Chapter 43

Coo.

A strange sound came from the distance.

Wei He's steps paused, and he looked up at the gloomy forest.

In the distance, a pair of pale green eyes faintly appeared, staring at him for a moment before disappearing.

Wei He swallowed hard,收回视线，专注于脚下的路。

脚下是一片片枯萎的草丛和落叶枝条，偶尔还夹杂着一些藤蔓。

他用弯刀小心地压下前面的草丛，以免里面隐藏的尖刺和锯齿草之类的东西割伤自己。

在这种密林里，一旦受伤流血，肯定会引来麻烦的猎手。

一边披荆斩棘，一边慢慢警惕周围。

Wei He came this time with the purpose of gradually adapting to hunting. As for investigating whether the situation at Shaoyang Gate was related to his family's disappearance, he was not in a hurry.

Even if he found out now, he couldn't take revenge. So it was better to first get familiar with hunting, try to hunt rare birds and beasts, and then improve his strength to deal with the matter.

Of course, if he had the chance to investigate along the way, that would be a pleasant surprise.

Puff!

A faint sound suddenly came from the grass ahead.

Wei He focused his mind, slowed his steps, and listened carefully.

Suddenly, he stopped, and gently used his machete to push aside the grass on the right side.

His movements were very light, almost making no sound.

Compared to the sound of the wind rustling through the grass, it was negligible and blended in.

On the other side of the grass, a large green-black python, as thick as an arm, was slowly swallowing a black rat whole.

Wei He's face remained unchanged, and he slowly raised his machete.

Swish!

His second burst of qi and blood gave him strength and speed far beyond that of an ordinary person.

Even though the Mountain Fist only enhanced his burst of strength, it was enough to face ordinary fierce beasts.

Wei He's machete was completely invisible.

A gray shadow flashed.

The machete flew out, and the python dodged like lightning.

Both actions happened simultaneously, but the python was still a step too slow.

Puff, the machete hit the python's neck just below its head.

Not the seven-inch mark.

The seven-inch mark is a technique used by professional snake handlers to control the snake by pinching its cervical vertebrae. But he didn't need that skill.

The idea of hitting the seven-inch mark, as taught by the experienced hunter Ding Hai, was a misconception.

A snake will die if any part of its spine is broken, and the seven-inch mark is generally used to control the snake.

If you want to kill a snake, the fastest place to hit is the head.

Also, if you encounter a snake and can't fight it, the first thing to do is to run uphill. Snakes move slowly uphill but quickly downhill, so...

Wei He looked at the python, which was almost cut in half by his machete.

The python lay on the ground, bleeding profusely, writhing and struggling, seemingly trying to survive a bit longer.

But when Wei He stepped forward and stomped on its head with his foot, it was over.

His movements were quick and precise.

Puff.

The snake's head was flattened, and it stopped moving.

"It's a python, counts as a catch," Wei He said, satisfied, as he shook the python's tail.

This was to test the experience taught by the experienced hunter Ding Hai.

No matter what kind of snake, if you grab its tail and shake it, it won't bite you.

Of course, the strength needed to shake different sizes of snakes varies.

For a small snake, the strength of an ordinary person is enough.

But for this python, as thick as a small arm...

Wei He shook it vigorously, and it made a thud.

The black rat that the python had just swallowed halfway was shaken out.

Not from its mouth, but from its crushed abdomen...

Looking at the black rat that was shaken out, Wei He thought for a moment and decided not to take it.

He coiled the python, sprinkled deodorizing powder on it, and put it in an isolated leather bag, tying it up.

This python would be enough to feed him for several days, making this trip a bountiful one.

After wandering for several days, this was the first time he encountered such a large prey.

"Ding Hai definitely has specialized hunting and tracking techniques that he didn't tell me, but what he taught me is enough. The rest I can figure out on my own. After all, it's their bread and butter," Wei He thought.

