"What’s the matter, Incense Master?"
Liang Buqing saw Fang Zhixing suddenly stop, first startled, then asked with confusion.
Fang Zhixing’s brow furrowed slightly, his gaze deep, he said indifferently, "There seems to be some movement in the reeds."
Liang Buqing was startled, quickly turned his head to take a careful look.
The reeds swayed with the wind, now leaning this way, now that.
What was unusual about them?
At that moment, Xigou suddenly ran forward, sniffed carefully, and transmitted his voice, "Definitely not far from us, within a hundred meters."
Fang Zhixing stayed silent for a moment, then gave direction, "Use your shadow clone to investigate."
Xigou had this in mind; he leaped into the reeds, out of Liang Buqing’s line of sight and immediately created a shadow clone that sprinted forward.
The scent of blood in the air grew increasingly intense.
Moreover, the stench was mixed; it must not come from just one creature.
That is to say, at least two creatures had been wounded and bled profusely.
The shadow clone weaved its way about seventy or eighty meters through the reeds.
Suddenly, an open clearing appeared ahead, with a group of people sitting on the ground, resting.
Beside them lay five beasts resembling sika deer, but larger and more majestic with a mercury-colored stripe that ran from their backs to the base of their tails, very beautiful to look at.
On the heads of these five deer were red antlers, very peculiar in shape, swollen as if like tumors, as large as washbasins.
At a glance, Xigou couldn’t help but shudder.
Fuck, if these weren’t the "Silver-backed Heat-horned Deer" that Fang Zhixing was searching for?
Those tumor-like horns, they were actually blood bags!
Seeing this, Xigou’s mind whirred, he quickly observed every person at the scene, then self-destructed, dissolving into black smoke that seeped into the ground.
In the next instant, Xigou’s true body was informed of everything.
He immediately raced back, looked at Fang Zhixing, and transmitted, "Fang Zhixing, you’ve hit the jackpot! There’s a hunting party over there that has slaughtered five Silver-backed Heat-horned Deer."
Fang Zhixing’s expression changed slightly, he asked incredulously, "Are you sure they are Silver-backed Heat-horned Deer?"
Xigou carefully described the scene he saw and mentioned many details that matched up precisely.
"Excellent!" Fang Zhixing’s heart suddenly overflowed with joy, he asked, "How many are in the hunting party?"
Xigou replied, "There are twenty-two people. Three of them are seriously injured and are having trouble moving; another five have minor injuries."
"A hunting team of twenty-two people!"
Fang Zhixing couldn’t help but arch an eyebrow.
In the camp, he had observed many hunting teams; they varied in number, some with as few as two or three people, others with about a dozen.
For instance, Duan Caiyan’s hunting team, which consisted of eight people, was already considered a large team.
"This team is not simple."
Fang Zhixing’s expression grew serious.
Seeing this, Xigou asked, "What’s the plan? Do you intend to buy them out, or just take them by force?"
Fang Zhixing pondered, "If we can buy them, that’s for the best. I don’t want to cause unnecessary trouble and incur hatred."
"It’s okay to buy, but still, be cautious!" After some thought, Fang Zhixing threw the long knife he had been holding onto the ground and stretched out his hand.
Upon seeing this, Liang Buqing hurriedly passed a new knife to him.
Fang Zhixing looked at Liang Buqing, pondered, and said, "I have a task for you."
Liang Buqing’s expression turned solemn, and he quickly said, "Please give your orders, Incense Master, I’m willing to go through fire and water for you."
Hearing this, Fang Zhixing couldn’t help but recall Liang Buqing’s usual timid attempts to escape, his mouth twitching as he spoke firmly:
"There should be a hunting team in the reed marshes, my dog has already caught their scent. It will lead you there shortly, make contact with those people, and try to find out what they’re up to."
Fang Zhixing took out a bow and arrow and revealed a confident smile, "I’ll be hiding and ready to support you. If things go wrong, I’ll shoot arrows to ambush them, and you can take the chance to run."
Liang Buqing blinked, hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded, "Rest assured, Incense Master, leave it to me."
Right away, Xigou jumped into the reeds, with Liang Buqing quickly following behind.
Fang Zhixing stealthily trailed from another direction.
Shortly after, Liang Buqing parted the reeds ahead of him, and his steps suddenly halted.
Almost instantly, a harsh shout rang out.
Liang Buqing lifted his head and scanned the group of people in the clearing, their number a bit too many for his liking, startling him.
The group also quickly stood up, faces tense and wary, all scrutinizing Liang Buqing, then glancing around him.
Soon enough, they ascertained that only Liang Buqing was approaching, and the tension on their faces visibly lessened.
Liang Buqing was an old hand at this game; he quickly put on a smile and cupped one hand in the other before his chest in greeting, "Greetings, friends. I am Liang Buqing of the Iron Mountain Sect!"
"Iron Mountain Sect?!"
The group couldn’t help but exchange looks, their eyes communicating something silently.
But for some reason, their faces simultaneously showed a hint of animosity and disdain.
Seeing this, Liang Buqing’s heart skipped a beat.
What was going on? These people seemed to really dislike the Iron Mountain Sect!
He kept the smile on his face while a cold sweat broke out on his back.
At this moment, someone from the other side asked, "Why are you wandering about alone in the restricted area? Where are your companions?"
Liang Buqing was fully alert and replied, "Oh, it’s . Due to an accident, I got separated from my companions. Now I’m looking for the way out, and by mistake, I ran into all of you here."
He then lowered his head, asked with a friendly tone, "May I know who you friends are?"