Zhou Zhong naturally agreed without hesitation.

Zhou Zhong's wife had recently recovered from a cold, but her body had become very weak and urgently needed to replenish her qi and blood.

Therefore, the main purpose of Zhou Zhong's trip into the mountains was to gather herbs to replenish qi and blood, while hunting was secondary.

As an experienced hunter in Fiyun Village, Zhou Zhong was well aware of the dangers in the mountains, so even for gathering herbs, he called on some of the village's strong men to follow him to ensure safety.

As for Lin Xun, who insisted on joining, Zhou Zhong was not worried. He had also heard about Lin Xun defeating Lu Ting the day before. In terms of combat ability, Lin Xun was far stronger than any of the villagers.

The group set out, and even with Zhou Zhong leading the way, it took them more than an hour to reach the foot of a mountain range.

Looking up, they saw the mountains towering into the sky, their peaks shrouded in thick clouds and mist.

Faintly, they could hear the roars of beasts coming from deep within the mountains, which was quite eerie.

"Everyone be careful. This deep forest is very dangerous. Not only are there fierce beasts, but also many miasmas and poisonous insects. Follow me closely and don't wander off."

At the foot of the mountain, surrounded by a vast sea of trees, Zhou Zhong took off his longbow and held it in his hand, scanning the surroundings vigilantly.

The other villagers also took out their weapons, their expressions becoming serious.

They were just ordinary people, though strong and agile, but not cultivators. Facing such a deep forest, no one dared to be careless.

Lin Xun thought for a moment and also took out the dark green short blade he carried.

The group was ready and immediately entered the vast forest, quickly disappearing from sight.

...

This forest was vast, with ancient trees reaching high into the sky, their branches and leaves forming a dense canopy that blocked out the sky, making the air damp and dark.

Some vines were as thick as buckets, hanging like pythons from the trees, and the ground was covered with fallen leaves and strange, poisonous flowers.

Zhou Zhong and his group were on high alert, moving cautiously, and no one dared to speak, fearing that it might attract poisonous insects or fierce beasts.

Lin Xun, however, seemed quite relaxed, taking the time to observe the scenery along the way and occasionally squatting down to pick some flowers and herbs.

"Purple Crystal Flower, Green Star Grass, Three-Leaf Silver Vine, Red-Tailed Bitter Root... I didn't expect to find so many spirit materials in this deep forest."

Lin Xun felt a bit delighted. As a spirit pattern apprentice, he had been dealing with various spirit materials since childhood and could easily identify the good ones from the useless ones.

With this experience and discernment, he found quite a few spirit materials along the way, most of which could be used for medicine or as materials for refining spirit ink.

Of course, they could also be sold for money!

This was a pleasant surprise for Lin Xun, but unfortunately, in Fiyun Village, even if he had spirit materials, it was difficult to exchange them for money, let alone food.

Lin Xun carried a large leather bag, about as tall as a person, so he had plenty of space to store the spirit materials.

"Little Brother Lin Xun, what are you picking these things for?"

Seeing Lin Xun picking flowers and herbs along the way, Zhou Zhong couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

Not only Zhou Zhong, but the other villagers were also quite curious.

Lin Xun didn't hide anything and explained the value of these spirit materials. The villagers, who knew nothing about them, were all puzzled.

However, when they heard that these things could be sold for money, their eyes lit up, and they all asked Lin Xun for guidance.

Lin Xun readily agreed, and thus the villagers began searching for spirit materials along the way under his guidance.

With more people, the task became easier. In just a short while, Lin Xun's leather bag was already full.

This vast, almost uninhabited forest, though dangerous, was indeed a treasure trove of spirit materials.

Of course, if it weren't for Lin Xun, these villagers would never have known that these seemingly ordinary plants could be sold for money.

As the group continued forward with enthusiasm, Lin Xun suddenly stopped and signaled everyone to halt.

In the puzzled gazes of Zhou Zhong and the others, Lin Xun suddenly grabbed Zhou Zhong's bow and arrow, nimbly climbed a nearby ancient tree, took a deep breath, and drew the bow, aiming the cold, sharp arrowhead at a distance.

Seeing this, the villagers immediately understood that a fierce beast was approaching!

They all tensed up, ready for battle.

Roar~

In just a few breaths, a roar like thunder echoed from the distance, deafening and causing birds to scatter in panic.

"Bad! It's a Snow-Spotted Leopard!"

Zhou Zhong's face changed. Based on his years of hunting experience, he could tell from the sound that the attacker was a Snow-Spotted Leopard!

This beast was as large as a cow, with a snow-white body dotted with black spots, and a fierce and cunning nature.

