After persuading the village chief, Yu Su brought Lu Yan along when the team set off.
After a night of rest, Lu Yan's shoulder injury had almost healed. He now looked just like an ordinary person.
Yu Su thought it was mainly because this guy had tough skin and strong muscles. If it were someone else, even with the Purple Cloud Grass Ganwu Soup, they wouldn't recover as quickly.
Lu Yan noticed Yu Su looking at him and turned to stare back. His eyes were full of wildness, and even when looking at people, it seemed like he was focusing on prey with intense concentration.
Yu Su: "..."
"What are you looking at? Look at the road."
Lu Yan was obedient, focusing on the road as instructed.
In the background, Yu Mao rolled his eyes, squeezed next to Yu Su, and said, "Yu Su, let me accompany you."
Yu Mao had thought it through. He couldn't let Yu Su think he was useless, and he couldn't let this Lu Yan guy replace his position beside Yu Su.
Lu Yan was squeezed to the side and instinctively wanted to growl at Yu Mao. However, he quickly remembered something, picked up a stone, and crushed it with a snap.
Yu Mao: "..."
Yu Mao's face turned green.
Yu Su almost couldn't hold back his laughter. This Lu Yan guy was indeed something.
The team continued to traverse the wilderness. Their large group was quite noticeable, and some savage beasts turned away at a distance, while others attempting to approach were caught by Yu Feng's team for an additional meal.
Finally, they walked out of the wilderness and arrived at a mountain valley.
The leading group suddenly stopped.
Not only that, but the village chief and others also wore solemn expressions.
"We've arrived at Black Bear Valley. Everyone, put down your things and go hunt a few fat savage beasts to bring back."
Yu Feng nodded, loudly instructing everyone to rest and asking members of the hunting team to go with him for the hunt.
Confused, Yu Su asked Yu Mao, "What's the matter with Black Bear Valley? Can't we kill that black bear king?"
Yu Mao continued in a hushed tone, "Yu Su, you haven't been here before, so you don't know. In the mountain valley ahead, there lives a black bear king. If we want to pass through its territory, we must offer it prey as a sign of respect."
Black Bear King?
"What kind of black bear king is it? Can't we just kill it?" Yu Su inquired.
Yu Mao continued in a low voice, "That black bear king is incredibly powerful and terrifying. The shaman said it's the mountain god of Black Bear Valley. If we want to pass through the territory of the mountain god, we must offer it prey to show our respect."
Yu Su was puzzled. While Qingze was understandable as a mountain god, how could this black bear king also be a mountain god? Could it also be some kind of spirit beast?
"What happens if we don't offer prey?"
"We'll be eaten by it!"
Yu Mao revealed a fearful expression, telling Yu Su that in the past, someone in the salt exchange team was eaten by it.
Yu Su frowned, "Didn't you offer prey that time?"
Yu Mao looked mournful, "We did, but the black bear king still went mad. To appease its anger, the shaman selected someone to go out, and that person was eaten by the black bear king."
"Didn't you resist?" Yu Su asked.
Yu Mao seemed a bit bewildered, indicating that he hadn't thought about resisting in such a situation.
Yu Su, aware of the special status of the shaman in the tribal era, was surprised that nobody had resisted even against such an order.
With a stern expression, Yu Su asked the all-encompassing elf, "Little Quan, is there any information about this black bear king?"
The all-encompassing elf replied: [More detailed information is needed for a search.]
Yu Su then inquired with Yu Mao.
Scratching his head, Yu Mao said, "It's a bear covered in black fur, very large, like a small mountain when it walks out. The ground shakes, and its mouth can swallow a person whole!"
Yu Su: "..."
The all-encompassing elf added: [It sounds like a savage bear king. Although it's not a spirit beast, it is much larger than ordinary savage bears and possesses immense strength.]
After a pause, it continued: [According to ancient records, the bones of the savage bear king can be ground into powder for medicinal use, such as adding it to a basic body-forging potion to enhance its effects. Its bones and claws can also be made into bone blades, much harder than ordinary bone blades. There are also valuable items like bear fur and bear paws... In short, every part is a treasure!]
The all-encompassing elf's excited tone indicated that it had already set its sights on the black bear king.
Yu Su pondered for a moment and asked, "Does it have any weaknesses?"
[Yes, the savage bear king has extremely poor eyesight and mainly relies on its sense of smell for identification. However, the strength of the savage bear king is comparable to a first-level spirit beast. It's still somewhat dangerous for you to confront it now.]
"Understood."
**
"Master."
One of the shaman's disciples saw Yu Su's group leaving and immediately ran to inform the shaman, "Master, Yu Su and the others have left."
The shaman took out a small jar containing a strange-smelling mud. He instructed the disciple to find an opportunity to smear it on Yu Su.
The disciple nodded.