No, compared to firearms, Xu Feng had a much greater advantage.
The sound of flying knives and stones was much quieter than gunfire.
Even their sharp whistle through the air sounded no louder than birdsong.
Huang Sen had once gone hunting with the army.
One gunshot, and every game animal within several miles would run like hell.
Huang Sen was both excited and disappointed by that.
So, at around four in the afternoon, he decided to head back.
"That's enough for today. We really can't carry any more."
He glanced at Xu Feng and explained.
"We've pretty much cleared out all the mutated creatures nearing Beast Soldier level within five miles to the east."
He grinned as he hefted his heavy backpack.
"Nearly 1,200 pounds of meat. Just selling that should bring in over a hundred thousand.
Add the hides, horns, and other materials, and it'll be at least 150,000."
Xu Feng froze. "That much money?"
Huang Sen laughed. "That's right. Makes hunting seem pretty profitable, doesn't it?"
Xu Feng nodded, puzzled. "Isn't it?"
Huang Sen shook his head, sat down on a nearby rock, and sighed. "First of all, ordinary people don't have the skills you do.
"When we go hunting, we usually form teams of five.
"Some are responsible for keeping the prey occupied, some for drawing its attention, while others attack or provide support.
"And aside from bows and arrows, all we have to fight with are melee weapons.
"So every hunt is a huge hassle, and the slightest mistake can leave you injured or even dead.
"Once you split the spoils, getting twenty or thirty thousand each is already pretty good.
"And remember, that twenty or thirty thousand is what you'd earn from a month of hunting, not from a single day like today."
After hearing Huang Sen's explanation, Xu Feng finally understood that things weren't as simple as he'd thought.
He'd just had the advantage of his flying knives.
Huang Sen sounded regretful, and even a little envious. "Besides, we won't be able to catch anything in this forest for the next month.
"If we want to hunt again, we'll have to find another place.
"The risk is that we won't know the new area well, which could lead to accidents.
"We might even run into powerful mutated creatures and get wiped out."
"If everyone had your skills, would the Trading Zone really be short on meat?"
Only then did Xu Feng nod in understanding. "That's true."
But Huang Sen was an easygoing man. He didn't dwell on it for long before cheerfully saying, "Enough about that. If you trust me, leave the game to me to deal with."
Xu Feng waved a hand, unconcerned. "Of course I trust you. I should be thanking you for teaching me so much.
"But can you sell all this meat quickly in the Trading Zone? I'm worried it'll spoil if it sits around too long."
Huang Sen chuckled. "We're not going to set up a stall in the Trading Zone. I have my own channels. After all, I'm a cook."
Xu Feng immediately understood.
Buying meat was the kitchen's responsibility. No wonder Huang Sen had connections.
"All right, let's head back."
Xu Feng swung his arms, still reluctant to call it a day.
He'd fought until his arms were almost numb, yet still hadn't seen a single mutated creature of any real rank.
Clearly, the mutated creatures that had reached a rank were very wary of the Sky Moon Martial University base.
They wouldn't go near it without good reason.
The hunt hadn't given him much combat training, but he'd learned a lot about surviving in the wilderness.
That was enough for him.
Afterward,
the two of them packed the game into their two tactical backpacks and headed back with them on their backs.
When they entered Shanty Town,
everyone who saw the towering packs on their backs let out an amazed sigh.
Huang Sen clearly enjoyed the admiring, envious looks.
Xu Feng, however, felt extremely uncomfortable.
He kept his head down and followed Huang Sen for quite a while. They were almost at the base when
a group of people stopped the two of them in the street.
"Mr. Xu, do you have a moment to talk?"
There were four of them. The one in front was a blue-eyed, blond foreigner.
The other three were Asian: two Great Xia natives, one man and one woman.
Xu Feng recognized the woman.
She was the leader of the Light Swan Society delegation that had tried to recruit him before.
He didn't know the others.
"Is something the matter?" Xu Feng asked in surprise.
"It's not convenient to talk here. Could we buy you a drink?" the Great Xia man who'd approached him asked quietly.
