Most of these hunters focused their attention on the strong and muscular Zhang Lu, not out of malice, but because Zhang Lu, despite the heavy snowfall closing off the mountains, was still making his way swiftly outside, dressed only in thin clothing.
Clearly, he had real skills.
However, Zhang Jian was dressed thickly and tightly. Although he carried a sword at his waist, he seemed much more frail.
"Young Master, it smells so good!"
At this moment, Zhang Lu had already caught the scent. On the campfire was a small pot with uneven surfaces, in which a milky white thick soup was simmering, making Zhang Lu's throat move.
The master and servant had been eating dry rations and preserved fruits in the mountains for the past days. Zhang Jian didn't mind, but Zhang Lu was a bit overwhelmed by it.
Without standing on ceremony, Zhang Jian laughed and said,
"Thank you, friends, for your hospitality. We happen to be hungry too. We also have some dry rations and preserved fruits here; why don't we all dip them in the thick soup and eat together!"
Zhang Jian smiled faintly and gestured to Zhang Lu beside him to take out the dry rations from the bundle.
Inside were not only preserved fruits but also relatively rare nuts.
The hunters saw this and did not hesitate, each taking a portion.
Zhang Jian also casually mentioned his background, stating that he was a scholar rushing to the capital for exams, while the hunters initially hesitated but eventually revealed their origins as the group became acquainted.
They were hunters who had fled to the mountains for refuge.
"Young Master, to be honest, we are hunters from the Zhou Family Village below, but due to the government office's extraction, everyone can't survive, so we ran to the mountains. Otherwise, who would come hunting in the mountains in this weather, suffering in the wind and snow?"
The hunters all nodded in agreement at this point but remained relatively optimistic!
The leading hunter, known as Third Master Zhou, took out an old tobacco pipe and carefully extracted a small bit to mix with some yellowish grass leaves, taking a careful puff. It seemed too bitter, causing his sallow face to wrinkle.
He chuckled bitterly and said:
"The mountains are full of hardships, but the land below is no place for people to stay either. In Zhou Family Village, and surrounding villages and towns, almost all grown men have been taken by the government office to become soldiers fighting roving bandits. The lucky ones who survive still face taking away grown men once the bandits come. We have no choice but to hide in the mountains, using the great mountains for refuge!"
The hunters squatted by the campfire, their expressions somewhat silent.
After a moment, one of the older hunters, surnamed Wang, laughed.
"We are lucky enough to have some skills, whether in hunting or in treating wounds. Once this period passes, maybe we'll be able to go back down the mountain and return home!"
The other five hunters nodded, hope in their eyes.
Beside Zhang Jian, Zhang Lu looked proud:
"The skill of the hunter brothers is naturally unparalleled. In such cold weather, we wandered the mountain for several days without finding any game, yet the brothers could still achieve such a harvest; few can achieve such a feat!"
At this point, Zhang Lu glanced deeper into the Immortal Rock.
There lay piles of game.
There were mostly wild rabbits, some foxes, and even gray wolves. While the game was not large in size, there were many.
The hunters smiled slightly upon hearing this.
Just then, a bolt of lightning flashed in front of the mountain cliff, seen from the foot of the mountain, lightning seemed to pierce the sky amidst the pouring rain.
The thunderous sound restrained the smiles of everyone.
Quietly, they watched the thunder outside heaven and earth.
However, Zhang Jian suddenly frowned, looking at the small path beside the Immortal Rock in the darkness.
At some point, an invisible mist had sprung up in the mountains.
In the darkness, the mist was difficult to discern with the naked eye.
But in Zhang Jian's cultivator eyes, nothing could hide.
His eyes gleamed with a chilling light.
Soon after, he heard strange footsteps coming from the darkness.
This sudden sound also attracted the hunters' attention.
"Is a beast approaching?"
The hunters instinctively grasped their bows and arrows, looking warily at the mountain path ahead.
The elderly Third Master Zhou furrowed his brows into the shape of a river, saying deeply, "That's impossible. I smeared some predator feces on the mountain path ahead; ordinary beasts won't dare approach, right?"
He glanced at Zhang Jian and Zhang Lu beside him.
He saw Zhang Lu also standing up but merely stood behind Zhang Jian, not in front of him, which made him slightly surprised.
Zhang Jian's expression remained unchanged; he just hummed lightly toward the depths of the darkness. Heavy bronze light burst forth from deep within his eyes, causing many restless noises in the darkness to slowly retreat.
The terrifying atmosphere gradually disappeared from the mountain.
After a moment of quiet in the darkness, with no other sounds, the hunters breathed a sigh of relief.
Beside them, Zhang Jian suddenly raised his head, looking at the mountain path.
Soon, a figure with a bamboo hat and walking stick slowly emerged from the darkness; it was an elderly man accompanied by two young girls.
Seeing three people suddenly step out of the darkness, the hunters were somewhat surprised and wary.
At this time, to find an old man with two youngsters, anyone sensible would sense something strange.
The old man first glanced at the six hunters, then set his eyes on Zhang Jian and Zhang Lu, especially when facing Zhang Jian, his brows tightly furrowed.
He glanced at the corner where the game was piled, smiling.
"The old man and his two granddaughters just passed by here, missing the place to stay. Could you offer the old man and his grandchildren a place to spend the night?"
"This..."
The six hunters furrowed their brows but dared not readily agree.
Seeing the hunters' hesitant expressions, Zhang Jian calmly said, "This originally belongs to the hunter brothers; as guests, I should not interfere. But since the old man is already here, let's stay for the night!"
Upon hearing this, the hunters exchanged glances, and Third Master Zhou, after pondering for a moment, said, "Mr. Zhang is right; since you've arrived, the elderly can stay here. There's still some food!"
Showing caution, he used the extra bowls to scoop a bowl of thick soup, placing it on a stone stool at a distance.
But the elderly man with the bamboo hat merely looked at it without paying attention. Instead, he brought the two granddaughters to sit by the fire, brushing off the snowflakes.
Seeing everyone's gaze turn toward him, he smiled.
"The old man is actually a Yin Mountain clan member like everyone else. You suffered military disaster; we suffered human calamity!"
He sighed, saying:
"Our family used to live and prosper, residing in a mountain hollow on the west side of Yin Mountain, living lively in a noisy household. But at some point, bad people invaded, causing havoc and plundering, scattering a sizable family!"
"Now it's just the old man and two granddaughters relying on each other!"
Upon hearing this, a young hunter couldn't help but ask, "West of Yin Mountain, isn't this where we frequently hunt? But there's no household there, only wolves, tigers, and leopards around?"
The hunters exchanged glances, but soon Third Master Zhou's face changed; he suddenly stood, chilling all over, cold sweat on his forehead.
His gaze fixated on the elderly man and the two silent granddaughters beside him.