Chapter 138: Chapter 138: First Hands-On Experience

Chen Rong raised his hand and gently patted Changxia’s head.

“Maple Leaf, let’s talk about the southern creek—”

He suspected the creek was dangerous, but perhaps not as bad as everyone made it sound. If it were truly that dangerous, Maple Leaf and the others would have refused Changxia’s suggestion to go south of White Lake. Chen Rong knew how protective the Heluo tribe was of its people—almost to the point of favoritism. And since this involved Changxia, he didn’t believe the tribe would let her walk into danger.

“I already explained earlier,” Maple Leaf said with a smile. “Within the Heluo tribe’s territory, there are no river beasts. The person who was attacked by a crocodile was actually ambushed upstream, in a tributary of the southern creek, in the Wei River area.”

Wei Mountain was a special place, and the Wei River was just as mysterious.

Half of the Wei River ran through the Heluo tribe’s land, and the other half through Wei Mountain.

Wei Mountain seemed to be within the tribe’s territory, but since no one from the Heluo tribe had ever ventured deep into the mountain, it couldn’t truly be considered their land. The reason for this was hard to put into words.

“…Next time, don’t leave out half the story,” Changxia rolled her eyes at Maple Leaf, complaining. She’d really been scared just now. If the southern creek really did have river beasts, she wouldn’t dare divert its water to the cave dwellings, no matter how brave she was.

Who knows what might be lurking in the water—blood leeches, or something even worse?

As they talked, they walked.

Soon, the group arrived at the wasteland north of White Lake.

Once overgrown with weeds, the land had been turned over except for a few clumps of wolfberry bushes. Unfortunately, Changxia had already used up all her seeds; otherwise, she’d have liked to plant some vegetables here.

Still, if good news came from the Kanasheng Mountain Witch’s Hall, this land wouldn’t go to waste.

“Be careful. We’ll be passing through a dense forest next,” Maple Leaf said.

Yadong and Shankun spread out, with Maple Leaf and Kongshan leading the way, Yadong and Shankun bringing up the rear, and Changxia, Chen Rong, and Nan Feng in the middle.

No words were needed.

The moment they entered the forest, everyone took their positions—skilled and in perfect sync.

In just a few seconds, everything was settled.

Chen Rong was full of admiration.

Changxia was amazed.

This unspoken teamwork was truly enviable.

“With the weather warming up, insects and venomous snakes in the mountains are starting to wake up. Stay alert, everyone.”

Even though everyone wore pouches of insect repellent at their waists, since this was Changxia’s first time in the forest—Red Leaf Ridge didn’t count—they were extra cautious, especially since this area bordered Wei Mountain.

No matter how ordinary the forest looked, Maple Leaf and the others didn’t dare let their guard down.

South of White Lake, aside from patrols, few people ever came. If anyone from the tribe wandered in by mistake, they’d quickly leave.

This time, as they headed south of White Lake and Nan Feng escorted Mountain Sparrow and the others back to the tribe, the news would be passed on to Elder Dalai and relayed to the tribe.

Most likely, only Changxia and Chen Rong didn’t know—the tribe was well aware of this trip.

Maybe, just as Shankun and Kongshan thought, the tribe was also hoping someone could solve the dangers of Wei Mountain.

But, above all, everyone’s safety had to come first.

“Hasn’t anyone from the tribe ever come here to forage?” Changxia asked in surprise.

There were always signs of tribe activity at Red Leaf Ridge, but the deeper they went into this forest, the more untouched it seemed. Even the wild vegetables had grown old and tough, with no one picking them. It felt strange.

Nan Feng replied, “Changxia, this area borders Wei Mountain.”

Wei Mountain had basically become a forbidden zone for the tribe, standing tall to the west, opposite Kanasheng Mountain in the east.

Changxia let out a few slow breaths. She’d underestimated the pressure Wei Mountain exerted. It seemed the tribe had completely given up on entering the mountain, even abandoning the paths that led close to it.

Is there some other secret hidden here?

The threat of the river beast alone shouldn’t have driven the tribe to this point.

