Poison Takes Effect

Cang Xu, as a scholar who had served the Shata Family for thirty-eight years, was well aware of the power levels of extraordinary individuals.

A Silver-level Battle Qi practitioner, without using Battle Qi, could lift objects weighing around 350 kilograms and deliver punches weighing 800 kilograms. Facing twenty to thirty ordinary adults head-on was no problem at all. Their tolerance for the environment and pain exceeded that of ordinary people, but they would still be in danger against powerful crossbows and bows.

In other words, the physical quality of a Silver Battle Qi practitioner was still within the human range, constrained by the structure of the human body, representing the limit of mortal physical development.

Upon becoming a Gold-level Battle Qi practitioner, the quality of Battle Qi greatly improved. This Battle Qi nourished and transformed the body, completely surpassing the limits of mortals.

Without using Battle Qi, a Gold-level expert could run at a speed of one hundred and twenty kilometers per hour and lift heavy objects weighing around ten tons. Facing an army of thousands wielding swords and blades, they could still slay generals, capture banners, and move freely.

Ordinary arrows and crossbow bolts posed no threat at all. However, facing magical crossbows still carried risks.

When the Head Goat was fighting Huang Zao, Cang Xu personally witnessed several instances where the Head Goat crashed into tree trunks, knocking down towering trees.

This proved that although the Head Goat was only Bronze-level, its impact force was extremely powerful when it charged with all its might. It was far greater than the charge of an ordinary heavily armored cavalryman!

A human Battle Qi practitioner at the Silver level, relying solely on physical strength, was basically unable to withstand such a charge from the Head Goat.

Yet, Zhen Jin effortlessly and naturally intercepted the charging Head Goat, which had taken a long run-up.

The strength displayed in this act had already exceeded the scope of Silver.

Therefore, Cang Xu couldn't help but speculate about the possibility of Zhen Jin possessing Golden Battle Qi.

"As far as I know, the bloodline of the Hundred Needles Family is not known for strength, but rather for its unique precision."

"If a knight had auxiliary spells like Bear's Strength permanently cast on them, they could also achieve this. But magic is suppressed here, so permanent low-level auxiliary spells should have failed."

"Or perhaps he took some kind of Strength Potion?"

Finally, Cang Xu once again considered the possibility of Gold-level cultivation.

"If Zhen Jin is truly a Gold-level expert, with such strength and talent, the Hundred Needles Family is bound to rise again!"

Under Cang Xu's gaze, Zhen Jin suddenly shook his arms, gripped the goat's horns, and lifted the Head Goat high into the air.

Then, he threw it down fiercely.

The Head Goat fell to the ground, struggled a few times, and then got up, looking dazed, as if it had been stunned by the fall.

Immediately, its eyes turned red again, and it charged fiercely at Zhen Jin.

Zhen Jin pressed it down again, let it struggle for a while, and then threw it far away again.

After several such instances, the Head Goat's emotions of unwillingness, anger, and hatred all dissipated, replaced by fear and timidity towards Zhen Jin.

The Head Goat finally stopped charging. After getting up from the ground, it stood still.

When Zhen Jin walked towards it, it let out a bleating sound, lowered its head voluntarily, its gaze darting away, and its bleeding body trembled constantly.

Zhen Jin patted its head and then touched its horns.

The Head Goat was so scared that its body swayed, and it actually lay down on the ground on its own.

Under numerous adoring gazes, Zhen Jin nodded with satisfaction and instructed, "Lead it away for me, treat it a little, feed it carefully, but don't feed it until it's full."

"My lord, do you intend to tame this Head Goat into a mount?" Seeing the battle end, Cang Xu walked over.

Zhen Jin nodded and asked with a smile, "Do you think that's possible?"

"Of course there are," Cang Xu affirmed with a smile. "As far as I know, the most common mounts on the Dwarf Continent are mountain goats. Mountain goats can trek through towering mountains and steep ridges with extremely high skill. A one-year-old wild mountain goat can use its skilled climbing techniques to ascend snow-covered rocks, crossing many obstacles that are insurmountable for us humans. I just don't know the specific methods for taming them."

Zhen Jin nodded and asked again, "Among the survivors from the Pig Kiss, are there any beast tamers?"

Cang Xu shook his head. "I don't think so."

"It doesn't matter if the Pig Kiss doesn't have any. Can't we find one in White Sand City?" Zhen Jin patted the old scholar's shoulder.

In this battle, he had gained what he wanted.

Subduing the Head Goat and taming it to become a mount in the future was only a secondary part of this harvest.

