The rabbit wanes and the crow sinks, another new day dawns.
Opening his eyes from cultivation, Chen Xiao glanced at his two exposed arms.
The Little Fairy Doctor's medicinal powder was extremely effective, completely restoring them to normal in just one night.
Having personally experienced the benefits, Chen Xiao suddenly understood why the girl had accumulated such high popularity.
For those with meager means at the bottom of society, seeking treatment from the Little Fairy Doctor was indeed incredibly cost-effective.
"Today, we continue into the mountains!"
Jumping off the bed, Chen Xiao practiced the Yan Return Strike a few times as usual. Estimating the time was right, he left the inn to accept a mission.
With the goal of familiarizing himself with the environment and gaining experience, after confirming that the Ten Thousand Medicines Pavilion's herb gathering team was still not entering the mountains today, Chen Xiao once again joined a team hunting Magical Beasts.
However, this time the target was first-tier Blackscale Wolves. Aside from requiring a larger quantity, the danger level was not high.
With his strength as an Eight Star Dou Zhe, Chen Xiao felt no threat this time.
The following days were the same: accepting missions, entering the mountains, and returning to Green Mountain Town.
Except for one time when he encountered a mercenary's corpse in the mountains and picked up a waist knife, everything else was unremarkable.
This state continued until the morning of the seventh day, when Chen Xiao finally received the recruitment mission from the Ten Thousand Medicines Pavilion.
"The Ten Thousand Medicines Pavilion is entering the Magical Beast Mountain Range to gather herbs! We need fifty people who are Two Star Dou Zhe or above! Everyone hurry!"
The loud shout caused a slight silence on the bustling street. After a moment, a crowd of mercenaries immediately rushed towards the middle-aged man wearing the Ten Thousand Medicines Pavilion's attire, vying with each other.
Mercenaries also picked and chose their missions. Simple and well-paid missions were always the first choice, while hunting missions that required risking their lives were avoided as much as possible.
The Ten Thousand Medicines Pavilion was considered a small giant in Green Mountain Town, and their ability to recruit fifty mercenaries at once showed some indication of this.
What was even more attractive was that their remuneration was more generous than other employers' herb gathering missions. Under such conditions, they were naturally very popular.
Chen Xiao had been waiting for a long time and would certainly not miss it today. He squeezed into the crowd and surged towards the middle-aged man.
With the help of his slightly stronger strength, although he was not tall, he still managed to squeeze to the front and successfully snatched a spot as he wished.
After a while, the team of fifty mercenaries was assembled. Guarding the Ten Thousand Medicines Pavilion's herb gathering team, they grandly entered the mountains.
When there was no danger, the guarding mission was very leisurely, which made it convenient for Chen Xiao to firmly remember this route in his mind.
As expected, it's not the same direction as the missions from the past few days. No wonder I searched for so many days without any results.
Following the team, Chen Xiao vigilantly surveyed the surrounding environment. After seven consecutive days of experience, he was like a sponge, frantically absorbing the mercenaries' experience, gradually learning how to better survive in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
In the past few days, whenever he saw a cliff nearby, Chen Xiao would find an excuse to go and explore.
Unfortunately, he explored for nothing.
Now, following the route of the Ten Thousand Medicines Pavilion's herb gathering team, he finally realized that he had been going in the wrong direction.
It was also fortunate that Chen Xiao had inquired beforehand that the route of the Ten Thousand Medicines Pavilion's herb gathering team was fixed and never changed direction, only the depth of penetration varied each time. Otherwise, the difficulty for Chen Xiao to find that cave would likely have doubled.
There was no conversation along the way. After traveling for about an hour, they finally reached the Ten Thousand Medicines Pavilion's herb gathering area, which was a slightly lower small basin.
Under the gaze of the herb gathering team's leader, the fifty mercenaries displayed their required professionalism, acting decisively and quickly. They surrounded the entire small basin, with sentries every three steps and posts every five steps, ensuring that no Magical Beast could threaten the herb gathering team.
Seeing this, the leader smiled with satisfaction.
What's wrong with spending a little more money?
In exchange for this full sense of security, it's worth it!
"Get moving, get moving! Be quick with your hands and feet! Let's try to get back this afternoon."
The leader called out, and the herb gathering team immediately surged into the valley to begin today's task.
The medicinal materials used by physicians were more common and widespread compared to the medicinal materials used by Alchemists for refining pills. In this Magical Beast Mountain Range, resources were incredibly abundant.
But similarly, their value could not compare to the rare medicinal materials used by Alchemists, which was one of the reasons why the price of medicinal pills remained high.
