Chapter 84

The drizzle gradually became lighter, and the moonlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating the forest a bit more.

Behind a tree, on a patch of grass, a large tree root protruded from the ground.

Two large, gray-feathered birds, covered in fluffy feathers, were constantly pecking at a badly mutilated human corpse.

These two birds had three legs, were covered in gray feathers, and when they spread their wings, they spanned over three meters wide.

Their heads were slightly red, and their faces vaguely resembled human faces, except for their sharp beaks, which were like those of birds.

Wei He was startled. From a distance of several meters, at first glance, he thought they were two people in feathered clothing eating a human.

He carefully recalled the information on strange beasts he had collected over the years and quickly found the details about this particular beast.

"Turns out it's a Jueru Bird..." Wei He remained still, gripping the poisoned darts in his hand.

This type of bird was extremely fierce, and the most critical part was that their claws, beaks, and blood were all highly toxic, making them very difficult to deal with.

Their favorite hunting method was to suddenly grab or peck their prey, then wait for the prey to die from the poison.

Of course, for Wei He, this strange beast had no value, as its meat was inedible except for extracting poison.

He quietly withdrew from his position and moved away.

According to the records, if one was scratched by a Jueru Bird, even a third-level Qi and Blood Warrior would surely die.

Of course, this referred to the strength of its poison, but the actual combat ability was another matter. Third-level Blood Warriors had extremely quick reflexes and great strength, so these birds probably couldn't even ambush them.

A real comparison would require actual combat.

Regardless, Wei He didn't want to provoke this strange beast. He might not be afraid, but the others in his group were.

He slowly retreated and soon returned to the area where the others had passed earlier. Without stopping, he quickly returned to the cave.

Because he had discovered the presence of the Jueru Bird nearby, after resting in the cave for a while, the next day, he led the group along the nearly abandoned road, accelerating their journey.

He planned to leave the Jueru Bird's territory in one go.

These fierce beasts generally had their own territories, which were their hunting grounds. As long as they left, they would be safer.

According to the map, if they continued for another thirty miles, they would reach the first village where they could resupply.

What Wei He didn't expect was that when they arrived at the village, it had already turned into ruins, long abandoned.

Leaving the village, on the afternoon of the fifth day, while on the move, he encountered the Jueru Bird again.

These seemed to be a different pair of birds, with their heads more red than the previous pair.

Wei He felt a chill, sensing something was amiss. According to the records, Jueru Birds generally did not gather so densely in a small area.

There was only one possibility that would cause Jueru Birds to gather in large numbers: a nest.

There must be a very suitable nest for Jueru Birds nearby.

Wei He finally understood why this route was rarely taken. With such a highly dangerous group of strange beasts, especially flying ones, anyone would choose to avoid this area.

On the twenty-fifth day after leaving Feiye City.

Wei He and his group set up a simple shelter in the forest using thick branches and leaves, with Jiang Su and Wei He working together, completing it in less than half an hour.

The great strength of the martial artists and the resilient hands of Huishan Fist gave them a significant advantage.

The five of them rested in the shelter, gathered around a campfire, wrapped in warm animal furs, though they all smelled due to the lack of bathing.

But to reach this level was already quite impressive.

"We've been walking for a month, and it feels like nothing has changed. The scenery is the same as when we first entered the forest..." Jiang Su said solemnly.

"That's how it is in the mountains and forests, but we haven't gone the wrong way. I can tell from the traces on the ground," Wei He replied.

"Taizhou... What's Taizhou like? Do you know, Wei He?" Jiang Su asked casually, using a branch to stoke the fire, making it burn more brightly.

"I've never been there, but we have the map, the token, money, and enough strange beast meat to last us at least a month. No rush."

The supplies Wei He carried, along with the prey they hunted along the way, ensured they wouldn't go hungry, with the key being the strange beast meat.

"But staying in this environment for so long, I feel very oppressed. My father once told me that when traveling for a long time, people like to do something to pass the time and entertain themselves. Otherwise, it's easy to have problems," Jiang Su reminded.

"What do you mean?" Wei He knew she was right. Constant silence could indeed cause mental stress.

"Let's sing?" Jiang Su suggested. "I think I sing pretty well."

"I can dance," Ouyang Lin raised her hand.

"I've learned to draw," Zhang Qi said.

Wei Ying hesitated: "I can cook, but that's not necessary." She felt that spending time with everyone was more fulfilling than before.

"Singing is too loud," Wei He thought for a moment. "Dancing could attract other animals and beasts. Drawing is too mentally taxing and tiring."

He picked up a branch and drew on the ground.

"Let's tell stories. Keep the volume low, it won't make much noise, and it won't..."

He stopped mid-sentence, turning his head to one side.

