Switching

Nearly thirty horned badgers frantically charged the ropes, their terrifying strength instantly pulling the ropes taut and initiating a tug-of-war with the hunters.

"Keep pulling, brothers! Let's take these beasts down!"

Wang Sanyang bellowed at the top of his lungs.

"Yes, Captain!"

The hunters responded loudly.

Lin Sheng, along with Zhang Ding and a few others, was gripping a rope and pulling with all his might.

"Quick, throw the powder!!"

Zhang Ding yelled to the hunters behind him. His face was flushed red, and his hands, gripping the rope, kept emitting cracking sounds. It was clear he was using every ounce of his strength.

Their small team was responsible for the area north of the spring. Ten horned badgers were currently charging at them. If they hadn't secured two ropes to an ancient tree beforehand, these few people might not have been able to withstand the charge of ten horned badgers.

Even if they could barely hold off the beasts' charge now, it would be difficult to secure the last rope in a short amount of time.

Following Zhang Ding's shout, an old hunter behind him pulled a cloth bag from his embrace and hurled it fiercely at the horned badgers smashing against the rope net.

The cloth bag landed directly on the head of a red-eyed horned badger, immediately bursting open and scattering a large amount of grayish-white powder.

This powder was mixed with a potent sedative. Even a strong beast like a horned badger would be affected if it inhaled too much. As long as they held on for a while, the outcome would be decided.

Squeak... squeak... chitter...

Just then, strange calls echoed from the bushes behind them.

Hearing this, Zhang Ding's expression changed slightly.

"Oh no, those horned badgers we released earlier are back!!"

As soon as he finished speaking, several furry heads burst out from behind them, their eyes bloodshot as they charged madly at the hunters.

However, most of the hunters were focused on the horned badgers in front of them, and these returning horned badgers were quite fast.

Before anyone could react, a horned badger had already reached a hunter from behind, baring its mouth full of crooked teeth, and began to tear into the hunter ferociously.

The situation, which had just stabilized, immediately descended into chaos. The horned badgers in the net seemed to be stimulated, charging even more wildly. The gaps in the rope net were being stretched wider and wider.

Two horned badgers also charged towards Lin Sheng's position in the north.

Even with Zhang Ding's warning, a hunter behind Lin Sheng couldn't react in time. A horned badger bit his shoulder, and a large amount of blood spurted out, splashing onto Lin Sheng's face.

He didn't have time to wipe the blood from his face before a chittering sound was rapidly approaching him.

Lin Sheng didn't hesitate. He immediately let go of the rope in his hand, shifted his body to the side, and a mouth reeking of foul odor swept past him.

Before the owner of the mouth could make another move, Lin Sheng grabbed an iron rod from the ground, gathered his strength, and smashed down fiercely.

Bang!

A dull thud was accompanied by the clear sound of bone shattering.

The horned badger was immediately knocked to the ground with a single blow, a deep indentation appearing on its head. However, it wasn't dead yet and was still struggling to get up with grunts. It was then hit again with another powerful blow, and this time it lay on the ground, silent.

All of this happened too quickly. The hunter's wails and cries continued to echo from behind.

He kept pounding backward with his hands, but being bitten on the shoulder by the horned badger, he couldn't exert any strength. Not only did it fail to make the horned badger release its bite, but it also bit down harder.

Just as the hunter was in despair, there was a squelch.

The tearing pain from his shoulder abruptly stopped.

Turning around from the ground, he saw an iron rod already impaled in the eye socket of the horned badger on his shoulder.

With a black cloth boot landing, the horned badger was kicked off him.

At this moment, the other horned badgers that had been charging were also dealt with by the hunters who had finally reacted.

Although the change was sudden, it fortunately did not allow the large number of horned badgers in the net to escape.

After about fifteen minutes, the horned badgers in the net finally showed signs of fatigue, their charging force significantly weakening. Seizing this opportunity, the hunters quickly secured the ropes in their hands.

After waiting a while longer, until the sedative had taken full effect, some hunters entered with iron rods and knocked out the horned badgers one by one.

Then, under Wang Sanyang's command, the hunters carried these horned badgers down the mountain.

However, everyone's mood was somewhat somber, with little joy of a successful harvest.

Large patches of blood stained the grass. They had captured thirty-two horned badgers this time, definitely exceeding their target, and their rewards would surely increase significantly.

