Coo, coo.
A strange sound drifted over.
Wei He paused and looked up at the gloomy forest.
In the distance, a pair of pale green eyes seemed to stare at him before vanishing in a flash.
Wei He swallowed, withdrew his gaze, and focused on the ground before him.
Underfoot lay patches of dry grass, fallen leaves, branches, and the occasional vine.
Using his machete, he carefully pressed down the grass ahead, lest hidden thorns, sawgrass, or the like cut him.
In a dense forest like this, once he was injured and the scent of blood leaked out, it would surely attract troublesome hunters.
He hacked his way through thorns and brambles while slowly keeping watch on his surroundings.
Wei He had come this time to gradually adapt to hunting. As for investigating whether Shaoyang Gate had anything to do with his family's disappearance, he was in no rush.
Even if he found out now, he had no way to take revenge. Better to first familiarize himself with hunting, try killing rare birds and exotic beasts, and raise his strength before dealing with this matter.
Of course, if he happened upon a chance to investigate along the way, that would be an unexpected delight.
Pfft!
A soft sound suddenly shot out from the grass ahead.
Wei He steadied his mind, slowed his steps, and listened carefully.
Suddenly, he stopped and gently used his machete to part the grass ahead on his right.
His movements were exceedingly light, nearly soundless.
Compared to the rustling grass stirred by the wind around him, they were utterly negligible, blending right in.
On the other side of the grass, a blue-black giant python as thick as an arm had a black rat clamped in its jaws and was slowly, jerk by jerk, swallowing it whole.
Wei He's expression did not change as he slowly raised his machete.
Whoosh!
The explosive force, strength, and speed he possessed at the Second Stage Qi and Blood far surpassed those of ordinary people.
Though Huishan Fist only enhanced explosive force and had no particular focus in other areas, against an ordinary beast—
Wei He's slash was utterly invisible.
Only a gray shadow flashed.
The machete flew out, while the python darted aside like lightning.
Both happened at once, yet the python was still a step too slow.
With a puff, the machete struck the python's neck directly beneath its head.
Not seven inches from the head.
The snake's "seven-inch point" was a technique only professional snake handlers could grasp. It was the crucial part of a snake's cervical vertebrae; pinching it would make the snake docile.
But such skills were beyond him.
As for the saying that one should strike a snake seven inches from its head, according to the teachings of the veteran hunter Ding Hai, that was merely a misconception.
A snake's entire body was spine. Break it anywhere, and it would die; seven inches from the head was generally only used to control it.
If one wanted to kill a snake, the fastest place to strike was the head.
Also, if one encountered a snake that could not be beaten, the first thing to do was flee uphill. Snakes climbed slowly but descended like flying, so—
Wei He looked at the python, which his machete had nearly smashed into two pieces.
The python lay on the ground, bleeding nonstop, twisting and struggling. It seemed to still be trying to cling to life for a while longer.
But Wei He stepped forward and viciously stomped on its head.
His movement was swift and precise.
Pfft.
The snake's head flattened, and it stopped moving.
"It's a python. That counts as prey." Wei He satisfactorily grabbed the python by the tail and gave it a wild shake.
He was testing the experience passed on by the veteran hunter Ding Hai.
No matter what kind of snake it was, as long as one grabbed its tail and shook it wildly, it would be unable to bite anyone.
Of course, different sizes of snakes required different degrees of shaking.
For an ordinary small snake, the force an average person could manage was enough.
But for a python as thick as an arm—
Wei He shook it furiously, until with a plop—
The black rat the python had only half swallowed was shaken out.
Not from its mouth, but from the crushed and ruptured belly cavity beneath his foot.
Looking at the black rat that had been shaken out, Wei He considered it and decided against taking it.
He coiled up the python, sprinkled it with odor-removing powder, then packed it into a separate leather bag and tied it shut.
This python was enough to feed him for several days. This trip counted as a bountiful harvest.
After wandering around for so many days, it was the first time he had encountered prey this large.
"That Ding Hai definitely has specialized hunting and tracking techniques he didn't teach me. Still, what he did teach me is enough. I can figure out the rest myself. After all, it's the trade that puts food on his table."
Wei He estimated that if someone without experience truly had to rely on hunting for a living, then after so many days of finding so little prey, hunters would have starved to death long ago.
After tossing the python into his backpack and securing it, the once-flat bag immediately looked much fuller with a giant python over two meters long inside.
Wei He decided to head home for the day. He could not rush things; he had to take it bit by bit.
He looked around, then turned and slowly retreated the way he had come.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a flying stone came slanting in from the left.
"Stop!"
A loud shout suddenly rang out in the forest.
The stone struck the ground by Wei He's feet, smashing out a small pit.
It carried no little force.
Wei He glanced at the pit and remained where he was.
Soon, several men in gray, some burly and some lean, emerged from the forest beyond the surrounding grass.
At their head was a bald, muscular man carrying something like a slingshot, only much larger.
