Chapter 119: Hunting the Ground Bear, Returning to Dusk City, Bathed in Tea Aroma

South Wind Dense Forest.

Between the branches of a towering ancient tree, dozens of meters high, hung a massive beehive.

The hive's surface was covered in perfectly geometric hexagonal cells, and under the sunlight, the translucent beeswax refracted an amber glow, highly alluring.

Buzzzz.

Hundreds of entirely dark red bees flapped their wings outside the hive, acting as guards; their stingers bore barbs like miniature thorn branches.

"Elder, it's unmistakable—this is a Blood Thorn Bee hive. Their honey is the favorite of all bear monsters. If we take this hive to make Bear-Attracting Incense, we'll surely draw a Ground Bear!"

Among the dense grass nearby, Xia Xia Mingyu and his group crouched hidden; Lord Youde pointed excitedly at the hive.

"But these bees are highly toxic—once stung, the wound will rot severely. If attacked en masse, even bears with thick hides can't withstand it." Lord Youde added.

"I can see that. I've never seen bees with stingers this terrifying."

Xia Xia Mingyu sighed, beginning to think how to obtain part of the hive.

"My Lord, I can shoot an arrow first to bring down the hive, then you can use Fire Magic to eliminate these Blood Thorn Bees."

Boge eagerly said, his hand already resting on the arrows in his quiver.

"No, we only need a bit of the hive. No need to destroy their entire colony." Xia Xia Mingyu gripped Boge's hand.

"Come out, my pigeons!"

Xia Xia Mingyu removed his top hat, tapped the brim, then tossed the black hat upward onto an open patch of ground nearby.

The next instant, the brim trembled, and countless snow-white pigeons surged forth like a fountain, their white wings gleaming silver in the sunlight; the flock instantly obscured a patch of sky.

Buzzzz!

Surprised by so many intruders, the bee swarm immediately erupted in fury. The guard bees emitted a hissing alarm, and hundreds of Blood Thorn Bees surged forward like a crimson whirlwind toward the white pigeons.

More Blood Thorn Bees continuously poured out from within the hive to join the battle.

For a moment, the air above the forest was filled with countless Blood Thorn Bees chasing the white pigeon flock.

But the pigeons did not linger to fight—they merely circled endlessly in the air, luring the bees away.

Meanwhile.

Another white pigeon quietly poked its head out from the hat's opening.

Swish!

While the bees were busy chasing their enemies, it lunged at the hive with lightning speed, snatched a piece of golden beeswax, then darted into the dense forest and vanished.

The furious swarm tried to pursue, but the target was gone.

The remaining pigeons dissolved into white smoke one by one, leaving only a few white pigeons carrying the black top hat away into the forest.

"Done."

Xia Xia Mingyu, hidden in the grass, nodded in satisfaction.

"I won't take your wax for free—I'll leave you some flowers." He snapped his fingers.

On the leaf-covered ground beneath the hive, soil churned as vibrant roses sprouted, rapidly forming a field of blooms that emitted a cloying floral fragrance.

The furious Blood Thorn Bees in the air hovered for a long moment, then plunged headfirst into the flower petals.

"Thank you."

Xia Xia Mingyu took the beeswax from the pigeon's beak, patted its head, and the bird happily dove back into the hat's opening.

"Yours, Lord Youde." He handed the beeswax to the alchemist.

"Rest assured, Elder, with material this pure, I'll definitely replicate a top-tier Bear-Attracting Incense."

Lord Youde rolled up his sleeves, ready to get to work.

With his gaunt fingers, he took the golden beeswax, pinched a speck of honey residue, placed it in his mouth, and closed his eyes to taste it.

After a moment, he opened his eyes and pulled out numerous tools and ingredients from his enormous backpack.

Lord Youde tossed the beeswax into a mortar, added mint leaves, pine resin, and other materials, then ground them with a stone pestle.

After half an hour of frantic activity—operations Xia Xia Mingyu and the others couldn't comprehend—he finally produced a square, orange-yellow solid.