Xu Feng furrowed his brow. "Sorry, now isn't a good time."
He pointed to the enormous backpack behind him. "I still have to deliver this."
Then he continued down the street with Huang Sen.
The man looked as if he wanted to say something, but the blond young man stopped him.
The four of them stood by the roadside and watched Xu Feng leave.
Under the intense gazes of the crowd,
Xu Feng followed Huang Sen into the base kitchen and unloaded all the game. Only then did he head back alone.
But he had barely left the base when
the same group stopped him again.
"What do you want?" Xu Feng asked warily, looking at the four of them.
He subtly moved one hand behind his back, and three flying knives slid into his palm.
"Hello, Mr. Xu. Our Mr. Li would like to talk with you. Would you be free to join us for a drink? It's on us."
The same Great Xia man stepped forward to speak to Xu Feng.
The blue-eyed, blond foreigner stayed farther back with the other two, watching from a distance.
It seemed they were keeping their distance so Xu Feng wouldn't get the wrong idea.
"Sorry, I really don't have time, and I'm not interested in joining any organization.
"Please thank your leader for the invitation. I'm busy, so I'll be going."
Xu Feng politely turned down their invitation.
He nodded respectfully to the blond man.
As Xu Feng walked away, the Great Xia man shook his head slightly and turned back toward the blond man.
Soon, the man's expression darkened.
The meat was processed even faster than Xu Feng had expected.
Just two days later, Huang Sen came by with the money.
"We sold it all for 148,000. You take seventy percent, I take thirty. How's that?"
Huang Sen said as soon as he walked in.
"How could I?" Xu Feng immediately refused. "If you hadn't taken me along, I wouldn't have found a single animal. We split it evenly. It has to be half and half!"
Huang Sen hesitated. "But you killed most of the animals.
"To be honest, I couldn't earn this much in a month if I hunted alone."
Xu Feng stood firm. "I said we split it evenly, so that's what we'll do. Otherwise, I won't go hunting with you again."
"All right, all right. Thanks, Old Xu." Huang Sen was touched. Having someone powerful in your corner really was great.
"Ding! You have received a new deposit!"
Xu Feng glanced at his communicator.
Seeing his balance back up to 300,000, he broke into a grin. "Sit down. I'm free today. Stay for dinner."
"No, no." Huang Sen waved as he headed for the door. "I've got things to do, and I need to hurry.
"Oh, right. Those people didn't give you any trouble the other day, did they?"
Xu Feng shook his head. "They tried to recruit me again. I turned them down."
Huang Sen nodded. "Good. A martial artist named Luo Feng from the Base Patrol Squad asked me about you earlier.
"He wanted me to find out whether you'd consider joining the patrol squad. This is a fantastic opportunity, Old Xu!
"Only official martial artists are eligible to join. You're something else, Old Xu."
But contrary to Huang Sen's expectations,
what would have been a huge stroke of luck for most people didn't make Xu Feng happy in the slightest.
"Forget it. I know my own strength. I'm not cut out for it. Tell him no for me."
Thinking of the blond, blue-eyed foreign martial artist, Xu Feng couldn't help feeling irritated.
He really didn't want to get involved in this nonsense.
All he wanted was to cultivate quietly, make money, and live his life.
"Huh? You really mean that?" Huang Sen asked, taken aback.
"Yeah." Xu Feng nodded firmly.
"All right, Old Xu. You really know how to keep your head down—steadier than Mount Tai!" Huang Sen said, genuinely impressed.
He thought that if he had Xu Feng's abilities, he'd already be walking on air.
But Xu Feng was so cautious he wouldn't take the slightest risk.
Maybe people like that were the ones who lived the longest.
"Fine, I'll get going. Come over to my place for dinner tomorrow night. I made a little extra money this time, so we should celebrate properly."
Huang Sen waved goodbye.
Xu Feng smiled and agreed. "Sure. Don't skimp, though. I want a feast."
"You got it." Huang Sen thumped his chest and strode away.
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