Long Cheng sighed softly after saying this, then sighed again, while Town Head Wang nodded heavily.

Town Head Wang trusted Long Cheng's words; Long Cheng had promised to help their school escape hardship before, and everything Long Cheng had said had come true. Now, thanks to the two breeding farms, not only were the children's and teachers' lives better, but there was even a surplus.

This surplus could be used to expand the playground, enrich the library, and accomplish many meaningful things.

After the school's issues were resolved, the matter that weighed most heavily on Town Head Wang's mind was this road. If this road could truly be repaired, he believed that even though this place was remote, it could still develop.

At the very least, local produce would be easier to send out, and the local people would no longer have to worry about not having enough to eat.

After speaking with Town Head Wang, Long Cheng went back to help pack things up.

Er Hu and the others were dividing the pork with Huang Hai. Such a large pig could be roasted or stewed until tender, though wild boar meat was not easy to stew properly.

Besides wild boar, there were also wild rabbits, wild pheasants, and other game. Yang Ling, Su Zhantao, and Li Ya were all busy preparing these items.

Zhang Yang wasn't idle either; he was setting up a pot and a barbecue grill alongside Wu Zhiguo. They would prepare dinner themselves.

The best cooks among them were Zhang Yang and Wu Zhiguo. Zhang Yang had honed his skills living alone his whole life, while Wu Zhiguo, purely because he loved good food, had forced himself to learn excellent culinary skills.

The others, even if they knew how to cook, were not allowed to touch anything; who knew if what they made would even be edible.

After an hour of busy work, the aroma gradually drifted out—the smell of roasting meat mingled with the smell of stewed meat, making everyone involuntarily swallow.

Once the food was ready, Wu Zhiguo brought out another case of fine wine.

They couldn't drink much at noon, but there were no such restrictions in the evening; everyone was very happy today. Except for Young Master Su's near-miss, everyone else had achieved good results.

Now that they were all hungry, with great appetites, as soon as the food was served, it was met with a frenzy of grabbing.

Li Ya was the first to snatch a piece of roast meat, shoving it into her mouth without caring that it was hot, immediately sticking out her tongue from the burn. Su Zhantao laughed heartily, but then accidentally burned himself while sipping soup, drawing more laughter from everyone.

After eating some food, the group finally started drinking.

The case of wine was quickly finished. Town Head Wang and the others also had a few drinks, but none of them drank much. After eating their fill, they moved to the side to arrange for people to stand guard that night.

These people were their great benefactors; the town's future depended on them, so Town Head Wang dared not be remiss in any way.

The evening meal lasted a long time. Both Zhang Yang and Wu Zhiguo were good cooks, and the different environment played a role; everyone ate significantly more than usual.

They finished eating and drinking around eleven o'clock at night before retiring to their tents to rest.

The night passed without incident. The first to wake up the next day was Zhang Yang. Early in the morning, Zhang Yang entered the mountains with Lightning, followed closely by Long Feng.

The air in the mountains was even better; this place was more suitable for cultivation. After releasing Lightning to find food on its own, Zhang Yang began his morning exercises.

Zhang Yang stopped after over an hour. The cultivation speed here was at least twice as fast as at home, making Zhang Yang briefly consider staying here permanently.

However, this thought was immediately suppressed; he knew such an idea was impossible given his nature, and he couldn't stay here permanently.

Long Feng was cultivating at the same time as Zhang Yang.

Long Feng had not neglected his training these past few days; he was even more diligent than when he was with the family. Having Zhang Yang by his side kept him constantly motivated and striving.

In Long Feng's heart, there was a strong desire to surpass Zhang Yang and defeat him. Zhang Yang was now his new benchmark.

"Zhang Yang, you're up so early, I thought you were still sleeping!"

Upon returning to the camp, Huang Hai and Wu Zhiguo were already awake. Several people were busy, and Wu Zhiguo was stewing meat broth in the pot, preparing breakfast for everyone.

The one speaking to Zhang Yang was Wu Zhiguo. After speaking, he used a spoon to taste the soup he was simmering and nodded in satisfaction.

"I have a habit of waking up early. Where are Brother Cheng and Young Master Su?"

Zhang Yang said casually. Yang Ling, Li Ya, and Chang Feng were all present; only Su Zhantao and Long Cheng were missing.

"Brother Cheng went to the town; Young Master Su isn't up yet!"

Wu Zhiguo said casually without looking up as he organized breakfast.

Long Cheng had also risen early. He had gone to the town to fetch some items. They had brought a lot of things this time, but some necessities had been left behind.

This time, he was retrieving five short knives—very sharp ones. When venturing into the mountains, carrying a knife was optional if staying near the periphery, but essential if going deep into the wilderness.

He wasn't planning for everyone to hack at game with the knives; these blades had many other uses.

"You're up, why aren't you outside?"

Zhang Yang entered Su Zhantao's tent and found him sitting there foolishly, asking casually.

