Chapter 1

The red mud, with a bitter taste carried by the wind, yet the green trees swayed not far away, but the roars from the bushes shattered the tranquility.

The spring water trickled, and the sunlight brought a blinding phosphorescence, yet the fish swam in the spring water, but the large, jar-like heads of the fish flashed with a row of fierce light.

This is the Red Mud Area, named after the red mud here. Apart from the mud, there is nothing particularly special about it.

Wild beasts roamed, and various trees were dense, not tall but not allowing the sunlight and rain to recklessly invade this sea of shade.

There were many clearings in the forest, varying in size, like patches of dandruff on a person's head.

Although it seemed ordinary, don't underestimate it. The forest often tells us: such places are not for small animals to play; they all have their own masters.

A low growl, from high to low, carried a sense of weariness but did not lose its majesty.

In the middle of a clearing about half a mile wide, a giant lion lay. Clearly, such a large clearing was not something an ordinary wild beast could possess. Just from the thick red fur covering its body, one could tell that this lion was no ordinary existence. It was about ten feet tall, with muscular limbs, and a fresh wound on its front paw. However, from the bits of flesh between its teeth, it was not hard to guess that it was the victor in that battle.

This is the unique wild beast of the Red Mud Area, the Red Lion. Although the Red Mud Area has three forests, no matter which one it is in, it is not to be easily provoked.

The wind blew again, and the leaves rustled. The Red Lion raised its head alertly, looking to the left. There was nothing there, only dense trees and waist-high blade grass.

The Red Lion was puzzled, and finally yawned. Sleepiness eventually overcame its vigilance, and it lowered its head heavily, closing its eyes.

"Hmph, these leaves almost ruined my plan, but fortunately, the Red Lion, though keen, is still young." The person hiding in the shadows took his axe off his back.

"It's time to part with this stench." It was a man, with messy long hair, bare-chested, and muscular. A layer of black-green mud was unevenly smeared on his body and face, but this did not affect his appearance, as he looked ordinary except for his determined eyes.

The wind suddenly stopped at this moment, as if to welcome the gust that was about to come!

Wind and lightning!

Like an arrow from a bow, the man suddenly jumped from the tree, using the momentum to swing his axe at the Red Lion with the wind and his disheveled hair!

As the man said, the Red Lion, though strong, was still young, which is why he dared to hunt it. However, even a young Red Lion is not easy for a human to kill!

"Roar!" A roar startled the leisurely birds. It was the king of the forest, and now it was being ambushed, which was a challenge to its status. How could it not be enraged!

Unfortunately, the man struck first. Even though the Red Lion reacted, it could not completely avoid the fatal blow. Blood splattered as a deep wound, visible to the bone, appeared on the Red Lion's abdomen! However, the man's attack was limited to this wound. The Red Lion quickly leaped backward, creating some distance between them.

Blood flowed, dripping into the ground and being absorbed by the mud, the redness seemingly evolving from this.

"Hmph, indeed, it cannot be killed in one blow, but even so, today you will be my trophy, Gu Xuyao!" The man, who called himself Gu Xuyao, his face darkened, stopped attacking and began to circle the Red Lion in a strange posture.

"Dragging it out is to my advantage, the Red Lion is proud and a lone wanderer, with almost zero chance of appearing with other of its kind. Now, with its blood loss, its strength is waning..." Gu Xuyao silently calculated. He was not unfamiliar with the Red Lion. A proud Red Lion would never flee, even when at a disadvantage, it would fight to the death.

The next moment, the clear sky might turn cloudy, just as now, a warm and lazy afternoon suddenly turned into a heavy rain. The cold rain on the Red Lion's wound caused a numbing pain, and it finally realized that dragging it out was not in its favor. With a roar, the Red Lion kicked off the ground and pounced at Gu Xuyao, who was also ready to attack!

The deafening roar and the forceful pounce did not faze Gu Xuyao; he was already used to such scenes!

He first crouched to narrowly avoid the Red Lion's pounce, then agilely jumped to the left. At the same time, his right hand, holding the axe, raised again!

"Thud." The sound of muscles being torn.

Axe up, axe down, the Red Lion received another wound, the same length, the same depth, revealing white bone.

The Red Lion roared in pain, and upon landing, it went into a frenzy, launching a series of uncoordinated attacks.

Seeing this, Gu Xuyao did not attack again but began to retreat, diving into the narrow forest. The thick trees were a natural barrier, and even a powerful Red Lion had to slow down.

