A Figure Beckons in the Fog, a Mutant Bearman

A Figure Beckons in the Fog, Mutant: Bearman

"With our pace, we should reach Youping County in around three days." Feng Gu, the Young Master of the Peaceful Merchant Company, spoke freely with Lu Xingshi.

When Lu Xingshi had first emerged, he had indeed given them quite a fright. The merchant company's guards had nearly drawn their weapons against him.

Only after Lu Xingshi communicated with them using his 100 points of eloquence did he smoothly join the merchant company.

Feng Gu had traveled far and wide. Though they chatted, he also probed Lu Xingshi's background through roundabout questions. After some conversation, he had uncovered quite a bit. Lu Xingshi was most likely a young master from some Scholarly Family or prominent household, the sort who had snuck out to have some fun.

The main reason for that impression was naturally that Lu Xingshi did not know much.

While Feng Gu was sounding him out, Lu Xingshi was also gathering information about the Great Song Dynasty Court and the martial world. That was why he had given Feng Gu such a misunderstanding.

"Still three more days?" Lu Xingshi was rather puzzled by the time. Was the distance really that great?

"We'll pass through three villages and two towns along the way, so it isn't far." Feng Gu smiled and explained that the route was not all barren wilderness.

Lu Xingshi glanced at the sky. "My knowledge is lacking. But it's getting late. Are we planning to rest out in the wild tonight?"

"No, we won't rest in the wild." Feng Gu's expression turned solemn. "I've heard that Bearmen have been appearing around here."

"Bearmen?" Lu Xingshi remembered something about that. It seemed to refer to brown bears.

Yet judging from Feng Gu's expression, something seemed off.

Thinking it over carefully, even a First-Rate Expert probably could not defeat a brown bear. An adult brown bear weighed six hundred jin and was the second-largest land carnivore. It could even grow to a ton, standing nearly two meters tall.

At first glance, it might have seemed rather weak in a Martial Arts World, but this was Low Martial, not high martial.

The guards of the Peaceful Merchant Company did not have much chance of winning against a bear either. Most of the time, they would try to drive it away; if that failed, they would run.

They would not take the initiative against tigers or leopards either, instead avoiding their edge.

Still, most wild animals would not dare attack such a large group of people.

"That's right. It's a Mutant, and it eats people." The moment Feng Gu said the words "eats people," Lu Xingshi understood why he was so grave.

Never mind whether it was a Mutant or not. Once a bear had eaten a person, it underwent a change: it began to regard humans as prey that was easy to kill.

Especially since human blood contained salt, an excellent source of nourishment.

"We should hurry to a village and rest there. There's safety in numbers." Lu Xingshi was not the sort of stubborn fool who would charge headfirst into danger. If Feng Gu said so, he believed him.

The entire Peaceful Merchant Company had only three guards. Including all the others, there were seven more people. With the Young Master and Lu Xingshi, there were only twelve in total. It was not a large merchant company, after all.

If they truly ran into trouble, it would be hard to handle.

As for the guards' strength... forget it. They were older than Lu Xingshi, but their Inner Force was not much stronger than his.

In overall strength, Lu Xingshi was even a cut above them. He also had the boost from his Physical Constitution.

Of course, in terms of experience and worldly knowledge, they were certainly stronger than him.

"I wonder if we can make it in time." Feng Gu did not have much confidence either. This was his first time traveling this Trade Route; in the past, his father had always taken it.

But this time, his father had matters he could not get away from, so Feng Gu had no choice but to come himself.

Fortunately, this was not Feng Gu's first time conducting trade, so he was not panicking.

"Are there many rumors of Mutants like this across the land?" Lu Xingshi asked curiously.

"There are quite a few rumors of Mutants, but very few people have ever seen one's true face."

"Quite a few so-called Mutants are also fabrications spread by people seeking fame." The solemnity gradually faded from Feng Gu's face, and he continued chatting with Lu Xingshi.

He even gave Lu Xingshi several examples of rumors he had heard during his travels, which left Lu Xingshi quite intrigued.

Mutants were, broadly speaking, mutated varieties of certain plants or animals with some unusual characteristics.

As they talked, Feng Gu returned to the subject of this Bearman.

"The origins of this Bearman are quite strange. No one knows where it came from. I've heard it's extremely cunning and vicious, with a revengeful nature that chills the heart. Combined with that beast's strength, it has swallowed several merchant companies and eaten quite a few villagers." Feng Gu spoke of what he knew.

Lu Xingshi asked where he had learned of it.

"In Floating Goose Town. This matter should be true. Last night, men from the Floating Goose Merchant Association were injured. They seemed to have gone out at night with dogs to search for something, but they ran into the Bearman. If they hadn't all been skilled fighters, they might not have made it back."

"Even so, several of them were lost." Feng Gu added more details as proof.

"It seems the matter is indeed true." Lu Xingshi responded, finally understanding why they had fled in such haste last night and returned in the middle of the night. So they had encountered the Bearman along the way and been beaten badly.

He was rather glad he had played a trick beneath the lamp, hiding directly around the town rather than running all the way.

Otherwise, he might have been the one to encounter the Bearman.

At that time, he had not yet perfected the third level of the "Qi Guiding Art" and "Breathing Exercise." He had been even weaker than he was now.

The two exchanged words back and forth as the sky gradually darkened, and a thin veil of mist appeared around them.

As night drew closer, the thin mist grew denser and denser.

Feng Gu noticed the anomaly and furrowed his brow. This was not a good sign.

Fortunately, they were only traveling along the Official Road. There was no harm in being careful.

"Look, is someone ahead waving at us?" Lu Xingshi suddenly said.

Everyone looked carefully, and there really was someone there.

A Burly Man with a felt cap on his head stood in the fog, waving at them.

Yet Feng Gu immediately raised a hand, signaling everyone to stop.

Seeing this, the guards warily placed their hands on the hilts of the long knives at their waists, ready to draw at any moment.

"Good sir, I am the Young Master of the Peaceful Merchant Company. Please grant us passage." Feng Gu merely took him for a bandit blocking the road and did not think too much of it.

But after he called out, the Burly Man continued waving without replying.

That made everyone's hairs stand on end.

"Something's wrong. That doesn't seem to be a person..." Lu Xingshi's Physical Constitution gave him sharper eyesight, allowing him to spot a clue.

Just as he was about to speak again, the Burly Man suddenly dropped onto all fours and charged toward them in an eerie posture.

From within the thick fog, a hairless bear's head emerged. A lump of cow dung sat atop it, looking at first glance like a felt hat.

"Bearman!!!"