Entering the Mountains

The Azurebillow Mountains were the closest mountain range to Cloudflow County.

The forests here were lush, and peaks rose one after another.

Hunters from hundreds of miles around came here to eke out a living.

Besides the many wild beasts, the mountains also gave birth to creatures far stronger than ordinary beasts, known as Mutant Beasts.

No one knew how Mutant Beasts came into being.

But their characteristics were obvious: they were far larger than others of their kind.

Especially animals that had originally been small. Once they became Mutant Beasts, their size would multiply severalfold, even dozens of times over.

For instance, a Mutant Beast called the Tiger-Striped Iron-Tailed Cat had mutated from the common small beast known as the Tiger-Striped Cat. It had originally been about the size of a house cat.

But after becoming a Mutant Beast, it grew directly to the size of an ordinary tiger. Its tail became a weapon like an iron whip; if an ordinary person was so much as grazed by it, their arms and legs would break.

Not only that, its strength and speed were greatly enhanced. Even ordinary tigers were no match for it.

Interestingly, the Tiger-Striped Iron-Tailed Cat loved hunting tigers, but it only liked eating their heads.

Therefore, if one found a headless tiger in the wilderness, one had to beware of a Tiger-Striped Iron-Tailed Cat lurking nearby.

As for the Red-Haired Giant Ape Chen Xun and the others were hunting this time, it was a giant ape with crimson fur that could grow as tall as four meters.

The Red-Haired Giant Ape was characterized by living in groups, possessing immense strength, using weapons such as clubs and stones, and being able to enter a berserk state.

In short, it was extremely difficult to deal with.

On a beast trail in the Azurebillow Mountains, a group of people carried bamboo baskets half a man tall on their backs as they advanced steadily and slowly.

At the front of the group, two young men wielding machetes cleared the way.

Thorns, vines, and saplings encountered along the road were swiftly cut down by the sharp blades and fell to the side.

"Chen Xun, Luo Tao, you two can rest now. Switch out."

"Zhang Zhong, He Jin, you two take over for them."

"Yes."

Hearing this, Chen Xun let out a sigh of relief and handed the machete in his hand to Zhang Zhong, who was taking over.

Then he and Luo Tao moved to the rear-middle of the group and hurriedly took out their waterskins from the bamboo baskets on their backs to drink.

"I'm dying of thirst."

Luo Tao gulped down water. After drinking nearly half his waterskin, he could not help groaning, "That hit the spot."

"Don't drink too fast. Learn from Chen Xun—take small sips. That will quench your thirst while saving water. If you don't come across a stream in the wild, it's hard to replenish clean water."

Seeing this, Xie Xiong reminded him.

"Got it, Brother Xiong. I'll watch it next time."

Luo Tao said, taking the lesson to heart.

Lowering his waterskin, Luo Tao looked at Chen Xun. Sure enough, just as Xie Xiong had said, Chen Xun was taking small sip after small sip.

Sensing Luo Tao's gaze, Chen Xun looked over.

Neither spoke. They simply nodded at each other in tacit understanding.

After Chen Xun finished drinking, he firmly plugged the waterskin and put it back into the bamboo basket on his back.

This bamboo basket held Chen Xun's supplies for three days, along with a one-man tent for wilderness survival.

In particular, the baskets carried by Chen Xun and the others were woven by the Li Family from a special kind of bamboo called Iron Bamboo. They were both lightweight and sturdier than other bamboo baskets, while also having a certain insect-repelling effect.

They were simply divine tools for traveling through the jungle.

Besides the bamboo baskets, Chen Xun and the others also wore specially made clothes that protected against mosquito and insect bites, were sturdy and wear-resistant, and remained breathable.

In short, wearing such an outfit made moving about in the forest extremely convenient.

These clothes and these bamboo baskets reflected the experience and wisdom accumulated by the Li Family over decades in every detail.

About half an hour later, Zhang Zhong and He Jin were also replaced.

Apart from Li Tiangang, who served as captain, and the guide, everyone else had to work in pairs at the front clearing the way.

Mountain roads were difficult and rugged. Without clearing a path, they might walk for half a day and cover only a few miles, perhaps even ending up farther from their destination.

"There's a small stream ahead. We'll rest there."

With the sun directly overhead, Li Tiangang looked at the sweat-soaked crowd and instructed Yang Feng beside him.

"Yes, Fourth Master."

Yang Feng immediately began making arrangements.

Once the group reached the stream, they stopped at once.

Then some cleared the ground, set up pots, and heated their food.

Others fetched water and gathered firewood.

The entire team was orderly, without the slightest sign of chaos.

This was both the result of their usual training and a testament to Yang Feng's skill at management.

There were rumors that Fourth Master had promised to secure Yang Feng a steward's position in the future, making many people envious.

Chen Xun was responsible for fetching water.

Half an hour later, everyone silently ate their warmed dry rations. No one had much strength left to talk.

They had been clearing paths, climbing mountains, and wading through rivers all the way here. It had been exceedingly arduous.