Years ago, the village's guard leader, Lian Rufeng, had encountered a Snow-Spotted Leopard. At that time, Lian Rufeng already had the cultivation of the "Internal Strength" level, yet he almost lost his life to the Snow-Spotted Leopard. This showed how powerful the beast was.

Indeed, hearing the name "Snow-Spotted Leopard," the other villagers all turned pale, gripping their weapons tightly, extremely nervous.

They never expected that the peaceful atmosphere would be broken by a Snow-Spotted Leopard. This situation was too dangerous; a moment of carelessness could cost them their lives.

Swish~

Before they could react, a white figure darted through the trees like lightning, pouncing fiercely at Zhou Zhong, who was at the front.

The speed was too fast!

Even though Zhou Zhong was prepared, his reaction was a bit slow. His long knife was only halfway raised when a huge mouth opened to devour him.

Just as Zhou Zhong was about to be attacked, the white figure let out a painful roar, its pounce suddenly halted, and it fell to the ground.

Only then did everyone see that it was indeed a Snow-Spotted Leopard, with an arrow embedded in its hind leg, blood gushing out.

Clearly, this arrow had saved Zhou Zhong's life.

Roar~

However, before the villagers could recover from the shock, the Snow-Spotted Leopard roared again, its ferocity undiminished, and leaped up to attack once more.

The overwhelming stench of blood, like a death signal, made Zhou Zhong and the others panic and retreat hastily.

Swish~

Almost simultaneously, a green blade descended from the sky, striking the Snow-Spotted Leopard's neck with precision.

Puff~

A spray of blood shot three feet high, and the Snow-Spotted Leopard's head was severed, its body falling to the ground with a thud.

Was it dead?

Zhou Zhong and the others were shaken, finding it hard to believe. This was a Snow-Spotted Leopard, a beast that had almost killed Lian Rufeng, who had the "Internal Strength" level cultivation. Yet, it was killed with just one arrow and one strike!

At this moment, Lin Xun, holding the dark green short blade, approached the Snow-Spotted Leopard's corpse, plunged the blade into its heart, and a stream of blood gushed out. Lin Xun then took out a leather pouch and collected the blood.

The Snow-Spotted Leopard was not an ordinary beast but a fierce one. Its heart was filled with powerful essence, useful for both medicinal purposes and consumption.

After filling the leather pouch with essence blood, Lin Xun stopped and said, "Everyone, the blood of the Snow-Spotted Leopard is valuable. Don't waste it."

Zhou Zhong and the others, as if waking from a dream, quickly moved forward, taking out their water flasks to collect the blood.

"Little Brother Lin Xun, that's impressive. This is an adult Snow-Spotted Leopard. Just its skin can be exchanged for ten copper coins in the Qingyang Tribe, and its meat is also very popular."

Zhou Zhong exclaimed.

The others nodded, their gazes filled with admiration. A thirteen-year-old boy could kill an adult Snow-Spotted Leopard alone, something they could hardly imagine.

Lin Xun smiled and said, "Let's quickly collect the valuable parts of the Snow-Spotted Leopard. The blood smell is too strong, and it won't be long before other fierce beasts are attracted."

Zhou Zhong and the others understood and immediately set to work, carefully dissecting the Snow-Spotted Leopard's skin, meat, bones, and tendons. They wrapped these parts in large leaves of a plant called "Odor-Blocking Grass" and placed them in the leather bags.

The Odor-Blocking Grass had a pungent smell that could suppress the blood scent, preventing other fierce beasts from being attracted.

After a while, Lin Xun and the group continued their journey.

After the attack, Zhou Zhong and the others became more cautious, no longer picking spirit materials, and focused on moving forward.

Lin Xun, however, continued as before, but his gaze had become more discerning. He no longer bothered to pick spirit materials of little value.

Most importantly, the group's leather bags were limited and couldn't hold too many spirit materials, so they had to abandon some of the less useful ones.

After moving silently for a long time, Zhou Zhong suddenly frowned and said in a low voice, "Something's not right. Usually, we would encounter at least seven or eight attacks from wild beasts when entering this forest, but this time, we only encountered a Snow-Spotted Leopard. It's strange."

The other villagers also nodded, agreeing that the situation was indeed unusual.

At this moment, Lin Xun seemed to have noticed something and quickened his pace, stopping behind a large tree about a hundred feet away.

Soon, Lin Xun's voice came, "Come and look here. It seems that someone else has been here before us."

Zhou Zhong and the others hurried over and immediately saw a dead beast lying on the ground behind the tree. It resembled a lizard, covered in dark green scales.

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PS: Thanks to Xia Zhi and Xia Zhi's friend "Baqi de Benbaobao" for their generous support. This chapter is a celebration for the Platinum Alliance member Xia Zhi. Finally, I continue to call for monthly votes.