Chapter 24 West Tiger Hunting Group
Mountains and forests are always dangerous, and lakes are no exception.
Although the white-headed deer was located some distance from the lake, the wild beasts in the lake should have jumped out and dragged it into the water to hunt it.
But we haven't seen any wild beasts coming over yet, which must be strange.
Zhong Cai stroked her chin, deep in thought.
Little Green Roc had already whizzed past.
Wu Shaogan saw through Zhong Cai's thoughts, smiled, pointed to the deer's gray fur, and said, "Look."
Zhong Cai looked in the direction he pointed and saw a few blue feathers stuck there. She suddenly understood.
"Was it done by Xiao Qingyu? It left a scent?"
Wu Shaogan nodded.
Zhong Cai suddenly realized, "After all, it's a second-tier, sixth-stage savage beast. It's intimidating even to savage beasts weaker than itself. So, it's not a big problem for it to leave for a while to come find us."
Wu Shao chuckled dryly, "That's how it is."
Zhong Cai happily ran towards the deer, shouting, "The whole family of deer is all together, we can't let them down. We must have a whole deer feast later, so they can be reunited at the table!"
Wu Shaogan was very supportive, closely following and protecting Zhong Cai while also offering reasonable suggestions.
"Pick a few good pieces from each deer, compare them, and then choose the best. We have limited appetites, and it would be a waste if we couldn't finish them."
Zhong Cai carefully plucked the blue roc feather and casually asked, "What about the rest?"
Wu Shaogan replied, "Make it into jerky."
Zhong Cai recalled the taste of dried venison, a delicious flavor unlike fresh meat. She licked her lips and decisively agreed.
After plucking the feathers, Zhong Cai held them up and waved them at the little green roc.
The little green roc chirped, indicating that it couldn't be taken back.
Zhong Cai put it in a small box and stored it away—this is how she would handle any feathers that the little roc shed in the future.
Wu Shaogan then examined the deer's carcass.
At first glance, it looked much more intact than when he and Zhong Cai hunted, but by observing the direction of the blood flow, one could discover where the wild deer's fatal wound was.
Thinking of this, Wu Shaogan casually turned the deer over.
Zhong Cai came closer to look and found that there was a bloody hole in its chest, from which a large amount of deer blood was gushing out.
Wu Shaogan paused, then pointed his finger toward the blood hole.
Zhong Cai immediately knew what he was going to do, and quickly grabbed his wrist, saying, "Old Wu, roll up your sleeves first, or you'll be covered in blood later."
Wu Shaogan rolled up his sleeves section by section until his entire forearm was exposed before Zhong Cai let go.
Then, Wu Shaogan's slender fingers pierced through the blood hole and began to probe inside.
"Let me check if Lu Xin is still there."
Zhong Cai found the scene somewhat eerie, but he and his friend had dealt with countless animal carcasses before. As long as his friend was careful not to get his clothes dirty, taking out a deer's heart was nothing.
Wu Shaogan didn't pull anything out.
Zhong Cai suddenly became curious, so she simply reached in and started rummaging around.
Again, nothing was gained.
The two exchanged a glance and waved to Xiao Qingpeng.
Little Green Peng suddenly landed in Wu Shaogan's palm.
Zhong Cai asked, "Where is Lu Xin?"
The little eagle stretched out its claws and made a grasping motion in the air; its sharp beak pecked wildly ahead.
Zhong Cai chuckled, "So it turns out that Little Qingyu crawled under the belly of the wild deer, dug out its heart, and ate it."
That's how the white-headed deer died.
Wu Shaogan lamented, "It's a great loss to have lost a deer's heart."
Zhong Cai also remarked, "This little thing really knows how to pick. The deer heart is the part with the most abundant blood and energy. It tastes good and is also very nourishing."
The little eagle seemed to understand, flapping its wings and flying around a few times with a rather proud air.
Looking at this scene, Wu Shaogan couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity: although it was a rare bird under his name, it really did resemble A Cai...
The two examined Xiao Qingpeng's spoils and, seeing that the deer blood was almost gone, prepared to put it away.
Just then, a sharp male voice rang out from afar: "Stop!"
In an instant, Wu Shaogan blocked Zhong Cai's path.
Hidden in the shadows, Xiang Lin gripped his sword hilt tightly, like a cheetah ready to pounce at any moment!
Zhong Cai squinted at the cultivator rushing towards them.
