Chapter 13: See you again, strange beast! Five-colored deer!

Early the next morning.

After breakfast, Qin Shuo took his rice balls and jerky and left.

Before leaving, Qin Lan pressed a box of osmanthus cake into his hands — the leftovers from the osmanthus cake Qin Shuo had sent the little girl to buy yesterday and hadn't finished — telling him to take it up the mountain to eat.

Now that life is prosperous, Qin Shuo naturally won't deprive himself; he eats what he should eat and uses what he should use.

After all, such small amounts of money won't affect his martial arts plans much.

In his previous life, he already disagreed with making oneself live miserably just to buy a house.

Now, he won't make himself suffer bitterly just to learn martial arts.

Martial arts must be studied, but life also has to go on.

Moreover, martial arts can't be mastered in a day or two; one must make long-term plans.

Just as he entered the alley, the door of Old Lady Zhang's house opened.

A middle-aged man walked out, carrying a bundle on his back.

Behind him, the white-haired Old Lady Zhang turned sideways to gaze at the courtyard where she had lived for decades, her eyes full of reluctance.

"Mom, hurry up, I only took half a day off; if we're late, it'll be too late."

The middle-aged man scratched his head and urged her on.

"Old Lady Zhang, you're moving out today?"

Qin Shuo greeted her.

During this time, she has helped them siblings a great deal.

Although he also had Qin Lan often buy meat snacks to share with Old Lady Zhang as a token of thanks, he still kept this kindness in his heart.

"Yeah! I had said I'd wait another two days, but it just so happens that Wen Chang is free today to pick me up, so I moved today."

"I originally wanted to give you a heads‑up earlier, so you could make plans sooner."

"Now I can only apologize to you."

"Old Lady, what are you talking about? You've already helped us a lot." Qin Shuo waved his hand.

"Little Qin, let me tell you: after I leave, if there's a heavy rain, remember to check the drain behind the house; if it's clogged, remember to clear it so water doesn't flood into the house."

"Also, the chili tree by my gate — please water it when you have time, don't let it die, what a shame!"

"Sigh… I don't even know when I'll be able to come back."

Old Lady Zhang chattered on, and finally, after her son Zhang Wen Chang urged her repeatedly, she left Yellow Mud Lane.

Qin Shuo felt a little heavy‑hearted, both reluctant to part with Old Lady Zhang and worried about the strange illness she had mentioned.

Of course, his main concern was still Qin Lan.

Without Old Lady Zhang's help, if Qian Bian and his gang of ruffians came again, Qin Lan would be home alone, and he really couldn't rest easy.

"Today, no matter what, I have to bag a big one."

Qin Shuo silently swore to himself.

He left the city.

Qin Shuo then headed straight for Black Wind Valley.

Black Wind Valley lies southwest of Black Mountain Ridge; because it is shrouded in fog year‑round, even experienced old hunters rarely venture into it for adventure.

But these days, Black Water City is becoming increasingly unsettled; Qin Shuo urgently needs to learn martial arts for self‑defense, so he can only give it a try.

Upon entering the valley, Qin Shuo felt a burst of cold, damp air hit him.

Though it is scorching summer, it makes one feel as if walking through a cold deep autumn.

If it weren't for Qin Shuo recently frantically absorbing the medicinal power of the White Jade Ginseng King, which greatly enhanced his physique...

Staying long in this cold, damp air could easily give him a serious illness.

"No wonder even those experienced old hunters don't want to come in to hunt; such a gloomy, dark place really gives one the creeps."

Qin Shuo brandished his saber to clear the way; the whole valley was terrifyingly silent, not a single insect chirp or bird call, only the rustle of his steps on dry twigs and rotting leaves.

"Does this spooky place actually have any game?"

A hint of doubt arose in Qin Shuo's heart.

Old hunters who have entered Black Wind Valley all say the valley teems with game, and there are unimaginable big hauls — it's a treasure trove.

But after walking nearly half an hour, he hadn't even seen a single bird, let alone big game like wild boars or goats.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a tearing sound came from behind him.

In a daze, his peripheral vision seemed to catch a black mass darting out from the left side of a large tree, flashing by in an instant.

"A squirrel? Or a monkey?"

Qin Shuo frowned.

That black shadow moved too fast; he couldn't make out its appearance at all.

But its size was at least that of a washbasin, so it certainly wasn't a squirrel.

"Could it be something unclean?"

Qin Shuo secretly became alert in his heart.

Although he doesn't believe in ghosts and gods, the gloomy, eerie forest made him involuntarily start to suspect supernatural forces.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

He walked another roughly two or three li.

Qin Shuo noticed that the black shadows darting to and fro in the woods on both sides had increased in number.

Although they still made no sound, this reassured him greatly.

"This must be some special kind of monkey — silent in movement, swift in action, and living in groups."

Qin Shuo speculated.

