Confrontation

Qin Lai's face was ashen, and he paced back and forth like an ant on a hot pan. Song Zhong and the others, who were usually efficient at handling tasks, had gone and never returned.

"Still not back?" He stopped abruptly and looked at his trusted thug, Black Bear.

"Back to you, Lai-ye, no. The scouts said that Qin Meng's house is full of the smell of meat and the sound of laughter. It seems he has returned, but there is no sign of Monkey and the others."

Qin Lai's eye twitched. Song Zhong was his most loyal subordinate, and he had even brought along several hired experts. They had gone into the mountains to handle business, yet they hadn't returned.

"And Qin Meng? Was he injured?"

"From a distance, he was moving normally. It doesn't look like anything happened to him."

Bang! Qin Lai slammed his fist onto the table, making the teacups jump and clatter.

"Damn it." He was both shocked and furious, unable to believe the facts.

Everyone knew Qin Meng was a piece of trash. How could Song Zhong have fallen at his hands?

"According to the scouts, Qin Meng didn't go to the market town to sell his game today." Black Bear, a burly man, hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Lai-ye, perhaps because of Monkey and the others, he didn't have a harvest and managed to escape by luck. Maybe Monkey hasn't come down from the mountain yet and is waiting for an opportunity to strike tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Qin Lai felt slightly relieved. "Right, right. That is the most likely possibility."

"Take some men tomorrow and follow me to sound him out."

"Yes."

The morning light was faint.

Qin Meng woke up feeling refreshed. After his physique enhancement, his energy was boundless.

Shen Qiuyue had already prepared breakfast, her complexion rosy, adding a touch of charm to her appearance.

Qin Meng devoured the food like a whirlwind, then slung his bow and blade over his shoulder to head back up the mountain to hunt.

"I'm heading up."

"Mm, be careful."

Qin Meng bid farewell to Shen Qiuyue and pushed the door open.

The moment he closed the door, the gentleness on his face vanished completely. He walked straight toward the end of the alley, calculating how to eradicate that scoundrel Qin Lai, when his thoughts were interrupted by a flurry of noisy footsteps ahead.

The path forward was suddenly blocked.

Five or six burly men holding blades and spears stood there like a wall.

The man in the lead stood with his hands behind his back, his face full of flabby flesh. It was none other than Qin Lai. His eyes were as sinister as poisoned nails, scraping back and forth across Qin Meng's face.

"Qin Meng." Qin Lai spoke, his voice sounding as if it were squeezed through his teeth.

"Where are Song Zhong and the others?"

Qin Meng stopped in his tracks, his face displaying a perfectly measured look of confusion. "Qin Lai, that's a strange question to ask. How would I know where they went?"

"Don't play dumb with me!" Qin Lai stepped forward abruptly, nearly bumping into the tip of Qin Meng's nose. "Yesterday, Song Zhong took his men and followed you into Luming Mountain. Now, all five of them are gone, and not a single one has returned."

"Speak! What did you do to them?"

Nearby, a few courtyard doors had already creaked open, with several pairs of eyes peering out.

Instead of retreating, Qin Meng stepped forward, shouting back even louder. Every word was crystal clear, ensuring that all the onlookers could hear:

"Qin Lai, you'd better not go around saying things like that! I did go into the mountain yesterday, but I went alone. I never saw Song Zhong and his men!

Luming Mountain is deep and dense, full of ravines and gullies. In years past, people have gotten lost, fallen, or even encountered wolf packs. If they met with some other accident, how can you insist that it has anything to do with me?"

His expression was sincere, his eyes filled with innocence, even tinged with the indignation of being wrongly accused.

Qin Lai stared fixedly into his eyes, trying to find a trace of panic or hesitation, but Qin Meng's gaze was so open and honest that it made his heart sink.

Could it really not be him?

Did Song Zhong and the others run into some other misfortune?

But for all five of them to disappear at the same time—it was all too coincidental!

Qin Lai suppressed the doubts in his heart, his voice icy and bone-chilling, carrying a clear threat: "Qin Meng, don't be stubborn. Song Zhong and his men followed you out, and now they're missing. If I find out this has anything to do with you..."

He swept a glance at the villagers who were gradually gathering around, his voice turning sharp. "When that time comes, I will report you to the authorities and have you charged with the crime of harming your fellow villagers!"

"Report me to the authorities?" Qin Meng's voice grew even louder, laced with anger. "Go ahead. I'm just looking to clear my name. As for you, instead of being anxious to find your missing men, you're in a rush to throw mud at me. What exactly is your motive?"

People have a natural tendency to resent the wealthy, and many automatically sided with Qin Meng. The onlookers pointed and whispered, mocking Qin Lai, claiming he was using his influence to bully others and was intentionally trying to frame him.

Qin Lai heard them clearly, and his face turned ugly.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he couldn't resort to force, so he had to lean close to Qin Meng's ear and whisper through gritted teeth: "Fine, just you wait. This isn't over."

He glared fiercely at Qin Meng, then turned and led his men away.