The main point was that Zhen Jin had displayed his strength in front of everyone, allowing the entire Exploration Team to see how powerful he was.

His influence over this group of people had been greatly enhanced.

The lesson of Huang Zao's cowardly retreat and betrayal was enough for one time.

Zhen Jin had already firmly remembered the Hundred Needles Family's motto and kept Huang Zao under his watchful eye. On one hand, he would exploit his value, and on the other hand, he would use him as a constant reminder of how to become a qualified leader.

Looking around, Zhen Jin let out a heartfelt sigh of admiration. "This is a treasure trove!"

To be honest, this was the first time he had discovered such a paradise on this sea island.

When they actually started working, the Exploration Team was pleasantly surprised to find that the size of the sheep herds here far exceeded the previous reconnaissance results.

For some reason, the sheep herds here were practically overflowing.

There were several large herds with over a thousand heads. There were even more herds with hundreds of heads. The mountain goat herd Zhen Jin had just hunted was one such group.

The exploration team members began to process the dead mountain goats.

First, they bled them, skinned them, and removed the internal organs. Then, some people began to cut the mutton, while others cleaned the sheepskins and sheep stomachs.

After the mutton was cut, it would be placed over a bonfire and roasted using a smoking method. This would allow the moisture in the mutton to evaporate, enabling it to be stored for longer.

After cleaning the sheepskins, they also had to undergo processes such as smoking and drying.

Sheepskins could be made into leather clothing, and sheep stomachs could be made into water bags.

For the next three consecutive days, the Exploration Team was busy here.

Under Zhen Jin's command, everyone hunted three more sheep herds.

With Zhen Jin personally taking action, the Bronze-level Head Goats were also subdued.

Most of the adult mountain goats were killed, but a portion of the young lambs were temporarily spared at Zhen Jin's specific instruction.

These mountain goats were easy to feed, so raising a few dozen young lambs and the four Bronze Head Goats was not a significant burden.

This was the advantage of having more people. If it were just Zhen Jin and Zi Di, they wouldn't have had this much free energy.

On the fourth day, the Exploration Team officially began their return journey.

At this moment, the appearance of the entire team had undergone a huge change.

Almost everyone was wearing a layer of leather clothing. The leather clothing was very crudely made, simply by cutting a hole to put their head through. The sides of the body under the armpits were tied together using lines woven from vines, threading through holes in the front and back pieces of sheepskin.

The side with the dark green sheep wool was kept on the inside, against the body, while the side with the yellow sheepskin was turned outwards.

Everyone carried a large animal hide bundle on their back, primarily filled with smoked dried mutton.

Besides that, there were waterskins. Many waterskins made from goat stomachs were tied around the people's waists.

The reserves of food and fresh water were very abundant, almost reaching the limit of the entire team's capacity.

After all, everyone had a limit to how much they could carry.

Huang Zao was scouting at the very front of the team.

Zhen Jin, Zi Di, and Cang Xu walked in the middle of the team.

Behind them was the flock of sheep, primarily led by Lan Zao.

In addition to dozens of lambs, the focus was on the four Bronze-level Head Goats. These Head Goats were currently wearing simple harnesses made of vines and carrying a large amount of supplies. This mainly consisted of dried meat and fresh water, followed by tents, spare weapons, and so on.

Throughout the morning, the team trekked through mountains and rivers, moving through the forest.

During this time, they only rested briefly a few times, each time for less than a quarter of an hour.

It wasn't until noon that they had a half-hour break.

The entire team was divided into two parts: one part stood guard, checked supplies, etc., while the other part sat cross-legged on the ground and ate lunch.

Cang Xu led some people to carefully check the front and back of the team. No one was missing, and the supplies like food and water were counted. The sheep, which were the most worrying, were also calm.

Behind the cracked glasses were the old scholar's observant eyes.

He noticed that the people who were eating were very relaxed. Some were joking with each other, while others were rubbing their calves while eating, trying to relax. The people on guard duty, however, had sharp eyes and puffed-out chests.

The morale of the entire team was quite high.

Cang Xu had been with this Exploration Team since it first set out.

He had never seen these people exude such spirit and energy before.

He understood the key reason for all of this.

It wasn't the fragrant dried mutton, nor was it the relatively safe journey, but that young knight.

Zhen Jin!

All these changes were brought about by him.

His powerful strength gave everyone a strong sense of security, greatly increasing hope in everyone's hearts.

Huang Zao and Lan Zao had become his slaves and had been working hard these past few days. Although Zhen Jin had not revealed his Battle Qi, his profound background and suspected Gold-level cultivation made this pair of brothers feel how bright and brilliant their future was.

