Clues (Part 1)

"This means if I don't want to go, I won't be able to buy this poison powder?" Wei He frowned.

"That's not it, it's just why do you have to be so stubborn? Don't look at how tense things seem on the outside, if it really came down to fighting, there's still a long way to go." Cheng Shaojiu shook his head. "Three years ago, Hong Family Fort and the Seven Families Alliance were constantly clashing. Back then, everyone thought a war was imminent and was very tense, but nothing has happened yet."

Wei He was silent. He just wanted to move lightly and freely. In reality, Feiye City was becoming less and less a place he wanted to stay long-term.

Seeing Wei He's expression, Cheng Shaojiu knew he wasn't tempted at all, so he could only wave his hand.

"Forget it, forget it. Since you really don't want to, I'll have to give them my reply. I'll still get the poison powder for you."

"Then thank you, Brother Cheng." Wei He nodded solemnly.

"We're brothers, why say such things?" Cheng Shaojiu was unconcerned. "Let's train, let's train."

"Mm."

Wei He also returned to his spot, where Ouyang Zhuang was already waiting.

He also began to patiently guide him through the techniques.

Time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, another two months had passed. Wei He hadn't gone anywhere. He had merely registered his name with a few small gangs within the city, receiving some food and meat each month. After that, he primarily relied on Teacher Zheng, using the medicinal ingredients provided by the old man to supplement his Blood Essence.

Teacher Zheng possessed a type of meat called Flower Branch Deer Meat. Its taste was quite awful, almost like excrement, but its medicinal effect was only slightly weaker than that of Silver-Kiss Black Snake Meat. It was also a rare and excellent source of Blood Essence.

Wei He accepted Teacher Zheng's conditions and truly became the core disciple Teacher Zheng was focusing on cultivating.

This was considered a true closed-door disciple, and the plan was to groom him as the successor to the Huishan Fist Academy.

During these past two months, the Three Gangs and Two Sects, Hong Family Fort, and other small forts and influential families had all tried to recruit Wei He.

The conditions they offered were all very valuable.

Hong Family Fort, in particular, offered resources and benefits comparable to what Jiang Yan provided, but it also came with the stipulation that he had to move his family to Hong Family Fort.

This was essentially asking him to dedicate his life.

After much deliberation, Wei He still refused. He had only chosen to affiliate with a few small gangs.

Additionally, besides affiliating, at Old Zheng's suggestion, Wei He also agreed to serve as a guest elder for the Qingdu Sect, one of the Three Gangs and Two Sects.

This guest elder status was no different from the temporary employment qualification with the Yonghe Escort Agency.

They would keep him for a small fee during normal times, and if his help was needed, they would hire him for an additional price.

It was akin to being a privately contracted mercenary.

After handling these matters, Wei He diligently practiced every day. His comprehension of the techniques and their artistic conception was progressing well, thanks to his advanced mindset.

However, in terms of accumulating Blood Essence, the results were minimal.

After consuming the Flower Branch Deer Meat, the speed was faster than that of Silver-Kiss Black Snake Meat. After all, eating both together would definitely accelerate Blood Essence accumulation significantly.

But no matter how fast, in two months, the progress was still slow. Up to now, the Boundary-Breaking Pearl had only reached two-tenths completion, which was one-fifth of the way.

As for Blood Essence, the first red imprint of a Nine-Cloud Flower had just begun to condense. It still needed to solidify before it could be considered the successful completion of the first flower.

This was just the first flower, the easiest one, and it was taking this long.

Wei He finally understood why Old Zheng had said this stage would be very time-consuming.

As the situation grew increasingly troublesome, Wei He was also quite dissatisfied with his own Blood Essence progress.

To speed things up, he decided to find a way to obtain more potent Blood Essence supplements.

However, each faction's Blood Essence supplements were proprietary, and outsiders were not allowed to pry into them.

Therefore, the only way to obtain something that didn't belong to others was through hunting!

Wei He was well aware of the dangers outside the city, but not all areas outside the city were dangerous. Otherwise, wouldn't those people who constantly entered and exited the city transporting vegetables and grains all perish?

He spent three days, going out of the city every day, scouting the areas around Feiye City to gather information.

With his current strength and reaction speed, as long as he was careful, there was indeed no danger.

Then, at the city gate, he observed for a few days and found an old hunter who often carried game into the city to sell for food.

For the price of fifty catties of assorted flour, he hired the hunter to explain the surrounding situation and take him to places around Feiye City where he could hunt, preparing him for the hunt in advance.

After experiencing several life-and-death battles, Wei He had gained some confidence in his own abilities.

Rather than relying on others, it was better to find ways to be self-reliant.

This was his thinking.

South of Feiye City, beyond ten miles of plains.

This was a stretch of rolling, light green mountains and forests, named Shaoyang Mountain.

The mountains were dotted with white stones, steep and rugged, with dense vegetation.

Although these mountains were not high, they were rarely visited and were teeming with venomous insects and fierce beasts. It was not something an ordinary old hunter would dare to venture into carelessly.

At this moment, at the foot of Shaoyang Mountain, a middle-aged man wrapped in gray animal fur was followed by a tall and sturdy young man in tight-fitting clothes.

The two, one after the other, stopped at the entrance to the mountain.