This time, everything was unusually quiet—completely different from before. The silence seemed to affect Chang Xia as well. She gripped the bone knife Su Ye had given her and followed closely behind Chen Rong, staying alert to her surroundings.

Chen Rong, on the other hand, seemed utterly at ease. Though he was walking through dense forest, it was as if he were taking a leisurely stroll in a garden—relaxed, lazy, and graceful.

This scene drew a round of complaints from Feng Ye and the others.

Seriously, Chen Rong was making things difficult for them.

They had agreed to accompany Chang Xia south of Baihu Lake mainly as a simple training exercise. It was meant to prepare Chang Xia for venturing out of the tribe and into the forest in the future. Otherwise, how could the tribe possibly allow her to leave before completing her basic training?

That’s right—the Heluo tribe considered this area to be “the forest.”

Although tribal totem warriors also patrolled here, the Weishan area was officially classified as forest—meaning it was outside the safe zone. Tribe members wouldn’t even come here to gather herbs unless they were with a hunting party.

Still, Chen Rong seemed completely at ease.

As members of the hunting party, Feng Ye and the others knew very well: when it came to sensing danger, Chen Rong was at least as sharp as any of them—maybe even quicker to react in a crisis.

“He’s really strong,” Feng Ye muttered under his breath.

Kong Shan replied, “I heard the chieftain once had Elder Pukang test him.”

No one knew who had let that slip, and there was no way to verify it. None of them had the guts to confront Elder Pukang, and as for Chen Rong—he was slippery as an eel. He might look gentle and refined, but in reality, he was even harder to pin down than a mudfish.

That’s why Kong Shan kept warning Feng Ye not to underestimate Chen Rong.

This male was cunning—downright devious.

Nan Feng had been outmaneuvered by him several times, never realizing it until it was too late. Even when she wanted to settle the score afterward, she never got the chance.

Swish, swish—

Suddenly, Chang Xia swung her bone knife and killed a small snake as thin as an iron wire.

“Ironwire snake,” Nan Feng commented after a glance. “Mildly venomous, fast, but not very strong.”

“Be careful,” Chen Rong said, swinging his ironwood staff and instantly smashing seven or eight ironwire snakes. Nan Feng and the others didn’t rush to help.

Aside from their speed, ironwire snakes weren’t much of a threat.

They were perfect for Chang Xia to practice on—especially with Chen Rong watching over her. Nothing could go wrong.

As Feng Ye and the others spread out and moved back, Chang Xia had more room to maneuver. She began to kill the ironwire snakes—clumsy at first, but gradually getting the hang of it.

In no time, the entire group of ambushing snakes was wiped out.

Chen Rong crouched down and began harvesting the snakes, carefully extracting their gallbladders and wrapping them in leaves. These were valuable medicinal ingredients—too good to waste.

Nearby, Chang Xia was panting, her face flushed with excitement. The fight had made her feel like she was back in her early days—thrilled, tense, and with the familiar, pungent scent of blood in her nostrils.

“Chang Xia—”

Before she could fully savor the moment, Nan Feng stepped forward and gently called her name.

Looking up, Chang Xia met the familiar, caring faces of her companions. In that instant, she felt it clearly—she was in the Twilight Forest, not some terrifying apocalypse.

“I’m fine—just exhausted. I’ll be okay after a short rest,” Chang Xia said.

“You’re adapting really quickly,” Chen Rong praised. He’d noticed that while Chang Xia’s mind was sharp, her body couldn’t quite keep up. Several times, danger had come close before her body managed to react. It was odd!

Chang Xia gave a wry smile and shook her head. “My body’s still too weak. I almost got bitten a few times.”

“You just need more practice. But for a first time, you did amazingly well, Chang Xia!”

“As expected of Chang Xia!”

Immediately, Nan Feng and Feng Ye started showering her with praise, making Chang Xia grin from ear to ear. Sure enough, people love hearing good things about themselves.

Meanwhile, Chen Rong and the other males exchanged glances—silent as sparrows.