"I smelled blood from a long way off. Came over to take a look, and sure enough, there's goods!" the bald man said with a grin.
The moment he saw Wei He carrying a game bag, he froze.
Wei He wore thick, solid dark-green clothing, a round hat, and a face covering. From below his eyes down, he was wrapped up tight.
Wrapped up like that in this weather—wasn't he hot?
The bald man muttered inwardly.
And the man opposite him had a bloated build and calm eyes, as though he had some confidence. He was not even afraid when facing several of them?
The bald man immediately made an assessment.
"Leave the stuff and go on your own," he said deeply to Wei He.
Wei He did not make any rash moves. From their attire, these people appeared to be bandits of these mountains. If they had survived here for so long, there had to be a reason.
What he was pretending to be now was merely a hunter who had come into the mountains, so—
After thinking it over, he took the python off his back and placed it on the ground.
"I'll leave now," he answered in a low voice.
He began backing away step by step, preparing to leave into the distance.
"Wait!" Seeing how decisively he acted, the bald man narrowed his eyes. Could this fellow be deliberately putting on a calm front?
He had seen plenty of people like that. These days, true experts were supported by powerful factions. Who would come out hunting alone?
Even if there were such people, they were rare.
Someone alone like the man before him—even if he truly was an expert, with so many of them and so many good tricks at their disposal, they could still scheme him to death.
The bald man had once encountered an expert. That man had been strong and killed one of his brothers, but he had still died to the underhanded methods of their group.
After that incident, he came to understand one truth: even experts were people.
As long as they were people, they could die. So long as an ambush succeeded, no matter who it was, they could be killed!
And thanks to that success, he had gotten hold of a martial arts manual. After studying and practicing diligently, feeling his way forward, he had finally broken through the First Stage Qi and Blood.
With his martial strength and capable methods, he had become one of the fierce, valiant fighters among the mountain bandits of the stronghold.
"You're all puffed up beneath those clothes. What have you got there? Take it out!" The bald man stared at the person opposite him.
There was definitely something hidden beneath that man's outer clothes, and not just a little—there was a lot!
He had seen countless people. He had that much discernment.
Besides, the kid had thrown down his prey and left without a word. If he were truly an expert, he would not agree so easily.
The bald man's eyes flickered, and he immediately concluded that Wei He's calmness was forced.
He had so decisively abandoned the prey on his back because he was surely hiding something even more precious on his person!
The more he thought about it, the more certain he became.
"Take out whatever you've hidden inside your clothes!" He bared a vicious look. The brothers beside him tacitly spread out in a fan shape, surrounding Wei He.
Each of them sneered with ill intent, waving their gleaming machetes back and forth, producing one intimidating whistle after another.
"There's nothing in my clothes," Wei He replied.
Other than poison powder, lime, poisoned spikes, a full-body leather armor, and poisoned push daggers, he truly had brought nothing else.
But the bandits did not believe him and pressed closer step by step.
"Nothing? Your clothes are bulging like that. You think I'm blind!?"
One bandit approached, reaching out to grab Wei He's clothes.
Wei He paused. He did not want to stir up more trouble. He did not know how strong these people were, and this was their turf; he had no idea who else stood behind them.
But neither could he let them touch the things on his body.
So he took a step back, avoiding the man's hand.
"There really is nothing else on me. Brothers, I squatted here for several days and only caught the snake in that bag. I truly have nothing else."
"Nothing? I'd say you've definitely got something hidden in your clothes." The more the bald man looked, the more convinced he became. This fellow hid his face and wrapped himself up so tightly, yet he had discarded such a big bag of goods without hesitation.
There had to be a problem!
He definitely had something more valuable on him!
He became ever more certain.
"Xi Zi, hold him down. You lot, go search him. Strip everything off him."
Wei He looked around, intending to withdraw first. This was unfamiliar territory, and since he was pretending to be a hunter, he had to make the act convincing.
The forest around them was deep and the grass dense. Who knew whether anyone was watching from afar?
If they had accomplices hiding somewhere, ready to fire concealed darts or arrows, that would be troublesome.
Two fists could not beat four hands.
Wei He took another step back and pulled the bag of dry rations from inside his clothes.
"Brothers, this is my last bit of food—"
Suppressing his voice, he placed the bag on the ground.
"Dry rations? Heh, there's still plenty under your clothes."
One bandit suddenly slashed at Wei He's waist.
Wei He swiftly retreated, dodging the blow.
Rip.
He avoided the slash, but because his clothes were somewhat bulky, they failed to avoid the blade's tip.
With a crisp sound—
The bandit grinned. "Heh, let's see where you can hide now."
He looked at the row of poisoned spikes revealed beneath the clothes, as well as a pale purple push dagger that was obviously poisoned.
What was a mere hunter doing in the mountains with things like these?
The bandit's smile slowly vanished.
He raised his head and looked at Wei He.
Wei He looked back at him.
Before you continue