·
They were several muscular men, all dressed in somewhat simple animal hide light armor, which probably offered some protection. Their auras were quite strong, and in terms of strength, they were probably all at the fifth or sixth level of the Heavenly Guidance Realm.
The one who just shouted was a slightly chubby young man, a fifth-level Heavenly Attraction cultivator, and his light armor was also in its most complete form.
Others probably adopted a protective stance towards him.
The slightly overweight young man quickly stopped and his expression showed a hint of greed: "Seeing is believing. These two white-headed deer can't finish eating, so why don't you give us a share?"
Wu Shaogan's expression remained unchanged.
Zhong Cai frowned as she stood behind him.
We were having a great time, enjoying a bountiful harvest, when suddenly this spoils the fun. What bad luck!
Seeing that the two men didn't speak, the slightly overweight young man immediately became angry: "What, you won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences?" He then raised his hand and ordered, "Two of you go over there and put away the wild deer..."
Upon hearing this, the leather-armored cultivators exchanged glances, already preparing to split up.
But before the slightly overweight young man could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a loud female voice.
"Zang Baoman! It's been a few days since I've whipped you, and you're itching for a beating again, aren't you? Intercepting our West Tiger Hunting Group's transaction?"
The slightly overweight young man's face turned bright red.
He wasn't exactly handsome, but he wasn't ugly either. Now that his face was red and swollen, it suddenly became quite an eyesore.
But in his anger and embarrassment, he directly issued orders.
"All of you, get them! Kill those two guys and take all the loot!"
The leather-armored cultivators surrounding him raised their weapons and charged towards Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan.
The woman's voice rang out again, getting closer and closer.
"Stop it! Do you hear me? All of you, stop it!"
Several darts were hurled from a distance, striking the weapons of several leather-armored cultivators.
At the same time, several more figures arrived quickly, their numbers no less than those brought by Zang Baoman, and confronted him.
·
In such a short period of time, several dramas have already unfolded.
Wu Shaogan stood still, making no move.
Zhong Cai's gaze swept across the crowd on both sides.
The leader of the other group was a woman with beautiful features, but her face bore the marks of hardship, likely from years of wandering, and her features appeared somewhat rugged. Her skin was wheat-colored, and like her companions, she wore simple leather armor, which still couldn't conceal her athletic physique.
The atmosphere between the two teams was tense.
Undoubtedly, after the woman arrived, Zang Baoman dared not send anyone to make a move.
This is not surprising, as the female leader alone is already at the seventh level of the Heavenly Attraction Realm, which is higher than anyone else in Zang Baoman's group. Most of her companions are also at the sixth level of the Heavenly Attraction Realm, which puts them at a disadvantage compared to Zang Baoman.
After a few breaths of stalemate, the female leader said fiercely, "This isn't the first or second time. Knowing that our Western Tigers need it, your Golden Leopard Hunting Group still tries to intercept us. In the past, we didn't have enough manpower, but if you dare to argue now, don't blame us for being ruthless!"
Zang Baoman's face was grim, but he didn't say anything more. With a wave of his hand, he led everyone away.
The female leader remained vigilant until the group had gone far away, at which point she instructed a companion to keep watch in that direction.
At the same time, she did not ignore Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan. Instead, she clasped her hands in greeting and said politely, "Young Master Shaogan, it was our oversight that those despicable people disturbed you both. Please forgive us."
Wu Shaogan remained silent, his expression indifferent.
Zhong Cai, however, peeked out from behind Wu Shaogan and asked, "Stop with the nonsense, what's your purpose?"
When the female leader looked at Zhong Cai, she didn't appear as tense as she did when facing Wu Shaogan.
She said in a slightly gentler tone, "You two have discerning eyes. We do indeed have a deal we would like to make with you."
Zhong Cai asked, "What kind of deal? Let me tell you first, the meat of this wild deer is very delicious, but it's not for sale."
The female leader smiled, her face still somewhat serious, but she had clearly tried her best to be amiable.
“It’s not venison, but rather I want to trade deer antlers with you two,” she said softly. “The leader of my West Tiger Hunting Group was injured in an accident, and the doctor I invited examined him and said that he needs the antlers of a white-headed deer to make medicine in order to have a chance of recovery.”
The female leader's gaze fell on the antlers of the wild deer.
"Moreover... if the deer can live for more than a hundred years, then there will be no chance of failure."