Regarding this unknown creature, Qin Shuo did not want to provoke it.

First, he didn't know if this ghostly thing could be eaten after being hit,

second, the other side was numerous, seeming to be a gregarious animal.

If he angered them, he might not fare well.

Most importantly, the creatures moved very quickly, often flashing by, leaving him no chance to draw his bow.

Splish splash~

As he went deeper, Qin Shuo actually heard the sound of flowing water.

Immediately after, various bird calls, insect chirps, and the faint roars of other wild animals could be heard.

"Found it!"

Qin Shuo was overjoyed.

He knew he had found the right place.

From the sounds he heard, he could tell that many birds and beasts gathered ahead, possibly including the big game he wanted.

Qin Shuo quickened his pace, heading straight toward the direction the sound came from.

Splish splash~ splish splash~

The sound of flowing water grew nearer.

Qin Shuo felt a warm, hot breath unlike before, accompanied by a faint sulfur smell.

"It's a hot spring! There's actually a pool of hot spring in this Black Wind Valley."

Qin Shuo was delighted.

In such a gloomy forest, a hot spring suddenly appeared—no wonder it attracted birds and beasts.

Passing through the jungle.

Qin Shuo quickly arrived at the edge of the hot spring.

The sight that met his eyes left him stunned.

Before him, the valley was lush with green grass and blooming flowers.

A pool of warm spring water, like a sapphire, was set in the valley's center, reflecting the blue sky, white clouds, and green tree shadows.

White cranes spread their wings in the sky, and deer calls echoed melodiously across the meadow.

There were also all kinds of birds and beasts, some lowering their heads to drink, others raising their heads to look around.

The entire valley was like a beautiful paradise beyond the world, poetic and picturesque.

"So much game!"

However, Qin Shuo had no mind to appreciate this rare peaceful scenery at that moment.

In his eyes, everything that flew in the sky or ran on the ground was money, the hope that drove him to join the martial hall to study martial arts.

"Yellow sheep, wild boar, white stork... and even elk, silver fox, and wild wolf..."

Qin Shuo's eyes lit up.

He even saw golden dragonfish leaping from the spring, graceful in posture, exuding the scent of money.

"A treasure land, this is a treasure land indeed!"

No wonder the old hunters who had been here said there was danger in this Black Wind Valley and advised others not to come.

Who wouldn't say that?

If Qin Shuo weren't eager to make money, even after walking all the way to the deepest part of the valley, he would not have discovered its secret.

Replace him with a hunter of less resolute mind; upon entering the Black Wind Valley and seeing those ghost‑like monkey creatures, he would likely have fled in fright right away.

Qin Shuo quietly observed the situation in the valley, selecting suitable prey to strike.

He knew these prey were very alert.

If he wanted to maximize profit, he had to pick the most valuable prey to strike.

Otherwise, once he disturbed the other beasts, they would swiftly flee into the forest, leaving him with nothing.

"Which one should I choose?" Qin Shuo muttered to himself.

Yellow sheep, wild boar, roe deer... were all valuable.

But the most valuable of all was the elk.

This animal is larger than a roe deer, and every part of it is precious, fetching a lot of money.

However, the herd was some distance away, several hundred meters off.

If he wanted to approach the herd, he would have to leave the forest and enter the valley, which would inevitably disturb the surrounding beasts.

"Huh? Why is that deer so strange?"

As he locked onto his target, Qin Shuo discovered that among the herd there was a fawn the size of a yellow sheep, yet it looked extremely strange.

It was covered in five colors, its antlers like white jade, radiating a pure glow in the sunlight, quite remarkable.

Most importantly, it was very vigilant.

Almost every few mouthfuls of grass, it would stop to look around.

It was exactly like the red squirrel Qin Shuo had caught in Dragon Tree Gully before, very lively.

"It's an exotic beast!"

At a glance, Qin Shuo recognized the identity of this five‑colored deer.

It was an exotic beast different from ordinary wildlife; its meat and flesh were worth at least twenty taels of silver.

Back then, the red‑haired squirrel, no bigger than a rabbit, was worth five taels of silver.

The five‑colored deer's size was more than five times that of the red‑haired squirrel, so it certainly warranted twenty taels of silver.

In addition, the value of ordinary venison already far exceeds that of squirrel meat, so this five-colored deer will be even more valuable than he imagined.

"I've struck it rich! As long as I take down this five-colored deer, I'll have the tuition to study martial arts in the inner city."

Qin Shuo's heart pounded like thunder, and he was overcome with uncontrollable joy.

"Stay calm! Slowly sneak up on it, and be sure to kill it with a single arrow!"

Qin Shuo hunched his body, approaching cautiously.

Whenever the five-colored deer lifted its head to look around, he would freeze motionless, and only when it lowered its head to graze would he move forward again.

Four hundred meters, three hundred meters, two hundred meters, one hundred meters...

Finally...

We're getting close!