Xia Yunzhao followed the treasure-hunting party into the mountains. Sure enough, the two guards paid no attention whatsoever to the people behind them. The moment they entered the mountain, they headed straight toward the deeper reaches, obviously searching for treasure on behalf of their patron.
The others also scattered in different directions to search for the spirit plants and ores they needed.
Xia Yunzhao looked around and chose an unoccupied direction to explore. Most treasure hunters might have been ordinary mortals, but each of them had at least picked up a few useful skills. If nothing else, surely they had to recognize a few low-level spirit plants. Otherwise, what would they even gather after entering the mountain?
Xia Yunzhao was different. Most of what he knew about this world came from the original owner’s memories, and the original owner himself had recognized exactly one thing: Lingwei Grass… So the others had not been wrong at all. That foolish kid really had come treasure hunting on Liancui Mountain without knowing a thing. No wonder he had failed to survive even his first day…
Fortunately, Lingwei Grass really was abundant.
Xia Yunzhao pushed aside a strange thorn-covered plant and, sure enough, found a large patch of Lingwei Grass. Its leaves were glossy and plump, much better in quality than what he had gathered yesterday.
He glanced around. Seeing no one nearby, he simply took out Xiao Qing, tore up a handful of grass, and stuffed it straight inside.
Freshly picked Lingwei Grass was clearly much more “palatable.” Xiao Qing did not even mind the dirt. Faint flashes of white light rapidly flickered across the furnace, the leaves inside disappeared in an instant, and the progress bar slowly began creeping forward.
One look at that progress bar filled Xia Yunzhao with motivation. Combined with the pill he had taken that morning, which had left him brimming with energy, he quickly harvested the entire patch of Lingwei Grass before moving on to search for the next one.
Time passed slowly, and before he knew it, four hours had gone by. He had left early that morning, so it was still only around 9:45 a.m.
Xia Yunzhao wiped away his sweat and glanced at the sun through the gaps in the leaves. “I’m getting a little hungry. Let me eat a ration cake first, then… Wait. What’s that sound?”
He listened carefully. It sounded like wind… but that was not right. The nearby leaves were not moving, so where was the wind coming from?
The sound grew louder and louder, as though it were drawing closer… Wind, drawing closer?
Xiao Qing’s lid trembled. Then the furnace suddenly jumped straight into Xia Yunzhao’s arms and burrowed even deeper into his clothes.
“You little—” Xia Yunzhao stopped mid-sentence as realization struck. That was not wind. It was the sound of a beast panting. Some enormous animal was approaching!
Without another word, he turned and ran.
The huffing, wheezing sound behind him was much faster than he was, almost as though it were right beside his ear. The force of it bent the bushes behind him to one side, and then the parted vegetation revealed a blue-green figure drifting out from within. “…Xiao Xia?”
“Brother Xing!” Xia Yunzhao did not even dare look back. He recognized the voice of his only friend in this place entirely by sound. “What exactly did you bring back with you? Could you please tell that friend behind you that we’re not receiving guests today and ask it to kindly go home?”
Xing Wenyu gave a couple of helpless laughs as he followed behind him. “Sorry. I accidentally provoked that Blackwind Hound and dragged you into this.”
“A Blackwind Hound? The one from yesterday?” Xia Yunzhao shoved Xiao Qing more securely into his clothes as he rounded a bend. “You really are my own dear brother!”
Beyond the bend was a stretch of low woodland, the same way Xia Yunzhao had come earlier. The height was just right for a person to pass through, but rather cramped for a Blackwind Hound. The short, densely packed trees slowed it down, yet it still refused to give up and continued pursuing the two of them.
Xing Wenyu was faster than Xia Yunzhao, but he remained behind him anyway, thinking that if the beast pounced, he could at least hold it off for a while. After all, he had once been…
“Is there any way out of this?” Xia Yunzhao shouted.
“Turn right after we leave the woods. There’s an abandoned Hundred-Hunt Trap there,” Xing Wenyu replied quickly. “It requires an object containing spiritual power to activate. We can’t trigger it ourselves, but the blades built into it should still be able to hold off the Blackwind Hound for a few breaths. When that happens, I’ll stop it and you run…”
Xia Yunzhao’s attention immediately fixed on the first part. “A spirit item? Any spirit item will work?”
“Of course…”
Before Xing Wenyu could finish speaking, Xia Yunzhao had already started running in the direction he had indicated.
The moment they emerged from the woods, the terrain opened up and the Blackwind Hound immediately accelerated. Although the beast possessed no true intelligence, it certainly knew who was easier prey. It had already fought Xing Wenyu and knew killing him would take more effort, so it simply bypassed him and charged directly toward Xia Yunzhao.