Along the way, Zi Di followed Zhen Jin closely, almost inseparable. This was the president of the Purple Vine Merchant Guild, and her skilled technique in making potions in the past few days also surfaced in Cang Xu's mind.

Cang Xu's gaze finally rested on Zhen Jin.

In his long life, he had seen too many nobles.

And he was certain now that among all the young nobles, Zhen Jin definitely belonged to that small group at the very top.

He had extraordinary talent and great strength, and even more commendable was that he was a qualified leader.

Under his influence, the entire team had become cohesive and their morale was high.

Cang Xu could foresee that the now-declining Hundred Needles Family would surely rise again because of Zhen Jin!

If possible, to follow such a noble, witness him achieve his great undertaking step by step, and participate in the rise of the Hundred Needles Family myself. Perhaps hundreds of years from now, my name as a scholar could be alongside his, becoming one of the recognized symbols of wisdom for future generations. How wonderful that would be.

What a pity. If only I had met such a person when I was young...

The feeling of regret in the old scholar's heart did not show on his face at all.

He walked up to Zhen Jin and, with his usual respectful tone, reported the results of the investigation.

"Very good, Mr. Cang Xu. Thanks to your suggestion, we were able to hunt enough meat and have such abundant reserves. Now, sit down and let's have some lunch together," Zhen Jin invited.

Cang Xu said, "My suggestion was secondary. Without your guidance, how could we be in this situation?"

Zhen Jin smiled.

Through their interactions these past few days, he was increasingly satisfied with Cang Xu.

Although this old scholar was an ordinary person, his mind was anything but ordinary.

The direction the team was heading was determined by him.

And all he used was a wooden stick stuck in the ground and the sunlight.

Cang Xu's attitude and demeanor constantly upheld Zhen Jin's noble status, which made Zhen Jin feel comfortable.

His ability to handle matters was also very strong, quite steady and reliable. Zhen Jin found him increasingly easy to use.

If Cang Xu had some strength, even if it was just Black Iron-level, he would be the best candidate for a noble's butler. It was a pity he didn't have extraordinary talent, which was truly regrettable.

Even so, Zhen Jin wanted to keep Cang Xu by his side as much as possible.

This was a talent!

His knowledge even surpassed Zi Di's.

Zi Di was a mage, after all.

Of course, this was also because Zi Di was too young. And when she studied, she put most of her energy into alchemy.

Zhen Jin could guess without asking that the reason Zi Di did this was because good potions often had huge market prospects and could bring in substantial profits.

The further they got from the snow peak, the higher the temperature became.

The midday sun was the strongest, and the newly made leather clothes began to serve their insulating function. Perhaps it was because they had eaten their fill, but everyone started to look a bit listless.

Someone had already taken over the outer perimeter of the team, maintaining the reconnaissance.

No one gave a warning, and the deadly crisis quietly struck in this peaceful atmosphere.

First, there was a young man's shout from within the team.

"L-Lord, this is bad! Those little lambs are all lying on the ground, motionless, they're all dead!"

"What?" Zhen Jin's expression changed.

This was truly bad news.

This batch of little lambs was very useful. On one hand, in a desperate situation, the exploration team could slaughter them for emergencies. On the other hand, if they successfully reached White Sand City and this batch of little lambs were still alive, they could be raised and then domesticated. This way, Zhen Jin could cultivate some cavalry.

Zhen Jin's plan was disrupted, and he immediately stood up, wanting to inspect the situation himself.

"Do you know the reason?" he asked the young man who had raised the alarm.

He had recognized this young man long ago.

His name was Bai Ya, a hunter by origin, who had boarded the Pig Kiss to White Sand City to enlist in the army.

Bai Ya looked panicked and quickly shook his head, "I, I don't know, sir. Everything happened so suddenly."

Zhen Jin grunted and was about to step forward when a strong wave of dizziness suddenly hit him. Caught off guard, his body swayed violently, almost collapsing on the spot.

He managed to steady himself, only to find that the exploration team members, who had just been full of morale, were all sprawled on the ground, leaning this way and that.

Almost instantly, most of the members fainted on the spot.

Zi Di, Huang Zao, Lan Zao, and others were still struggling to support themselves.

"What's going on?!"

"Everyone seems to be poisoned!"

"What kind of poison is this?!"

Huang Zao suddenly pulled out a dagger from his chest and roared at the young man Bai Ya, "Everyone is poisoned, so why are you fine? Did you poison us?!"