Wang Sheng didn’t want to refuse something within his power to do, and most importantly, if an army really did approach this area, he would definitely need to flee.
Qingshan Village was easy to defend but hard to attack. If he could escape into it, the troops wouldn’t trouble the ordinary people seeking refuge from the chaos of war.
Then he could continue to develop peacefully and steadily.
So, for the sake of the people of Qingshan Village and for himself, a visit to Qingshan Village was necessary.
As for the fierce beasts in the mountain, he just wanted to test his martial strength!
Martial Artists, through their power, may become rash, wanting to display their own might.
Wang Sheng refrained from such impulses, wishing merely to live longer and also because the Inner Core Skill had the effect of calming the mind and spirit.
Now that he had a chance to test his abilities, he naturally wouldn’t refuse!
So, he gave Village Chief Zhou Zhengwen an affirmative answer.
Zhou Zhengwen left, satisfied, mentioning that the time was set for three days later, allowing Wang Sheng to make some preparations.
Wang Sheng nodded in agreement.
…
The three days passed quickly, and Zhou Zhengwen arrived on time to find Wang Sheng.
Accompanying him were Li Wenguang, Li Yongfeng, and a few others from the village, totaling five individuals. Wang Sheng recognized them; they were all hunters, extremely familiar with the mountains.
This showed that Zhou Zhengwen had probably considered this matter thoroughly beforehand.
Among the hunters who came with Zhou Zhengwen, besides Li Wenguang and Li Yongfeng who were pleasantly surprised, the other hunters looked at Wang Sheng with a hint of distrust.
“Village Chief, Yun Sheng is the last person, aren’t you joking with us?”
The speaker was an elderly hunter named Li Peng, a veteran of the village. Even in his fifties, he still hunted, robust and strong.
If Li Wenguang was the hunter with the best skills in the village, Li Peng was the most experienced and most familiar with the mountains.
But precisely because of his familiarity with the mountains, he knew how dangerous it was to take someone who had no experience in them.
He knew that Wang Sheng once followed Li Wenguang into the mountains.
But how long ago was that?
And at that time, when Li Wenguang took Wang Sheng, they only stayed around the periphery, where the risks weren’t so high.
This time, they needed to venture deep into the mountains, which was a completely different concept from that casual hunting.
From Wang Sheng’s past performance, he would only hold them back.
That was why he questioned the decision.
The other two hunters showed similar expressions, clearly also somewhat dissatisfied.
Li Wenguang and Li Yongfeng wanted to retort on the spot, but Zhou Zhengwen spoke first.
“I understand the risks of going into the mountains, and I certainly wouldn’t carelessly add people to the group, but what if Yun Sheng is a Martial Artist?”
Wang Sheng had never publicized his identity as a Martial Artist, so only the village chief and Li Wenguang’s family were aware of it.
The three hunters were stunned upon hearing this and then stuttered, “Really… really?”
Zhou Zhengwen looked at Wang Sheng, who had been silent until now, his eyes filled with hope.
Wang Sheng knew that this was the village chief wanting him to prove himself.
Like a child eager to show off to others, he couldn’t wait to prove his capabilities.
It was rare for someone as old as the village chief, whose grandchild could already run, to still have such an attitude.
But he knew that a demonstration was necessary; otherwise, why would others believe him?
He sighed inwardly and then suddenly threw a punch.
Crack!
A crisp sound burst from thin air.
With Wang Sheng’s current strength, combined with his Level 6 Bajiquan, he could easily create an Air Burst with a casual punch.
Although it was just a small display, the hunters had never seen such a technique before, and they were all momentarily stunned.
The village head, Zhou Zhengwen, showed a somewhat smug expression and said, “Now do you believe me?”
Li Peng and the other two hunters came to their senses and quickly nodded.
“Wenguang, Yongfeng, did you two already know about this?”
Li Wenguang and Li Yongfeng nodded and replied affirmatively.
The three hunters were silent, then started to feel a bit uneasy.
To them, ordinary people, a martial artist was a figure high above, who could decide their life and death with a single word.
They were not close to Wang Sheng like Li Wenguang, nor did they have the mentality of Old Ji. Plus, they had just “offended” Wang Sheng, so they naturally felt uneasy.
Wang Sheng saw what they were thinking and said, “Grandpa Li, Uncle Zhou, Uncle Zheng, you don’t need to feel this way. You all watched me grow up and have helped me a lot. You can just be like Uncle Li and the others!”
Hearing this, Li Peng remembered when Wang Sheng, still a little sprout, used to beg for treats in front of him, looking pitiful and adorable. Most of his unease faded away.
He understood that even as a martial artist, Wang Sheng was still Wang Sheng.
“I was overthinking it!”
Li Peng felt that having lived for more than fifty years, he should have realized this sooner, and for a moment he felt somewhat emotional.
Zhou Zhengwen had noticed Li Peng’s earlier unease and had intended to comfort him.
But since Wang Sheng had explained himself, it made things easier.
“Haha, this time Wang Sheng is going into the mountains mainly to protect you all. You are the main force, so just be at ease,” said the village head. The three men indeed felt much more relaxed, and even a little excited.
This was a martial artist, after all!
They were honored to be protected by one.
Even as they set off, they were still walking with a bit of a floating step.
However, as soon as they entered the mountains, everyone became alert.
Wang Sheng knew why – the beasts in this world’s mountains were much fiercer than those from his previous life, or else Mountain Lord-like beasts comparable to martial artists wouldn’t exist.
Experienced hunters would avoid possible dangers by following various clues; otherwise, if they encountered such fierce beasts, they could either be favored by fate or pick a stylish way to die, perhaps managing to inflict a couple of slashes on the beast.
And even with a martial artist like Wang Sheng present, they were still proceeding with extreme caution.
Hunters who roamed the mountains never placed their lives in someone else’s hands.
Because of this caution, the group made smooth progress, avoiding any danger along their journey.
After three hours, they had already entered deep into the mountains.
At this point, Wang Sheng could only follow the old hunters because he realized he seemed to be lost; if the hunters left him behind, he wouldn’t even be able to find his way back the way he came.
He felt as though he had memorized the path, but on trying to recall it, he found he remembered nothing.
Could he be directionally challenged? He had never noticed before; it must be the fault of his former self.
Luckily, he had suppressed the thought of going into the mountain to find fierce beasts for a real fight with his strong will, or else he wouldn’t know where he’d be right now!
He absolutely had to stick closely to Li Peng and the others.
Wang Sheng made a firm resolution in his heart.
The group continued to venture deeper, and after resting midway to eat some dry rations, they walked for another hour before Li Peng spoke up, “We should be arriving soon!”
The spirits of the group lifted. Were they finally there?
After traversing the mountain for so long, everyone except Wang Sheng was physically and mentally exhausted. They were fortunate not to have encountered any dangers, which would have made their journey even tougher.
If they were arriving now, they could finally rest completely.
Just as everyone was about to move forward, Li Peng seemed to have found something. He quickly approached a bush.
Everyone instantly became vigilant, and Wang Sheng immediately moved next to Li Peng.
“Grandpa Li, did you find something?”
He saw what Li Peng was studying – it seemed to be some kind of animal droppings, a large heap of it.
With a solemn expression, Li Peng slowly uttered two words: “Mountain Lord!”