Just then, Yang Tiangang turned to the guide beside him and asked, "Elder Jiang, how much farther is it?"

The moment he spoke, everyone could not help looking over, curiosity and inquiry showing in their eyes.

The guide known as Elder Jiang had an aged face and gray-white hair, but his body remained exceptionally robust.

After walking such a long mountain road, there was little fatigue on his face. Clearly, his martial arts had not been weak in his youth.

Hearing this, Elder Jiang said nothing. He rose and selected the tallest tree before climbing it.

Standing atop the canopy, he used instruments such as a compass and a map, gesturing and calculating for a long while before climbing back down.

"Fourth Master, we're heading in the right direction. At this pace, we should arrive tomorrow morning."

Elder Jiang answered respectfully.

"Alright, I understand."

Li Tiangang nodded, then ordered, "Rest for a while, then continue on."

"Yes."

The others were delighted to hear this and each found a level, shady spot to rest.

Once they had rested enough, the group continued onward.

Along the way, they were attacked by some ferocious beasts, but all were easily dealt with.

Instead, venomous insects and poisonous snakes were more dangerous and harder to handle.

Several people in the group were bitten by venomous insects, and large welts immediately swelled up.

But after applying the Li Family's specially made ointment, the swelling quickly subsided.

That night, the group cleared out an open area, scattered insect-repelling powder, pitched tents to sleep in, and arranged for people to take turns keeping watch.

At daybreak, they continued their journey.

Finally, at around ten in the morning, the group reached their destination.

"This is the place. It matches the hunter's description: a deep valley, a Redleaf Forest, and monkey troops."

Elder Jiang pointed at the valley ahead.

Standing at the edge of the valley, everyone could clearly see that it was thirty to forty meters deep. Within it stood a large grove of red-leaved trees, and one or several monkeys would occasionally dart out from the forest.

"Good. Proceed according to the plan."

Li Tiangang instructed.

"Yes."

Yang Feng and Xie Xiong clasped their fists at the same time in acknowledgment.

Then the sixteen-man team split into two halves, one heading east and the other west.

Only Li Tiangang and Elder Jiang remained where they were, observing the situation in the valley.

Chen Xun followed behind Xie Xiong. Their task was to set fire to the Redleaf Forest and draw out the Mutant Beast within—the Red-Haired Giant Ape.

A total of seven men, led by Xie Xiong, carefully descended into the valley along the steep cliff face.

The area around the Redleaf Forest was strewn with broken stones. The group stepped over the rubble as they rapidly approached the forest.

Not long after entering the Redleaf Forest, several monkeys spotted them and began screeching wildly.

"Take them out. Shut them up."

Xie Xiong's tone was icy.

"Yes."

At once, three team members carrying bows took out their longbows, aimed at the monkeys, and drew their arrows.

Chen Xun was one of the three.

The Hunting Team placed great importance on archery. Everyone who joined the team would be tested to see whether they possessed a talent for the bow.

With Cloud-Walking Qi Archery at his disposal, Chen Xun naturally passed the test.

Those who passed could also study a Basic Archery martial art for free.

Chen Xun had mastered it quickly, but the panel did not recognize the martial art.

Thus, Chen Xun rarely put much effort into it, focusing instead on cultivating Cloud-Walking Qi Archery.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" Three arrows flew out together, but only two hit their targets.

The remaining arrow grazed past a monkey's head and sank deeply into a tree trunk.

"Screech!" The remaining monkey was startled. It cried out and prepared to flee.

"Not good."

Xie Xiong's expression changed slightly.

Just as he was about to act, a sharp whoosh rang out. An arrow that chased the moon like a shooting star struck the last monkey precisely in the head.

Xie Xiong abruptly turned around and saw one of the men beside Chen Xun slowly lowering his bow.

"Shen Rong, well done."

Xie Xiong could not help praising him.

Shen Rong smiled smugly. "A trifling matter."

"It's just that some people lack skill. They'd better stop making fools of themselves."

As soon as those words came out, the last of the three archers immediately flushed red.

He was also the only archer among the three who had failed to hit his target. He had been too greedy, wanting to shoot the monkey in the head, only to lose face instead.

"Shen Rong, say less."

Xie Xiong could not help rebuking him.

"Yes."

Shen Rong did not dare keep stirring up trouble and put on an attitude of humbly admitting his mistake.

Xie Xiong had no way to continue reprimanding him and could only let him off for the moment.

Among Chen Xun's batch of newcomers, Shen Rong had the best talent for archery. He was usually diligent in training and cooperative as well.

His only flaw was that he was somewhat arrogant and liked to speak venomously.

Every other archer, Chen Xun included, had been mocked by him.

Chen Xun, however, was hiding his true abilities. Though he was mocked, his heart remained calm as still water, and he even found it amusing.

The other archers were different. Some had even had their defenses shattered and nearly come to blows with Shen Rong.

Therefore, Shen Rong had an extremely poor reputation among the Hunting Team's archers.