At Dayan Mountain's Tiancang Slope, over twenty hunters were sorting their harvest while a few others stood guard.
The sun, now tinged with an orange hue, was setting. Teng Qingshan stood on a large boulder, scanning the horizon. Despite his confidence in Teng Qinghu's abilities, he couldn't help but feel anxious as dusk approached without any sign of him.
"Something's up!"
Suddenly, one of the hunters alerted the group. Everyone turned to see a black tiger silhouette moving through the rocky area from the west.
"Strange~"
The black tiger moved slowly. As it emerged from the rocks, it became clear something was off because the sound wasn't a tiger's roar but a wild boar's grunt.
"It's Qinghu!"
A sharp-eyed hunter noticed a figure behind the tiger. It was none other than Teng Qinghu (Alex).
Teng Qinghu revealed himself and called out to Teng Qingshan, who was already approaching, "Qingshan, give me a hand!"
"Cousin, this is a black tiger!"
Teng Qingshan grabbed the over-thousand-pound black tiger and easily lifted it off the ground. Underneath, a large wild boar grunted, pushing with its nose. The boar was almost as big as the tiger, which explained how it managed to carry such a heavy load.
"Qinghu, well done! Did you take down this huge tiger by yourself?"
A burly man circled the black tiger. "Must be at least a thousand pounds! Smart move bringing a boar to carry it."
"And this boar isn't small either!"
Another hunter eyed the round boar, salivating as he silently drew a sharp knife.
"Oink, oink~"
Sensing the threat, the boar ran to Alex, nudging his leg as if begging for mercy.
"Hey! Uncle!"
Alex patted the boar's head, stopping the hunter. "This one's a female, and she's pregnant. I plan to take her home for my mother to raise."
"Really? Let me see."
The hunter examining the black tiger noticed Alex's large pack on his back. "Qinghu, why do you have so many herbs and plants? They don't look edible or like any known medicine."
"They're useful."
Alex didn't explain further. He knew that cultivating internal martial arts required significant resources. To train quickly and safely, in addition to a steady supply of meat, medicinal herbs were essential.
In the world of Nine Cauldrons, magical herbs weren't as common as in Western fantasy. The outskirts of Dayan Mountain had long been scavenged by hunters. To find suitable herbs, one had to either venture deep into the mountains or find alternative methods.
Despite his complaints about the system fairy, the All-Heavens Reincarnation System proved useful in critical moments. The gathered herbs contained beneficial elements, though Alex needed to experiment with extraction methods.
...
At the foot of Dayan Mountain, the Teng Family Village hunting team returned home after a day's hunt. It had been over half a month since Alex hunted the black tiger, and he had been in this world for almost a month.
The hunters chatted and laughed, four of them carrying a large black bear carcass together.
A hunter praised Teng Qingshan, "Qingshan, that spear thrust of yours was lightning-fast, piercing the bear's skull in one go."
"This bear isn't that big," Teng Qingshan replied with a smile. "Didn't our ancestors see a giant bear over ten feet tall, strong enough to snap trees with a swipe?
This bear has great strength, but its speed is no match for the Wolf King. Killing it wasn't hard. Even Qinghu could have done it."
Teng Qinghu (Alex) only smiled sheepishly when Teng Qingshan mentioned him and continued sorting through the herbs he had collected.
He had now mastered internal energy, making him a competent third-rank warrior. Though he didn't possess Teng Qingshan's thousand-pound strength, he could exert six to seven hundred pounds in a single blow. With the right technique, he could easily kill a bear.
"We're home," Teng Qingshan said with a smile.
But as he looked ahead, his face changed. The gates of Teng Family Village were wide open.
"Something's wrong, hurry!" Teng Qingshan shouted. Teng Qinghu looked up, seeing the open gates, and his face turned grim. He quickly joined the others in running toward the village.
At the gate, Teng Qinghu noticed the thick iron gate latch had been sliced in two, the cut clean and sharp.
Teng Qingshan's pupils narrowed. "Such a sharp weapon and powerful force! To cut through this iron latch so cleanly, I'd need to use all my internal energy and a good weapon."
"Qingshan!"
"Qinghu!"
Several people greeted them at the training ground. Recently, Teng Qingshan and Teng Qinghu (Alex) had led the hunting team to significant victories, raising their status in the village. Many youths idolized them.
Adults also respected them, seeing them as potential leaders.
"What happened?" Teng Qingshan asked immediately.
"A cavalry squad came, all riding tall horses," a robust man explained. "Their leader cut the iron latch with a single strike, but they said they wanted to do business with us. The chief has taken them inside."
"Business?"
Alex's eyes narrowed. If his memory served him right, this was the treacherous salt merchant from Yangzhou mentioned in the original story.
This man was known for his ruthlessness and greed. He first tried to cheat the Teng Family Village out of their money and later sent people to ambush them. He deserved to die. This might be an opportunity...
Alex rubbed his fingers together, a plan forming in his mind. He grabbed Teng Qingshan's wrist. "Qingshan, go inform Grandpa and the others. I'll bring tea. We must treat our guests courteously."
"Qinghu!"
Teng Qingshan turned, looking at his cousin with suspicion. Recently, Qinghu had been acting strangely since he started experimenting with herbs. He couldn't always read his cousin's thoughts.
Teng Qinghu (Alex) pointed to the broken latch. "Qingshan, we're in chaotic times. We must be cautious. Do you think someone who arrives like this is a friendly guest?"