At the entrance, there was a faint, unclear path, its surface covered with weeds.

Despite the sweltering heat, a chilling cold still emanated from deep within this narrow path.

"This is Shaoyang Mountain. South of Feiye City, a vast expanse of mountains and forests, all of it belongs to Shaoyang Mountain. Bears, tigers, leopards, wild boars, you name it, you can hunt whatever you want inside," the middle-aged man explained.

"Are there still any big game around now?" the young man in fitted clothes behind him asked in a low voice.

He wore dark green clothes, several small pouches tied around his waist, a short knife on his thigh, and a long cloth bag on his back.

It was Wei He, who had been preparing for days.

Ahead of him was the old hunter, Ding Hai, the one who had brought back the most prey among those Wei He had met recently.

"Big game? That depends on luck. Nowadays, when you hunt, you have to avoid the earth forts of the various families first. Those earth forts and the areas around them with markers are off-limits. Otherwise, you'll be in trouble."

Ding Hai stepped forward and began to draw his machete to cut down the weeds along the path.

"Be careful, follow me. There are many poisonous insects here. With the recent drought, there are quite a few less. If it were before, no one would dare to come near this place."

Wei He nodded and followed, listening to Ding Hai speak as they walked.

"I don't know why you're determined to hunt alone, but if you want to catch anything, first, you must have patience.

Bring enough dry rations, a water bag, a waterproof backpack, and medicine for injuries, basic snake venom antidote, spider venom antidote, etc. If possible, bring some bait."

"Bait?"

"Yes, it's something you use to emit scent to lure prey when you can't find any," Ding Hai said, taking out a dark brown, meat-like object from his bag, about half the size of his palm.

"And deodorizing powder, beast droppings, and some ropes," Ding Hai continued.

He led Wei He along the path, and before long, they reached a somewhat secluded, withered yellow forest.

Yellowed leaves littered the ground in the forest, forming a thick carpet.

The trees overhead were bare, with few leaves, and the air was filled with a dry scent.

"This place hasn't seen rain for a long time, and many trees and animals have died from dryness. So, if you're lucky enough, you might encounter something. As for whether it's something big, that depends on seizing the opportunity," Ding Hai whispered.

"Alright."

Wei He watched him crouch down and search the ground. Soon, under a large pine tree, he found traces left by some animal.

"In this place, besides being careful of fierce beasts, you also need to be wary of people," Ding Hai said, standing up and choosing a direction along the tracks, walking slowly.

Wei He followed behind, listening carefully.

"Wary of what people?"

"People around here," Ding Hai smiled. "This Shaoyang Mountain is divided into an outer and inner area. In many parts of the outer area, you'll often encounter experts who come here to hunt for sport. If you meet those people, run away immediately."

He walked to a tree trunk, confirmed his position again, and made a mark on the trunk with his short knife.

"Also, there's a restricted area here. If you're going to hunt here, you must be careful not to come here in the evening."

"Why?" Wei He asked.

"Because in the evening, it's when the people from Shaoyang Gate come out to hunt. But... hehe." Ding Hai let out a cold laugh. "They're not hunting animals, they're hunting people."

"!? People?" Wei He was startled. "What do you mean?"

"Finding a livelihood outside the city, you have to follow the rules everywhere," Ding Hai paused.

"From morning to noon, it's the patrol time for Hong Family Fort, and it's relatively safe. As long as you don't trespass into their main patrols, there are no problems."

"From noon to evening, when the Hong Family Fort's patrols return, it's the time for the two sects to be active. Qingdu Sect and Shaoyang Gate are also dominant forces outside this city. They are often active around Shaoyang Mountain.

The people from Qingdu Sect are alright. If you encounter them, stop immediately, lower your head, don't speak, and don't run around. They won't bother you."

"But if you encounter people from Shaoyang Gate, if they're in a good mood, they'll let you go. If they're in a bad mood, you'll definitely be captured."

Ding Hai continued, cutting down the weeds in front of him with his machete.

"However, the people from Shaoyang Gate don't catch everyone they see. They only come out occasionally, and they don't have many people. Unless you're very unlucky, you'll encounter them."

Wei He nodded slowly.

"What about at night?" he asked.

"At night?" Ding Hai's expression turned strange, and he looked back at him. "At night, it's naturally the time for fierce beasts to be active. You can't see anything, and you dare to wander around with a torch?"

"Understood."

Wei He understood. Suddenly, he thought of his elder sister, Wei Chun, and the disappearance of his parents. Could it be related to this Shaoyang Gate?

"Brother Ding, do you know about the disappearance of a team of stone sculptors outside the city about two years ago?" he asked in a deep voice.

"Yes, I know. Those stone sculptors were going to Mingde Temple at that time. I even saw the team halfway there. There were quite a few people," Ding Hai replied casually.

"What? You saw them!?" Wei He's heart leaped with joy. "Do you know how they disappeared?"

"How they disappeared?" Ding Hai turned back, a look of deep mockery on his face. "Do you know when I saw them? In the evening!"

"You mean, it was Shaoyang Gate?" Wei He's voice rose slightly.

"I didn't say that, but it's the most likely possibility. That day, I saw those people in white from Shaoyang Gate roaming around from a distance. They were very conspicuous," Ding Hai replied.