Chapter 409 (1/2)

Together

Gongjia Heng stayed up all night, hammering the bronze piece. On the next day, he heard Shao Xuan come down the tree in the morning. When he walked out of the stone house, his eyes were bloodshot. He looked terrifying.

“What happened to you?” Shao Xuan heard the clanging last night too. However, he wanted to sleep and the sounds were still bearable. A person who frequently hunted in the forest would have to get used to loud beasts, birds and insects even while he rested. If the hunter couldn’t stand noise, then he would never be able to sleep. It was rare for the forest to be completely quiet.

When Gongjia heng heard him, he looked up at Shao Xuan with his reddened eyes. The muscles on his face twitched. “Nothing.” Then, he turned to walk towards the cave.

There was some water stored in the cave. Gongjia Heng used a fruit shell as a ladle, scooping up some unto his face to freshen up. The water calmed his chaotic thoughts.

“I’ve been thinking,” he said in a low voice as he squatted next to the wooden bucket filled with water. His hand was still holding the fruit shell in the bucket but he had stopped splashing water on himself.

Shao Xuan turned towards him to show that he was listening, and Gongjia Heng could speak.

Gongjia Heng did not look up, merely sloshing the water around in the bucket with one hand, his eyes on the ground. As if there was something very interesting there.

“You’re looking for Gongjia Mountain, right? After some thought, I feel like I should go with you.” However, when Gongjia Heng finished, he felt the need to quickly defend himself. “You’re so young, it’s your first time here. You must be very unfamiliar with the terrain here. I’ve been here for twenty years and have been out three many times. I’ll be able to guide you.”

Shao Xuan was stunned for a moment. Then when he suddenly snapped back to reality, he laughed and clapped, “...That would be awesome!”

“Don’t you laugh at me like that! Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking! Hmmph.” Gongjia Heng tossed the fruit shell and picked up the bronze hammer he used to fight beasts. “Eat first, then you’ll have the strength to work!”

They had to prepare a survival kit if they were going to look for Gongjia Mountain. First, medicine for wounds and antidotes for poison and venoms. Then, food, tools etc. They had to be fully prepared.

Gongjia Heng had recently gone for an excursion looking for the mountain. If Shao Xuan hadn’t arrived, he had no plans to make another trip so soon. That was why he did not have many tools prepared. However, with the change of plans, he had to work overtime to prepare all that was needed.

After putting on armour, Gongjia Heng brought Shao Xuan out to pick out some herbs. “We have to prepare more medicine for treating wounds.”

When they returned, Shao Xuan continued getting used to his armour while making traps for Gongjia Heng.

Preparations required three to five days so he did not stop setting up traps.

The underwater cage used to catch crocodiles was set up once again. Gongjia Heng used some beast meat as bait, it had a dash of medicine in it and hung inside the cage. Once the crocodile swam into the cage and bit on the bait, the door would snap shut. Unless someone came to open it or it was smashed open by brute force, it would never open. However, at that point, the crocodile would be weak from the medicine so it would not be strong enough to smash the door open.

“Be careful with the medicine, only a little bit is needed.” Gongjia Heng gestured with his thumb and index finger to indicate the size of a green bean. “This much, and a human will be knocked out. Of course, people as strong as us will be able to last longer. Any weaker person would collapse.”

One small bit was enough to knock a grown man out cold, yet the ball of herb he put in the bait was as big as a ping-pong ball. And the crocodiles would still be able to struggle after eating the bait.

The effects of this sedative were relative to the type of animal. Some animals would be knocked out cold, while others might die. A person might fall into a coma if he consumed the same dosage as a crocodile. He would not just faint- he might never wake up.

At the same time, Gongjia Heng reminded him that he shouldn’t put too much medicine in the bait either. They were going to eat the animal later and would also be affected if the dosage was not right. Or they would collapse after eating crocodile meat!

Within three days, Gongjia Heng had prepared the tools he needed. He even gave Shao Xuan an axe. If Shao Xuan did not have enough weapons, Gongjia Heng would have to be the one to save him. Giving him an extra weapon would be to both of their conveniences.

During these three days, no crocodile took the bait in the underwater cage. They didn’t know if the crocodiles hadn’t noticed the bait or they just hadn’t been in the area.

“How do we cross the river?” asked Shao Xuan.

Although this main flow of the river was wide, he could still see the other end when he stood on the bank. It was nothing compared to the river that isolated his entire tribe.

“Should we make a boat? A raft?” asked Shao Xuan.

“Don’t even think about it. We can’t be on the surface. While the river looks quiet, remember that we haven’t even caught one crocodile in three days. This means that big one has been walking around this area. If we use a raft or a boat, we’ll have to use it far from here. We’ll be swallowed together with our boat if we cross like this. That bastard is very annoying and it will be time-consuming to fight it,” said Gongjia Heng.