Chen Xuan quickly moved away. Even after putting more than a thousand meters between himself and that place, he could still hear the enormous commotion in the distance.
Cold sweat immediately broke out across his back.
"Damn it!"
He cursed under his breath and quickened his pace.
He did not dare look back, much less go over and investigate.
An hour later, Chen Xuan returned to the foot of the mountain. Only then did he collapse onto the ground, gasping for breath.
Lingering fear still showed on his face.
Yet when he looked at the basket on his back, a smile crept onto Chen Xuan's face.
This single bamboo rat weighed about as much as the Mountain Chickens he had shot over two days.
And that was only in terms of weight. Bamboo rat meat was far beyond what Mountain Chicken meat could compare with.
This bamboo rat alone would basically ensure that his family of three had food for several days. Together with the Mountain Chickens he had shot over the past few days, they would not need to struggle for food for the next half month or so.
After looking once more toward the back mountain, Chen Xuan got up, hoisted the bamboo basket onto his back, and headed home.
Since he had set out rather late today and had spent even longer in the mountains this time, the sky had already begun to darken.
As Chen Xuan walked through the village, smoke had already risen from many households.
"Er Gou went to cut grass again."
"Yeah. My mother said autumn is coming soon, so we need to cut more grass."
"Er Gou, don't go near the river or into the mountains these days."
"What is it, Second Uncle?"
"Nothing, nothing."
"Just don't go!"
Chen Xuan entered the village and exchanged greetings with the villagers.
But this time, the village was clearly much more desolate, and the villagers wore far fewer smiles than usual.
Second Uncle at the village entrance had even warned him not to go to the river or the mountains.
That warning involuntarily reminded Chen Xuan of what he had encountered in the river three months ago, as well as what had just happened in the mountains.
He had witnessed the terror in the river with his own eyes. As for the mountains, even though he had not seen it firsthand, that enormous commotion alone made his scalp tingle.
"This world..."
Chen Xuan muttered to himself, his expression darkening.
He was not an idiot. Naturally, he could sense the feeling of a storm brewing in the mountains.
That sense of danger made him realize that this village was steadily becoming less safe.
He did not know why.
But he knew that he had to grow stronger as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, things would only get worse from here on out.
With those thoughts in mind, he unconsciously quickened his pace.
Before long, he arrived at his front door.
But the moment he reached it, he froze.
"Second Uncle!"
His surprised voice rang out as he looked at the arriving Chen Er Shan in confusion.
"Er Gou is back."
Chen Er Shan looked at Chen Xuan and smiled.
"Second Uncle!"
Chen Xuan called out again.
"Er Gou, you'd better not go into the mountains for the time being."
"Don't go near the river either."
Hearing Chen Xuan's greeting, Chen Er Shan fell silent for a moment before speaking softly.
"What happened, Second Uncle?"
Chen Xuan's heart stirred, and he spoke first.
"There may be a big tiger in the back mountain. Several people who entered the mountains these past few days have already disappeared."
"And at the river, a child from the village disappeared today. Together with the one yesterday, that makes two. Water Monkeys may have appeared there too."
Worry filled Chen Er Shan's face as he told Chen Xuan what had happened over the past few days.
As Chen Xuan's uncle, Chen Er Shan knew that Chen Xuan could dive into the water to catch fish and go into the mountains to hunt. Afraid that something might happen to his nephew, he had hurried over to warn him.
"I understand, Second Uncle!"
Hearing Chen Er Shan's words, Chen Xuan's heart sank. He had been hunting every day recently, and to avoid trouble, he usually returned while the villagers were busy with farmwork. He truly had not known about this.
When Second Uncle at the village entrance had warned him today, he had still been somewhat puzzled.
Now, he understood.
As for the Water Monkey and the big tiger his second uncle mentioned, Chen Xuan was suspicious.
What was in the river clearly could not be explained by a Water Monkey. And in the mountains, that enormous commotion did not look like something a big tiger could cause.
With his Proficient Archery, as long as a tiger did not ambush him, he was not afraid.
But the question was, was it really a big tiger?
"All right, your Second Aunt is waiting for me to go back for dinner, so I'll be leaving. Stay at home these next few days. If you don't have food, tell me."
Chen Er Shan spoke, then turned and left.
Chen Xuan watched his second uncle depart, then returned home and began preparing the bamboo rat.
By the time he had almost finished cleaning it, his mother, Zhang Chunhua, returned as well.
"Er Gou, there's enough food at home. Don't go up the mountain these next few days."
Looking at the bamboo rat, Zhang Chunhua was somewhat shocked as well, but after choosing her words carefully, she spoke.
"Mother, I'll go hunt one more bamboo rat tomorrow, then I won't go again. I heard people in the city really like eating this kind of thing. When the time comes, we can sell it and buy plenty of rice."
Chen Xuan smiled and spoke softly.
Zhang Chunhua hesitated for a moment, but ultimately said nothing further.
Clearly, being rather withdrawn, Zhang Chunhua still did not know about the situation in the village. She simply did not want her son to take risks.
Seeing that his mother had no further reaction, Chen Xuan could not help but let out a sigh of relief.
He was deeply afraid that his mother knew as well. Once she did, it would basically be impossible for him to go up the mountain again.
But he could not stop going into the mountains. It was currently his only path to obtaining extraordinary power.
In this dangerous world, he had to grasp strength in order to ensure his own survival and that of his family.
The night gradually passed.
When the morning sunlight fell, Zhang Chunhua went out again early in the morning.
Meanwhile, Chen Xuan carefully sorted through his things several times.
This time, to ensure that nothing unexpected happened, he brought a full twenty arrows. He also prepared two spare bows in case of accidents.
Once everything was ready.
He turned his gaze toward his Conceptual Ability.
Target: Four thousand meters to the right of the Old Poplar Tree lay a Cold Pool. A Lotus Flower grew in the Cold Pool. Safely obtain the Lotus Flower and return.
Words appeared. At this moment, he activated his Conceptual Ability once again.
Although he already had the basic information, Chen Xuan could tell with his toes how great the risks involved were.
Thus, the most important thing for him now was to avoid danger.
His Conceptual Ability was undoubtedly the best means of avoiding danger.
As long as he set it to safety, the Conceptual Ability would certainly provide him with a safe method.
And that was indeed the case.
Before Chen Xuan's eyes, the words soon began to flicker.
Before you continue