“…!” Xing Wenyu’s pupils contracted. His footwork abruptly changed, a faint white mist appearing around his feet as his speed suddenly surged.
Xia Yunzhao did not look back. He had already spotted the abandoned Hundred-Hunt Trap. It sat on the ground like a square frame, gleaming blades concealed inside beneath a camouflage of fallen leaves. At a glance, he also noticed the small recessed socket used to activate it with a spirit item.
The sound behind his head drew closer. The Blackwind Hound’s panting blew against the back of his neck, and the foul, bloody stink of its mouth filled his nose. Fortunately, Xia Yunzhao was the kind of person whose mind grew calmer the more dangerous a situation became. His steps never faltered. He rushed straight toward the trap, crushed the pill he had already been clutching in his hand, and accurately tossed the fragments into the recessed socket.
White light flashed, and the Hundred-Hunt Trap activated instantly.
Xia Yunzhao had already prepared himself. He planted one hand against the ground and used his momentum to fling his entire body diagonally out of the way.
How could the Blackwind Hound have expected that? By the time it tried to change direction, it was already too late. It crashed straight into the Hundred-Hunt Trap as though voluntarily throwing itself into a net.
The trap seemed to come alive, transforming into a gigantic maw of blades that clamped viciously around the Blackwind Hound’s waist and snapped its spine in two.
The Blackwind Hound let out pitiful whimpers. Within only a few breaths, it stopped breathing altogether.
The Hundred-Hunt Trap had already been abandoned to begin with. Forced into use one final time, it immediately collapsed as well, breaking apart into fragments scattered across the ground.
“Whew…” Xia Yunzhao lay flat on the ground and watched the scene before him, releasing a long breath. That had truly been a brush with death.
Xing Wenyu staggered several steps before dropping down beside him. “Are you hurt?”
Xia Yunzhao waved a hand. He did not have so much as a scratch.
Xing Wenyu smiled. “I was the one who dragged you into this, and now you’ve saved my life as well. I won’t bother with empty thanks. If you ever need anything in the future, come find me whenever you like.”
Still sprawled on the ground, Xia Yunzhao panted like a puppy and continued waving his hand. One Lingwei Pill was worth only ten spirit pearls. Using one to save two lives was an incredible bargain.
Xing Wenyu burst out laughing again. Sitting beside him, he shifted his feet slightly. He had apparently used some kind of technique earlier to increase his speed for a short time, but the price had not been small. At that moment, both feet hurt as though the flesh were being sliced apart.
He showed none of it. His expression remained perfectly normal as he stood, dragged out the Blackwind Hound’s mangled corpse, and gathered the shattered pieces of the Hundred-Hunt Trap beneath it into a pile. “A Blackwind Hound is a Level-One slaughter beast. A whole carcass should sell for around two hundred spirit pearls. If we hauled it into the city, we could probably get two hundred and fifty, but the journey is rather long.”
“Let’s just sell it here at the camp,” Xia Yunzhao said. “I don’t like the number two hundred and fifty.”
Elio’s Notes: In Chinese slang, 二百五, literally “two hundred and fifty,” is an insult meaning a fool or idiot. Xia Yunzhao is jokingly rejecting the higher sale price because he dislikes being associated with the number.
Xing Wenyu laughed, deepening the fine lines at the corners of his eyes, although his gaze remained gentle. He humored him. “Quite right. Selling it at the camp is more convenient anyway. If we have someone butcher it first and sell the hide, meat, and bones separately, we can earn even more. The buyers here prefer hides, fur, and bones because they keep well. Treasure hunters with money to spare are also usually willing to buy slaughter-beast meat to eat.”
“Is slaughter-beast meat good?” Xia Yunzhao immediately perked up. “Brother Xing, do you know anyone who can butcher it?”
“Slaughter-beast meat is rich in spiritual power and tastes much better than ordinary livestock.” Xing Wenyu thought for a moment. “I do know someone… Never mind. I’ll butcher it for you myself. My skills are nowhere near as good as his, but handling one low-tier slaughter beast won’t be a problem.”
Xia Yunzhao immediately gave him a thumbs-up. “Thanks, Brother Xing. I could tell at a glance you were a professional!”
The Blackwind Hound’s pitch-black pelt was quickly stripped away, after which Xing Wenyu removed the bones and divided the meat into four large portions. He did not even discard the organs, wrapping them in clean leaves before stacking everything piece by piece inside Xia Yunzhao’s bamboo basket.
While Xing Wenyu butchered the carcass, Xiao Xia used the time to gather another large armful of Lingwei Grass nearby. Once they were finished, the two descended the mountain together.
