Chapter 284: The Grievance and Resentment of Yang Li

48th Year of Longyou, First Day of the Sixth Month

Under the snowy night, Mount Longshan wound and coiled, its terrain undulating and uneven.

Coupled with the complex and intertwined vegetation within the mountains, visibility in the snowy forest at night was extremely low. In particular, the frequent large areas of shadow gave the overall landscape a chaotic and disorganized appearance, unlike the orderly and well-regulated Red Wood Ridge.

Cold beasts were creatures that emerged by day and rested by night; their habits were the exact opposite of humans.

At night, they also required a sense of security. Like the cold beasts of Red Wood Ridge, they would all climb into trees to rest at night. Thus, compared to the orderly environment of Red Wood Ridge, the chaotic and shadow-filled Mount Longshan was undoubtedly more favored by the cold beasts.

And indeed, this was the case.

"The cold beasts in this Mount Longshan seem endless. Our camp now has over four hundred hunting teams, yet in such an outer area, we actually ran into two Spotted Tigers at once. We almost capsized in the gutter!"

Ten kilometers deep into the dense forest of Mount Longshan, a young man in white, holding a large blade, stepped on the corpse of a white-skinned, black-spotted serrated tiger. While applying ointment to the claw marks on his chest, he couldn't help but sigh toward the trees.

Bang... bang... bang...

As his voice fell, five people leaped down from the trees in succession.

The style of their clothing was similar to his, as was their age, and each held a powerful bow and carried blades. One look told you they were dressed as a hunting team.

The leader among the five wore black and held a zhang-long iron rod. He walked straight up, squatted beside the Spotted Tiger, and while pulling out the iron arrow stuck in the tiger's corpse, responded to the young man's lament.

"It's not like there have always been four hundred hunting teams; that's something the camp has developed only in recent years. Just the eastern outer side of Mount Longshan has a north-south longitudinal length of fifty to sixty kilometers and a width of over thirty kilometers. Counting the rugged and undulating terrain, the total area is at least over two thousand square kilometers. In such a large territory, the number of cold beasts living here is naturally astonishing, not to mention the constant replenishment of cold beasts from the inner perimeter."

Hearing the words of the black-clad leader, everyone turned their heads to look toward the inner perimeter of Mount Longshan to the west, their faces revealing a sense of yearning and curiosity.

The young man in white remembered something; he also squatted down, and while pulling out arrows, smiled at the black-clad leader: "Brother Zhong, when you and Brother Hu both break through to the limit of the Earth-Digging Realm, will our small team be able to enter twenty kilometers deep and try hunting intermediate cold beasts?"

The black-clad youth had just finished pulling out the iron arrow from the Spotted Tiger. He was stunned for a moment upon hearing this question, then turned his head to look around at the five people, saying nothing.

"Xue Ping, don't even think about it. Our team has only seven people in total. Even if Li Hu and Yang Zhong both break through, there's no chance of hunting intermediate cold beasts. Not to mention a full team, you'd need at least twenty people to even have a chance to try."

In the team, a young man with an honest appearance spoke up, effectively answering Dong Ping's question for Yang Zhong.

The other three present felt their expressions dim slightly upon hearing the young man's words.

Yang Zhong, who had been keeping his head down, felt a flash of anger in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.

It was the young man in white, Xue Ping, who immediately scolded the man angrily:

"Yang Yue, I was asking Brother Zhong. Is it your place to interrupt?"

Li Hu and Yang Zhong were the leader and deputy leader of their hunting team. As a member of the team, Yang Yue showed not a shred of respect for them. Xue Ping, who had always respected Li and Yang, naturally couldn't hold back.

Yet his scolding did not make the other party restrain himself.

"The master isn't even in a hurry, why is a dog like you in such a rush?"

Upon hearing Yang Yue's mockery, a flash of anger rose on Xue Ping's face, but he quickly realized something. After his expression calmed down, he stared at Yang Yue and instead burst into loud laughter.

