“Boss, look!
A Monster Core!!!”
At that moment, a mercenary suddenly shouted in excitement.
He stood up, holding a pale ice-white crystal core that still carried traces of blood.
A 1st Rank Crimson Ice Snake wasn’t considered strong among Magical Beasts, so finding a crystal core from these ten corpses was quite lucky.
One had to know that in the wild, killing Magical Beasts only to return empty-handed after paying a heavy price in casualties was not uncommon.
The man’s shout naturally drew many gazes, and everyone looked at the Monster Core in his hand with great envy.
“Watch out!!!”
Yan Qingshan, who had just finished instructing a junior apprentice on how to bandage a mercenary, suddenly sensed a flicker of danger.
He immediately raised a heavy crossbow that was already spanned and loaded.
Raising it with his left hand, he flicked the safety with his thumb while his right hand adjusted the aim and pulled the trigger in one fluid motion.
He made sure to show a grimace of pain on his face, so as to sell the story that he was still injured.
The auxiliary calculation function activated.
Wind speed, distance, and the attacker’s movement speed and path—these data points are constantly updated in his eyes, calculating the trajectory of the next step and the necessary angle for his shot.
Whoosh!
A Wolf-Fang bolt whistled through the air, nearly grazing the mercenary’s cheek.
At the exact moment Yan Qingshan fired, the bushes four paces behind the mercenary rustled violently.
A green shadow lunged from the canopy, claws and fangs bared toward the mercenary’s back.
It had emerald-green fur and a long body similar to a forest wolf, but smaller and more agile.
Its foul-smelling maw was filled with fangs that glinted with a cold light as saliva dripped from them, and its crimson tongue was covered in fleshy barbs.
A Cunning Wood Fox—a 1st Rank Wood-attribute Magical Beast.
It was medium-sized but highly intelligent and extremely deceitful.
They excelled at forest ambushes, moving like the wind to strike and retreat instantly.
They rarely attacked head-on, but this one was clearly drawn by the Monster Core.
Yan Qingshan’s shout had been so abrupt that most people hadn’t even reacted before the bolt was released.
The Wolf-Fang bolt traced an arc past the mercenary’s face and accurately flew into the Cunning Wood Fox’s gaping maw, piercing its throat and burying itself deep into its body, nearly impaling it through.
Thump…
The Cunning Wood Fox, struck by the bolt, continued forward due to its momentum and slammed into the back of the stunned mercenary, sending him stumbling to the ground.
The emerald fox’s limbs twitched as blood bubbled from its mouth, and it soon fell silent.
“Get up already!”
Mang Ba barked.
He reached the terrified mercenary and hauled him up.
After a quick check to ensure the man was only startled and not harmed, he shoved him aside.
Mang Ba gripped the back of the Cunning Wood Fox’s neck, held down the fur, and pulled out the Wolf-Fang bolt.
After confirming the beast was dead, he reached two fingers into its mouth.
After searching the upper jaw for a moment, he shook his head in disappointment and carried the carcass toward Yan Qingshan.
“A pity, Qingshan.
This Cunning Wood Fox didn’t have a Monster Core.
But your shot was truly impressive; it pierced the throat and internal organs without damaging the fur at all.
A Cunning Wood Fox pelt, this intact is worth no less than a Monster Core.”
Mang Ba placed the carcass beside Yan Qingshan and took out a cloth to wipe the blood from the Wolf-Fang bolt.
“These Wolf-Fang bolts are indeed good, but few people can use them as well as you.
This bolt has almost no damage; it can be used again.”
“Not bad.”
Yan Qingshan took the bolt and looked at the blood-stained wolf fang that glinted coldly at the tip.
He nodded and returned it to his quiver.
On the day the Azure Wood Wolf was brought back to the Thousand Medicinal House, he had commissioned someone to process it after he woke up.
He kept the Monster Core for his own healing and cultivation.
The Azure Wood Wolf’s fur, meat, bones, and claws were sold, giving him a bit of extra wealth.
Using the wolf’s sharpest teeth, he had a set of Wolf-Fang bolts made, and he spent a large sum on a heavy crossbow capable of wounding Magical Beasts.
After practicing for so long, he had finally gained some proficiency.
“But your eyesight and alertness are truly something.
I didn’t even notice the Cunning Wood Fox.
It’s a good thing you reacted quickly.
Yang Wu is the sole provider for his family and has no brothers; his kid isn’t even ten yet.
If he had died…”
Mang Ba helped Yan Qingshan process the Cunning Wood Fox’s carcass to ensure the pelt’s value remained intact.
He chattered away as he worked, but suddenly stopped and looked at Yan Qingshan with concern, as if realizing he might have said something wrong.
“When traveling outside, one must be careful.”
Yan Qingshan simply shook his head.
The situation Mang Ba described for Yang Wu was all too common in Qingshan Town.
The Yan family had been much the same, perhaps even worse.
In the two years since his father passed away, life had been very difficult.
If he were the original owner of this body, he might have been moved by the scene.
Yan Qingshan took a piece of rough leather and wiped each bolt in his quiver one by one, though his peripheral vision and senses remained on high alert for danger.
