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He didn't dare to light a fire, not knowing whether it would be safe or dangerous to do so here.
Fortunately, he just needed to use a spell, consuming a bit of his contribution points, to gain a measure of night vision for half an hour, which made him bolder.
Creatures were indeed moving in the night, and a decent number of them were of the demonic kind.
Killing Aike's minions would increase Ma Lin's contribution points, which he was very clear about.
However, he felt it was best to remain cautious.
"The Servant's Book" could also be read at night without straining the eyes. Ma Lin lay on a blanket, earnestly reading some of the text, unable to fully understand it, grasping only a small part.
After reading for several hours, Da Jü was already snoring.
Around two o'clock in the morning, a black, unidentified creature tried to approach them stealthily but was discovered by Da Jü, and then Ma Lin woke up too.
It stayed in a pile of stones nearby, continuously watching the two of them. Ma Lin went to drive it away; it ran off, but when Ma Lin returned and lay down, it came back.
That was truly annoying.
Then they had no choice but to take turns keeping watch with Da Jü, afraid the creature would do something bad while they were asleep.
It would have been better if they could have killed it directly, but sadly, neither Ma Lin nor Da Jü had the capability to do so.
This was also why Old Hu never came here alone; without a companion, he wouldn't even dare to sleep.
Ma Lin slept for another two hours, then got up to let Da Jü sleep for two hours, and by then, it was daylight.
They went to the water to clean themselves and continued advancing southwest. They hadn't walked twenty li when they arrived at a depression in the mountains, where there was a black structure, much taller than the surrounding forest.
Both Da Jü and Ma Lin approached it stealthily; Da Jü didn't recognize it, but Ma Lin could tell that it was a fortress, occupying about sixty or seventy acres.
There were watchtowers on all four corners, but obviously, the fortress was abandoned, now devoid of any garrison. They spied down from the trees on the northern slope.
The fortress was home to several types of monsters, and not just a few.
Among them were the giant creatures that had caused trouble at Ma Lin's house.
Ma Lin was particularly concerned about a type of upright-walking, fire-emanating demon creatures that resembled baboons.
They seemed to have intelligence, controlling the other monsters, even using whips to force the giant ones to work.
Ma Lin called them 'fire-apes'.
He really didn't like these fire-apes, feeling both fear and hatred towards them.
Da Jü was also scrutinizing them very closely.
Inside the innermost palace of the stronghold, terrifying roars occasionally emanated, muffled as if coming from a closed-off space.
Some fire-apes even carried torches, walking through the ruins.
Ma Lin could see an altar where a sheep was tied to a frame and placed over a bonfire by a fire-ape. The more the sheep was roasted, the louder it screamed, until a large puff of yellow smoke rose, taking the shape of a demon that devoured the sheep.
Ma Lin was shocked, shivering as he lay in the bushes.
After watching for a while, having satisfied his curiosity, he retreated with Da Jü.
They carefully slipped down the mountain, then ran north. After nearly twenty li, they reached a fairly wide river. Despite the very cold weather, Da Jü indicated that he could swim across.
Ma Lin, on the other hand, chopped down a very thick stake, threw it into the water, and then fashioned two paddles to row across the river. With the dogtooth dagger, working the wood was particularly easy, like cutting through tofu.
Actually, the current was a bit strong, which somewhat reassured both Ma Lin and Da Jü; at least they were some distance away from that fortress, and it would be difficult for the monsters to cross the river.
Once they reached an open area, Da Jü lay down to bask in the sun, trying to get his fur dry.
Ma Lin lit a pile of fire and let it warm him, helping him to dry. Da Jü was not so afraid of fire now, especially when Ma Lin was by his side.
Once they were dry, they hurriedly continued north.
At this point, they entered the territory of a wolf pack, about seventy or eighty strong.
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Ma Lin, on the contrary, felt very happy.
This meant that the terrifying monsters were absent in this area, for if they were present, they would surely have been killed by these wolves.
In fact, the wolf pack had noticed them, but didn't take an interest.
By evening, they discovered a field of potatoes.
Ma Lin dug around for a long time and estimated there were at least several hundred pounds of potatoes. He only dug up just over thirty pounds, planning to return later for more.
He knew that his home was northeast, about sixty to seventy miles away, so he didn't carry too much.
For dinner, they had a fish that was one meter long, found in a puddle. According to "The Servant's Book," it was extremely delicious.
So they roasted and ate it, and all the scares of the day were forgotten. He felt the meal was very tasty, and Old Hu enjoyed it immensely as well.
They even left some fish bones, which they threw to the wolves that gathered around.
The two of them stayed in a shallow cave, keeping a campfire going. Here they dared to make a fire since it was wolf territory.
Ma Lin buried several potatoes in the campfire to bake. Before long, Old Hu dug them out and ate them. That tiger had truly become shrewd.
When dawn came, without a word, they headed home.
He had been frightened and needed a few days of rest, and Old Hu needed a few days off as well.
One thing became clear to him now, more than a hundred miles southwest of Ma Lin's house was a fortress ruin, inhabited by a group of very powerful monsters, and that's where the evil spread from.
Old Hu finally found the answer he was seeking. The path of the evil's spread started from the fortress, moving eastward to reach the grassland, and then it turned towards both southern and northern directions.
Back home, he saw the vegetables were growing well, and the Demon Orange had already borne fruit. The courtyard was the same as ever, not even a mouse in sight, as the thorny walls would eat mice, snakes, and insects.
He truly felt at home here, even the statue of the Great Demon Chicken Egg felt dear to him.
Hunting was easy, as nearby leopards, wolves, and black bears would run away on sighting Ma Lin, never hindering him.
Ma Lin's mind was filled with various thoughts. How had the recent times been? Although filled with unease, it was passable, leading him to continually consider how to improve his life.
The discoveries in the south had somewhat shaken him.
Then he started thinking, why don't I check out the north, east, and west?
Now, with good martial skills and equipment, accompanied by a formidable tiger, it was an excellent time to explore the map.
The next day, Ma Lin immediately set off north with Old Hu. The pity was that they couldn't carry much food, and Old Hu's appetite was huge, necessitating daily hunting.
Both Old Hu and Ma Lin traveled at a fast pace. They covered almost a hundred miles just in the morning, with Ma Lin marking the crossroads by cutting tree barks.
There were few trees and prey on this route. However, as a tiger, Old Hu often came to this area and naturally procured food, with Ma Lin's food needs being small enough to mooch off him.
Then they continued northward. Old Hu began to grow unfamiliar with the terrain, becoming very cautious and slowing down. Luckily, Ma Lin was with him, emboldening him.
They were not afraid when encountering other tigers, bears, and large demonic creatures.
Passing under a mountain, they entered the territory of magical gibbons, which annoyed Ma Lin greatly, as they continually came in groups of three or five to drive them away.
It wasn't that they couldn't beat them, but it was too troublesome, and fighting once would take a lot of effort.
As they walked, suddenly, a vast lake appeared.
It was so large that its length and breadth were indeterminable.
It was truly spectacular. There were leopards fishing by the lake, each catch precise and sure.
Ma Lin too went to the water's edge to watch for a while and speared a fish with his bone spear, tossing it to Old Hu as a snack.
They walked along the lake edge, spending the night in a large tree hollow, which Old Hu sniffed around and deemed safe.
For some reason, Ma Lin could sometimes understand what Old Hu was trying to convey.
This day did not yield any valuable discoveries, he simply noted how desolate the place was. Although the scenery was interesting, he had no desire to live there.
He still wanted to continue heading north.