"Hahahaha..."

Only when he had laughed until Yang Yue felt a bit unnerved did Xue Ping say with sarcasm: "Villains love to judge others by their own standards and splash dirty water on them. I didn't believe it before, but now I finally do. I admire the strength of the captain and Brother Zhong, so I respect them. Is there a problem with that?

As for you, Yang Yue, wagging your tail and begging like a dog for certain people in the camp—that's been common knowledge for a long time, hahahaha..."

After hearing this, Yang Yue's face turned beet red. Especially upon discovering that the other three in the team were looking at him with strange expressions, he became so embarrassed and angry that he drew the long sword at his waist and charged toward Xue Ping.

"I'll slaughter you, you dog bastard!"

Xue Ping's base strength was on par with Yang Yue's. Seeing him about to make a move, he naturally wouldn't show weakness and subconsciously reached for his weapon.

Bang...

Seeing that a great battle was about to break out within the team, Yang Zhong, the deputy leader, naturally couldn't sit idly by. He stepped forward and kicked Yang Yue flying.

Puchi!

Yang Yue's base strength was only fifteen thousand jin, nearly half that of Yang Zhong. Kicked flying over ten meters through the air, it took a full five or six breaths before he climbed up from the snow. After spitting out the blood surging in his throat, he looked at Yang Zhong. Though there was fear in his eyes, there was even more venom:

"Yang Zhong, you dare to lay a hand on me?"

It was hard to imagine that someone whose strength was so much weaker than his own would dare to question him in such a threatening tone.

Yang Zhong tightened his right hand gripping the rod, forcibly suppressing the impulse to kill Yang Yue. After calming his mood for a long time, he looked at Yang Zhong and said in a deep voice:

"Yang Gan and Li Yuanqing sent you to join the team, likely just to have you monitor me and Brother Hu, not to have you ruin my hunting team's affairs. Do you believe that even if I crippled you here, they wouldn't do anything to me? At most, they'd just change to another dog to watch us?"

Hearing the chill in Yang Zhong's words, Yang Yue's body trembled slightly. He stood in place with an uncertain expression for a long time before finally sheathing his large blade.

"The harvest is enough for tonight. Pack up the prey and prepare to return. The captain's injuries should be mostly healed; let's go find him!"

Yang Zhong put away his iron rod and gave the order, leading everyone back toward the east.

Yang Yue sneered. Only after Xue Ping and the other three shouldered the prey did he follow the four of them.

Yang Zhong turned his head to see Yang Yue's self-willed posture. His inner anger grew even more intense, but after pondering for a moment, he ultimately endured it and sighed slightly.

Crippling Yang Yue just now was merely a fit of anger. If he truly dared to cripple Yang Yue, he wouldn't even need Li Yuanqing and Yang Gan; the camp's rules alone would be enough to keep him in a dark, sunless mine for the rest of his life.

Killing Yang Yue was even simpler. After all, they were in the same hunting team, and there were simply too many opportunities like this while hunting cold beasts in Mount Longshan.

The problem was, they had done this kind of thing before.

Before Yang Yue, the person sent by Yang Gan and Li Yuanqing to monitor them was someone named Liu Ming. After he and Li Hu plotted to have Liu Ming killed, those two sent Yang Yue.

This was the crux of the matter. Killing was of no use; Li Yuanqing and Yang Gan had made it clear that they must keep someone watching him and Li Hu at all times.

Plotting to kill one's own team members was a capital offense once discovered by the camp. Rather than taking such a high risk, it was better to keep this idiot around.

This was the reason he and Li Hu tolerated Yang Yue staying in the hunting team.

Regarding this matter, he, Li Hu, Xue Ping, the other three team members, and even Yang Yue himself—everyone was tacitly aware.

Previously, Yang Yue had been fine and hadn't really crossed the line.