Zhong Cai: "So it was to save people." He paused, "Then the group surnamed Zang just now, their purpose was to stop you from saving people?"
The female leader did not hide anything, but explained carefully.
"The Golden Leopard Hunting Group and the West Tiger Hunting Group have a grudge. Zang Baoman is the young leader of the Golden Leopard. They know that the leader of the West Tiger needs this medicine, and the leader is the strongest in the West Tiger. In order to weaken our strength and take over in the future, they have used various means to intercept it three times."
·
As for why they didn't intercept more, it's mainly because even with their best efforts and the entire group mobilized, they only managed to find traces of the White-headed Deer three times.
Besides, the White-headed Deer is a second-tier beast, and they rely more on traps to hunt it. Even if they find them, they have to spend a lot of time setting up and making plans.
The Golden Leopard Hunting Gang always kept an eye on them. Once they got wind of it, they would track them down, either disturbing their prey or causing them to fail in luring their prey into traps, resulting in their repeated failures.
The West Tiger Hunting Group hated the Golden Leopard Hunting Group intensely, and would fight them every time their plans were ruined.
Especially Zang Baoman, who actively led the team, had been repeatedly beaten by the female leader, but unfortunately, she couldn't kill him. Otherwise, the Golden Leopard Hunting Group wouldn't have only been causing trouble in secret. With a sufficient excuse, they could join forces with other hunting groups to openly "take revenge."
At that point, Commander Xihu will have no choice but to fight despite his injuries, and afterwards, he may be beyond saving.
·
After listening, Zhong Cai asked again, "How much money can you offer?"
The female leader quickly replied, "This item is rare, and we are naturally willing to pay a high price. If you two are willing to part with it, we can offer five hundred gold coins!"
Upon hearing this, several of her companions showed expressions of disapproval.
Despite their disagreement, they didn't confront him directly and suppressed their emotions.
Zhong Cai glanced at them and snorted, "No need for a high price. Do you think we're people who take advantage of others' misfortunes? Give me two hundred gold coins, and the deal is done."
The female leader still tried to decline.
Zhong Cai waved her hand, telling her to stop talking.
The rest of the hunting party breathed a sigh of relief.
The female leader had no choice but to shut up, take out the gold, and hand it to Zhong Cai first.
Zhong Cai then picked up a knife, cut off the deer antlers, and threw them to her.
There was no further conversation between the two sides.
After thanking them, the female leader and her companions quickly left.
·
When they reached the foot of the mountain with the deer antlers, the cultivators from the West Tiger Hunting Group finally voiced their questions.
"Young Commander, why are you being so polite to them?"
"Wasn't the young master already crippled? There's not a trace of life left..."
"Yes, yes, you keep praising people so highly, even if it's something that could save their lives, isn't that going too far?"
The female leader didn't mind her companions questioning her.
The West Tiger Hunting Group has a good atmosphere. As long as they go out on a mission, they will not easily obstruct them, no matter what kind of orders the leader issues or whether they are reasonable enough.
Any problems can be solved later, like right now.
The female leader said, "Do you all think that Young Master Shao has completely lost his power?"
The rest of the hunting party were taken aback.
The question asks for "completely powerless," not "completely useless."
Some people understood it immediately.
"Being completely useless and being completely powerless are two different things!"
The other cultivators also understood.
The female leader advised, "Young Master Shaogan was once a powerful expert in the Enlightenment Realm, far surpassing our level. Even if his companion treasure is destroyed, his level will inevitably drop, but will it drop to nothing?"
“In the early stages of cultivation, a cultivator’s aura is often revealed because he has not yet fully integrated with his companion treasure. Since the young master has no treasure, his aura is easier to conceal.”
"In my guess, the young master was killed when he was condensing his primordial spirit. His soul was blown away, and his cultivation level naturally dropped to the Palace Opening Realm."
"Without his companion treasure, he can no longer draw the Qi of heaven and earth into his Dao Palace. Although his realm is still there, he cannot use the strength of the Palace Opening Realm. However, the Heavenly Guidance Realm mainly focuses on developing the physical body. As long as he takes pills that can replenish his Xuan Qi, his Xuan power will fill his meridians, allowing him to unleash the strength of the peak Heavenly Guidance Realm."
Upon hearing this, the members of the hunting party were filled with admiration for the female leader.