He estimated that without experience, someone who relies on hunting for a living would probably starve to death if they only encountered such a small amount of prey after so many days.

He put the python in his backpack, which was originally empty, and it immediately became noticeably fuller.

Wei He decided to return home today, not in a hurry, but gradually.

He looked around, turned, and slowly retreated along the path he came from.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a stone flew from the left side.

"Stop!"

A loud voice echoed from the forest.

The stone hit the ground in front of Wei He, creating a small pit.

It had considerable force.

Wei He looked at the pit and stood still.

Soon, several gray-clad men, some muscular and some thin, emerged from the forest.

The leader was a bald, muscular man, holding something that looked like a slingshot, but much larger.

"Smelled the blood from far away, and sure enough, there's a catch!" the bald man said with a smile.

He looked at Wei He, who was carrying a hunting bag, and was momentarily stunned.

Wei He was wearing thick, dark green clothes, a round hat, and a mask, with his entire body, below the eyes, wrapped tightly.

In this weather, wouldn't he be hot?

The bald man muttered to himself.

Moreover, the man in front of him was bulky, with a calm gaze, seemingly confident. How could he not be afraid of them?

The bald man immediately had an idea.

"Put down your things and leave on your own," he said sternly to Wei He.

Wei He did not act rashly. In this mountain forest, these people, judging by their attire, were likely local bandits. They had survived for a long time, and there must be a reason.

He was pretending to be a hunter, so...

He thought for a moment, put down the python from his back, and placed it on the ground.

"I'll leave now," he said in a low voice.

He began to step back, moving away.

"Wait!" The bald man's eyes narrowed when he saw how quickly Wei He complied. Could this guy be pretending to be calm on purpose?

He had seen such people before, and not a few. In this era, experts were usually supported by powerful factions and wouldn't come out to hunt on their own.

Even if there were, it was rare.

A lone person like the one in front of him, even if he was a real expert, could be taken down by their numbers and their tricks.

The bald man had once encountered an expert. Unfortunately, although the expert was strong and killed one of his brothers, he still died from their tricks.

Since then, he realized that even experts were human and could be killed if the ambush was successful. No matter who it was, they could be taken down!

Thanks to that success, he obtained a martial arts manual and practiced diligently, eventually breaking through to the second level of qi and blood.

With his martial skills and cunning, he became a formidable bandit in the mountain stronghold.

"What's in your bulging clothes! Take it out!" the bald man stared at the man in front of him.

Under the outer clothes, there was definitely something hidden, and not just a little, but a lot!

He had seen many people and knew this much.

Moreover, this guy had immediately thrown down his prey and left without a word. If he were a real expert, he wouldn't have given in so easily.

The bald man's eyes flickered, and he was convinced that Wei He's calmness was forced.

He had so decisively put down his prey, definitely to hide something more valuable on his body!

The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced.

"Take out what you're hiding under your clothes!" he said with a fierce look, and his companions formed a fan shape around Wei He, surrounding him.

They all sneered, their machetes flashing, creating a menacing whistling sound.

"I have nothing under my clothes," Wei He replied.

Apart from the poison powder, lime, poison darts, full-body leather armor, and poisoned handle spikes, he really had nothing else.

But the bandits didn't believe him and approached step by step.

"Nothing? Your clothes are so bulging, do you think I'm blind!?"

A bandit walked over and reached out to grab Wei He's clothes.

Wei He paused, not wanting to cause trouble. He didn't know the strength of these people, and this was their territory. He didn't know who else might be hiding behind them.

But he couldn't let them touch his things.

So he took a step back, avoiding the bandit's hand.

"I really have nothing on me. Gentlemen, I've been hunting for days and only caught the snake in the bag. I really have nothing else."

"Nothing? I think you're definitely hiding something in your clothes," the bald man said, increasingly convinced that the man in front of him was hiding something. He was so well-wrapped, and he had so decisively thrown away the bag, which