You get what you pay for.
Chen Xiao stood on the high ground on the outer edge of the basin, leaning on a long saber that was half his height, quietly standing guard.
I've passed through seven cliffs on the way here. From tomorrow onwards, I'll act alone and search them one by one. This is still the outer area, and second-tier Magical Beasts are extremely rare. The probability of a third-tier Magical Beast appearing is negligible, so safety is still guaranteed.
Chen Xiao planned his next steps in his mind, and time passed minute by minute.
It was noon, and the scorching sun was like fire.
The mercenaries guarding the small basin were also suffering. Many of them had even taken off their shirts and tied them around their waists, muttering curses about the terrible weather.
However, just then, a rustling sound of crawling suddenly came from the distant jungle.
The mercenaries reacted extremely quickly, gathering together one after another, drawing their weapons and standing ready.
The sudden change caused the herb gathering team below to look over nervously, their movements unconsciously stopping.
"Magical Beast attack?"
"Don't panic, there are so many of us."
The middle-aged leader of the herb gathering team loudly controlled the situation. He had experienced this kind of thing at least dozens of times and was very skilled.
This was also why the Ten Thousand Medicines Pavilion had to hire so many mercenaries every time they entered the mountains.
Under the tense gaze of countless eyes, the source of the strange noise finally came into view.
"Red Ice Serpents, there are seven of them! Be careful!"
The nearest mercenary saw the attacking Magical Beasts clearly and shouted a warning.
Red Ice Serpents are first-tier Magical Beasts, very common in the outer regions of the Magical Beast Mountain Range. They are ice-attributed and contain poison within their ice. If someone poisoned is not treated within half a day, the Frost Poison will freeze the blood in their body until they die.
Hearing the warning from the mercenaries ahead, the expressions of the mercenaries who had taken off their shirts changed slightly, and they quickly and clumsily put their clothes back on.
However, the Red Ice Serpents were extremely fast. After darting out of the grass, they glanced at everyone. Instead of wisely leaving, they attacked the crowd like lightning without hesitation. Using their slender bodies, they shot into the group at tricky angles. In just one encounter, three mercenaries were bitten.
Immediately, three men with faces as pale as ice sculptures collapsed to the ground, their limbs cold and limp.
"Don't let these beasts get away, let's go together!"
A mercenary shouted, raising his long saber and slashing forward.
The stunned mercenaries followed closely behind.
Chen Xiao was neither afraid of the fight nor did he stand out. He followed the crowd, drawing his saber and slashing.
Excluding the dreaded Frost Poison, the strength of the Red Ice Serpents was only comparable to that of ordinary Dou Zhe. With the combined efforts of over forty mercenaries, the seven Red Ice Serpents were hacked to death in less than two minutes.
Unfortunately, no trace of a Magic Core was found within their bodies.
"What about the three of them?"
Looking at the three mercenaries lying on the ground trembling, everyone couldn't help but turn their gaze towards the herb-collecting team.
"Bring them over, I'll detoxify them," the middle-aged man from the herb-collecting team nodded and said.
To deal with such special situations, the Ten Thousand Medicines Pavilion's herb-collecting team always had at least one physician accompanying them. This was experience accumulated from years of working in this area.
Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
However, just as the three mercenaries stepped forward, wanting to help the three men up, a sudden change occurred.
A long snake, the color of rock, suddenly shot out from an unnoticed corner. With a speed that caught everyone off guard, it bit the throat of a severely injured mercenary.
Chen Xiao's expression changed. He fiercely threw the long saber in his hand, splitting the long snake into two sections, preventing it from causing further harm.
"There was actually a Rock Serpent hidden in the dark. His throat is shattered, there's no saving him..."
The leader of the herb-collecting team hurried forward. After a brief examination, he pronounced the mercenary dead and quickly began treating the other two mercenaries.
Hearing his words, the surrounding mercenaries couldn't help but sigh.
As mercenaries, they often fantasized that one day they might be buried in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, and they were mentally prepared for it.
Therefore, they were usually very unrestrained, enjoying each day with their limited abilities.
However, seeing their companions die tragically before their eyes like this still made their hearts ache.
Chen Xiao silently stepped forward and picked up his long saber.
Looking at the mercenary beside him who was on the verge of death, Chen Xiao felt his steps heavy. He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say, or what he could say.
This was the first time in his life that he had witnessed someone die before his eyes, completely different from the corpses he had seen before.
He felt a deep-seated aversion and rejection towards such a scene, but his rationality told him that this was a necessary lesson for growing up in this world!
I can get used to it, and I must get used to it!
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