Chapter 114 Hunter Wang

For Fang Yuan, however, there was a more immediate problem.

White Boar Gu ate pork. Animal Breeding in this world was poorly developed, and there were few methods for raising livestock on a large scale. As a result, pork, beef, and other meats were relatively expensive, placing them beyond what many ordinary families could regularly afford.

Fortunately, people living among the mountains had another source of meat. Hunters frequently entered the forests, and whenever they managed to kill a wild boar, its meat could be brought back to the village and sold.

It seems I’ll have to hunt wild boars myself if I want to feed White Boar Gu regularly.

A thoughtful light flashed through Fang Yuan’s eyes. Hunting would solve more than one problem. Besides feeding White Boar Gu, he could sell the other animals and materials he obtained from the mountains, giving himself another source of income.

Although Fang Yuan had been a bloodthirsty demon in his previous life, capable of causing rivers of blood to flow without hesitation, he still moved cautiously through the vast mountain forest.

The area around the village is relatively safe, but I can’t afford to lower my guard.

Gu Yue Village regularly cleared the surrounding area, killing or driving away dangerous wild beasts and Gu to protect the clansmen. Even so, accidents were inevitable. A moment of carelessness in the wilderness could easily end with a Gu Master being ambushed and killed by some hidden beast or wild Gu.

As he continued forward, Fang Yuan divided a portion of his attention toward his aperture. First Gen Gu Yue had ordered him to collect the corpses of dead Gu Masters and had even given him a Gu specifically for this purpose.

The Gu looked completely unremarkable, resembling nothing more than an ordinary pebble one might find beside the road. Yet Fang Yuan could clearly sense the life within it.

Hidden Stone Gu.

First Gen Gu Yue wants me to secretly collect Gu Master corpses. He’s most likely using them to refine some demonic Gu. Whether it’s a Blood Path Gu, however, I can’t be certain.

Fang Yuan knew that First Gen Gu Yue’s intentions could hardly be innocent. Although the old monster had given him Hidden Stone Gu, First Gen Gu Yue himself cultivated Blood Path and undoubtedly possessed investigative methods capable of discovering Fang Yuan’s movements. Otherwise, he would never have handed over such a useful Gu merely to make corpse collection easier.

Hidden Stone Gu also possessed an obvious weakness. It could conceal the Gu Master’s body, causing the head, limbs, hair, and skin to disappear from sight, but it could not conceal anything worn on the body. If Fang Yuan activated it while fully dressed, others would simply see an empty set of clothes moving through the forest.

If Hidden Stone Gu were refined together with Fish Scale Gu into Rank Two Hidden Scale Gu, this weakness could be removed. Unfortunately, Fish Scale Gu is mainly produced in Bai Clan Village. Gu Yue Clan has streams of its own, but its foundation isn’t sufficient to naturally produce every type of Gu worms.

Fang Yuan shook his head and continued forward. Nothing in life could ever be completely satisfactory. There would always be limitations, obstacles, and unexpected problems. That was the helplessness of life, but also part of what made it interesting.

“Hmm?” After walking several dozen steps, Fang Yuan suddenly stopped. His eyes lowered toward several impressions in the soil, and his experience from five hundred years immediately allowed him to recognize them.

Wild boar tracks.

That was easier than expected. Fang Yuan followed the tracks deeper into the forest.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Elsewhere among the trees, a wild deer was leisurely eating fallen fruit when several arrows suddenly pierced its body. It collapsed before it could even react.

“Brother Wang, when it comes to hunting, nobody in our village can compare with you. Your grandfather was famous for his hunting skills, and you’ve inherited them perfectly.”

“Exactly! Wild boars, rabbits, deer, even black bears. As long as Brother Wang wants to hunt something, how could it possibly escape?”

Four young hunters emerged from the forest while talking. The man walking at the front had a strong build and carried a bow across his back. His sharp eyes swept across the dead deer before him.

One of the hunters suddenly grinned. “Brother Wang, why are you alone today? Where’s your little sister?”

Wang Er’s expression immediately darkened. “You useless fellows don’t spend your time improving your hunting skills, yet you have plenty of time to think about my sister. What makes you think you’re worthy of her?”

Er Gou Dan immediately protested, “Brother Wang, your sister is already old enough to marry. What’s wrong with me pursuing her? Besides, if none of us are worthy, are you planning to send her off as a concubine to that Gu Master stationed in the village?”

“Hmph, impossible!” Wang Er’s voice hardened. “A true man stands between heaven and earth. How could I rely on selling my own sister and spend the rest of my life bowing and scraping before others? One day, I, Wang Er, will leave Qing Mao Mountain and escape this prison. Only then will I have lived a life worthy of the body I was born with!”

Hidden among the trees, Fang Yuan had originally intended to continue following the wild boar tracks, but the conversation made him stop.