It was just recently that he had been watching him and Li Hu more and more closely, and his attitude had clearly become more impolite.

"If nothing goes wrong, it must be because the cultivation of Li Hu and me has been growing too fast recently, alerting those two, which is why they have Yang Yue watching so closely!"

Walking in front, Yang Zhong noticed Yang Yue's gaze behind him. A flash of solemnity crossed his eyes as he continued to quicken his pace toward the east.

Using the markers left on the trees previously, Yang Zhong led everyone about four or five kilometers outward and soon arrived near a conspicuous large tree.

"You're here!"

A voice came from the tree, followed by a figure leaping down. Who else could it be but their captain, Li Hu?

Li Hu's right arm was wrapped in cloth, which was still stained with quite a bit of blood.

"Captain, are your injuries healed?"

Hearing Xue Ping's inquiry, Li Hu smiled and raised his large blade with his right hand. His movements were only slightly distorted; clearly, his injuries were mostly healed.

"No major issues. Let's go back!"

After Li Hu signaled everyone to continue the return journey, he exchanged a calm look with Yang Zhong. Seeing Yang Zhong pout, he immediately glanced at Yang Yue.

The two brothers had a great tacit understanding. Even without speaking, Li Hu knew that Yang Zhong meant Yang Yue had been causing trouble again.

However, he didn't say anything, just curled his lips into a cold sneer, then walked to a position side-by-side with Yang Zhong and patted him on the shoulder.

Being patted on the shoulder, Yang Zhong's pupils suddenly contracted, his body jolted violently, and then he looked up at Li Hu, his eyes full of disbelief.

"Two pieces of prey tonight, a good harvest. Let's go!"

Li Hu signaled everyone to set off and immediately walked forward with Yang Zhong.

The two walked side-by-side, pulling a full hundred meters of distance from those behind them, before Yang Zhong couldn't help but ask in a low voice, his emotions stirred: "Hu-zi, have you already broken through?"

Li Hu's face was full of smiles. He nodded with excitement and lowered his voice: "The effect of the Beast Spirit Pill given by the Grand Coordinator is truly too good. It's only been 20 days since the 10th, and I broke through after taking a total of 10 pills. Not only did I break through the limit of the Earth-Digging Realm, but I have already begun using beast blood to reshape my skin-membrane."

Not only did he break through the limit of the Earth-Digging Realm, but he had also started using beast blood!

Yang Zhong's face was immediately filled with joy, not just because Li Hu had broken through, but also because of himself. Because when they went out hunting tomorrow night, it would be his turn to feign injury and stay behind, then go to the old place where they kept their supplies to take the Beast Spirit Pill and cultivate.

"My progress is about the same as Hu-zi's. Maybe I can break through tomorrow night too!"

While Yang Zhong was excited, he remembered Yang Yue behind him and couldn't help but remind Li Hu in a low voice: "Yang Yue has been watching closer and closer recently. I guess it's because our cultivation progress is too fast and we've been noticed by those two in the camp."

Hearing Yang Zhong's reminder, Li Hu's expression stalled. He then looked back at Yang Yue, who was trailing behind, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

"No matter. I have already broken through, and you are almost there. If we just keep going step-by-step like this, our breakthrough to the Frost-Resisting level is only a matter of time. As long as we break through and are promoted to Council Elders, these things will no longer be problems..."

Moreover, after being promoted to Council Elders, they would be able to participate in the Mount Longshan council in a legitimate capacity, at which point they would be able to provide more valuable intelligence to Does Does Da Xia.

Although Li Hu didn't finish his sentence, the tacit understanding they had cultivated over a long time was enough for Yang Zhong to grasp the meaning behind his words.

Yang Zhong nodded and continued walking side-by-side with Li Hu.

Both of them were holding back a breath of anger in their hearts, and their footsteps couldn't help but grow heavier.