The camp was much livelier in the evening. The buyers had already gathered by the entrance early, smiling and approaching treasure hunters who returned with full loads.
“That skinny merchant with the goatee has the surname Hu. Don’t let his thin appearance fool you; he’s actually extremely shrewd. Don’t sell to him if you have something to sell. He has an extensive network, though, so he’s useful if you need information. Just make sure you agree on a price first.”
“That round, heavyset man is Wan Yuanzhong. He’s an honest person, but he only buys spirit plants and won’t take anything else.”
“The middle-aged man in gray is Kang Xinghuai. People call him Boss Kang. He has his own rules for doing business, and if you want to sell the Blackwind Hound’s hide and bones, he’s someone worth negotiating with…”
Xing Wenyu pointed out the different buyers and introduced each of them to Xia Yunzhao in detail. Xia Yunzhao nodded repeatedly as he listened. Having only just arrived, this was exactly the kind of information he needed most.
While they were still talking, someone approached. They looked up and saw that it was none other than Kang Xinghuai, Boss Kang himself. A businessman naturally greeted prospective customers with a smile, and Boss Kang cupped his hands toward Xing Wenyu. “Looks like the two of you struck it rich today.”
Xing Wenyu carried beast bones tied together with straw rope in one hand, along with roughly a hundred jin of meat, while Xia Yunzhao had the Blackwind Hound’s pelt draped across his shoulders. They certainly looked like they had struck it rich.
Elio’s Notes: A jin (斤) is a traditional Chinese unit of weight. In modern mainland China, one jin equals about 500 grams, or roughly 1.1 pounds.
Without hesitation, Xing Wenyu stepped backward and left Xia Yunzhao standing in front. “This is my younger brother’s haul. Boss Kang can discuss it with him.”
Boss Kang immediately understood the implication and cupped his hands toward Xia Yunzhao instead. “Young brother, I don’t believe I’ve seen you before. May I ask your surname?”
“No need for such formality. My surname is Xia.” Xia Yunzhao’s family had been in business, so he was completely at ease in this kind of situation. He joked, “Boss Kang, did you bring enough spirit pearls today? We came back with quite a haul.”
Boss Kang laughed. “I certainly won’t disappoint the two of you.”
The three found a quieter place to negotiate.
Kang Xinghuai had sharp eyes. Before even inspecting the pelt, he recognized the beast from the bones alone. “A Level-One slaughter beast, the Blackwind Hound. It’s been dead for less than a day, and the spiritual power in the bones hasn’t completely dissipated yet. Excellent quality. You two really were lucky today!”
Xia Yunzhao smiled. “If we hadn’t been lucky, we probably wouldn’t be standing here talking to you today. Take a look at the pelt too.”
Kang Xinghuai merely smiled without responding. Everyone knew how dangerous treasure hunting was, but as a buyer, he naturally would not say anything that might bring bad luck to the people selling to him.
After examining the pelt as well, Kang Xinghuai considered it for a moment. “For the complete set of bones and the pelt, I’ll offer one hundred and fifty spirit pearls. How does that sound?”
Xia Yunzhao had been hoping for around one hundred and thirty spirit pearls, so when he heard the offer, he agreed without a second thought.
Kang Xinghuai was also very pleased to close the deal. Everyone said Liancui Mountain was rich in treasure, but most people could only bring back lowest-level spirit items, while anything above Level One was extremely rare. The capable guards might return with far better hauls, but everything they found went directly to their patrons, leaving the buyers here with barely even a sip of broth.
He looked at the meat in the bamboo basket as well. It really was excellent meat. Regretfully, he said, “If you could take this into the city, it would probably sell for two spirit pearls per jin. Selling it here at the camp means letting it go cheaply.” Kang Xinghuai himself traveled between the city and the mountain every day, but he rarely dealt in meat.
Xia Yunzhao did not feel regretful at all. “The city is a long way from here. If anything happened on the road, I wouldn’t get even one spirit pearl for it.”
Kang Xinghuai had not expected someone so young to weigh gains and losses so clearly, and he immediately became interested in building a relationship with him. “Little Brother Xia, you only recently arrived at the camp, didn’t you? Is there anything you need to buy? I travel between the camp and the city every day, so I can purchase things for you. I only charge ten percent as a service fee to cover the journey. Bedding, clothing, grain, cooking oil, rice, flour, fresh fruit, vegetables… As long as Qingxi City sells it, I can bring it here.”
Xia Yunzhao had not expected such a convenient service. He immediately asked for a list. “Thank you, Boss Kang. Once I’ve sold the meat, I’ll come back and talk business with you.”
Leave a Reply