"Elder, light it. I guarantee no bear can resist its allure!"

Lord Youde confidently presented the freshly made Bear-Attracting Incense to Xia Xia Mingyu.

Crackling.

After lighting the incense, Xia Xia Mingyu and Boge leapt onto a nearby branch of the towering tree with Lord Youde.

An intensely sweet fragrance bloomed from the incense, drifting on the forest breeze toward the distance.

"So fragrant!"

Xia Xia Mingyu, perched on the tree, couldn't help inhaling deeply. So fragrant—no wonder even bears wanted it; even he felt like jumping down and taking a bite!

Thud-thud-thud.

Soon, a muffled tremor came from the ground.

A massive old brown bear, two meters tall at the shoulder, pushed through the underbrush, staring at the orange-yellow solid emitting golden smoke. Saliva dripped endlessly from its tusks.

Years of honeycomb raiding told it: this was a delicacy it had never tasted before!

Thud-thud-thud.

But before it could rejoice, several other massive brown bears burst through the brush.

All eyed the incense greedily, glaring and growling at each other—soon, a full-scale brown bear battle loomed.

Roar!

At that moment, a thunderous roar echoed from afar.

The previously boastful brown bears, upon hearing the roar, showed unmistakable fear on their faces.

Thud-thud-thud.

The ground shook violently; trees trembled.

A colossal creature smashed through trees and thickets, charging out of the dense forest.

It was a bear standing over three meters tall at the shoulder, and over five meters tall when upright.

Its body was covered in thick, rock-like fur, its eyes blood-red, radiating a suffocating aura of ferocity.

"The Ground Bear has arrived, Elder!"

Lord Youde, hiding in the tree, excitedly shook Xia Xia Mingyu's arm, nearly losing his balance and falling.

"I see it. This thing looks truly fearsome. I recall the texts say Ground Bears possess Morning Star-level power. I need to think how to handle it."

Xia Xia Mingyu rested his chin in thought. Without awakening his True Magic, his current abilities were poorly suited to fight such a heavily armored tank.

Should he exploit its inability to fly, summon countless pigeons to peck its eyes and rear, and slowly drain its health?

"My Lord, may I hunt the Ground Bear myself?"

As Xia Xia Mingyu seriously considered this kite strategy, Boge suddenly spoke.

"As a hunter, I cannot keep relying on your blessings to advance. If I wish to seize the power of this Ground Bear, I must hunt it myself—honorably, alone."

"Moreover, I have a feeling: if I wish to become a Master Hunter, I cannot avoid this battle." Boge's expression was solemn.

On his sharply defined, cold face, his brown eyes burned with resolve facing death.

"Then return alive. That is an order." Xia Xia Mingyu said calmly.

On the ground below the tree.

Thud-thud-thud.

Seeing the Ground Bear's massive form charging toward them, the brown bears fled, tails tucked.

Only the first-arrived old brown bear did not retreat—it even growled a threat at the Ground Bear.

It had little life left; if it could taste this delicacy—even just a lick—it would die content.

Then—

Roar!

Feeling provoked, the Ground Bear roared in fury and swung its massive paw through the air with a thunderous crack.

Thud!

The paw struck the old bear's skull with crushing force.

The old bear never even cried out—its skull burst like a ripe watermelon, blood and brain matter splattering across the Ground Bear's grotesque face, horrifying to behold.

The disgusted Ground Bear wiped its face with its paw, shoved the corpse aside, then strode toward the incense with glowing eyes.

What a delicious food!

After a single light lick, it felt every meal it had ever eaten paled to a mere fraction of this taste.

Its grotesque face even showed a human-like expression of bliss.

Thud!

At that moment, a landing sound echoed—the Ground Bear instantly dropped the incense and turned sharply.

Seeing it was a human, its wariness eased considerably.

This weak creature, beyond being slightly tasty meat, posed no threat whatsoever.

Roar!

The Ground Bear, eager to taste the incense, did not wish to pounce and slowly devour the human as it usually did—it roared to scare Boge away.

"Kill me, or be killed by me."