Su Zhantao turned his head and stared fixedly at Zhang Yang; his demeanor seemed somewhat strange.

"Zhang Yang, I had a dream. I dreamt that yesterday you arrived by my side very early, appearing like an immortal, and shouted 'Vermin!' before killing those wild boars!"

Zhang Yang was about to speak when Su Zhantao interrupted, his words momentarily stunning Zhang Yang.

Su Zhantao had been terrified yesterday. After Zhang Yang's shout woke him, he had forgotten much of what happened previously.

After waking up, especially after Zhang Yang gave him the calming needle, some memories vaguely surfaced. It wasn't really a dream; he was recalling the events of the previous day.

Zhang Yang had appeared like a divine being, dispatching those several wild boars single-handedly with bare hands; he remembered it clearly now.

Remembering clearly didn't mean accepting it. He knew Zhang Yang was formidable, but he hadn't expected him to be this powerful—he was like a legendary martial arts master.

That was why he hadn't gone out after waking up this morning, just sitting there in a daze.

"I know what you're thinking. I'll tell you some things when we get back, and also, don't tell anyone about this!"

Zhang Yang sighed softly. He didn't deny it. The situation yesterday was too urgent, and some secrets couldn't be hidden.

Zhang Yang could have erased Su Zhantao's memory—the poison from the Black Iron Spider on his hand could achieve that—but the resulting damage to the brain would be too severe, wiping out large chunks of memory.

Su Zhantao was his friend; he couldn't do that. Thus, the secret could no longer be concealed.

"I know, don't worry. I won't tell a soul, not even Yang Ling!"

Su Zhantao nodded heavily. Zhang Yang’s direct admission surprised him somewhat, but it also resolved his confusion; what he saw yesterday wasn't an illusion.

When the memories first surfaced, he had dismissed them as hallucinations, but the illusions had been too vivid, making him realize the events had truly transpired.

After the few of them ate breakfast and were fully satisfied, they packed their belongings and prepared to re-enter the mountains.

Yesterday's incident had served as a lesson. Today, everyone decided not to split up. Furthermore, they made sure several rifles were loaded with the most potent bullets, just in case they encountered another large creature like a wild boar.

This time, they didn't plan to linger in the outer mountain ranges; they intended to go straight into the deep mountains. That area was virgin forest, holding far more game than the outskirts, but the dangers were commensurately higher.

They carried a good supply of emergency medicine and gear to repel insects and snakes. The virgin forest was fraught with peril; playing for thrills was fine, but being unprepared meant playing with one's life.

After breakfast, the group set off. Su Zhantao had wanted to leave Yang Ling in the town to wait, but Yang Ling insisted on following, so they had no choice but to take her along.

They didn't stop in the outer areas but managed to bag two wild pheasants. This time, Chang Feng got the first kill. These pheasants were unlucky to have been discovered by Chang Feng while foraging and subsequently struck by his repeating crossbow.

After securing the two pheasants, everyone continued onward. Having early success boosted everyone's confidence.

In the deep mountains...

Various snakes and insects began to appear. Yang Ling was startled twice along the way—once by a snake dropping from a tree, and another time by a swarm of rats scurrying across the ground.

The snake turned out to be non-venomous; Long Cheng simply grabbed it and tossed it aside.

After turning through the deep mountains for half a day, they had only managed to catch a few small animals. They hadn't seen a single large prey animal—forget wild boar, they hadn't even seen a deer, though the Wild Man Mountain usually had plenty of deer.

After half a day of searching, everyone was tired and could only find a relatively open spot, cut away the wild grass and vines, sprinkle insect repellent, and take a temporary rest.

Lunch was eaten right there. Everyone had packed rations; Wu Zhiguo brought many pieces of dried meat, which he pulled out and began chewing large chunks of.

"This is strange. Last time we came, we had substantial gains by noon. Why so little this time? Did they know we were coming and all hide away?"

Huang Hai mumbled in confusion, biting into a piece of bread.

This time their preparations were more thorough, and there were more people, yet their haul was less than a third of the previous trip. Currently, only Chang Feng, Long Cheng, and Huang Hai had secured game; the others were empty-handed.

Their catches were all small creatures.

"I also feel something is off, but I can't pinpoint what," Long Cheng shook his head vaguely, strongly agreeing with Huang Hai but unable to grasp the feeling, which remained nebulous.

Lightning suddenly tensed up on Zhang Yang's shoulder, vigilantly surveying the surroundings.

Wu Ying also poked its head out of the canvas bag, sniffing intently outwards. After a short while, its expression also grew tense.

Zhang Yang's brow slowly furrowed. Lightning was conveying a message to him: there was danger here.

Anything that could make Lightning sense danger could not be ordinary. Even a tiger wouldn't elicit such a reaction from it; tigers would flee quickly when they saw Lightning. Spirit beasts differed vastly from common wild beasts.

…………

Fifth update, next chapter scheduled for release around nine in the morning. To be continued... Book Net