Gathering Spirit Herbs
Lu Feng stepped forward, made a hand seal, and took out a jade bottle.
A few drops of dark red blood rose from the rabbit demon's corpse and, guided by a spell, slowly floated into the bottle.
This is a method for extracting essence and blood that comes with the Hundred Beasts Body-Tempering Art.
The technique is not difficult; the key is that the essence must be extracted within half a cup of tea after the monster dies. If the time limit is exceeded, the essence will become ineffective.
Lin Miao and Su Qiaoqiao glanced at it curiously, but didn't ask any further questions.
Zhao Hong's gaze lingered for a moment on Lu Feng's technique and the jade bottle before shifting away, remaining silent as well.
They all knew the rules of the Demon-Slaying Bureau; they should ask fewer questions and observe more.
"Continue."
For the next hour or so, the group advanced along the outer perimeter of Black Forest Mountain.
When they encountered a lone first-tier demon beast, the three of them took turns dealing with it alone.
If you encounter two or more, they will cooperate and work together.
Lu Feng followed behind, his only responsibility being to collect their essence blood, occasionally offering a word of warning when they revealed a fatal flaw.
After several collaborations, the three became increasingly in sync.
Su Qiaoqiao was responsible for drawing attention first, Lin Miao attacked from the side, and Zhao Hong focused on the monster's retreat route, blocking it with a single strike.
Because of Lu Feng's status as a demon slayer, the other demon-slaying guards would deliberately avoid them from afar, which ironically led to them encountering quite a few demonic beasts.
Later, Lu Feng's jade bottle contained the essence blood of ten different first-tier demonic beasts.
The materials for the first level of the Hundred Beasts Body-Tempering Art are complete.
The group stopped to rest at the boundary between the outer and inner perimeters.
There is a long ravine here, as if it were plowed out of the earth by something, and its bottom is covered with moss.
Su Qiaoqiao sat on a rock, counting on her fingers, when she suddenly jumped up halfway through:
"I've had such a great day! I soloed seven of them! Plus the mission rewards, wow! A full 100 merit points! I'm rich!"
One hundred merit points are nothing more than a fraction of the value of a single pill to Lu Feng.
But for a new Demon-Slaying Bureau Guard who has just joined the Demon Slayer Division, this is indeed a considerable income.
Just then, Zhao Hong, who had rarely spoken along the way, suddenly spoke up.
"Sir, I've accepted a quest to collect Earth Spirit Mushroom. These Earth Spirit Mushroom only grow in the inner area... I wonder... could you take us inside to have a look?"
"Earth Spirit Mushroom?" Lin Miao frowned.
"Zhao Hong, why did you take this mission? The inner area is too dangerous. Even with the adults here, if we encounter a horde of monsters, they might not be able to protect all three of us at the same time."
"The rewards for this task are very high. Collecting one mushroom earns ten merit points, and Earth Spirit Mushroom usually grow in patches. If you're lucky, you can collect hundreds at once."
After Zhao Hong finished speaking, she paused, lowering her voice slightly.
"I was thinking, it's not easy for the adults to take us out like this, if everyone thinks it's too dangerous, then we should just forget about it."
Su Qiaoqiao and Lin Miao both looked at Lu Feng.
Lu Feng carefully put away the jade bottle, stood up, and dusted off his robes.
"It's alright. Don't worry about the monsters; leave the ones you can't handle to me."
"Perfect timing, I also want to go see what kind of monsters are in the inner area."
"That's wonderful! Thank you, sir!"
A smile simultaneously broke out on the faces of all three.
The inner perimeter of Black Forest Mountain is so dangerous that ordinary demon-slaying guards dare not set foot there because of the presence of second-tier demonic beasts.
However, similarly, most of the valuable medicinal herbs, such as the Earth Spirit Mushroom, Scarlet Ginseng, and Blood Lingzhi, also grow in the inner area.
The three of them carefully crossed the ravine and entered the inner perimeter.
The inner and outer areas of Black Forest Mountain are somewhat different.
Birds chirped and insects sang in the surrounding area; although there were also monsters, at least you could hear the wind as you walked through the forest.
The inner area is shaded by towering ancient trees, their canopies so dense that almost no light can penetrate. The ground is perpetually dark and soft to the touch, covered with fallen leaves that have rotted for countless years.
The three of them unconsciously slowed their pace, their breathing becoming extremely shallow.
Lu Feng followed behind them, his steps steady as usual, his gaze slowly sweeping across the dense forest around them.
After walking a few steps, Zhao Hong, who was at the front, suddenly squatted down, brushed aside a withered leaf, and revealed a small, dark red grass underneath.
The blades of grass are needle-shaped, with a tiny, blood-red protrusion at the tip, about the size of a grain of rice, resembling a drop of congealed blood.
"This... this looks like Blood-Coagulating Grass! I've seen it on my quest log!"
Her voice was low, but it couldn't hide the excitement in her tone.
Lin Miao and Su Qiaoqiao immediately came over.
"It really is the Blood-Coagulating Grass!"
Su Qiaoqiao squatted down and examined it carefully. After confirming that it was correct, Zhao Hong carefully picked it up by the roots and put it into her storage bag.
Blood-Coagulating Grass, one plant for ten merit points. They've already started selling it as soon as they entered the inner circle.
The three exchanged a glance, all seeing barely suppressed excitement in each other's eyes.
They stopped talking and began searching inch by inch along the bushes in the woods.
Lu Feng followed behind at a leisurely pace, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping across the surroundings, but in reality, he took in all the movements within a radius of several dozen feet.
"I found one too!"
"Here! Ironbone Vine!"
"There's another Blood-Coagulating Grass here!"
The three voices rose and fell in turn.
Few people venture into the inner area, where the density of medicinal herbs far surpasses that of the outer area.
In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, each person had picked more than seven or eight plants.
Su Qiaoqiao's smile was practically reaching her ears, while Lin Miao, though her expression remained relatively calm, was just as fast at picking herbs as Su Qiaoqiao.
Even Zhao Hong, who is usually quiet, had a rare look of excitement in her eyes.
"Careful."
Lu Feng's voice suddenly rang out, not loud, but like a bucket of ice water poured over the three of them.
The three of them stopped at the same time and looked ahead in the direction Lu Feng was looking.
Deep in the dense forest, a dozen pairs of eerie green eyes slowly rose from behind the bushes.
A pack of wolf demons. One of them was a whole size larger than the others, with dark gray fur, fangs sticking out from between its lips, and saliva dripping from its chin.
"One, two, three... nine, all of them..." Su Qiaoqiao's voice trailed off.
"The one in the middle isn't the right size! It's a Tier 2! It's a Tier 2 wolf demon!"
The color drained from the faces of the three people in an instant.
Eight first-tier wolf demons and one second-tier wolf king.
This lineup, let alone the three of them who Early Ming Jin, even a whole team of Demon Slayers might not be able to withstand it.
Zhao Hong subconsciously took half a step back, while Lin Miao drew her long sword and held it horizontally in front of her, the tip of the sword trembling slightly.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here."
Lu Feng stepped out from behind the three of them. He walked at a moderate pace, heading straight towards the wolf pack.
The second-tier wolf king narrowed its eyes.
It tilted its head, looking at the human who had approached it with the eyes of someone appraising food, and made a low gurgling sound in its throat.
"Hahaha! It's been so long since I've seen a human dare to come in here. Today I can finally have a feast!"
Lu Feng drew his sword.
The moment the Six Harmonies Saber was drawn, his figure vanished from the spot.
The Carefree Steps stretched his shadow into a blur, and before the wolf king could even wipe the drool from its mouth, the blade had already sliced across its neck.