Boge stared straight into the terrifying roaring beast, his brown eyes showing no fear—only cold killing intent.

He drew an iron-tipped arrow from his quiver, nocked it, drew the bowstring taut, muscles straining, the sharp tip aimed directly at the giant bear's skull.

Sensing the threat, the Ground Bear reluctantly placed the incense on the ground behind it, then fixed Boge with a murderous glare.

Swish!

An arrow pierced the air, striking precisely at the left eye of the Earth Bear.

But before it could hit, the Earth Bear swatted it away with one paw, enraged and charging at Boge after narrowly losing its left eye.

"Perception Boost: Hawk's Eye."

With both abilities activated, Boge instantly felt everything around him slow down.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

He leapt nimbly among the trees, dodging the Earth Bear's attacks while firing arrows in return.

The Earth Bear, like a heavy truck, chased after Boge, smashing straight into trees with its thick fur, causing the ancient, centuries-old trees to shake violently.

Even Xia Xia Mingyu, hiding in the branches, had to leap with Lord Youde to another tree farther away.

"This beast's fur is tougher than usual."

Boge stared down at the enraged Earth Bear, his brow tightly furrowed.

Several arrows had struck the Earth Bear, but its thick, rough hide was harder than armor—the arrowheads couldn't pierce the flesh.

"Then I'll have to take a gamble."

Boge nocked another arrow and deliberately jumped down from the tree.

"Death of All Things," he whispered.

The next instant, his eyes turned a magnificent blue, and all color in the world faded to black and white.

Countless death-lines wound around the Earth Bear's massive body, converging into a single point that darted rapidly across its form.

Roar!

Seeing its prey voluntarily descend, the Earth Bear lunged forward eagerly.

But as Boge aimed, the Earth Bear felt an unprecedented sense of mortal threat.

Strange—those fragile arrows shouldn't have been able to harm it at all?

The beast's mind was still unable to process this, yet its body surged forward toward the human.

Swish!

The arrow shot through the air, aimed at the Earth Bear's left shoulder.

Believing its defenses were impenetrable, the Earth Bear ignored the arrow and opened its jaws wide to bite down on the human's skull.

Thud.

Unlike before, the arrow pierced straight through the thick hide, driving cleanly through the Earth Bear's left shoulder.

The giant bear, moments from clamping its jaws on Boge's head, froze instantly—its eyes dimmed, then went vacant, and finally its massive body crashed to the ground, lifeless.

"Pant… pant…"

Boge collapsed onto the Earth Bear's corpse, gasping for breath as if utterly drained.

The stronger the creature whose death-point he saw through Death of All Things, the greater the burden on his body.

As a Transcendent, gazing upon the death-point of a beast rivaling a Morning Star-tier warrior was an extreme, beyond-limit strain.

That was why he hadn't used the Death of All Things blessing at first—once activated, either the Earth Bear died, or he did.

"You did well. You came back alive."

Xia Xia Mingyu sprinted over, and only when he saw Boge unharmed did he finally exhale deeply.

"After all, it was your command—and I will fulfill it, no matter what."

The boy's lips curled slightly, a satisfied smile breaking across his resolute face.

After a brief rest, Boge took a sharp little knife from his pack, exerting great effort to peel off the skin from the Earth Bear's chest, carefully placing it into a pre-prepared box.

The purpose of this journey had finally been achieved.

"Venerable Sage, I must take my leave."

At that moment, Lord Youde also bowed apologetically to depart.

"I must immediately seek moonlight grass for my employer. I am deeply grateful for your life-saving aid—if you ever need me in the future, find me at No. 13 Morning Wind Street in Dusk City. I run a small alchemy shop there," Lord Youde said.

"How long do you think it will take to find moonlight grass?" Xia Xia Mingyu asked thoughtfully.

He was uneasy leaving Lord Youde alone in the perilous forest, even without bandits—there were still countless ferocious beasts and monsters.

"One day, a week, a month—or I may never find it," Lord Youde replied with a bitter smile.