Someone couldn't help but laugh and said, "As expected of Kunyun City's top genius, he is not to be underestimated now! Zang Baoman probably doesn't know this, which is why he was so impolite to the young master."
Some people said, "I think he probably didn't recognize the young master at all. He probably thought he was just some lowly playboy who was out having fun. Those guys could easily handle him."
Some people are very disappointed.
"The young commander spoke up too early, otherwise Zang Baoman and the others would still be alive?"
Someone else said, "That's not how it works. Someone like Young Master Gan has accumulated a lot of wealth in the past. Does he really need a few hundred gold coins from us? It's precisely because Young Commander has to take the initiative to curry favor that we can propose a deal later."
"Indeed, I misunderstood."
"The commander's injuries are more important! It's all thanks to the young commander's quick reaction."
Seeing the reactions of her many companions, the female leader was somewhat gratified and continued to give them instructions:
“We who are out here making a living should always think things through more. Besides, even if Young Master Shao is reduced to a point where he can’t use any of his strength, we shouldn’t bully him. If he dares to come to these mountains, there must be guards hiding nearby.”
"In a prominent family like the Wu family, each member is assigned a death guard based on their individual aptitude. These death guards are bound by a death pact and must obey their master's orders. Think about it, given Young Master Wu's past aptitude, he would have been assigned a death guard long ago, and that death guard's aptitude would likely have reached the top of the Xuan rank! After all these years, what kind of strength does that death guard possess now?"
Many members blurted out, "The Palace-Opening Realm!"
The female leader nodded. "That's right." As she spoke, she sighed softly, "Our group isn't even worth a finger of that Death Guard. How dare we disrespect his master!"
The members of the hunting party all agreed.
At this moment, the female leader waved her hand again and called out, "Let's hurry home and rescue the commander!"
The cultivators all shouted, "Rescue the leader!"
Next, the group quickened their pace and hurried towards the hunting party's camp.
The female leader didn't say anything more, but there was a complex look in the depths of her eyes.
·
After the group had completely disappeared into the distance, Wu Shaogan put away the deer and asked softly, "A-Cai, do you know them?"
—It turns out that when Zang Baoman threatened to kill the two men and steal their belongings, Wu Shaogan had already decided to first capture the barbarian deer before slaughtering them.
However, as the female leader spoke to stop him and approached, Zhong Cai secretly tugged at his sleeve.
Wu Shaogan understood perfectly, which is why he kept the wild deer exposed.
At this moment, Zhong Cai looked away and pulled Wu Shaogan along.
Wu Shaogan sat down next to him and ruffled his hair.
Zhong Cai didn't mind, resting her chin on her knees and saying in a low voice, "The leader of that West Tiger Hunting Group is my maternal grandfather."
Wu Shaogan was taken aback: "You mean the grandfather who, although you've never met him since you were little, gives you fifty gold coins every year?"
Zhong Cai nodded.
Wu Shaogan pondered for a moment: "You didn't tell me his identity, otherwise I could have found a way to arrange a meeting between you. Since he sends you gold every year, he must still care about you."
·
The Zhong family's monthly allowance was distributed according to the clan members' social standing.
Before the clansmen began cultivating, their monthly allowance was three taels of silver; those who reached the first to fourth level of the Heavenly Guidance Realm received ten taels of silver per month.
If you do the math, Zhong Cai can only get a little over one gold coin from the clan all year round.
Zhong Cai lived for eighteen years. He didn't cultivate for the first few years, but he still received fifty gold coins every year, which his stepmother initially kept. When he was old enough to understand, his stepmother gave him all the gold coins, neither keeping them for herself nor keeping them for herself, and even told him where the gold coins came from.
If Zhong Cai didn't have memories of his past life, he would naturally have many complicated feelings, but since he has memories, he understands everything clearly.
·
Zhong Cai pursed her lips: "He cares about me, but he doesn't want to see me." She added, "Since he doesn't want to, I won't make things difficult for him. There are also some unpleasant things between the elders involved. I'm happy when I'm with you, why bring these things up?"
Wu Shaogan listened quietly.
Zhong Cai said, "Now that we've met, I might as well tell you about it."
“My mother died in childbirth. As you know, only one in tens of thousands of female cultivators might have a difficult childbirth, but my mother just happened to be one of those unlucky ones.”
“If she hadn’t married my adoptive father, she wouldn’t have died so young. She was only just over twenty years old at the time.”