"Friend, you can come out now," Wei He said, gripping a poisoned dart in his waist pouch.

These remaining darts were scarce, and there was no place to resupply, so he used them sparingly.

From the bushes, several tall, ragged men slowly emerged from the shadows.

The leader had a gash on one side of his face, his hair was messy, and he looked extremely disheveled.

He stared at the pot of meat soup cooking over the fire.

"We have no ill intentions. We've been walking in the forest for a long time and are very hungry. We smelled the aroma and came over."

The leader spoke loudly.

"Food is fine, but you have to pay for it," Wei He raised his hand, signaling Jiang Su and the others to be quiet.

"Sure, sure, no problem, we have gold notes!" The leader nodded quickly, pulling out a ten-tael gold note from his pocket and waving it.

"Alright, how many of you are there?" Wei He asked.

"Four, just the four of us," the man answered quickly.

"Good." Wei He suddenly waved his hand.

Whizz!

The dart flew out, hitting a man who was stealthily approaching from behind the fire.

The dart pierced through the man's throat, emerging from the back of his neck and embedding itself in the tree trunk behind.

Wei He darted forward, covering six meters in an instant, flashing between the four men several times.

He turned and returned to the fire.

"Let's go." He picked up his bag and led the way.

The four men behind him fell to the ground, all struck in the head and instantly killed.

This palm strike was silent, venomous, and lethal, not the open and direct style of Huishan Fist.

Jiang Su and the others looked at the fallen bodies and then at Wei He, who didn't even look back, feeling a chill. If Wei He hadn't noticed the ambush, the outcome might have been...

The group of men were dressed the same, using a few to draw attention while one attacked from behind, creating a pincer attack that could have taken out a less cautious group.

The group quickly got up, extinguished the fire, and followed Wei He.

Not far away, the sounds of wild beasts fighting over the bodies could be heard.

The group continued forward, and as the sun was about to set, they finally found a recently abandoned small village.

The houses in the village were still intact, providing shelter from the wind and rain.

This lifted the spirits of Wei Ying and the others. There was even a small stream nearby for fetching water and washing.

After over ten days of using leaves for hygiene, they were almost emitting the smell of excrement.

As the sky grew darker, a faint light could be seen through the walls of a mud house in the abandoned village.

Wei He and Zhang Qi stood in the yard, waiting for the three girls to finish washing and cleaning up.

The night sky was filled with brilliant stars, vast and deep.

Wei He's ears twitched, and he looked toward the broken gate.

"Who's there?"

"A passerby." An old man with a long beard stood at the gate, peering inside.

"Two young brothers, we are a merchant caravan traveling from Yunzhou to Taizhou. We just arrived here and saw the light, so we came to investigate. Please forgive us."

"This is an abandoned village, you are free to use it," Wei He said calmly.

"Thank you. I am surnamed Wang. If you need anything, you can come to the front house."

The old man had an imposing presence, not like an ordinary person.

But it made sense; in these times, anyone who could run a business between two states must have some skills, or they would be dead in the wilderness.

Behind the old man, a group of people followed, totaling about a dozen.

They carried large and small bags, looking weary and travel-worn.

However, one person passing by the gate caught Wei He's attention.

He focused his gaze, watching the person leave, pass the gate, and walk into the village.

It was a woman with long black hair, wearing a veil and a hood, walking with small steps.

Her hair slipped out from under her hood, black, shiny, and smooth.

"What's wrong, Brother Wei?" Zhang Qi asked.

"Nothing." Wei He withdrew his gaze. The woman who just passed was not simple.

But in these times, how many simple people were there? Anyone brave enough to venture into the wilderness was not simple.

This was a main road through the mountains, and anything could happen.

Inside the house, the three girls had finished bathing and cleaning up. They tidied up and came out to take over for Wei He and Zhang Qi.

"I'll go outside and check," Wei He said.

On the journey, he and Jiang Su had been alternating, taking turns to patrol the surroundings.

It was his turn now.

He had only taken a few steps when one of the merchant caravan members saw him and approached, bowing.

This person seemed to have been waiting at the gate for them to come out.

"Brother, tomorrow we will reach the Hidden Sword Gorge, where the Jueru Bird nest is. We must use beast bait. If you don't mind, why don't we share one portion? This way, we can save on beast bait. My master sent me to ask if you agree."

'Hidden Sword Gorge?' Wei He didn't have this name on his map.

But his expression was calm, and in the darkness, nothing could be seen clearly.

The other person assumed he knew.

"Brother?" The other person asked again when he didn't respond.

"To be honest, we are on our first trip out and don't know much about this. I do have a portion of beast bait, but I don't know how to use it. Please forgive me," Wei He replied.