Moonlight grass was exceedingly rare—he still couldn't even be certain whether it existed in this region at all.

"Then can you do me one more favor?"

"Of course."

"Can you brew this potion?"

Xia Xia Mingyu pulled out the scrap of paper bearing the bear-skin potion recipe and handed it to Lord Youde.

He had sworn before Lu En the bishop not to casually reveal the formula—but showing it to the alchemist responsible for brewing it shouldn't count as a breach.

"Yes, but I'll need many tools and materials. I can only brew it for you after returning to Dusk City," Lord Youde replied after studying the formula carefully.

"Then I'm in your debt. Here's your payment."

Xia Xia Mingyu took the last remaining vial of healing potion from his pack and offered it to Lord Youde.

Xia Xia Mingyu took out the last bottle of healing magic potion from his satchel and handed it to Yude.

"W-What are you doing?!"

The alchemist trembled violently, pupils constricted, stammering in disbelief.

"The debt you owed me for saving you was already repaid by making the bear-bait incense. Now that I'm hiring you again, I must pay you fairly."

"You've already repaid your debt for saving you by making me Bear-Attracting Incense; now that I'm hiring you again, I must pay you my due."

"But this work isn't worth even a single vial of precious healing potion!"

Lord Youde tried to protest, but Xia Xia Mingyu gently raised a finger to his lips.

"Perhaps it isn't worth it—but a mother's life is worth more than any potion."

As he spoke, Xia Xia Mingyu slipped the healing potion into Lord Youde's wide sleeve.

"Thank you… Venerable Sage. May the gods bless you!"

Lord Youde no longer refused—he knelt on one knee and bowed deeply.

In his lonely, thin life, he had never encountered such a kind saint—like a hero from ancient epics.

If only he could serve beside him forever, bathed in that gentle radiance!

"Come on. Return to Dusk City with us."

"Let's go, come back with us to Dusk City."

—Whoosh!

After exiting the South Wind Forest, Xia Xia Mingyu took a whistle from his pack and blew it.

After the group emerged from the Southern Wind Dense Forest, Xia Xia Mingyu took out a whistle from his satchel and blew it.

Soon, two dark dots appeared in the distance across the wasteland, racing toward them.

As they drew nearer, it became clear: a tall black stallion and a smaller brown mare.

Only when they drew closer could they make out a large black stallion and a much smaller brown mare.

The black horse let out a melodious neigh and nuzzled Xia Xia Mingyu's palm affectionately.

"Even horses from another world understand people," Xia Xia Mingyu mused, stroking its head.

Since the forest was unsuitable for horses, he'd left both animals grazing in the wilderness outside, per Boge's suggestion.

He'd worried they might run off—but now he saw he'd underestimated how powerful the lure of three meals and shelter was for these world's horses.

Afterwards, Xia Xia Mingyu's black horse carried the pack, while Boge and Lord Youde rode the brown mare together, and the three set off on their return journey.

Time slipped by—three more days passed.

At noon, the sun blazed high, pouring blinding light down.

"We're finally back!"

Gazing at the magnificent city looming just ahead, Xia Xia Mingyu sighed with emotion.

Enduring meals on the road and sunburn was one thing—but riding a horse nonstop was agony. Nothing compared to the comfort of a carriage.

Clearly, all those romanticized tales of adventure in the fantasy novels of his old world were lies—only the occasional beautiful girl encountered along the way could be called truly wonderful.

"My lord, I must hurry to deliver the medicine to my employer. Come get the potion tonight."

No sooner had they entered the city than Lord Youde dropped those words and hurried off, burdened by his heavy pack.

Xia Xia Mingyu paid it no mind—until, as he rode through the streets, he noticed something strange: the entire city seemed steeped in a faint, lingering scent of tea.

Upon entering the city, Yude dropped those words and hurriedly fled, shouldering his bulky pack.

Xia Xia Mingyu paid it no mind, but as he rode his horse through the streets, he suddenly noticed something strange—the entire city seemed steeped in a faint tea fragrance.

(End of Chapter)