The way he came
The tug-of-war is not over yet; the reckoning has only just begun.
After a few maneuvers, the Marsh-Ridged Cattle's body was covered with countless cuts. Its fur was soaked in blood, sticking to its flesh in layers, and its once heavy and robust body visibly slowed down.
The continuous blood loss exhausted its strength, and its previous reckless and mindless momentum completely dissipated.
It stopped charging forward.
Fear overcame its ferocity; its heavy head shrank slightly, and its massive body clumsily turned around, trying to run back to the distant herd of cattle.
But its legs were weak, its body was heavy, and its steps were unsteady, each step was a staggering sway, and it couldn't run fast at all.
Lu Heng saw it clearly; there was no intention to go easy on them in the slightest.
The reason I retreated and gave way earlier was to avoid trouble. This bull was relentlessly chasing me, determined to fight to the death. Now that it's scared, it wants to run away? That doesn't make sense.
He quickened his pace, taking a few steps to get close to the dead cow's side, giving it no room to escape.
Taking advantage of the moment when the Marsh-Ridged Cattle shifted its center of gravity forward and pushed off the ground with its hind legs, Lu Heng suddenly applied force to his wrist.
The Bronze Hunting Blade cleaved straight down.
The blade cut firmly into the root of the beef leg, severing the muscles and tendons in a clean and crisp motion.
A dull thud; the tendon ruptured.
The Marsh-Ridged Cattle lost all support on its hind legs instantly and collapsed. Its hundreds-of-pounds-weight body lost its balance and crashed heavily onto the snow-covered mudflat, pressing a muddy puddle into the snow mixed with blood.
A sharp pain instantly shot through my entire body.
Its massive body convulsed violently, arched its back, tensed its flesh, and jerked its head back, its throat brimming with power, ready to unleash a deafening roar.
Once a sound is made, all the wild animals in the wetlands will be startled.
Lu Heng reacted swiftly, closing in half a step before it could make a sound.
With a swift horizontal sweep, the Hunting Blade precisely cut across the cow's mouth, nose, and throat.
The subtle sound of skin tearing was very clear.
The vocal cords were severed.
The Marsh-Ridged Cattle opened its mouth wide, but could no longer utter its original deep and powerful moo. Only a few hoarse, trembling sounds, like thin bleats, could be squeezed out of its throat, weak and fragmented, lacking any sense of intimidation.
It's completely ruined.
He couldn't stand up because of his broken leg, and he couldn't even call out. His body was covered in cuts and bleeding profusely.
It lay paralyzed in the mud and snow, its massive body trembling uncontrollably. With only enough strength left, it could barely twitch its body. The ferocity in its eyes had completely vanished, leaving only pure fear.
Lu Heng looked down at it.
Chasing after them relentlessly, ramming into them, and pestering them without restraint—it was entirely their own fault.
He felt no pity whatsoever.
He merely frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping over his surroundings.
This open beach was wide open and unobstructed, and the smell of blood carried extremely far. The cow's blood mixed with the damp, cold air caused the smell to dissipate quickly, and the longer it lingered, the more likely it was to attract Wolf Pack or other predators.
It cannot be delayed.
A swift and decisive victory is needed.
Lu Heng stepped forward, steadied himself, and swiftly brought down his knife.
The sharp Bronze Hunting Blade sliced steadily across the bull's carotid artery.
Warm blood gushed out suddenly, spraying out from the cut and staining the large patch of white snow beneath him.
The Marsh-Ridged Cattle's body convulsed violently twice, its limbs kicked, and then the force quickly dissipated. A few seconds later, its massive body completely relaxed, becoming motionless, and its pupils rapidly dilated.
Utterly dead.
Lu Heng didn't even glance at the corpse. With a flick of his wrist, he stored the entire cow carcass directly into his Wristband Space.
Only a pool of dark red blood and messy footprints remained on the spot.
This place is not safe to stay for long.
He immediately turned and left the open area where the fight had taken place, slowly making his way away to the densely vegetated wetland area to the side.
After walking a distance, the stench of blood in the air faded considerably, and my tense mind gradually relaxed.
He slowed his pace and began to carefully examine the low-lying wetland.
The soil is consistently moist and loose, with numerous puddles, and dense thickets of aquatic plants and low-growing vegetation, creating a completely different ecosystem from the dry woodlands upstream. This soil and water environment is ideal for the growth of various wild medicinal herbs.
Lu Heng slowly searched and investigated along the grassy area.
Not far along, patches of short, white grass came into view by the water's edge. The stems and leaves were slender and soft, covered with a fine white down, growing close to the ground in great numbers.
He tapped the Wristband to scan and verify its authenticity.
[White Fuzz Grass | Common Grade]
Brief introduction: Common wetland herbaceous vegetation, it can stop bleeding and reduce swelling, relieve skin redness and inflammation, and is specifically used to treat abrasions, superficial cuts and other external injuries. This wetland has a very large population and a very wide distribution.
Basic and practical herbal remedies for external injuries.
Lu Heng casually picked the leaves, brushed off the wet mud from the roots, neatly gathered them, and stored them all in his spatial storage for later use.
Continuing a short distance further in, near the edge of the deep swamp, several plants with completely different appearances are hidden deep in the dense grass.
The plant is not tall, with a compact root system, bluish leaves, and fine veins, making it clearly distinguishable from the surrounding weeds.
Restart the Wristband authentication process.
[Silt-Root Orchid | Black Iron Tier]
Introduction: This rare medicinal plant possesses the effects of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis. It can alleviate muscle tears and injuries, repair minor internal injuries, and effectively eliminate fatigue from heavy lifting and bruises all over the body. It has extremely high practical recovery value.
Black Iron Tier herbs.
Lu Heng's eyes flickered slightly.
This is a rare find. Muscle soreness and hidden bruises accumulated from traveling, climbing, carrying heavy loads, and fighting are usually unresponsive to ordinary wild herbs, but this plant can effectively repair them.
He carefully dug away the surrounding wet mud, preserving the roots intact, and harvested and stored all the Silt-Root Orchid plants.
Harvest two kinds of herbs, and find a stable area for herb gathering.
This wetland exploration trip was definitely worthwhile.
Lu Heng stood on the grassy beach, turning his head to look into the distance.
The entire wetland is vast, crisscrossed by marshes and numerous forks in the road, making it impossible to explore completely in a short time. Moreover, the deeper Inner Region are even more submerged and obscured, with unknown risks and uncertainties, making it unwise to venture too far.
Instead of wandering aimlessly, it's better to revisit familiar routes.
He recalled that when he first arrived in this area, he randomly chose a direction after landing and hurried forward, without having time to carefully observe the terrain.
The strength, vision, and experience are all different now.
Retracing the route taken from the giant meteorite crater allows for a thorough understanding of the upstream and downstream topographical connections, enhancing one's knowledge of the region's terrain.
Having made up his mind, Lu Heng did not linger.
They changed direction and steadily headed back towards the giant pit, following the gentle terrain along the riverbank.