Chapter 123: The Hunt Resumed
Chapter 123: The Hunt Resumed
It was late autumn now.
The Great Wilderness entered a bleak season. As the temperature dropped further, the once lush forests shed their leaves in abundance.
Vast swathes of grassland began turning brown.
The once common Savage Ox and Horned Sheep herds had vanished long ago.
They had all migrated to the warmer south.
The fierce beast packs that relied on hunting the oxen and sheep for survival had left with them. Now, only busy field mice scurried across the plains, gathering grass seeds for the winter.
Deep within the valley, in front of the Great Waterfall.
Gao Jing stood on a giant boulder beside the mountain stream, having just finished his daily training session.
His Giant Form had not yet faded.
His bare upper body rippled with muscles, bulging and coiled powerfully enough to embarrass a state governor. His wheat-toned skin glistened with sweat, which quickly evaporated into a hazy mist due to his scorching body heat.
The mist drifted upwards.
Suppressing the boiling energy within his blood, Gao Jing let out a long, deep breath.
It shot straight forward for two or three meters.
Like an arrow of air!
A full month had passed since he had… ahem… collected the “protection fee” in liquor from the apeling tribe.
For over thirty days, Gao Jing had buried himself here, training relentlessly.
His grasp of the Twelve Forms of the Ten Thousand Beasts Combat Art had truly become solid, advancing towards a highly skilled level.
He had grasped many of its profound secrets.
Even though the Ten Thousand Beasts Combat Art was considered a foundational fighting technique for the Great Wilderness’s Totem Warriors,
generations of Transcendent Experts had revised and improved it. Its effectiveness for training and its power in actual combat had reached a very high level.
According to the Elder Shaman, if Gao Jing dedicated decades of hard work to the Ten Thousand Beasts Combat Art,
becoming a Legend level Totem Warrior wasn’t impossible!
Legend is an honorary title, representing the strongest Totem Warriors in the Great Wilderness.
However, compared to the rarity of Legend status, Gao Jing actually desired more to become a Shaman.
Normally, once he reached the rank of High-tier Totem Warrior, he would attempt the transition into becoming a Shaman.
Gao Jing was now wholeheartedly working towards this goal.
Even though he was still only a Low-tier Totem Warrior, he felt he was already vaguely sensing the barrier blocking his path to the High-tier.
His progress was remarkably fast!
As the energy within his blood gradually calmed, Gao Jing’s body returned to its normal size.
He threw on his outer garment, hummed a tune, and jumped down from the massive rock.
Following the wooden bridge back to land, he walked over to the small wooden house near the deep pool.
This hut stood separately from Gao Jing’s villa. It was built with plain lumber and appeared very simple.
When he pushed the door open, a thick smell of diesel fuel hit him, along with the roar and rumble of machinery!
Previously, when Gao Jing had returned to Shan Yue Village, besides bringing coarse salt, Baijiu, and candies,
he had also brought some household items and tools he’d purchased in the Primary World.
Including the 100kw diesel generator set right here in front of him.
This beast wasn’t cheap. Two of them had cost Gao Jing over one hundred thousand.
But their performance and features were excellent. 100kw output was more than enough to power the Bronze Anchor for charging. With low noise, low fuel consumption, intelligent controls, and an integrated maintenance system, they were incredibly easy to use.
Gao Jing didn’t take long to master its basic operation and everyday maintenance methods.
This generator set had been installed here for a month now.
It had been running smoothly without any problems.
All Gao Jing needed to do was refuel it on schedule.
And it had already fully charged 5 Silver Scales for the Bronze Anchor!
After his open conversation with the Elder Shaman, except for strictly guarding the secrets of the Bronze Anchor and its Storage Space, Gao Jing no longer hid away such technological products, afraid to use them.
If anyone asked? Well, the Huaxia clan was just very advanced!
The simple, kind-hearted Giants of the Shan Yue Tribe had never shown much interest in Gao Jing’s origins.
They paid little attention to “small” contraptions like the generator.
They didn’t understand it.
And didn’t want to understand it.
The Elder Shaman had an unspoken understanding with Gao Jing.
He never pried into what Gao Jing preferred not to share. True trust had already been established between them!
This made things much easier for Gao Jing.
At least he now dared to have his laptop out in his own home.
Gao Jing switched off the generator set.
He removed the Bronze Anchor from its fixed charging box and hung it back around his neck.
Rest often makes one long for action.
A long time had passed since the incident with the Outcasts.
So far, the warriors of the Shan Yue Tribe had not found any traces of wandering threats in the surrounding areas.
