"You're quite lucky."
After watching He Xiuyuan and his group descend the mountain, the Mountain Lord turned his gaze to the Deer nearby.
When Mr. He had given his pointers earlier, this Deer had also listened in and, judging by its appearance, clearly gained something.
Seeing this, the Mountain Lord naturally remarked on its good fortune.
He had sought such an opportunity for a long time, yet this Deer had done nothing but listen in.
Upon hearing the Mountain Lord's words, the Deer immediately trembled, then quickly prostrated itself, its body shivering.
Clearly, it was somewhat frightened.
If the Mountain Lord was displeased with it, thinking it had heard something it shouldn't have, it was entirely possible he would simply eat it.
However, the Mountain Lord was clearly in a good mood at this moment and didn't wish to dwell too much on the Deer hearing things it shouldn't have.
He would simply consider it the Deer's good fortune, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Although the Deer had gained some spiritual intelligence at this moment, it couldn't speak without having shed its transverse bone.
Therefore, the Mountain Lord glanced at the Deer and said calmly, "Cultivate well, and let's see how far you can go."
After speaking, the Mountain Lord leaped and vanished into the forest.
Several breaths later, the Mountain Lord returned to a large boulder.
There was no vegetation around this boulder, and the moonlight from the night sky cast a silvery-white glow over the area.
The Mountain Lord returned to the boulder, prostrated himself, and slowly closed his eyes.
As he began to absorb the essence of the sun and moon again, specks of moonlight were drawn into his body.
As this moonlight was continuously absorbed into his massive body, the Mountain Lord's original form seemed to grow larger at this moment.
........
"Phew... We actually made it down the mountain alive..."
Zhou Yong and the others descended the mountain and looked back at the deep, dark forest behind them, feeling their foreheads drenched in sweat.
Their clothes were already soaked with perspiration.
To be honest, when they had seen the Mountain Lord earlier, they had all believed they were doomed.
They never expected to survive; it was truly unbelievable.
"Yes, I still feel a bit weak in the knees. If it weren't for Mr. He, we would all have truly died up there this time."
"In the past, I never heard about any demons in this mountain."
Wu Laosan wiped the sweat from his forehead upon hearing this.
He was also terrified; when he saw that fierce tiger, he had already thought to himself, 'When this tiger strikes, please be gentle.'
He never expected to actually return alive?
Especially since they had even stolen something from this fierce tiger.
Fortunately, He Xiuyuan was there.
If it weren't for He Xiuyuan, all twenty or so of them would have perished up there.
Thinking of this, Wu Laosan looked at He Xiuyuan beside him, his face full of gratitude.
"This time, we truly owe it to Mr. He!"
"Yes, this time we really owe it to Mr. He; otherwise, we wouldn't have survived."
Everyone heard this and quickly thanked He Xiuyuan repeatedly.
They remembered all the previous conversations clearly; without He Xiuyuan, they would absolutely not have survived.
He Xiuyuan quickly waved his hand upon hearing this. "Everyone, there's no need to be so polite. However, please don't spread word of today's events."
Listening to the Mountain Lord earlier, this Mountain Lord was not a demon who enjoyed hunting Mortals; he usually hid in the mountains to Cultivate.
He Xiuyuan felt it was better not to let this matter spread.
After all, things had been peaceful all these years, so it was best to keep it that way.
Everyone paused upon hearing this, then thought about it and understood, immediately nodding in agreement.
He Xiuyuan saw everyone nod in agreement, then handed the spiritual herb in his hand to Zhou Yong.
"This item, I'll trouble Brother Zhou to sell it, and then distribute some to everyone."
The spiritual herb was obtained by everyone going up the mountain together, although the Mountain Lord later said he gave it to him.
But He Xiuyuan thought about it: everyone went up the mountain together this time, so everyone should have a share of the proceeds from selling this item.
However, Zhou Yong and the others quickly waved their hands upon hearing this, saying, "No, no, how could we?"
"Yes, the Mountain Lord said this item was for you, sir. How dare we lay claim to it?"
"We are already grateful to Mr. He for not abandoning us and allowing us to survive; how dare we ask for money from this spiritual herb now?"
Everyone spoke up at this moment, one after another.
They remembered very clearly that the Mountain Lord had clearly intended to take their lives earlier, only allowing He Xiuyuan to descend the mountain and leave.
It was He Xiuyuan's persistence that made the Mountain Lord spare them.
They were not ungrateful people; how could they still ask for a share of this spiritual herb now?
He Xiuyuan, however, waved his hand upon hearing these words. "Everyone, there's no need for this. This spiritual herb was originally gathered by everyone going up the mountain together. Now that we have it, everyone naturally has a share."
He Xiuyuan remembered that when his predecessor drowned, it was these neighbors who helped collect the body and keep vigil.
These neighbors were usually quite good, though their lives were rather tight.
The small amount of money from selling this spiritual herb would serve as repayment for their past kindness.
"Alright, this matter is settled. This spiritual herb will still be given to Brother Zhou for you to sell."
The other party was a hunter and should know how much this item could sell for, unlike He Xiuyuan, who was unfamiliar with such prices.
Saying this, He Xiuyuan stuffed the spiritual herb into Zhou Yong's hand and then walked towards his home.
The others nearby looked at each other, then someone whispered,
"Earlier, we heard that the tiger demon said Mr. He was a Cultivator. Perhaps Cultivators don't value material wealth much."
If such a large spiritual herb were sold, it would certainly fetch a good price.
But looking at He Xiuyuan, he seemed indifferent, perhaps because Mr. He was a Cultivator and therefore didn't care about such things.
The others nearby listened to this and, after thinking about it, felt the same way.
Besides this, there seemed to be no other explanation.
"In that case, Old Zhou, you should go sell it."
Wu Laosan saw this, thought for a moment, and nodded.
Zhou Yong heard this and looked at the spiritual herb in his hand, feeling as if it weighed a thousand pounds. He hadn't repaid He Xiuyuan's life-saving grace, and now he was taking the other's spiritual herb.
This made him feel a bit uneasy, but looking at Mr. He, he seemed to truly not value material wealth.
In that case, he could only agree.
"What happened in the mountain today, do not speak of it to outsiders."
Zhou Yong put away the spiritual herb, thought for a moment, and instructed.
Everyone nodded, indicating that they understood.
