Chapter 29: Encounter! Surprise? Terror!

Inside the cave.

Qin Shuo jumped to his feet, gazing northwest, surprise and fervor flashing in his eyes.

The Unicorn Silver Wolf appeared!

That's a spirit beast, a true flesh-and-blood treasure.

If hunted, its medicinal potency might not match the White Jade Ginseng King, but it wouldn't be far off.

"Who knows who found it? The Sky Wolf Gang's people should already be rushing there; want to go take a look?"

Qin Shuo hesitated.

As for that Wolf Mountain Overlord, the legendary spirit beast, Qin Shuo was also very interested.

But he also knew the Unicorn Silver Wolf was not to be provoked; it had once seriously injured a martial artist who had achieved Internal Energy Great Accomplishment, and with his current strength he probably wasn't a match.

Moreover, judging by the Sky Wolf Gang's formation, they were clearly determined to get the Unicorn Silver Wolf; even if he wanted to fish in troubled waters, it would be difficult.

"Forget it, I'll keep looking for my high-grade exotic beast; if I still can't find it tomorrow, I'll head down the mountain."

Qin Shuo made his decision, not intending to wade into this muddy water.

He craved spirit beast meat.

But neither the Unicorn Silver Wolf nor the Sky Wolf Gang was something he could provoke now; he could only give up.

Moreover, calculating the time, he'd been at Wolf Mountain for quite a while; it was time to head back.

Nothing happened all night!

The next morning, Qin Shuo continued exploring the depths of Wolf Mountain according to his original plan.

To avoid encountering the Sky Wolf Gang or the Unicorn Silver Wolf, he deliberately headed in the opposite direction from where the signal arrow had been fired the previous night.

All morning, he came up empty-handed.

"It seems last night's battle between the Sky Wolf Gang and the Unicorn Silver Wolf also frightened away many of the exotic beasts in Wolf Mountain." Qin Shuo sighed.

Last night, the wolf howls never ceased.

Even though they were several miles apart, Qin Shuo heard that mournful, angry wolf howl.

Judging by the commotion at the time, the Unicorn Silver Wolf was likely in dire straits, possibly even already hunted down.

"If worse comes to worst, I'll just hunt a few more ordinary exotic beasts and bring them back."

Recalling Zhang Xiong's instructions before departure and the other party's eager, longing eyes for exotic beast meat, Qin Shuo could only sigh inwardly.

After so many days, his luck seemed to have been exhausted from the start.

Apart from that Blazing Flame Yellow Goat, he hadn't encountered any high-grade exotic beasts, nor even any larger-than-usual ordinary exotic beasts.

They were nothing but squirrels or pheasants, too small to have much meat.

"Swish swish swish!"

Suddenly, footsteps came from ahead, and he faintly heard people talking.

Not long after, he saw three hunters dressed as such, bows drawn, cautiously searching this way.

"Oh? Someone!"

One of the short, stout, sturdy men had sharp eyes and quickly spotted Qin Shuo.

The three sized him up; seeing he was young and dressed in hunter gear, they lowered their guard and called out, "Little brother, are you also here to search for the Unicorn Silver Wolf?"

Qin Shuo raised his eyebrows in surprise, saying, "Wasn't that silver wolf killed by the Sky Wolf Gang?"

"Looks like you're not well-informed, little brother!"

The short, stout man chuckled, "Last night the Sky Wolf Gang's people discovered the Unicorn Silver Wolf, and the two sides fought a battle."

The Unicorn Silver Wolf was seriously injured and fled, while the Sky Wolf Gang suffered heavy casualties and is now combing the mountains searching for it.

The Sky Wolf Gang's steward said that whoever finds the silver wolf's traces can claim fifty taels of silver, and we're helping out with the search.

"I see!"

Qin Shuo suddenly understood, answering honestly, "I've been in the mountains these days and don't know much about outside affairs. Has the silver wolf fled to this area?"

"No, it hasn't!" the stout man shook his head.

"We're just looking for the silver wolf's traces incidentally; that thing is too dangerous—even the Sky Wolf Gang can't handle it, so we'd rather it not appear here."

"That's right." Qin Shuo nodded in agreement.

According to what he knew, the Sky Wolf Gang's expedition was led by an elder who had achieved Internal Energy Great Perfection.

Even they couldn't keep hold of that Unicorn Silver Wolf, showing how ferocious its power is.

An ordinary person encountering that silver wolf would likely have only a one-in-ten chance of survival; who would dare provoke it?

"I heard that silver wolf fled south, while this northern area used to be the Unicorn Silver Wolf's lair; we're also here to try our luck, hoping to encounter something good."

The stout man, with a simple and honest smile, invited, "Little brother, would you like to join us?"

"No thanks, I'll just wander around on my own." Qin Shuo politely declined.

These three strangers' origins were unknown, their intentions unclear; how could he dare cooperate with them?