·
The female leader, along with a group of companions, returned to the West Tiger Hunting Group as quickly as possible.
The hunting party's base, built in a medium-sized town near Kunyun City, was not small. The party had more than one hundred members and was divided into sixteen hunting teams according to their different strengths.
The female leader was the adopted daughter of the hunting party leader, and her name was Sun Liu.
Despite being an adopted daughter, she possessed outstanding abilities and handled the group's affairs with great efficiency, earning the respect of everyone in the hunting party.
When the team leader was seriously injured, Sun Liu stepped in and made the decision, and no member objected.
·
Sun Liu quickly handed the deer antlers to Doctor Liu, whom he had hired at great expense, and then went to his godfather Sun Hu's residence, a rather comfortable large house.
Sun Hu lay on the couch, his face ashen, looking very weak.
Seeing her godfather in such a disheveled state, Sun Liu's eyes welled up with tears. She quickly went over and tucked the blanket around him.
Sun Hu was just resting when he noticed the commotion, opened his eyes, and smiled kindly.
Sun Liu smiled and said, "Father, we were very lucky this time and successfully bought the century-old deer antlers. Father will be fully recovered in a few days."
Sun Hu was slightly surprised, but his face showed a hint of joy.
Sun Liu sat on the edge of the couch and told Sun Hu about the recent events at the garrison. She also consulted him on some matters she was unsure about.
Sun Hu had long regarded Sun Liu as his successor, and he would explain everything in detail whenever Sun Liu asked a question.
Sun Liu listened and gained a lot.
After saying all that, Sun Liu went on to recount how Zang Baoman had tried to stop her again, but she had managed to thwart his plan, which made Sun Hu very gratified...
Finally, Sun Liu spoke after a slight hesitation.
"actually--"
Sun Hu said gently, "Is there anything I can't say to my father?"
Sun Liu said softly, "Actually, the person we were trading deer antlers with was Cai'er." Then she quickly described the scene at the time, "Although he married the young master, when we met Zang Baoman just now, the young master kept him behind him, and he made all the decisions in our transactions... It seems that their relationship is very harmonious."
Sun Hu suddenly closed his eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "Are you doing alright? That's good."
"His mother insisted on marrying that playboy, and she died within two or three years. My grandson, who had been living a quiet and unassuming life, never causing trouble, was forced into marriage by the Zhong family to be a substitute for their more promising son! If it weren't for his good character, my grandson would have suffered an even worse fate than his mother! That bastard Zhong Guanlin, he, he—"
As Sun Hu spoke, he became so emotional that he coughed violently.
Sun Liu quickly helped Sun Hu catch his breath and poured him a cup of tea to soothe his throat.
Sun Hu drank the tea and gradually calmed down, though he looked somewhat dejected.
“It’s my fault as his maternal grandfather. I took my anger out on the child because of his parents’ situation, and I haven’t visited him in all these years. It’s also because I’m a weak maternal grandfather with little influence, and I can’t even speak up for him in such an important matter as marriage.”
Sun Liu immediately advised, "It's not Father's fault. Father is not even a hundred years old yet, and even if he wants to improve his strength, there is still a long way to go. Besides, the Wu family is so powerful that even if we knew Shi Cai'er had already married into the family, it would be too late to stop them in advance."
Sun Hu sighed heavily.
Sun Liu comforted him, saying, "Maybe... Cai'er was willing to sell the deer antlers because she knew it was you who was injured, Father? Perhaps she was worried about you. You should take good care of yourself and we'll write to her when you're fully recovered."
Sun Hu shook his head slightly and slowly closed his eyes.
"Don't bother him. I, as his grandfather, have never truly loved him. How can I have the face to write to him now?"
"Besides, although he is clever, he may know that I sent him gold, but I never conveyed a message to him. Even the Zhong family doesn't know that I organized this hunting party, so it's even less likely that he would know..."
Sun Liu listened without saying anything more.
Seeing that Sun Hu had fallen asleep exhausted, she tiptoed out and closed the door tightly.
·
In the mountains, by the lake.
Zhong Cai said to Wu Shaogan, "My mother and my adoptive father's relationship was not a transaction of interests or a family alliance. She came from a background of independent cultivators, and her relationship with my adoptive father was a love match."
Wu Shaogan nodded: "I have seen many independent cultivators who travel together, sharing life and death, and often saving each other. This is different from marriage between families, and can be called 'partners'."