It was laughable to say, but the beast blood, pills, and salt that Xia Chuan had given them previously—they not only dared not bring them back, but were even afraid to hide them in the station; they had to hide them here in Mount Longshan to feel at ease.

Storing them was like this, and taking them was even more troublesome; they had to wait until they went out hunting, use the excuse of being injured to leave the team, and then secretly take them.

There was no other way; Li Yuanqing and Yang Gan's monitoring and suppression of the two of them had reached a perverted level.

One could tell just from the number of people in the hunting team. If it were an ordinary hunting team with two members about to break through the limit of the Earth-Digging Realm, the remaining Earth-Digging Realm members would basically be fighting tooth and nail to join.

Yet their hunting team, just because of the suppression by Li Yuanqing and Yang Gan, had only managed to recruit five people, and among them, Yang Yue was sent by those two.

Thinking of the reason for Li Yuanqing's suppression of him, Li Hu felt both hateful and laughable.

Li Yuanqing was actually afraid that if he performed too well, he would steal his limelight, then be valued by Li Xuantian, and subsequently even gain the attention of Li Tiancheng.

In all fairness, the person Li Hu hated had only ever been one person from beginning to end: Zhu Rou, who had forced his mother to her death. Not to mention Li Yuanqing, even toward his father, Li Xuantian, he couldn't speak of hate, only indifference. As for Li Tiancheng and even other people in Mount Longshan, that went without saying.

But Li Yuanqing was like a madman; from the very beginning of his cultivation, he had desperately suppressed him, terrified that his cultivation speed might become even slightly faster.

Coincidentally, Li Yuanqing was like this, and Yang Gan, the half-brother of Yang Zhong, was actually the same as him.

Li Hu and Yang Zhong sometimes found it inconceivable that these two could be so narrow-minded.

But the facts were just like that; the two had no other choice but to find ways to cope.

"Fortunately, it's different now. We are already people of Does Does Da Xia. With the resources given by the Grand Coordinator, breaking through to the Frost-Resisting level is only a matter of time, and taking revenge will be a piece of cake. Even, if we can help Does Does Da Xia defeat Mount Longshan in the future, the future for Yang Zhong and me will be limitless..."

As Li Hu pondered secretly, he soon walked out of Mount Longshan and arrived at the station.

The material control of Mount Longshan was also extremely strict. They had to go to the camp warehouse to submit their prey first, and only then could they take away their own portion. If they wanted to exchange for other materials later, they would have to use their own portion to trade.

The ratio was seven out of ten. That is to say, if a piece of prey produced a thousand jin of meat, they could take away three hundred jin. If it were a single person, that wouldn't be little, but divided among seven people, each person only got forty-some jin.

Two pieces of prey tonight, he and Yang Zhong both got over a hundred jin, which was already considered a pretty good harvest.

Of course, this was before.

Ever since he had eaten the salt and pills of Does Does Da Xia, Yang Zhong had long since lost interest in ordinary beast meat;

Li Hu was even less so. He had just broken through the limit of the Earth-Digging Realm tonight, and at this moment, he was full of thoughts about the beast blood hidden in Mount Longshan, and cared even less about beast meat.

"Let's go back first. Leave the beast meat; we'll exchange it for a set of clothes after a while."

"No interest. I'll keep it too, and exchange it for some healing medicine when there's more."

After the two came out of the warehouse, they walked straight toward home together.

Both of them had cultivation levels that weren't low, and they both had their own housing in the station, and it just so happened that they were right next to each other.

The two walked out of the central area of the camp and soon walked to the outer area, to their own housing. In the past, when they saw their own houses, both of them would more or less have smiles on their faces.

Today, it was clearly somewhat different.

A hundred meters away from the house, the expressions of the two darkened simultaneously.

Because quite a few people had broken into their homes at this moment, and many of their personal items were scattered at the door. There were even people inside rummaging through boxes and cabinets and throwing things out, clearly searching for something...

(End of chapter)