Yet, due to the sudden attack by the horned badgers, they had still paid the price of three injured and two dead.

The group descended the mountain at a rapid pace. Although they had knocked out most of the horned badgers, they had also discarded two dead badgers to distract other beasts that might be attracted by the scent of blood.

They had lingered at the spring for quite some time, and there might have been unforeseen events.

Fortunately, there were no incidents along the way. As they neared the foot of the mountain, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief, and their somber mood improved considerably.

"Damn it, I didn't expect these horned badgers to go berserk and turn back on us. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been any casualties this time."

Zhang Ding said resentfully, carrying a flat long pole on his shoulder, to which a plump horned badger was tied.

"This time, it's thanks to our young brother Lin's quick reaction. Otherwise, Xiao Shi wouldn't just be injured."

He looked at Lin Sheng as he spoke.

"It's also because Xiao Shi attracted the attention of those two beasts first. Otherwise, I might have been in trouble."

Lin Sheng shook his head slightly.

His face was still covered in dried bloodstains.

This incident was indeed perilous. Although he believed that even without the hunter named Xiao Shi behind him, he wouldn't have ended up like Xiao Shi, he definitely wouldn't have dealt with those two beasts so easily.

He would have been flustered and might have even gotten injured in the haste.

"Regardless, you played a part in today's events. I'll mention it to Captain Wang when we get back," Zhang Ding said without giving Lin Sheng a chance to reply.

Seeing this, Lin Sheng didn't say anything more, just nodded silently.

He knew that if he said any more, it would seem overly sentimental.

The few of them fell silent. Lin Sheng's eyes were slightly unfocused, his attention already drawn to the new information in his mind.

[Beast Name: Horned Badger (Common Grade)]
[A relatively common wild beast in the mountains and wilderness, round and fleshy, timid in nature, ... can be classified as mid-tier Common Grade.]
[Integration Requirement: None]
[Integration Effect: Stamina Boost +1, Agility Boost +1.]

"I didn't expect this horned badger to be a mid-tier Common Grade exotic beast," Lin Sheng was a little surprised by the information in his mind, but on second thought, it made sense.

Although the description mentioned its timid nature, it could be quite formidable when it went berserk, especially with its speed. Otherwise, it wouldn't have caught the seasoned hunters of the Beast Hunter Hall off guard.

Coupled with its considerable biting force, it was indeed much stronger than the rock sheep.

"Agility Boost +1." He noticed that besides the Stamina Boost, the horned badger's integration effect had a new effect.

Agility Boost clearly affected speed.

No, it wasn't just about speed; it also enhanced reaction time and flexibility to some extent.

He knew this clearly because he had already successfully integrated the horned badger.

When he killed the two horned badgers, a prompt appeared in his mind from the Mountain Sea Scroll.

After a moment of hesitation, he decided to integrate the horned badger. After all, compared to the Strength Boost from the Iron Yak, the Agility Boost from the horned badger would undoubtedly offer better adaptability and survival capabilities in Mount Yangping. As for practicing the Raging Bull Fist later, he could always buy some yak blood and integrate it again.

Moreover, the effect of the Agility Boost was indeed quite significant.

Carrying the horned badger on his back, he still felt his steps were incredibly light.

Soon, he immersed his mind back into the void space of the Mountain Sea Scroll.

In the void space, the blood-colored mist still swirled before him. In the center of the blood mist, a plump horned badger was vividly depicted. Whether it was an illusion or not, he felt that the blood-colored mist in this space seemed a little denser than the first time he entered.

Speaking of which, ever since he activated the Mountain Sea Scroll, he hadn't paid much attention to this void space, focusing more on the physical attribute boosts after integration.

Looking at the swirling blood-colored mist before him, Lin Sheng had a thought, and the mist seemed to react, beginning to change. A wisp of blood mist rose and formed a miniature rock sheep in front of him.

At the same time, a string of information popped up in his mind.

"Replace exotic beast Horned Badger?"

"Could it be..."

Looking at the miniature rock sheep, which was much smaller than the horned badger, Lin Sheng's heart seemed to hit upon something. He immediately chose "Yes."

The moment he confirmed, the horned badger that was condensed from the blood mist dissolved back into mist, while the miniature rock sheep was continuously filled with blood mist, quickly transforming into a robust and lifelike rock sheep. The feeling of lightness and relaxation in his body quickly dissipated, and he clearly felt his steps become much heavier.

