Wild Man in the Mountains

Between the steep mountain peaks, a crystal-clear stream divided the dense forests on either side into two parts. Its waters rushed swiftly, occasionally startling pale-blue fish into leaping from the surface, scattering droplets across both banks.

Whoosh!

A wooden branch flashed through the air. Its sharpened tip pierced straight through the belly of a leaping fish, then accurately lodged itself in a crack in the riverbed, holding firm.

Then a figure flashed past. The black-haired youth, bare-chested, swiftly jumped into the river, felt his way beneath the water to the riverbed, and retrieved the branch with the fish skewered on it.

Gutting it, scaling it, gathering firewood, lighting the fire, and finally setting up a rack. The youth's movements flowed smoothly, clearly showing that he was thoroughly practiced at this.

Very soon, the enticing scent of roasted fish drifted into the air along with the rising campfire smoke.

"Ah, if only I still had all my seasonings. I wouldn't be reduced to such a miserable state."

The youth wore a mournful expression as he wolfed down the fish in his hands. Though it smelled delicious, it actually had little flavor and could only barely serve to fill his stomach.

After briefly filling his belly, the youth went to the riverbank, casually scooped up some water to moisten his throat, then headed toward a nearby patch of grass.

There were no trees here to provide shade, and the area was brightly lit. Only an enormous heavy ruler stood embedded upright in the ground, with a bundle of black, tattered cloth hanging from it, looking exceptionally strange.

More accurately, that should have been a piece of clothing.

After putting the garment on, the veins on the youth's hands bulged as he used all his strength to hoist the heavy ruler onto his back and slowly resumed walking.

The youth carrying the heavy ruler was naturally Xiao Yan.

For several days now, Hun Ruoruo and Old Man Yao had still made no contact with him. However, after some exploration, he had roughly determined that he was currently somewhere along the outskirts of the Monster Beast Mountain Range, not in an especially dangerous area.

His safety was assured, but what puzzled him was that not only were there scarcely any traces of people nearby, he could barely even spot any magical beasts.

After living such a secluded life in Wutan City, he had thought himself capable of enduring loneliness. Yet after truly becoming completely detached from the mortal world, the occasional bouts of desolation that welled up within him still proved almost unbearable.

Grueling cultivation truly was not as easy as he had imagined.

Continuing deeper into the dense forest, Xiao Yan kept making his way east.

"That enchantress... who knows what method she used. I can only barely sense the location of that valley when I have the Mysterious Black Ruler on my back. It's as if I love slacking off that much."

The youth's lazy voice rang out. Mysterious Black Ruler was the name he had given this heavy ruler.

"This is... a merchant caravan?"

After spending half the day walking, Xiao Yan had just emerged from the forest when he looked at the convoy on the small road ahead. An inexplicable sense of familiarity rose within him.

The sight of living people instinctively made him lower his guard somewhat. Realizing this, Xiao Yan promptly stopped and secretly observed the group's strength.

After a brief assessment, he found that the strongest among them was only a five-star Dou Practitioner. In a one-on-one fight, he would fear none of them, and even if he were besieged, escaping should not be much of a problem.

Provided that he abandoned the Mysterious Black Ruler.

After hesitating repeatedly, Xiao Yan ultimately decided to go over and greet them in order to gather information.

As he drew closer, before he could even speak, the middle-aged man at the head of the group abruptly sprang to his feet and stared warily in Xiao Yan's direction.

Then, once he saw the exceptionally young face beneath Xiao Yan's black hair, his wariness suddenly turned to astonishment—

"Little brother, are you alright?"

"Uh... why do you ask, sir?"

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, the middle-aged man's mouth immediately twitched as he looked the youth up and down, taking in his current attire and appearance.

His hair was a mess, wrapped with several leaves, he wore a suit of tattered cloth, and he carried a huge iron block on his back. He looked exactly like a wild man from the mountains.

Noticing the other man's gaze, Xiao Yan immediately realized how miserable he looked and said awkwardly, "While training in the mountain range earlier, I accidentally lost my way, so I haven't been able to change clothes for several days."

Seeing this, the middle-aged man said nothing further and instead laughed heartily. "Little brother, daring to venture alone into the Monster Beast Mountain Range truly shows admirable courage. This place is quite far from the nearest town. If we're headed in the same direction, why not travel with us for a while?"

"As for supplies, I still have quite a bit to spare. Sharing some with you would be no trouble."

The man was so welcoming that Xiao Yan found it difficult to refuse. He could only point in a general direction based on the fluctuations from the Mysterious Black Ruler.

"Hehe... It's not quite on the way, but at least it isn't in the opposite direction. Little brother, your luck is pretty good."

The middle-aged man jokingly remarked, then pointed behind him. "I happen to have some spare clothes over there. If you don't mind them being too large, you can try changing into them."

"Then I shall accept your kindness. Thank you."

Xiao Yan clasped his fists toward the man.

"If anything is needed along the way, I will naturally do my part as well."

The middle-aged man nodded, but before he could say anything, an abrupt hoarse voice came from nearby.

"A little brat who hasn't even grown all his hair yet—what use could he possibly be? I think you'd better just obediently stick by Ka Gang's side and stop causing trouble."

Xiao Yan frowned and looked toward the voice. A bald man with a fierce gaze was casting a disdainful look his way, his words clearly full of mockery.

"And this is?"

"We call him Scar. He's a mercenary recruited by the merchant caravan midway through the journey. Though he hasn't joined any Mercenary Group, he possesses the strength of a Four-star Dou Practitioner."

As Ka Gang spoke, he tried to smooth things over.

"Scar, it's enough that the little brother has the intention. Why say such things?"

Scar gave a derisive snort and said no more. Clearly, Ka Gang held no low status in everyone's eyes.

Although this man's attitude was unpleasant, his words did not carry any intent to drive him away. Therefore, Xiao Yan had no plans to argue with him and simply chose to ignore him.

The Merchant Caravan's rest break was not long. Taking advantage of the remaining time, Xiao Yan quickly changed into the clothes Ka Gang had given him, then struck up conversations with the others in the caravan.

After a brief round of questions, Xiao Yan roughly understood where their group was. They were in a remote corner at the very edge of the Monster Beast Mountain Range, where monster beasts were scarce and passing travelers even scarcer, making the place seem cut off from the world.

At the same time, he learned that Ka Gang and the others were also mercenaries, not part of the Merchant Caravan's own forces. Their main purpose on this journey was to escort the caravan safely to a distant town in exchange for payment.

At this point, Ka Gang mysteriously revealed that the Sedan Chair being carried by the caravan's people contained a young lady of noble birth. Rumor had it that her beauty was unmatched in the world, her status incomparably exalted, and that she had never shown herself to anyone.

If the goods being transported this time had not been of critical importance, someone of that young lady's status would never have risked crossing the Monster Beast Mountain Range in person.

Though Xiao Yan smiled and responded to Ka Gang's gossip, it stirred no ripples in his heart.

Rather than thinking about some young lady of noble birth, he wanted to find that woman Hun Ruoruo as soon as possible and retrieve the supplies he had spent an entire week preparing.

Rolling his eyes inwardly, Xiao Yan stood and hurried toward the Merchant Caravan ahead, which was already preparing to set off.