Zhong Cai said, "Isn't that right? My mother also longed for a partner, but she fell in love with my cheap father." He remembered something and added, "By the way, that female leader just now was actually my aunt."
Wu Shaogan raised an eyebrow.
Zhong Cai continued, "Those stories all started with my maternal grandfather."
·
Sun Hu's aptitude wasn't particularly good; he was only a mid-level Yellow Rank cultivator. In order to have the ability to protect himself, he had been cultivating alone for many years, a solitary and independent cultivator.
He was already over forty years old when he reached the twelfth level of the Heavenly Guidance Realm.
Because he had suffered many hidden injuries, Sun Hu sought out a village to recuperate in order to make a smooth breakthrough later. There, he also met Wu Xi, a girl at the second level of the Heavenly Guidance Realm.
Wu Xi admired Sun Hu very much and brought him food and water many times.
Sun Hu gradually fell in love with her and married her.
The couple was very happy after their marriage. Wu Xi soon became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter, whom Sun Hu named Sun Xi.
The couple doted on Sun Xi.
Sun Xi is not only beautiful and kind, but also surpasses her parents in talent, reaching the top of the Yellow Rank. She is truly their precious daughter.
When Sun Xi was ten years old, he found an abandoned baby while playing in the mountains.
She liked the abandoned baby very much, so she took her home.
The abandoned baby became the adopted daughter of Sun Hu and his wife. Because she was lucky enough to survive the wild beasts and had a strong vitality, she was named Sun Liu, which means a resilient willow by the stream. She and Sun Xi were sisters.
Interestingly, even though they are not related by blood, Sun Liu and Sun Xi actually bear some resemblance.
Sun Xi was even happier; the two sisters had an excellent relationship.
Sun Liu had known since childhood from the villagers' gossip that she was an adopted daughter, but it didn't bother her. Her parents and sister loved her dearly, so what did those rumors matter? And when her talent became apparent, and she too reached the top rank of Yellow Grade, the gossip disappeared. Many people even envied Sun Hu and his wife.
Sun Liu remained unchanged; she diligently cultivated her skills, hoping to protect her family in the future.
However, when Sun Xi turned seventeen, she encountered a major calamity in her life.
·
At that time, Zhong Guanlin was only in his thirties and had only the strength of the tenth level of the Heavenly Guidance Realm. He was being chased by two savage beasts stronger than himself while training in the mountains.
Sun Hu was giving hunting instruction to his two daughters.
Sun Xi fell in love with Zhong Guanlin at first sight, so Sun Hu helped Zhong Guanlin lure away and kill one of the wild beasts, allowing Zhong Guanlin to free up his hands to eliminate the other one.
Zhong Guanlin suffered some injuries, so he simply went to the village to recuperate.
Sun Xi knew how her parents had met, and she also showed goodwill towards Zhong Guanlin.
Zhong Guanlin's first wife had just passed away, and the quality of his second wife could be lowered accordingly. He also quite liked Sun Xi's appearance and character, so he proposed marriage.
Everything is progressing very quickly.
Sun Hu disliked those cold-blooded, profit-driven aristocratic families, and felt that he was not on the same path as the independent cultivators. He also felt that his beloved daughter would not be able to adapt. But Sun Xi was full of enthusiasm, so Sun Hu had no choice but to agree.
The wedding went smoothly. Sun Hu did his best to prepare a dowry for his daughter, and even Sun Liu contributed her own savings to the dowry.
After Sun Xi married into the Zhong family, perhaps because she was truly in love, Zhong Guanlin treated her very well and would often accompany her to meet with Sun Hu's family.
Sun Hu disliked that Zhong Guanlin had so many concubines in his harem, but since his beloved daughter was his second wife and Zhong Guanlin treated her fairly well, he had no choice but to accept it.
Later, Sun Xi became pregnant and had a difficult childbirth.
For Sun Xi, it was unfortunate that she encountered such a situation and died young; but the consolation was that she passed away before Zhong Guanlin's passion had faded, and she felt that the couple was very loving until her death.
Sun Hu already harbored resentment towards Zhong Guanlin, feeling that he hadn't taken good care of his beloved daughter. But then Zhong Guanlin quickly found a second wife, which truly enraged him.
However, Sun Hu couldn't afford to offend the Zhong family.
Zhong Guanlin met with him once later.