Mang Ba was right about his alertness; he could indeed sense danger far better than ordinary people.
Dawn granted him various incredible abilities, including extreme perception and observation—essentially magnifying his “safety distance.”
While an average person’s perception range might only be magnified to about a meter, some powerful individuals in their past life could perceive everything within their sight.
Even with their backs turned, they possessed a clarity of perception ten times that of a normal person.
After waking up, Yan Qingshan discovered that his soul strength—specifically his perception—far exceeded that of others.
Everything within ten meters was almost clearly visible to him.
Even things he couldn’t see directly could be reconstructed perfectly in his mind through subtle sounds and scents detected by his keen five senses.
This was why he chose to enter the mountains to find that cliff-cave opportunity despite his limited conditions.
He believed that with his unique perception, as long as he spent enough time and effort, he would eventually find clues.
By the time he was strong enough, he wouldn’t have to waste more time searching slowly.
The attack of the Crimson Ice Snakes and the Cunning Wood Fox was only the beginning.
There were quite a few Magical Beasts in this cool forest, and the constant dangers left everyone quite disheveled.
Most Magical Beasts would choose to leave rather than face a noisy group of a hundred people, but there were always those stubborn ones who chose to clash head-on with the mercenaries.
When several mercenaries finally cornered and killed a Snake-Tailed Leopard, the group finally halted and set up a simple camp for rest.
A small forest didn’t need much space to accommodate a team of a hundred.
They didn’t need to overdo it; clearing an area on the outskirts and driving away some beasts was enough.
If they started a mass slaughter, the scent of blood might attract high-ranking Magical Beasts.
Even a 2nd Rank beast would be more than they could handle.
The carriage stopped beneath the canopy of a large tree.
Yan Qingshan stepped down slowly to feel solid ground.
The jolting journey had been quite uncomfortable.
Although he had to pretend to be injured, walking around to stretch his muscles was normal enough.
Walking alone, Yan Qingshan could sense the change in the mercenaries’ gazes.
In a circle where status was determined by strength, once you displayed impressive ability, you earned the respect and awe of others.
It was a simple and direct rule.
His one-shot kill of the Cunning Wood Fox, regardless of whether it was luck, had earned him recognition.
This would make his future work much easier.
In the simple camp, a dozen mercenaries fanned out to guard the perimeter while others sat down to recover the energy spent during the march.
The junior apprentices from the herb-collecting team searched for medicinal ingredients around the camp.
Some mercenaries followed them, seemingly wanting to secretly learn some skills.
The apprentices didn’t drive them away; they weren’t strong enough, and having mercenaries nearby meant having backup if danger struck in this treacherous Magic Beast Mountain Range.
Yan Qingshan walked away from the crowd, alert to his surroundings.
After exiting the small dense woods, he came upon a steep cliff.
Standing at the top and looking out, he saw a lush, green forest stretching into the distance—a beautiful sight.
Yan Qingshan’s eyes roved around the cliff area, scanning continuously.
But if anyone observed closely, they would notice that his gaze was mostly focused on the area below the cliff, as if he were searching for something.
“Qingshan, what are you looking for?
Don’t tell me you’ve read too many adventure novels and are planning to jump off a cliff to find a lucky chance!”
A boisterous laugh suddenly came from behind.
Yan Qingshan’s body stiffened for a moment before his expression changed.
He turned around with a smile.
“Uncle Mang Ba, what are you talking about?
I’m just looking for herbs.
A pity, this White Orchid Fruit hasn’t ripened yet!”
Yan Qingshan smacked his lips and pointed to a plant nearby.
At the edge of the cliff, in the direction he pointed, a plant with pale white flowers was beginning to bud.
In the center of the bud was a fruit that was half-red and half-green, emitting a faint fragrance.
This plant was hidden among the grass and surrounded by similar white wildflowers.
From a distance, it looked only slightly larger than the other flowers and was completely inconspicuous.
Without careful observation, one really wouldn’t notice the difference.
“It really is a White Orchid Fruit.
A mid-rank herb.
It usually only grows on the edges of cliffs.
While its yield isn’t small, it is a favorite food for avian Magical Beasts.
Usually, as soon as it grows, it’s eaten, making it a rare item among Mid Rank herbs.”
Mang Ba hadn’t come alone; Xiao Yixian had followed him.
Hearing Yan Qingshan mention the White Orchid Fruit, she took a few steps forward and leaned down to observe it closely.
Xiao Yixian looked at it for a long time before looking up with disappointment.
“How unfortunate!
It’s not ripe yet.
If it were a ripe White Orchid Fruit, the fruit would be completely red.
A ripe one is a mid-rank herb; it would sell for at least four thousand gold coins at the Thousand Medicinal House!”
“What!
How much?
Four thousand gold coins!”
Mang Ba and another mercenary’s eyes widened.
They pointed at the small fruit.
“This tiny thing is worth four thousand?
That expensive?!”
Xiao Yixian pouted.
“A ripe White Orchid Fruit is a mid-rank herb that many Alchemists seek out, especially for raising Magical Beasts.
Naturally, the price is high.
It’s a pity this one isn’t ripe; it’s useless if we pick it now.”
(End of Chapter)