Although he was now an Internal Energy Martial Artist and need not fear these three ordinary hunters in a face‑to‑face fight,

but a visible spear is easy to dodge while a hidden arrow is hard to guard against; if they truly meant harm, how could he defend himself?

So it was better to remain alone.

"Alright, just watch out—if you run into the Unicorn Silver Wolf, remember to flee; that thing isn't something we can handle."

The stout man didn't insist, gave a few friendly reminders, and left with his companions heading north.

"The Unicorn Silver Wolf fled south, and the Sky Wolf Gang's people are likely chasing it south too; looking at it that way, those frightened exotic beasts really might have all fled north."

Qin Shuo silently calculated where he should go to look for exotic beasts.

In the end, he also decided to head north.

However, he deliberately deviated from that direction to avoid running into those three hunters.

Deep mountains and old forests, people's hearts are unfathomable.

Although they had the ability to protect themselves, they also did not want to invite trouble.

Heading north all the way.

Qin Shuo crossed mountains and ridges, not knowing how many li he had walked, yet he didn't encounter a single exotic beast.

Gradually, the surrounding trees became sparse, no longer so dense.

Looking ahead, there was a desolate wasteland, weeds growing thick, no living thing in sight.

"Go any further and you'll leave the range of Lang Shan."

Qin Shuo stood on the hillside, gazing ahead, feeling somewhat helpless.

They had completely abandoned the fantasy of encountering a high-grade exotic beast, now only wishing that any exotic beast would appear so they could be satisfied.

Unfortunately, not a single exotic beast appeared.

Even more, because they were near the edge of Lang Shan, even ordinary game had become scarce, let alone exotic beasts.

"Ah! Let's go back!"

Qin Shuo sighed, then prepared to return the way they came.

Suddenly, out of the corner of their eye, they caught a flash of golden light in a nearby mountain ditch.

"Is it an illusion?" Qin Shuo's heart leapt.

Their gaze swept back and forth over the inconspicuous little mountain ditch, searching for anything possibly abnormal.

"Huh? There's something in the mountain ditch."

Qin Shuo's eyes lit up, and they moved cautiously toward the edge of the hillside.

"It's a camel deer!"

When they made out the massive shape hidden in the mountain ditch, Qin Shuo couldn't help but be greatly startled.

This camel deer was pitch black all over, hidden in the shadows deep in the mountain ditch.

If not examined closely, one might mistake it for a lump of pitch-black stone.

It bore a pair of huge shovel-shaped antlers, primitive and rugged.

Due to the dim light in the mountain ditch, from afar the antlers looked like two clumps of strange dead twigs growing on a stone, utterly unnoticeable.

However, when it raised its head to stay alert, beneath its black eyelids appeared a pair of brilliant golden eyes, like two small suns, dazzlingly gold.

"An exotic beast!"

Qin Shuo's pupils contracted sharply, a huge delight striking their mind.

After searching high and low, it turned out this creature was hiding deep in the mountain ditch.

The corner of their mouth kept turning up.

This camel deer stood nearly two meters tall, with strong limbs and a weight of at least a thousand jin.

Even if it were merely an ordinary exotic beast, it would be worth a thousand taels of silver.

"We've struck it rich! We've struck it rich!" Qin Shuo's heart overflowed with uncontainable joy.

As long as they brought down this camel deer, they would no longer need to worry about exotic beast meat for their cultivation.

They could even spare some for Qin Lan and Zhang Xiong.

"Stay calm, aim for a killing blow."

Qin Shuo took a deep breath, forcing themselves to calm down.

They nocked an arrow, carefully sneaking into the mountain ditch.

Three hundred meters, two hundred meters, one hundred meters…

Whoosh!

Just as Qin Shuo hid in the optimal shooting position, ready to release the arrow, a silver light suddenly darted out from the grass on the other side.

"Roar!"

The massive camel deer let out a low growl.

But that silver light, swift as lightning, instantly clamped onto its throat, no matter how it struggled, it could not break free.

Fast, accurate, ruthless!

That silver creature perfectly exemplified the bearing of a top-tier hunter.

Still as a rock, letting no one sense its presence; moving like a thunderbolt, its speed so fast that one could not even make out its appearance.

"Unicorn Silver Wolf!"

A hundred meters away, upon seeing the silver creature's appearance, Qin Shuo nearly cried out.

In an instant, a chill rose from the soles of their feet, rushing straight to the crown of their head.

"Run!"

Without any hesitation, Qin Shuo circulated their internal energy, about to flee the spot.

But just as that thought arose, they saw the Unicorn Silver Wolf flick its body sharply.

Bang!

The thousand-jin camel deer, like a sandbag, was slammed heavily before them.

Immediately after, the silver wolf with a single horn on its head slowly lifted its head, its icy wolf eyes sharp as a blade.

Just one glance made Qin Shuo's hair stand on end, as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.