Qin Meng stood where he was, watching the group disappear at the end of the alley. The agitated expression on his face slowly faded, and a cold glint flashed in the depths of his eyes.

He masked it well, turned around, and continued walking toward the back mountain, disappearing into the woods.

At the corner of the alley, Qin Lai looked back at the direction where Qin Meng had vanished, his face gloomy. He didn't believe it was Qin Meng's doing either; he was more inclined to believe that the others had managed to escape, and that Song Zhong and his men had failed, were currently hiding in the forest, and were waiting for another opportunity.

"Send men to keep a close watch on his house. And find a few sharp ones to go into the mountain to look for Monkey..." he whispered to his subordinates, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

"I'd like to see if you die today or not."

"Even if you manage to scrape by with your life, will you be able to scrape together the silver by the deadline tomorrow?"

Furthermore, as for Qin Meng, he knew that Qin Lai would never let this go.

And he, too, already had a plan!

—The best way to solve a problem is to eliminate the person who created it.

He made up his mind: once he gained one or two more talents and improved his strength, he would be ready to take action and get rid of the menace that was Qin Lai.

For now, heading into the forest to hunt was both a way to earn money and a way to hone himself.

As soon as he entered the woods, that strange sensation grew stronger. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but the tracks of wild beasts in the forest were clearly much denser than usual.

While he was observing, his talent environmental integration activated on its own. Although its effectiveness was greatly reduced while moving, it remained an excellent aid for hunting and scouting.

When Qin Meng deliberately slowed his pace and restrained his aura, his heartbeat also slowed and deepened. His entire being seemed to transform into a silent shadow within the forest; he stepped on dry branches without a sound and moved through the trees, making him difficult to detect.

He hadn't gone far when a rustle came from a nearby thicket, and a roe deer darted out.

Qin Meng's gaze sharpened. His hand rose and the arrow fell; the sharp shaft pierced the air, striking the deer down with precision.

[Life source +1.1%]

For the next hour or so, he roamed the forest like a ghost.

He spotted a hare and drew his bow; he caught a glimpse of a pheasant and nocked an arrow.

The sound of arrows piercing the air rang out from time to time, and the game in his basket gradually increased. The proficiency of his martial skill chain arrow was also steadily rising.

By the time the sun was nearing its zenith, there was already quite a bit of game in his basket.

[Chain arrow - Proficient (475/500)]

Qin Meng leaned against an old pine tree to eat a flatbread and take a short rest. His life source had plummeted after his origin was strengthened, but he had still accumulated a large pool of it.

This warm energy constantly nourished his body.

—The muscles in his shoulders, chest, and arms were firmer. Despite drawing his bow and shooting arrows repeatedly, he felt almost no fatigue, and his vision had become even sharper.

He tried drawing his bow to its full extent, his gaze sweeping over a wormhole in a tree dozens of paces away. He could actually see the wood grain on the edges of the hole.

"There are quite a lot more wild animals in the forest." Qin Meng looked at his nearly full basket, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. However, his targets were not just pheasants and hares.

Martial arts training consumed a massive amount of energy. He needed big game like deer or wild boars; the vitality contained in their flesh and blood was necessary to nourish his body and boost his martial arts progress.

He looked up toward the depths of the forest.

The mountain peak in the distance, shaped like an eagle's beak, served as a dividing line; only beyond it lay the true danger zone.

He was still operating in the outer reaches of Luming Mountain at the moment.

"I'll scout around here a bit more." Qin Meng still refused to act rashly. Using Eagle Beak Peak as a reference point, he searched the nearby dense forest for traces of prey.

He moved with an incredibly light step, his breathing long and steady, ears attuned to all directions, eyes scanning every corner.

After searching for about an hour, he discovered something unusual at the edge of a leeward mountain hollow:

A patch of shrubbery showed signs of having been grazed upon extensively, and large, black droppings were scattered across the ground, along with numerous hoofprints belonging to a large species of deer.

Is there a large herd of deer passing through here?

Qin Meng's spirits lifted, and he immediately began tracking the trail.

The closer he got to Eagle Beak Peak, the fresher the grazing marks became, all pointing toward the bottom of the hollow.

He became even more cautious, using the terrain and tree cover to silently creep toward a high ridge with a good vantage point.

Crouching behind a rock, he looked down.

Qin Meng's heart hammered against his ribs, and a smile spread across his face.

On the meadow in the hollow below, a massive herd of spotted deer had gathered—there were no fewer than a hundred of them!

Most were adults, but many bore obvious claw marks and old wounds, and they appeared restless as they grazed on the shrubs.

On the periphery of the herd, over twenty robust stags stood guard like soldiers.

The lead stag was particularly extraordinary. Its shoulder height was comparable to a young calf, its build was shockingly sturdy, and its pair of branching antlers looked like cast-iron halberds. Its coat shimmered with a lustrous sheen, making it stand out brilliantly among the herd.

Its eyes were bright as torches, containing a hidden sharpness; one look was enough to tell that it was by no means an ordinary beast!