Chapter 405 - 377: Underground Forest Kingdom
As the silver spear came to a stop, Bai Zheng’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his breath coming in short gasps.
"So fast."
"You flatter me."
Cao Biansheng retracted his spear. From the exchange, he could tell his opponent’s strength was not far from his own.
If he wasn’t mistaken, the other man was also an Extraordinary—one who had broken through at the Second Stage mission difficulty.
’His strength is decent, but his weapon is too poor.’
With his Silver Dragon, he wasn’t just one person in a fight; he and his weapon were one.
"That spear of yours..." Bai Zheng started to speak but trailed off, his expression a mix of shock and uncertainty.
Cao Biansheng deactivated his Hunting Exhibition and put away his Silver Dragon.
Witnessing their own Young Master Zheng’s swift and crushing defeat with their own eyes, the retinue of attendants and servants couldn’t believe it.
Cyan Stone Castle was located at the border, with a strong martial culture and many powerful individuals.
But because the number of Cards was limited, the number of top experts who could actually break through to the Extraordinary realm was very small.
Young Master Zheng was one of them.
’A top expert like him... one move? Or was it two? He was defeated instantly?’
"Well now, what’s all the excitement about?" Qin Ziwu said, arriving with his men. He had seen the spar on his way over—in reality, it had only lasted a few seconds.
He wasn’t surprised by the result.
Because he had also sparred with Cao Biansheng in private.
They only sparred once, and then never again.
He had secretly made up his mind: until he obtained his own Hunting Artifact, he would refuse to fight Cao Biansheng.
’Because that guy’s Hunting Artifact is just plain unfair.’
’Have you ever seen a spear that could bend like a whip?’
’It completely defies the laws of physics. There’s no downward arc after it’s swung out like a whip; it moves like a living, silver python.’
’And it’s twice the length of a normal Long Spear. You can’t hit him, but he can hit you.’
After Young Master Zheng’s crushing defeat, the morale of the accompanying group from Cyan Stone Castle was somewhat low.
In the oppressive atmosphere, the group finally reached the entrance of the Gated Community.
"This way, please."
Bai Che led his people to unload the goods.
Wu Shanqi heard that people from another Gated Community had come to trade and was very interested. He called over some colleagues he knew well, planning to go see what was happening.
As soon as he got downstairs, he saw a familiar face.
"Old Zhao."
Zhao Pu was helping everyone move things. Hearing his name, he hastily turned his head. The Gated Community was quite dark, and it took him a moment to recognize Wu Shanqi standing under a tree not far away.
A thought spun in his mind. He guessed what they were up to and smiled; he could understand their curiosity.
"Since you’re all here, lend a hand and help move things."
"Huh?"
And so, Wu Shanqi and his group were dazedly roped into doing manual labor.
These newcomers, who had just transmigrated from the modern world, were mostly unaccustomed to physical labor.
Except for the orthopedic surgeon, many of them were gasping for breath after carrying firewood for just a few steps, stopping to rest every few feet.
"Oof, Xiaoli, come give me a hand." Qiu Gao, who was walking ahead, set down the firewood on his back and leaned against a wall, panting heavily.
"Director Qiu, I’m out of strength too," Li Guang said as he slowly lowered the firewood from his back and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
They had been transmigrated for over a day. Although he was still homesick, he felt it was highly probable they would never go back.
As everyone became more rational, the old hospital hierarchy was gradually dissolving, replaced by something more pragmatic and unpretentious.
Things like "medical skills" and "physical fitness."
In this primeval forest, survival of the fittest was even more brutal than they had imagined.
Hearing his request refused, Qiu Gao thought it over for a moment, his expression unreadable.
No one who could become a director was a fool. What he’d said just now was just a subconscious reaction to his exhaustion.
He understood. He was old, and his stamina couldn’t compare to the younger people. His former status as a director was useless here; a pair of hands that could hold a scalpel steady was far more valuable.
Through everyone’s cooperative efforts, the firewood was moved to the south gate of the Gated Community. After the quality of the last bundle was checked, the trade was concluded.
The two parties were only trading resources; delivery was not included.
Bai Che looked at the bundles of firewood loaded onto the vehicle, his eye twitching. He estimated they wouldn’t be able to transport it all in one trip; they would have to make several more runs.
’At least we have enough firewood now. If there’s another insect swarm, we won’t have to burn our houses.’
However, compared to the firewood, Bai Che was more interested in something else here.
Namely, the braziers set up nearby.
To be precise, he had smelled the unique aroma wafting from the oil in the braziers.
Each of the braziers was filled with a clear, bright oil, some of it transparent, some of it limpid.
He didn’t know what kind of animal it was rendered from, but it had a faint, fragrant scent.
"Is this oil for sale?" Bai Che asked.
"Sorry, we don’t have much of this oil ourselves," Zhao Pu politely declined.
Bai Che couldn’t help himself. He kept looking back at the oil in the braziers.
’Not much?’
’And you’re burning it like this??’
He opened his mouth to speak, but then stopped.
’Alright, maybe it’s because we’re not familiar with each other yet. I’ll bring it up again later when we’ve traded more frequently.’
With the opening of trade, the connecting passage between the two Tuiyuans was tacitly cleared by both teams.
...
The trade began on this side.
「Meanwhile, near the Underground Forest.」
Mogu arrived at the entrance.
From over ten meters away, even standing at the entrance, he could sense the life auras hidden in the darkness of the dense Underground Forest before him.
There were indeed many, far more than the life in the surrounding cave walls.
Mogu slowly drew the blood-colored giant sword from his back, along with a pale purple shield, and took two steps forward.
In the bushes by his feet, the grass rustled. A moment later, an insect resembling a ladybug, its carapace reflecting an eerie sheen, crawled out of the grass.
The insect wasn’t large, only about the size of a millstone.
It was pitch-black all over, with two small white dots on its back, one on the left and one on the right. From a distance, they looked like a pair of eyes.
Mogu glanced at it once before looking away.
’Not an Extraordinary.’
He didn’t smell the unique aura of an Extraordinary on it, but he could sense quite a few within this forest.
The ladybug-like insect spun around twice on the spot, then crawled back into the undergrowth.
"How is it?" Qin Ziwen asked, riding up behind Mogu on Red Hare.
Following his gaze, he saw that the area ahead was indeed an intricate kingdom of an Underground Forest.
Vines clung to the rock walls and stone pillars, growing wantonly. The ground was covered in dense bushes, and some vines drooped down over them, creating a world that resembled a complex spiderweb.
The Beaked Eagle flew above his head, surrounded by a cyan cyclone that allowed it to float in the air without frequently flapping its wings, making very little noise as it flew.
The underground cavern was somewhat narrow, so the Beaked Eagle flew cautiously to avoid hitting the rock walls, unlike its unrestrained flight back on the Island.
Mogu said, "There’s a lot of prey in here."
Qin Ziwen wasn’t surprised. "It’s normal for there to be a lot of prey. After all, it’s the only forest in the surrounding area. It would be strange if it wasn’t rich in species."
Mogu stepped forward and swung the blood-colored giant sword in his hand. Wherever its sharp edge passed, vines and branches were all severed.
It made a lot of noise, making no effort to hide its tracks.
Soon, he disturbed the things lurking within this kingdom of the Underground Forest.
Branches and leaves rustled and churned, as if the world itself had come alive.
Swarms of pale, grayish-green spiders crawled up from the ground along the vines, surging toward Mogu like a hornet’s nest.
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