The mountain wind was wailing, and the hunter wrapped in animal skin pursued along the way.
As he delved deeper into the wilderness, where insects and wild beasts began to multiply, the hunter took out a stick of herbal incense from his animal skin bag and lit it with a flame.
Wisps of white smoke rose, and the hunter used the child-arm-thick herbal incense to fumigate his body.
After the human scent on his body was thoroughly masked by the strong medicinal aroma, the hunter finally stepped into the seldom-traveled deep forest.
Passing through the forest and climbing the high mountain, the hunter blew a whistle. Not long after, a few black dots in the distant skyline drew closer.
The wailing mountain wind accompanied the hoarse and harsh cawing as several crows, blacker than coal, landed before the hunter.
The leading crow was already old, its feathers no longer shiny.
It landed at the forefront, taking deep and shallow steps, approached the hunter.
"Mountain boy, what do you want from me coming here?" the crow spoke.
The hunter’s blackened red face showed a sincere smile.
He carefully took out a piece of cloth from his chest, wrapped inside were more than a dozen seeds of Tongue-pressing Grass.
The hunter picked out one seed and put it back into his pocket, while the rest were given to the crows in front of him.
Watching the crows gobble up the seeds like candy, Xu Qing was puzzled. Aren’t these crows afraid of the poisonous Tongue-pressing Grass?
He continued to observe as the old crow, still speaking in its hoarse old voice, now with a hint of astonishment.
"Mountain boy, where did you find so many Tongue-pressing Grass seeds?"
The hunter grinned and said, "I’ve collected them over the years. When I was little, my father often said that Tongue-pressing Grass is like ghost grass to others, but to the old crows of Chaotic Stone Mountain, it’s a spiritual medicine that enhances wisdom."
"As long as there are Tongue-pressing Grass seeds, you can ask the old crows of Chaotic Stone Mountain for help."
The hunter, familiar with the crows’ nature through his frequent mountain journeys, understood them well.
"That’s true, the crows of Chaotic Stone Mountain have always been like that, but there’s one thing we need to clarify first."
"Go ahead, Crow Grandpa."
"The matter varies in size. If what you ask is too dangerous, we can’t do it. At that time, you must not complain."
The hunter laughed carelessly, "It’s just a small matter, neither stealing nor robbing, it’s surely beneficial and not harmful to you, Crow Grandpa."
"Is it really that simple? Speak and let me hear."
"I want to ask Crow Grandpa to help me find a person."
West of the Jin Sect, there’s a mountain range called Yanjing Mountain, also known as Xijing Mountain.
With a stretch of nine hundred miles, Xijing Mountain is filled with countless rare birds and wild beasts, and scattered mountain village settlements.
On this day, the hunter stood high on a stone ridge, squinting his eyes to observe a village.
Above him, a group of crows circled back and forth, emitting waves of cawing.
The hunter raised his hand, signaling, and the crows flew into the mountain forest, disappearing.
Outside Huangpi Village, an old shepherd in a worn cotton jacket passed by.
Puffing on his dry tobacco pipe, he smiled benignly at the children playing and chasing at the village entrance, exhaling clouds of smoke.
When the children finished playing and returned to their homes, the hunter standing high on the stone ridge took out his hunting bow, mounted a poison-covered arrow, and aimed it from a distance at the old shepherd resting under a tree by the village entrance.
The bowstring vibrated, the old shepherd, puffing on his pipe in the distance, suddenly felt a chill. Without thinking, he rolled on the ground like a donkey.
Thud— The strong arrow deeply pierced the tree trunk behind the shepherd.
The entire arrow embedded, only leaving the tail feathers trembling. The old shepherd’s turbid gaze instantly cleared up.
Village entrance high ground.
The hunter’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Although he was hunting a person this time, he still followed his past experience, choosing to hunt from a downwind position.
He thought that this arrow would certainly not miss, but did not expect the target to notice it; not even a mountain fox should have such keen senses.
It’s no wonder the immortals of Yellow Immortal Hall were reluctant to act.
Missing the mark, the sturdy and strong hunter did not get angry.
As a mountain hunter, the last thing he lacked was patience during a hunt.
Drawing his bow again, he shot several more arrows, squinting to see that the old shepherd had already hidden behind the tree.
With a slight sigh, the hunter regretfully put away his bow.
In just the initial encounter, he had already lost the upper hand.
But the hunter did not give up the hunt because of this. He jumped down from the stone ridge, holding his hunting knife, steadily and slowly approaching the old shepherd.
Moving closer to the sheep with no trace of lamb smell, the large sheep surrounded the lambs, restlessly stamping their hooves and bleating.
When he was about a yard away from the shepherd, the hunter stopped his steps.
"Old man, you shouldn’t harm people in my mountain. I’ll make you a deal: return the children you abducted these days, promise never to step here again, and I’ll let you go..."
Meanwhile, the hunter moved stealthily, continuing to approach the shepherd.
"Hehe..." The shepherd, seemingly ignoring the hunter’s actions, took a step forward himself, smiling, "Youngster, I haven’t abducted your child, why are you in such a hurry?"
"If you want to buy sheep, bring some valuable mountain treasures to trade. If not, I advise you to mind your own business."
At this moment, the hunter’s hand unconsciously rested on the knife handle.
The shepherd lifted his tobacco pipe, puffed, and then, as if nothing happened, turned the pipe bowl towards his lips.
His mouth full of yellow teeth blew at the smoldering tobacco, instantly bright sparks flew out.
"Old bastard! My grandpa doesn’t have mountain treasures, but he does have a mountain knife!"