Therefore, Gao Jing decided to continue the hunt he hadn’t finished last time, before winter set in.
He felt that only through real combat could he truly touch the barrier to advancing to High-tier.
But continuing to train hard behind closed doors now offered very little room for further improvement.
Leaving the generator shed, Gao Jing returned to his main villa residence.
Shan Guoer was already there, having prepared dinner and waiting for him.
“Gao Jing!”
Seeing him, she greeted him happily. “Shan Hua just brought over a bowl of pine mushroom soup. It’s still hot! Come try it!”
Pine mushrooms?
Gao Jing’s eyes instantly sparkled. He leaped nimbly up onto the dining table.
He had now mastered the Weaver’s Wrist perfectly. Leaping high, jumping low, climbing, scaling obstacles – all came effortlessly to him.
He could practically rival that Spider-Man from the movies!
Shan Guoer ladled some pine mushroom soup into his bowl.
Pine mushrooms were a type of white fungus that grew on high-mountain pine trees. They were very scarce.
Though they looked ordinary, their flavor was exceptionally delicious.
Made into a simple broth with just a touch of salt, it was so good it could make you almost swallow your tongue!
For the village women who went out foraging daily, finding pine mushrooms was like winning a prize.
However, this kind of mushroom only tasted good when fresh.
It would rot overnight after being picked.
It couldn’t be eaten dried either.
Gao Jing lifted a steaming, fragrant bowl of pine mushroom soup and took a big sip.
The rich, savory flavor nearly exploded on his taste buds. The hot broth slid down his throat into his stomach, feeling warm and cozy.
If he could drink this delicious soup every day, he really wouldn’t want to be an immortal!
Gao Jing savored the memory for a moment.
He thought about finding some time to go up the mountain and see if he could gather more pine mushrooms.
His Storage Space had unmatched freshness-preserving power. Any ingredients placed inside would remain exactly as they were when first stored, no matter how much time passed!
It was perfect for storing mountain treasures like pine mushrooms.
After thinking for a bit, Gao Jing put down his soup bowl and said to the little girl: “Shan Guoer, I plan to go hunting in the hunting grounds tomorrow.”
“Huh?”
Shan Guoer was stunned.
She asked somewhat gloomily: “How long will you be gone?”
The little girl had grown used to being with Gao Jing every day now.
During the day she practiced Combat Technique with him; at night she listened to his stories.
She didn’t want to be apart.
“About three or four days.”
Gao Jing said: “Can you promise to stay at home and not run around these few days?”
“Hmph!”
Shan Guoer pouted, unsatisfied: “I know! I won’t be mischievous again!”
The lesson from last time was still fresh in her memory!
She naturally wouldn’t dare misbehave again.
Gao Jing smiled: “If you behave, I’ll bring something fun back for you next time.”
“Really?”
The little girl instantly beamed, immediately sticking out her pinky finger: “Let’s swear on it!”
“Pinky swear!”
Gao Jing held her tiny finger and shook it: “No cheats!”
Shan Guoer giggled.
Then she scooped a big bowl of medicinal brew and placed it in front of Gao Jing: “Eat quickly.”
Gao Jing: “……”
Just after drinking delicious pine mushroom soup, seeing this bowl of greasy, black beast meat medicinal soup again…
He felt this was her blatant payback!
Endure the bitter, become better. Endure the bitter, become better…
Gao Jing silently chanted this ten-word phrase several times.
He resolutely picked up the medicinal bowl!
The next morning.
When the sky wasn’t fully bright yet, Gao Jing quietly left Shan Yue Village.
When he left.
Shan Guoer was still sleeping soundly, clutching her cloth doll.
Gao Jing didn’t disturb her, nor did he disturb anyone else. Alone, he began his hunting journey.
He arrived once again at the hunting grounds of the Shan Yue Giants.
This time, Gao Jing didn’t encounter any Velociraptors.
The little peckers-in-the-giants-eyes seemed to have vanished completely.
Gao Jing searched in the mountain forest for a long time without spotting a single Velociraptor.
In fact, Wild Beasts in the mountains were much fewer now too.
Small animals common before, like ground squirrels or wild rabbits, were difficult to find.
This worried Gao Jing about his hunting prospects.
But his luck today was clearly pretty good. After searching for another half hour.
A green-skinned Goblin stumbled into view!
Gru Goblins were communal creatures; they never acted alone. Seeing one meant there was a group nearby.
Gao Jing didn’t attack immediately.
Instead, he quietly followed this Goblin until it met up with its companions.
As it turned out.
Gao Jing seemed to have hit the jackpot!