However, there wasn't a trace of disappointment on his face; instead, it was filled with unconcealable surprise.

Soon, as his thoughts shifted, the rock sheep in the void space shattered with a roar, and the blood mist quickly gathered into a plump, powerful-looking black yak. However, the boost effect belonging to the Iron Yak did not appear, and the image of the Iron Yak seemed somewhat ethereal.

"What is this..."

Seeing this change, Lin Sheng was stunned, but he quickly reacted.

"It seems there's a cooldown period for switching integrations in the Mountain Sea Scroll."

Thinking this, he waited quietly. It wasn't until about an hour later that the image of the Iron Yak in the void space became full and solid. Lin Sheng quickly felt the heavy weight on his shoulders lighten considerably, clearly indicating that the Strength Boost effect belonging to the Iron Yak had recovered.

"I didn't expect that the integrated exotic beasts wouldn't disappear but would be immersed in the blood-colored mist. This way, although I can't integrate these exotic beasts simultaneously, I can selectively switch between them."

Lin Sheng couldn't help but feel pleasantly surprised.

This discovery was a huge surprise for him.

The amplification effects brought by integrating different exotic beasts varied, and being able to switch naturally would undoubtedly allow for more flexible adaptation to various environments.

It would also save the trouble of having to re-integrate later.

For common beasts like the Iron Yak and rock sheep, it wasn't difficult to collect their blood again after replacing them, but it was much harder to collect the blood of rare Spirit Beasts. The fact that the blood mist in the void space could now be integrated into beasts was an absolute lifesaver.

Having once again discovered a useful function of the Mountain Sea Scroll, Lin Sheng's mood improved greatly.

After another half an hour, the group finally returned to the Beast Hunter Hall's outpost at the foot of the mountain.

By the time they finished dealing with all the horned badgers, it was already evening.

Since they had expended a lot of energy dealing with the horned badgers during the day, everyone ate a quick meal and went to bed early.

Lin Sheng was no exception. After buying some daily necessities on the street, he returned to his residence, practiced Raging Bull Fist twice, and then went to bed early.

As the sky darkened, on the other side, in the eastern district of Lin'an County City's outer area.

A hunched-over woman, her head covered with a coarse cloth, walked slowly into an alley, carrying a vegetable basket covered with gray cloth.

After confirming that there was no one around as she expected, she walked up to the last civilian house and gently knocked on the wooden door.

"Who is it?"

A rough, low voice finally came from the courtyard after a long pause.

"It's me."

Hearing the woman's voice, footsteps sounded from the courtyard, and the wooden door was opened, revealing a tall man inside.

The woman nimbly stepped into the courtyard and closed the door. Her previously hunched posture immediately straightened.

She pulled off the coarse cloth headscarf and fumbled with her face, revealing a somewhat beautiful countenance.

"The Tooth Gang has people staking out both city gates, and even the gate guards have increased. It seems Liu Ergou's death has truly enraged Liu Yuanshan. I'm afraid it won't be easy for us to get out of the city."

The woman said in a deep voice after removing her disguise.

"Chun Niang, don't worry too much. I don't believe they can keep watch forever. The bribes to the yamen will cost a lot. As long as we keep a low profile and stay put here, I don't believe they'll come knocking on every door. After all, this isn't the west district; the Axe Gang's territory makes it difficult for those Tooth Gang scoundrels to do whatever they want."

The tall man beside her snorted coldly, saying dismissively.

His upper body was bare, and his shoulder was wrapped in thick white cloth, but some bloodstains were still seeping through.

As he spoke, he suddenly coughed, his face turning slightly pale.

"They certainly can't keep watch forever, but your injury can't be dragged out either. The arrows that injured you were poisoned. Although it's not a potent poison, it will still be quite troublesome if not treated promptly."

The woman, Chun Niang, frowned slightly as she looked at the man's pale face.

"I went to the pharmacies on the street, and the Tooth Gang is also watching there. It's not easy to find the medicinal herbs to treat you."

"Cough, cough, don't worry. This injury won't kill me. It's just that I can't swallow this insult. We didn't kill the person, yet we have to take the blame."

The tall man, Zhou Tong, his face contorted with rage.

As the former deputy leader of the Fist Gang, he had never been framed like this or suffered such humiliation.

"If I find that person, I'll skin him alive and tear out his tendons!"