Zhao Ya didn’t take the main road; instead, he left the city through an extremely hidden route.
Zhao Ya knew at least three such routes, all discovered during his secret explorations, meant as escape paths should anything happen in the city.
By the time Zhao Ya climbed out through an inconspicuous breach in the city wall, the sun was already high in the sky.
The area around Wuxiang City was surrounded by mountains, with the massive Wild Elephant Mountain nearby, filled with rampant wildlife and the presence of powerful Exotic Beasts. Usually, only professional Hunters dared to venture deep inside.
Zhao Ya didn’t dare to rush in. First, he scouted the perimeter, marking his return route in hidden spots. Only after organizing his gear and masking his face did he begin to cautiously delve deeper.
At first, there were paths, but as he progressed, the vegetation became more abundant, and eventually, there was no path at all.
Zhao Ya pulled out his short saber, hacking through the thickets and brambles, arduously carving a path forward.
Though he knew hunting was difficult, he hadn’t anticipated it being this challenging.
After all this time, apart from a hapless wild rabbit, he hadn’t encountered anything else.
However, Zhao Ya did not lose heart.
He hadn’t fantasized about a bountiful hunt on his first outing; this was more about scouting the path and familiarizing himself with the environment.
Thus, Zhao Ya continued for more than an hour, until it was almost noon, when he truly entered the depths of Wild Elephant Mountain.
All around were expansive stretches of primeval forest, and a moment’s inattention could easily lead to losing one’s way.
Zhao Ya became increasingly cautious, leaving hidden markers every so often.
Here, the wildlife became more abundant, but most of them instinctively avoided Zhao Ya.
To these animals, Zhao Ya’s vigorous Qi Blood and the short saber in his hand signaled danger, prompting them to keep their distance.
Zhao Ya was in no hurry to pursue, instead occasionally taking out a notebook to jot something down.
For lunch, he had a strip of Earthworm Dried Meat and some clean water. After finishing, he planned to walk a bit further before heading back home.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to leave Wild Elephant Mountain before sunset.
Even as a Martial Artist at the Second Realm, Zhao Ya wouldn’t dream of spending the night in such wilderness; it was simply too risky.
As he walked, Zhao Ya suddenly stopped, noticing signs of trampled vegetation ahead.
The traces were fresh, with drops of fresh blood scattered about.
Zhao Ya immediately readied himself for combat.
It seemed to be the signs left by a Hunter pursuing their prey. Along the way, Zhao Ya had encountered entering Hunters but had always made sure to steer clear of them.
After all, in these deep mountains, one could never be sure of another’s intentions.
Especially since these Hunters usually operated in groups of three to five, with extensive wilderness experience.
Being alone, if they had ill intentions, it would definitely spell trouble for him.
However, Zhao Ya did not expect to encounter Hunters here, deep within Wild Elephant Mountain. Curiosity piqued, he followed the traces further.
He wanted to see what kind of prey was worth the risk in these mountains, also helping him prepare for his next excursion.
After walking over a mile, the traces became more obvious, but Zhao Ya’s expression suddenly changed.
He faintly heard the sounds of fighting ahead.
Zhao Ya immediately utilized his Lightweight Body Technique to swiftly head towards the source of the sound.
A few hundred meters away, behind a large boulder, three people were attacking a man, with a large deer lying on the ground.
The attackers were all dressed like Hunters. The besieged man was injured but showed no signs of weakening, even forcing the three to repeatedly fall back.
Seeing this, the trio ceased their attacks and opted instead to wear him down.
They knew that as time went on, the Hunter’s injuries would worsen, making it easier to finish him off later.
Moreover, while remaining evasive, they taunted their target with words.
"Niu Yuan, I advise you to save your strength. Surrender now and give us the giant deer, and we’ll spare your life."
"Exactly, if you keep struggling, you’re bound to die; isn’t it pointless over one deer?"
The besieged man’s face turned livid, with fury burning in his eyes.
"Nonsense! I spent days capturing this giant deer; why should I hand it over to you?"
"Moreover, even if I gave it to you, you wouldn’t spare me. Deng Daqiang, we’re all Hunters; do you really think I’m a child?"
Deng Daqiang sneered, "You know it well. Blame your greed for wanting the deer all to yourself. Don’t fault us for being ruthless."
With that, the three continued to evade, not giving Niu Yuan any chance to engage closely.
Niu Yuan’s heart grew heavy.
He could feel his stamina waning with each passing moment,
and the wound on his back continued to bleed. If this went on, he’d eventually be exhausted to death by the three predators.
But Niu Yuan had no plan to counter this.
In these remote mountains, strength was paramount.
It was his own negligence that resulted in Deng Daqiang and the other two ambushing him; otherwise, how could the three pose any threat?
Niu Yuan fell into despair, suddenly stumbling, almost losing his grip on his Mountain-Opening Saber.
Seeing this, Deng Daqiang’s eyes lit up, and he seized the opportunity to rush forward, ready to strike with his saber.
Niu Yuan prepared to resign to his fate.
Just then, there was a ’whoosh’ piercing the air, and an arrow embedded itself into Deng Daqiang’s throat.
Deng Daqiang’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Meanwhile, a shadow leaped out from behind the boulder like a fierce tiger.
The remaining two, caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, became flustered and only thought to counterattack when the shadow closed in.
But it was too late; two flashes of a blade whirled past, decapitating them.
The corpses crumpled to the ground.
All these changes happened in a flash.
Niu Yuan was stunned.
Zhao Ya casually retrieved the Sleeve Arrow from Deng Daqiang’s throat, placing it back in his pouch, before turning to Niu Yuan.
"Are you a Hunter in these mountains?"
Niu Yuan, now snapped back to reality, nodded hurriedly, "Yes, yes, yes!"
He then looked at Zhao Ya with some apprehension, unsure what the suddenly appearing Martial Artist intended.
In fact, Zhao Ya had witnessed everything from behind the boulder.
His intervention wasn’t out of justice, but because he thought Niu Yuan might be a suitable ally.
To capture a large, evidently mutated deer in these remote mountains showcased extraordinary hunting skills.
And it was precisely this skill set that Zhao Ya was lacking.