In reality, Qin Xuelian’s doubt regarding Fang Zhengzhi represented the doubt of the Southern Mountain Village hunting squad. When Fang Zhengzhi, carrying his large basket, appeared at the assembly point in the village square, all the members of the hunting squad stared at him blankly.
"Zhengzhi, where’s your bow?
"I left it at home!"
"Then… your blade?"
"I didn’t bring it!"
The members of the hunting squad were speechless. Was he planning to hunt prey, or become the prey?
"Zhengzhi, ignore them. When we go up the mountain, you will stay behind the squad. Gain some experience first, don’t rush into action when you encounter wild prey, understand?" A middle-aged man with a slightly roundish face and plumpish body walked beside Fang Zhengzhi and placed his hands on his shoulders.
This was the Deputy Captain of the hunting squad, Ding Qingshan!
Ever since Li Zhuangshi entered the Hall of Dao, he took up the appointment as Deputy Captain. How about the Captain? That position had always been taken up by the village chief.
Even though he hadn’t entered the mountain for more than ten years.
"I understand, I won’t participate!" Fang Zhengzhi replied honestly.
The members of the hunting squad were stunned, then immediately laughed out. When they knew Fang Zhengzhi shattered a stone with one fist, they were all slightly curious about this seven year old boy.
Of course, more importantly they were considering what surprise this talented boy can bring to the hunting squad.
But now…
It was indeed a surprise.
"He is still a kid after all…" Ding Qingshan sighed softly.
Village Chief Meng Bai personally came to the village square to send the hunting squad off. As he looked at the large basket Fang Zhengzhi carried on his back, he similarly had no choice but to shake his head.
…
Taking advantage of the morning fog, a team of over ten people walked along the small trails that led behind the village and quickly journeyed towards the Cang Ling Mountain.
Fang Zhengzhi on the other hand followed behind the squad, carrying his large basket.
Tall mountain peaks, winding trails, the landscape filled with towering ancient trees and dense grass fields. To say that there were dangers lurking everywhere was definitely not an exaggeration.
This sparked a sense of novelty in Fang Zhengzhi. Living in the city all his past life, mountains and forests were a rare sight for him. Looking left and right, he hummed a little tune as he walked.
As the rest of the hunting squad looked at him, they just smiled.
No matter how they tried to see it, they felt that Fang Zhengzhi looked nothing like a hunter, but instead looked like he was here to make a sightseeing tour.
But, they didn’t say anything much. Ultimately he was still a kid, entering the mountain for the first time would no doubt spark some curiosity.
As they walked on, an hour passed and the sky was already illuminated brightly. The hunting squad had already almost reached the outskirts of Cang Ling Mountain. This, was where the Southern Mountain Village usually hunted.
"First inspect the respective traps, check if we had captured anything!" Ding Qingshan quickly gave out orders to the surrounding hunting squad members.
"Roger!" The hunting squad immediately sprang into action.
"Woosh!"
Right at this moment, the sound of an arrow slicing through the air resounded. Then, a long arrow nailed itself right in front of the hunting squad.
"Who’s that?" Ding Qingshan was the first to react, his gaze swept across the densely packed bushes. The rest of the squad each pulled out their long blades, and anxiously formed a circle.
Fang Zhengzhi just happened to end up right in the center of this circle.
"Ha ha ha… I thought there was a wild beast, who would have thought it would be people from the Southern Mountain Village!" A middle-aged man dressed in green leather walked out from the dense forests, veins bulging from his arms and deep scars covering his face.
"They are from the Northern Mountain Village!"
"Zhang Yangping, this is the Southern Mountain Village’s territory, why would villagers from the Northern Mountain Village end up here?"
Ding Qingshan quickly recognised the man’s identity, frowning deeply, the grip of his hand on the long blade didn’t loosen and instead, he held it defensively in front of his chest.
"The Southern Mountain Village’s territory? Ha ha ha… Heard that Southern Mountain Village was attacked by the Blue Fire Wolf, I thought that you guys will never set foot upon the mountain again!" Zhang Yangping laughed.
"Zhang Yangping, Northern Mountain Village people coming here, are you trying to snatch prey from the traps we set?" When Ding Qingshan saw Zhang Yangping appear in this place, he quickly realised his purpose.
"What do you mean snatch? The prey is from the mountain, don’t tell me "Southern Mountain Village" is written on them? Ha ha ha… Since you have come, we will make a move first!" After finishing his sentence, Zhang Yangping prepared to leave.
"Stop right there, hand over our prey!" Immediately, a member of the hunting squad stood out.
"Prey? Oh… I forgot. That’s right, we indeed managed to pick up some prey around here, but if you want to have it, you have first ask if my blade here agrees…" Zhang Yangping waved his hands and immediately, over twenty men jumped out from behind the bushes, prey hanging from each of their waists.
Gloominess was evident in Ding Qingshan’s eyes. Looking at the twenty over members of the Northern Mountain Village, then turning behind to look at his ten over hunting squad members, he struggled intensely inside.
"Ha ha ha… don’t want it anymore? Don’t tell me you all haven’t even realised this yet, in this world the strongest is always the winner. One can only listen to whoever’s fist is the toughest! Southern Mountain Village? What a joke! We are not only here to snatch today, we will be here to snatch every single day in the future! Hmph, let’s go!" Zhang Yangping chuckled delightedly, turned around then disappeared in the vegetation.
"What are you staring at? Come snatch it back if you have the balls!"
"Southern Mountain Village? Ha ha, your Southern Mountain Village has no capabilities anymore!"
" Ha ha ha…"
A few of the Northern Mountain Village members laughed as they walked.
"Deputy captain!"
"The Northern Mountain Village are too imperious!"
"Let’s fight it out with them!"
When the Southern Mountain Village witnessed this, they were instantly triggered.
"No we can’t, they have too many people, and among us there are people who haven’t recovered fully from their injuries. If we were really to fight it out, we will definitely suffer!" Ding Qingshan gripped tightly on the long blade in his hands
"But… our prey has been taken away by them…" People were still unsatisfied.
"Let’s not talk about this any further, everyone go search if there are any left which they missed out." Ding Qingshan urged.
"Roger."
"Uncle Qingshan, I’ll go pick some herbs!" Fang Zhengzhi voiced out at this moment.
"Pick herbs? Are you picking them for your dad? What a filial child, the surroundings here are usually safe from danger, but don’t wander too far, make sure you come back to this spot before it gets dark, understand?"
"Alright!" Fang Zhengzhi nodded, then ran off in a flash.
"This child… indeed seems to run really fast!"
"Deputy captain, today is Zhengzhi’s first time on the mountain, what if he gets lost?"
"How will children who grew up in the mountain lose their way? Moreover, since he joined the hunting squad, it is inevitable that he has to go through some hardship. Let’s do it this way… if he hasn’t returned before the sky darkens, we will go search for him. Hunting is the priority now!"
"Roger!"
...