Although his attitude seemed polite at that time, it was actually subtly different from when Sun Xi was still around. It's conceivable that after some time, this former father-in-law would gradually become no different from an ordinary rogue cultivator to Zhong Guanlin.
From then on, Sun Hu never visited the Zhong family again, except to deliver gold to Zhong Cai.
·
Sun Xi's death was a huge blow to Sun Hu's family. Wu Xi became depressed and lost his mind while hunting in the mountains. He fell off a cliff and died.
After losing his loved ones one after another, Sun Hu was in a daze for a long time, but he was fortunate to have Sun Liu taking care of him.
Sun Liu was young at the time, and even though he worked hard to cultivate, his strength was ultimately limited. One day, someone came to bully him, and Sun Liu was about to be injured and kidnapped when Sun Hu finally came to his senses.
Afterwards, Sun Hu began to accumulate power and established a West Tiger Hunting Team—his beloved wife was named "Xi" and his beloved daughter was named "Xi," hence the names.
Several years later, Sun Hu finally broke through to the Palace Opening Realm and his forces gradually grew from a hunting team of only a few people to a hunting group of at least dozens of people.
·
Sun Hu's feelings for his grandson were complicated. In the early days, he was somewhat resentful towards him for various reasons. However, after establishing the hunting group, he was afraid to see him anymore, since his grandson had not appeared to take care of him when he needed him most.
Sun Liu understood Sun Hu's inner conflict very well.
She also cherished her sister's only child, and dared not visit him.
So many years have passed in the blink of an eye, and so many things have happened.
The father and daughter had been keeping track of Zhong Cai's news, knew what she looked like, and knew that she had married Wu Shaogan.
However, the Wu family was far more powerful than the Zhong family, and they had no way of contacting them. They hadn't even figured out how to send money to Zhong Cai yet.
Sun Hu was almost killed not long ago, and Sun Liu was busy looking for medicine, so she had to put aside the matter of finding a source of drugs.
Sun Liu never expected that she would run into Zhong Cai during this time.
·
Zhong Cai simply lay down on the grass and told him everything she knew.
Wu Shaogan lay down beside him, turning his head to look at him.
After Zhong Cai finished speaking, Wu Shaogan was somewhat puzzled.
"Ah Cai, you're so young, and they're avoiding you. How did you find out about these things?"
Zhong Cai's expression was slightly strange: "You definitely won't guess the reason."
Wu Shaogan certainly didn't expect that.
Zhong Cai smiled and said, "It was my stepmother who said it."
Wu Shaogan: "Your stepmother?"
Zhong Cai nodded and said, "It's her."
“I was raised by her for a few years when I was a child. When she brought me my grandfather’s gold, she would tell me where it came from. Although she didn’t treat me like her own child, she still gave me what she was supposed to give me and never missed telling me the truth.”
Wu Shaogan thought for a moment and said, "She investigated your maternal grandfather's family, didn't she?"
Zhong Cai: "Yes, I did check."
“My stepmother is very meticulous. After marrying into the family, she wanted to know about her ex-husband’s situation and must have spent a lot of effort investigating. So she knows how my stepfather and my mother met, how they fell in love, how I was born, and what happened on my maternal grandfather’s side.”
“I think she still had some good intentions. She told me whatever she found out, probably to let me know what kind of person my mother was, so that I would remember her?” Zhong Cai said with a bit of a laugh. “There was also some manipulation involved. When she was telling me about my grandfather in detail, implying in her words that my grandfather treated me well, my grandfather already had a hunting party and had just broken through to the Palace-Opening Realm.”
"There are many family members in my stepmother's family who are more powerful than my maternal grandfather, but she has not given up any opportunity to expand her network. Although it may not be of much use now, in time, who knows when she might be able to use the West Tiger Hunting Group? It doesn't take much effort, so it's good to lay the groundwork in advance so that it will be easier to ask for help later."
Wu Shaogan smiled and said, "You have a good impression of your stepmother."
Zhong Cai said frankly, "It's good. She's done quite well to get to this point. I matured early, and I can tell what she's thinking. The more I understand, the less likely I am to make mistakes."
Wu Shaogan raised his hand and patted him again, agreeing, "That's right." Then he asked, "Since your grandfather is so sincere towards you, and now that we're out here, how about we find some time to pay him a visit?"
Zhong Cai hesitated for a moment: "He probably still doesn't want to see me."
