Chapter 114

The air in the swamp, even when separated by a damp cloth, still carried a nauseating stench of rot.

Li Hu stepped into empty space, half his leg sinking into the black mud, cursing as Wang Shan pulled him up.

"Damn it, this godforsaken place is worse than a latrine!" Li Hu shook the mud off his leg, his face alternating between green and white, "Brother Wang, how much dry food do we have left? My stomach is growling louder than a frog."

Zhang Mei silently took out the last two palm-sized pieces of jerky from her small bundle, broke them apart, and gave them to the two: "Use them sparingly, this is the last. The water bag is almost empty."

Wang Shan took the jerky but did not eat it right away. Seeing the two exhausted yet forcing themselves, his brow tightened further. This poisonous miasma swamp was harder to endure than expected, not only draining stamina but also consuming various talismans and medicines like water.

"Only one Guide Bee talisman remains." Wang Shan hefted his waist pouch, which was nearly empty, "Anti-toxin pills, one each left. Qi-replenishing pills… none."

Upon hearing this, Li Hu's face fell: "Gone? Brother Wang, don't scare me. If we run into Wan's gang of dogs again, or any powerful demonic beast, what are we supposed to use—our heads?"

"So we can't continue like this." Wang Shan's voice hoarse, "We must replenish as soon as possible."

He found a relatively dry mound, gestured for the two to sit, then sat cross-legged himself, sinking his consciousness into the system space.

Spirit Plant Points had accumulated somewhat, but exchanging for high-grade pills and talisman schematics remained insufficient. Looking at the few low-grade spirit herbs just planted, with unusually fast growth cycles, it was a drop in the bucket.

"System, ten portions of First-Order Spirit-Gathering Grass seeds, three portions of Second-Order Dew-Flower seeds."

【Exchange successful, deducted 15 Spirit Plant Points.】

Better than nothing. Wang Shan sighed; once grown, these could only alleviate the immediate need, allowing him to concoct the most basic pills.

"Brother Wang, what are you thinking about?" Li Hu asked, mouth full of jerky.

Wang Shan opened his eyes: "I'm thinking about our next route."

He paused, looking at Li Hu and Zhang Mei: "On the outskirts of the Man Yun Mountain Range, Wan's spies are too many; we're like headless flies bumping around, and will eventually be worn down by them. Moreover, our supplies won't last more than a few days."

Zhang Mei whispered: "Then… where should we go?"

"Go deeper." Wang Shan said, word by word, "Those places Wan Tianjue dare not easily enter, or that he thinks we would never dare to go."

Li Hu's eyes widened: "Deeper? Brother Wang, that's the territory of late Second-Order and even Third-Order demonic beasts! Plus various natural hazards; the miasma is just an appetizer."

"Exactly." Wang Shan nodded, "Dangerous, but also an opportunity. The materials of high-level demonic beasts, rare spirit plants—these can be exchanged for the resources we urgently need. Moreover, the more dangerous the place, the harder it is for Wan's forces to deploy fully."

He looked at the two: "I know this is risky, but we have few choices. Continuing to be passively beaten will only get us killed faster. Moreover, I must quickly find the main ingredient for concocting Foundation Establishment pills, break through Foundation Establishment, only then will I have true self-defense and… the ability to seek my clansmen."

Zhang Mei clenched the corner of her garment, knowing Wang Shan bore the heavy burden of a deep blood feud and the search for his scattered clansmen.

Li Hu fell silent for a moment, stuffed the last bit of jerky into his mouth and chewed hard: "Damn it, what's there to fear! A miserable life—following you, Brother Wang, is better than being chased around by Wan's lot like a dog! Tell me what to do, and if I, Li Hu, frown even a little, I'm not a man!"

Zhang Mei also lifted her head, eyes firm: "Brother Wang, just like Brother Li, I'll follow your lead."

Wang Shan felt a faint warmth in his heart; these two companions, though low in cultivation, were both people he could entrust his back to.

"Good." Wang Shan didn't add more, "If that's the case, we'll rest a bit, then change our route."

He took out a rough animal-skin map from his bosom, roughly sketched from his memory and these days' scouting.

"We are here now," Wang Shan pointed to a mark on the swamp's edge, "Next we'll head in this direction. Passing through the Black Wind Ridge, if smooth, we should reach the Broken Soul Gully in about three days. There the demonic beasts are of higher rank, but it's said that a few spots may grow 【Condensed Dew Grass】 and 【Crimson Yang Flower】, excellent materials for concocting healing and spirit-power-restoring pills."

"Broken Soul Gully… just the name sounds unpleasant." Li Hu muttered.

Wang Shan continued: "If luck is on our side, we could even try to hunt a lone early Third-Order demonic beast or two. Their spirit cores and materials would be valuable."

"Third-Order demonic beast?" Li Hu swallowed, "Brother Wang, that thing isn't easy to provoke—one bite could swallow us whole."

"So we must be careful, plan before acting." Wang Shan said, "We can't count on windfalls, nor rely forever on low-grade talismans from the system to get by. This patch‑and‑patch life loses a day each day. We must quickly boost our strength, achieve Foundation Establishment—that's the foundation."

As he spoke, his gaze was deep and far-reaching, as if he had already seen the myriad difficulties ahead.

The brief rest ended quickly, and the three set out again. The atmosphere was more solemn than before, yet also carried a resolve to burn their boats.

After walking about half a day, while taking water at a stream, Wang Shan inadvertently caught Li Hu furtively rummaging in his storage bag.

"Li Hu, what good stuff are you hiding?" Wang Shan asked casually.

Li Hu gave a hehe smile, a little embarrassed, and pulled out several stones that glowed faintly from his storage bag: "Brother Wang, look at this."

They were a few low-grade spirit stones, not many, but seven or eight pieces.

Wang Shan was somewhat surprised: "Where did you get these spirit stones? Didn't we already spend all the ones we had on us?"

Li Hu scratched his head: "A few days ago, taking advantage of the night, I wandered near our campsite and bumped into two low-level demonic beasts that weren't even ranked, fighting over a stalk of very young spirit grass. I just… hehe, took them out; these are the few broken stones they were guarding, probably not much use, so I pocketed them."

He feared Wang Shan would blame him for acting on his own, and added: "Brother Wang, don't worry—I specifically observed that the area is very safe, and those two guys are extremely weak, causing no disturbance."

Wang Shan looked at the few spirit stones, then at Li Hu's expression mixing pride and apprehension, not only not angry but patted his shoulder: "Not bad, you figured out a way. Even a mosquito is meat; right now we lack exactly this. When you get the chance, pay more attention, but safety first."

Li Hu instantly broke into a grin: "All right, Brother Wang! Leave it to me!" Being approved by Wang Shan made him happier than anything.

Zhang Mei also smiled; having a bit more income in the team is always good.

This small gain was like a ray of sunshine, temporarily dispelling some of the oppression.

Wang Shan withdrew his gaze, looking toward the distant, layered mountain ranges deep in the distance. Broken Soul Gully, Black Wind Ridge… places whose names alone make one's scalp tingle have now become their only way to survive.

"Let's go, before dark we'll try to cross that ridge ahead." Wang Shan said in a low voice, taking the first step.

The road ahead is unknown, but they have no way to retreat.