Chapter 26 – Sparring Again (1/2)

A heavy wave of warmth surged in his stomach. He immediately got up and began practising in the courtyard. Only when the warmth had vanished completely did he exhale deeply and stop.

Normally, he would feel tired after practising for so long, yet he was brimming with energy today. As expected, the medicinal alcohol made from ginseng was much more effective than simply eating meat.

Moreover, the true qi in his body seemed to grow slightly. It was very weak, but it was growing properly.

Medicinal alcohol made from ordinary ginseng is already so effective. I wonder how it would be like if I used the spiritual ginseng instead. He had thought of this before, but then he considered the difficulty in obtaining it, followed by the consequences that came after, so he could only give up in the end.

In just a few days, several hunters were carried off the mountains, either dead or injured. Clearly, the ginseng foragers were not easy to deal with. Although Li Qingshan had agreed to join the Drawn Reins village, it was just a measure to deal with his circumstances. He did not actually want to become involved in the dispute between the two villages.

In the blink of an eye, it was the fifteenth of the eighth month, the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the forested mountains, Huang Binghu gazed at the exhausted faces beside him. In the past few days, he had been moving through the mountains with his hunters, remaining alert at all times despite possessing the upper hand and basically slaughtering the ginseng foragers to a point of disarray.

However, it was impossible for him to remain unscathed, so it was difficult for him as well. Meanwhile, the spiritual ginseng only existed within the legends. No one had seen it with their own eyes, so these sacrifices became meaningless.

Huang Binghu let out a deep sigh and ordered them to return to the village. Xiao Hei said in a hurry, “Hunting chief, you can’t give up. Your body is-” Huang Binghu cut in and said, “The village takes top priority!” Not only was it the Mid-Autumn Festival, a time for families to reunite, but it was almost winter as well. The village had to prepare for the change in seasons.

In one corner of the Drawn Reins village, within grandpa Zang’s courtyard, Huang Binghu asked with a smile, “Grandpa Zang, how’s the kid?”

“He’s a natural marksman. His archery will definitely exceed both yours and mine in the future, but…”

“But what?”

“His mind is not with the Drawn Reins village. Even if we’ve gotten him to join the village, it’s all useless. We’re hunting dogs that guard the mountain, while he’s a wolf, and a lone wolf at that. There’ll be a time when he goes off on a long journey!”

“You really plan on making him the hunting chief?”

“That’ll depend on his skills.” Huang Binghu smiled.

“Qingshan, has it been satisfactory for you here?” Huang Binghu entered the courtyard and greeted him straightforwardly.

“Thank you for your concern, hunting chief. I’ve been doing very well here.” Ever since the news of Li Qingshan killing seven ginseng foragers spread through the village, everyone had warmed up to him. However, this also meant that he had become complete enemies with the Ginseng King village. The ginseng foragers were not benevolent folk, so he had to rely on the Drawn Reins village in order to survive.

However, could he really just accept an arrangement like this?

Li Qingshan said, “Hunting chief, I want to try sparring with you again!”

Huang Binghu’s surprised gaze met Li Qingshan’s confident eyes.

Huang Binghu said, “Alright. Let’s see the fruits of your training from the past few days.”

“Ha!” Li Qingshan did not wait for Huang Binghu to pull away from him, suddenly rushing forwards. He threw a straight punch without any fancy tricks, striking towards Huang Binghu’s chest viciously. It gave off a slight whoosh from the rushing air.

“Not bad, kid!” Huang Binghu blocked using his arm, and with a smack, he staggered back three steps before stopping, shaking his arm in pain. Then he revealed a rather surprised expression. What great strength! Although he did not clash with Li Qingshan in brute strength last time, he could estimate that his strength back then should not have been so great.