Chapter 822: Bi Fang (1/2)
As the sun drifted to the west, so too did dusk slowly descend over the village.
Strains of flowing and resonant mountain songs echoed in the woods as fifty men carried eight enormous beasts on their shoulders. Stepping forward in high spirits, they headed in the direction of home. Eight beasts amounting to a thousand kilograms of meat was an enormous harvest for the hunting party.
They’d destroyed the previously set traps, especially those that’d caught game, recreating them in a location very far away from the original. The beasts of the mountains were intelligent creatures—they would decrease their wandering in an area where one of their kind had been injured.
Lu Yun also returned with a full basket in tow. All sorts of herbs poked out of it, but he wasn’t sure what they could be used for. He had to analyze them through slow and steady experimentation and deduction.
……
“Stop!” Ah Zhuang suddenly ordered in a low tone, causing the entire group to halt.
“What is it, Brother Ah Zhuang?” some of the young men asked.
“Something’s wrong… there’s something here!” His expression was uncommonly serious, leading to similar changes in the others.
“Bird chirps, bug chitters, and the sounds of little animals have all disappeared. It looks like something big’s showed up,” mumbled Lu Yun.
Ah Zhuang looked in surprise at the newcomer. He hadn’t thought that this pampered young man would be able to immediately determine the situation at hand.
“The smell of blood is in the air, that thing’s probably injured.” Lu Yun’s nose twitched. Though he’d lost his cultivation, his five senses were still unusually sensitive.
“Injured?” Ah Zhuang’s eyes lit up. “Then what are we waiting for? Brothers, come with me! There’s easy pickings to be found!”
“Hold on!” Lu Yun quickly cut them off. “There are some things you can’t handle even if they’re injured. We should take a good look at what it is first. Otherwise, we won’t even know how we happened to die!”
He really had gotten a great shock from their impulsiveness, and he even wanted to describe them as all brawn and no brains. He didn’t know how strong Ah Zhuang and the others were, but caution was the parent of safety.
Ah Zhuang blinked and thought carefully. “That’s true, the pixiu outside the village can eat us all even if it had only one breath left… I’ll go take a look!” He gestured for the others to stay put and headed forward.
“It’s on your left…” Lu Yun rubbed his forehead to Ah Zhuang’s embarrassment. “I’ll go with you!”
Sudden inspiration struck him and he placed the little fox on the ground, tagging along closely behind Ah Zhuang. Unwilling to risk herself, the little fox stayed right where she’d been left, with the hunters.
……
“Hey Shan, I didn’t think that you’d be so brave as to come with me. Aren’t you afraid that the beast will swallow you with one gulp?” teased Ah Zhuang as they carefully picked their way toward the unknown creature.
“What am I afraid of? I’ve got you here.” Lu Yun chewed on a strand of grass and slowly swallowed it. A wave of fiery pain rose in his body, but at the same time, he clearly felt his body grow that much stronger from the pain. This jade-green blade of grass was the first useful thing he’d identified—it was a herb that strengthened the constitution.
A small ball of flame ignited in his dantian a few moments later, and his vanished spirit root actually showed signs of coming back to life!