Wu Shao chuckled dryly: "You can contact your aunt first and ask for her opinion. If your grandfather is just too embarrassed to meet you, but is still thinking about it, wouldn't that be a perfect opportunity?"
Zhong Cai thought it made a lot of sense.
"That's true..."
Wu Shaogan reminded him, "Don't be fooled by the fact that your grandfather can now use deer antlers in medicine. The hunting party is constantly on the move. If they encounter something even more difficult one day, and you only find out afterward, you might regret it."
Zhong Cai exhaled, nodded, and a sudden look of eagerness appeared on her face.
"After we go down the mountain, I will write to my aunt!"
Wu Shaogan looked at Zhong Cai with a smile, and was happy to see that he was finally looking radiant.
Although he himself had almost no family affection, and the Zhong family mostly used Zhong Cai, Zhong Cai's maternal grandfather was quite sincere.
If some of their friendship could be restored, it would be a good thing for Zhong Cai.
Zhong Cai was unaware of Wu Shaogan's thoughts, but upon noticing Wu Shaogan's gaze, she couldn't help but look back as well.
When he saw Wu Shaogan's expression clearly, he vaguely felt something was off.
I'm also a little happy...
The two lay on their backs, neither of them speaking.
In this situation, Xiang Lin further suppressed his presence, leaving this quiet place to his two masters.
Even the little green roc had curled up on Zhong Cai's neck at some point, its claws pointing upwards, and fallen asleep.
Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan seemed to be infected by this atmosphere, and after a while of quiet, they couldn't help but take a nap.
By the time they regained consciousness, it was already dark.
·
Although the two had the idea of joining the West Tiger Hunting Group, there was no need to rush.
Sun Hu's injuries are still present, and it will take time to prepare the medicine. Sun Liu must still be busy and simply cannot spare the time.
The two of them rushed to contact Sun Liu, weren't they just causing her trouble?
Besides, Zhong Cai had already figured things out and felt much clearer-headed, so she was in the mood to travel again.
·
The two spent seven or eight days in the outer mountains, enjoying the scenery and hunting every day. When they found something delicious, they would quickly roast or stew it while the scenery was beautiful.
In addition, the two could occasionally pick some medicinal herbs in the mountains to fill Zhong Cai's medicine cabinet.
Sometimes you might encounter rare and precious medicinal herbs that have been around for a long time, and there are often rare or wild beasts guarding them nearby.
If they encounter a rare beast, they will usually drive it away as long as it doesn't seem to have much intention to kill them.
If you encounter a savage beast, it will definitely be a fight to the death.
The two of them gradually filled their mustard bags with various kinds of meat.
Therefore, they are more picky about ingredients, and they won't keep anything that isn't good enough. They gather almost everything together and prepare to sell it in bulk.
·
After they had finally had enough fun, Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan went down the mountain together.
The two returned to Fengyun City and went straight back to the courtyard.
The day after resting for a night, Zhong Cai picked up his pen and wrote a letter.
It was meant for Sun Liu.
Wu Shaogan summoned Bi Cen and asked him to go to the West Tiger Hunting Group and personally deliver the letter to the young leader of the group.
Upon receiving the task, Bichen carefully hid the letter.
Then he harnessed a horned horse and swiftly left Fengyun City.
·
The town where the West Tiger Hunting Group is located is between Kunyun City and Fengyun City, but even with the speed of a first-tier horned horse, it would still take several days to arrive.
They dared not delay on the road to Bicheng, and it took them more than three days to finally arrive in the town. They also learned the exact location of the West Tiger Hunting Group from passersby.
Because he came from the Wu family, Bi Cen was quite knowledgeable. After a brief look around the encampment, he could tell that the members here were fairly well-behaved. However, overall, the encampment itself was rather ordinary.
Bichen walked up to the hunting party on guard and politely asked, "I wonder if your young leader is here?"
The cultivators in the hunting party also sized up Bichen after he appeared, and formed a general impression in their minds.
Seeing Bi Cen's inquiry, the hunting captain stepped forward and asked in a relatively amicable manner, "Do you have something to discuss with our young commander?"
Bichen smiled and said, "My master has a letter he wants to deliver to the young commander, and he instructed me to present it to him personally. Therefore, I would be very grateful if you could pass on the message."
The hunting captain didn't make things difficult for him. He nodded and said, "Then wait a moment."
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