241: Chapter 211_2 241: Chapter 211_2 “Gefengla, don’t leave the stockade when you have no business to attend to, and let your family handle matters!” the Earl said to Gefengla with concern.
“Yes, I understand.” Gefengla, facing the Earl’s caring gaze, felt sweet inside and shyly stood in front of her beloved, behaving very docilely.
“Well, Gefengla, I must go home to report the situation.
I’ll come to see you when I have time,” the Earl said.
He didn’t stay in the open for too long.
He wished to say more to Gefengla but was unable to do certain things with her.
He envied the Cultivation World—both men and women could practice cultivation techniques and couples could make mutual progress.
Like them, cultivators of magic could do so too, but they weren’t as powerful.
Gefengla was also the most beautiful and capable woman among their acquaintances, the one with the highest magic proficiency.
Previously, he thought she was a good candidate to be his wife.
Since his excursion beyond their lands, he felt he couldn’t remain in the same state forever.
With greater ambition, if others in the Cultivation World could ascend, what if they, as magic cultivators, could find cultivation resources and ascend to another Immortal Realm and become Immortals?
Then, Gefengla might not become his lover, nor his wife.
Maybe he would find someone else for a wife.
He would have to discuss these matters with his family upon his return.
Gefengla was unaware of what the Earl encountered on his journey outside.
It made his heart grow ambitious, and he would not stay in one place forever.
Gefengla walked back to her room, looking back three times with each step.
Some other young girls, seeing the Viscounts return, asked their sweethearts about what they saw and heard on their trip.
Facing their sweethearts, the Viscounts shared their experiences, making the women of the stockade both long for the outside world and fear the wickedness of the people from other realms.
Lately, they heard that some women were being sold like livestock by organizations that captured young girls and sold them for high prices, which angered the women greatly.
They cursed those involved relentlessly, condemning them as utterly vile.
Upon returning home, the Earl relayed everything that had happened to the older Earl.
“Thus, no woman from our stockade shall leave.
As for the men of our stockade, it is relatively safer.
From now on, all matters shall be handled by the male heads and the elders.”
“Father, you arrange these affairs.
I cannot stay here forever,” the Earl said.
“I wish to venture to more places.
I met a few friends this time; I want to buy resources from them.
Unfortunately, we don’t have money.
Can we exchange some herbs instead?”
Listening to his son, the older Earl knew that once young people left, they did not want to return, and it was good for his son to gain experience from the outside world.
“Stay at home for a few more days!
Your mother and grandmother miss you.
Next time you go out, be careful.
Not every time will you be lucky enough to avoid disaster.
You are among the strongest elites we have.
If you take them out, you must bring them back safely,” he advised.
The Earl nodded in agreement, deciding to stay at home for a few more days.
During these days, he went with the Viscounts to pick herbs on the mountains.
This time in the city, they realized that some ordinary herbs from their mountain were exceedingly expensive in the Cultivation World.
Not knowing the outside world, they were unaware that their stockade could be so impoverished.
They could exchange these herbs for silver and purchase more resources with it.
This time, when the Earl went up the mountain to pick herbs, he didn’t just bring hunters, but also Viscounts and some men from his clan to teach them how to gather herbs and make money.
The Earl organized a team of more than 20 people, all armed, leaving some clan members to guard the rest in the stockade.
They wouldn’t return the same day from this journey into the deep mountains; it would take several days for a round trip, and they all carried enough food supplies for the trip.
They couldn’t carry too much food, but they brought essential items and indeed, tents and insect repellent.
While picking herbs, they would also hunt to supplement their food beyond the supplies they brought.
Gefengla and the other women watched the team heading to the mountains with worried gazes, hoping for their safe return.
There were many demonic beasts in the deep mountains.
Hunters would group together for hunting trips.
Though they weren’t exclusively hunting this time, they might face even more dangers or clash with Cultivation World people over resources.
It wasn’t that they looked down upon their own people, but a single devil nearly annihilated their entire stockade.
If it wasn’t for the magic wand in the Earl’s hands, that careless devil wouldn’t have been struck and forced to flee.
The Earl knew this journey would be dangerous and brought the magic wand with him.
The Earl could also hunt, carrying a bow and arrow on his back, while the other young men each brought their own tools.
The veteran hunters often went into the mountains, and the youths used to follow them several times a year, but this was their first time venturing into the deeper, ancient forests.
“Father, is it true that there are demonic beasts in the deep mountains?
We didn’t see any demonic beasts when we went out to the Cultivation World this time,” asked a young Viscount who had just come from the Cultivation World to a veteran hunter.
“Of course, we can kill the lower level demonic beasts, but it’d be dangerous for us to encounter the higher-tier ones.
In the Cultivation World’s inns or in private meals, there are also lower level demonic beasts, provided by disciples who are training, or hunters who specialize in this work.”
“Oh, this time I’m definitely going to slay a demonic beast and sell it for a good price.”
When the other youths heard what he said, they laughed.
“We must be careful, and if we encounter greater danger, we’d better retreat than take the risk.”
The Earl joined in their conversation as they ascended the mountain, already beginning to gather herbs.
Each person carried a basket on their back, filled only with the most valuable herbs as described by the Earl and his companions.
The veteran hunters knew about healing herbs, but they were unfamiliar with the herbs being dug by the Earl and his party, appearing to them as common grass.
This trip was an eye-opener as they realized that such ordinary grass could actually be converted into money.
It was more profitable than hunting for a living, and they thought of focusing on collecting herbs this time.
If they could learn more about these herbs, they could live off selling them in the future.
Hunting was not always good, sometimes they would encounter dangerous prey.
“Aooooo”
Everyone, who was digging herbs, was startled by the sound of a wolf’s howl.
They dropped their herb-digging tools and picked up their hunting gear.
“Let’s be careful and climb the trees first!” The veteran hunter, experienced as he was, led them quickly.
For herb gathering, they even climbed with their baskets still in tow.
Having swiftly climbed a nearby tree with about twenty others, they soon heard a more terrifying “roar”—the sound of a tiger.
This roar was especially loud in the mountain, causing birds and small animals to flee.
The little birds perched on the trees flew into the sky, knowing the forest was unsafe.
Then they heard the sounds of animals fighting.
The Earl guessed it might be a fight between a tiger and wolves.
It was as though the beasts hadn’t noticed them yet; if they had, they surely wouldn’t be fighting each other but would all be attacking them instead.
Fortunately, this trip was not for hunting.
They had eaten dry food all the way and hadn’t killed a single animal or carried one with them, so there was no bloody scent to incur the animals’ wrath.
This time, for safety, the Earl used his magic wand to conceal their human Qi.
They all had the constitution of half human, half lean.
Having concealed the human Qi, only the scent of demonic beasts lingered on them.
Without any alertness towards them, the mountain creatures posed no threat.
Ahead, the fight between the tiger and wolves was fierce with dust and leaves occasionally flying over and the sounds of thuds.
Large trees in the forest toppled by the clash of the demonic beasts.
From atop the high tree, the Earl observed that although the tiger was formidable, it was up against a pack of wolves.
Even if it could kill one wolf, there were many more to attack it, putting it in a perilous situation of being overwhelmed from all sides.