This sudden conversation immediately captured everyone's attention.
"Old Liu, what did you just say? The one with black hair?"
"Yeah, what's going on? Why can't I understand?"
"I caught a bit of it. It seems Lao Liu asked Xiao Fan if he's fond of someone, and then Lao Liu mentioned that he knows it's the one with black hair."
"What? Is that true?"
All of a sudden, even Chen Guodong, who was leading the group, turned to look.
"Uncle Liu, what are you talking about?" Chen Fan couldn't help but chuckle.
"Don't pretend, we can see it," the bald man proudly proclaimed. "I noticed it yesterday. You were looking at her. When you left just now, you stole another glance. You were looking at that young lady with a shy expression."
Everyone was taken aback, their eyes now focused on Chen Fan, and their smiles turned mischievous.
"It's not what you think," Chen Fan shrugged, feeling somewhat helpless.
Explaining only made things more complicated, and he feared it would lead to further misunderstandings.
"Of course, it's not what we think."
"We think something?"
"That's right, Xiao Fan, we won't say anything."
"Don't worry, we'll keep your secret."
Several people acted as if they understood, and one of them playfully bumped the bald man's shoulder, whispering, "What does she look like? Is she pretty?"
Chen Fan shook his head with a sigh.
People are naturally curious, and in the absence of other forms of entertainment, they tend to gossip. He let them have their fun; after all, there wasn't much else to do.
The excitement soon gave way to boredom. To conserve energy, the group walked in silence across the wilderness.
An hour passed, then two. Under the scorching sun, Chen Fan's brows furrowed. Could his luck today be as poor as yesterday?
After walking for so long, they hadn't encountered any worthwhile prey.
Just then, about three to four hundred meters away, a dark shadow appeared.
"There's some prey!"
The rest of the group also noticed it, and their spirits lifted as if they'd been parched in a desert.
"It appears to be an armored rhinoceros," Chen Fan's voice rang out, a wry smile on his face.
"What? An armored rhinoceros?"
"An armored rhinoceros?"
Hearing this, the group deflated once more. Nonetheless, they continued forward and confirmed that it was indeed an armored rhinoceros.
"Your archery skills are something, Xiao Fan. You can see so far," the bald man praised, giving a thumbs-up.
Chen Fan smiled; he couldn't reveal that his improved physical condition allowed him to see farther and hear better.
"Let's go around it," Chen Guodong suggested with a tinge of annoyance.
It was best not to provoke such a massive creature.
Chen Fan tightly gripped his longbow, feeling the temptation to take a shot. With his current strength, it shouldn't be too difficult to take down such a colossal beast. With plenty of experience points and a prey this size, the village could feed on it for many days.
However, his concern was the creature's size; it was like a heavy truck. Even if he shot it, he might not kill it immediately, and if it went berserk and pursued the others, the consequences would be disastrous.
"Never mind, let's search for other prey."
Chen Fan relaxed his grip on the bow.
At least wait until I reach the meat refining realm and can ensure a kill with a single arrow.
"By the way, is that armored rhinoceros the same one we encountered last time?" someone inquired. "It feels like it."
"Who knows," another replied. "These creatures all look alike; who can tell the difference?"
"Yeah, luckily, we spotted it early this time and avoided a close call."
"After another hour of walking, if we haven't found any prey, we should sit down, have a meal, and rest," Chen Guodong suggested.
"Sounds good," everyone agreed.
"Xiao Fan, how are you feeling? If you're tired, take a break," the bald man smiled at Chen Fan.
"I'm fine, Uncle Liu. Let's keep going," Chen Fan replied with a smile.
With a physique as high as 46 points, fatigue was not a concern. The two-hour trek had hardly affected him.
They continued for another hour, eventually coming across two wild rabbits as their prey this time.
Chen Fan couldn't help but feel a bit resigned.
It was only two wilderness rabbits; exchanging them wouldn't be worth the effort.
"Two wilderness rabbits, it's alright. At least the folks back in the last village can have enough for a day or two," Chen Guodong reassured Chen Fan, sensing his disappointment. He then addressed the group, "Let's have lunch here, recharge our energy, and maybe we'll come across more prey in the afternoon."
The group sat down cross-legged, retrieved dried meat from their bags, and leisurely ate it with sips of water.
In their idle time, they began chatting again, delving into some gossip.
"Old Liu, I recall now. The girl you mentioned, the one with the oval face and long hair, her name is Meng Yu," Gao Yang nodded.
"Xiao Meng?"
A middle-aged man with a prominent nose chimed in, "I know her. Why didn't you mention it earlier? She's quite pretty, and Xiaofan has good taste!"
Chen Fan rolled his eyes playfully.
"Do you know Lao Qin? It would be great if you could introduce Xiaofan to her. Let them know our Xiaofan is a handsome and talented young man, both in intellect and strength," the bald man chimed in.
"That's true," the bald man said nonchalantly, as if it was all in good fun.
"I remember that this girl came here alone," Qin Ming added.
"Alone?" someone asked.
"Then, what about her parents?" another inquired.
Qin Ming sighed, "It seems she arrived here alone due to some unfortunate circumstances on her journey. It hasn't been easy for her."
"Yeah, Xiaofan, what are you waiting for? Seize the opportunity! My lords, what's there to be shy about?"
"That's right, taking the initiative can lead to great stories."
"Not only that, but maybe even children!"
Chen Fan was left speechless by their teasing.
Suddenly, he noticed something and turned his gaze southeast, spotting a group of people approaching.
"Somebody's coming," he announced.
The bald men, who had been jesting moments ago, suddenly became serious, grabbing their weapons and scanning the direction.
Once they saw the approaching group more clearly, they let out sighs of relief.
"They're from Gujiazhai," Chen Guodong explained. "It's a small village with only thirty or forty residents. Gu Jianghai is their leader, and he's not a bad fellow."
The group approaching from the opposite direction also noticed the people resting there. Clearly, everyone in the wilderness was cautious.
"Huh?"
Chen Fan noticed one of the approaching individuals, a young man around his age, carrying a bow and arrows. He seemed to be as surprised as Chen Fan.
The young man seemed to sense something, locking eyes with Chen Fan from a distance before continuing to walk towards the group.
"Not bad, this guy," Chen Fan thought to himself.