"Do not confront a cornered beast, the first rule of Uncle Zhang's hunting: never engage a red-eyed beast in a direct fight!"

Gu Xuyao's face was expressionless. The rain washed away the layer of black-green mud, revealing his youthful face. Despite this, his calm and composed hunting skills were truly astonishing.

After a short chase, the Red Lion's speed began to slow, and soon it was less than half of its initial speed. Gu Xuyao knew that his two previous axe strikes had caused the Red Lion to bleed profusely, not just because of the positions he struck but also because the axe he held was forged by the village blacksmith, Zhang. This axe had numerous saw teeth on its blade, making it difficult for the wound to scab, let alone stop the bleeding.

"This is the moment!" In front of Gu Xuyao was a huge tree, much larger than the others, about five times the thickness of an ordinary tree.

Gu Xuyao suddenly stopped in front of the tree, turned, and looked at the frenzied Red Lion, his pupils constricting.

"Roar!" A stationary prey is meat! The Red Lion let out a desperate roar and launched its final pounce!

In that split second, agility was the only explanation! Gu Xuyao strangely jumped to the left, narrowly avoiding the Red Lion's pounce by less than an inch!

A dull thud, the Red Lion crashed into the tree, head-on.

A mournful cry, the Red Lion lost all its strength, collapsing in its own blood and rain, panting heavily. Although the Red Lion was tall, even ordinary trees could not stop its angry charge, but when it encountered this abnormally thick tree, it had to stop.

"I told you, you must be my trophy." A foot stepped on the Red Lion's head, a humiliation that the pride of the forest king could not tolerate!

The Red Lion, in a last burst of energy, lunged at Gu Xuyao, who was not far away!

Fortunately, Gu Xuyao reacted quickly, not being overturned by the Red Lion's sudden movement. He nimbly leaped upward, avoiding the gaping mouth and delivering the final downward strike.

Warm blood and brain matter splattered all over Gu Xuyao's body, but although it was disgusting, it was no longer dangerous. This redness was the Red Lion's final accusation against him.

"Uncle Zhang's hunting rule... whatever, don't step on the Red Lion's head. Tsk, tsk, this burst of energy is indeed not to be underestimated, and the dignity of a beast is not to be trampled on..." Gu Xuyao pulled his axe out of the Red Lion's limp body and took a deep breath.

The rain gradually stopped, and the mud on Gu Xuyao's body was washed away, revealing his bronze skin and several scars.

"This rain is good, it washed away the tree sap I used to mask my human scent." Gu Xuyao was satisfied with his clean body, free from the stench of tree sap and the sticky brain matter. He looked up at the distance; although the chase was short, it left him no time for another hunt, and the heavy, large Red Lion's body was enough to deal with.

Satisfied, Gu Xuyao removed the Red Lion's claws and fangs, putting them in the clothes tied around his waist.

"Home." He hoisted the nearly mountain-sized body onto his shoulder, smiled contentedly, and set off on his journey home.

Breathing in the slightly fresh air after the rain, his mood improved. In the Red Mud Area, no one would ask for too much, nor dare to.

The road back to the village was one Gu Xuyao had walked countless times, familiar and easy. However, the muddy red mud, like blood, stained his pants and boots.

With mud on his feet, Gu Xuyao returned to the village entrance, the place where he had lived from childhood.

The village was not small, with everything it needed, but it was rather simple. Sparse houses lined the village, scattered and disordered, making it look dizzying. A few people moved around the village, but even so, for a village in the Red Mud Area, it was already quite lively.

"Big Brother Gu, you're back early today!" A child of about nine years old, passing by the village entrance, saw the returning Gu Xuyao and smiled.

Gu Xuyao also smiled, showing the expression he should have at his age. "Da He, where are you going? At this time, shouldn't you be learning your father's trade?"

Da He was the son of the village tailor, Liu. According to his father, "son follows father," and being a tailor in the village was not bad.

"Those things are too boring, I don't want to learn to be a tailor. I don't want to stay at home like a woman making clothes. I want to ride the clouds and mist, I want to be like those immortal uncles!" Da He pointed to a few people standing in the central square of the village, dressed in long robes, looking elegant and different from the rough men in the village.

"Is it that time again..." Gu Xuyao muttered to himself.

After saying this, Da He skipped toward the largest clearing in the village, while Gu Xuyao slowly put the Red Lion's body on the ground, looking ahead. Da He's happy figure seemed to overlap with something from years ago.

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