Chapter 76: The Mountain Lord

The team set out once more, continuing their march toward the target. After reaching the latter half of the periphery of the Hundred-Thousand Mile Mountain, they had already encountered many senior students. Some were preparing to depart, while others had just set up camp.

When these seniors met Li Hongshen and his companions, they exhibited no signs of strangeness or jealousy. On the contrary, they often offered opportunities for trade and provided assistance wherever possible—sharing local information, regional precautions, and, especially in the last city on the periphery, acting as a hub where information from the outer and middle regions converged.

Were it not for the fact that the school year had just begun and the seniors had no plans to relocate, Li Hongshen might have hitched a ride with another lord’s team to continue onward, instead of advancing so alone as he was now.

Upon entering the middle region, the density of spiritual energy rose by another one or two units, reaching around seventeen or eighteen. The wild beast tribes became somewhat scarcer here, though their numbers had increased dramatically, with the average tribe boasting over five hundred members. However, their habitats were few, generally confined to areas managed by the seniors for resource gathering.

Wild tribes had become uncommon—either wiped out by the seniors or eliminated by rival groups. The seniors’ approach clearly referenced the tactics used in the Lord’s Trial, specifically for clearing the “Earth Pass.” They would strike in advance, clearing out beast hordes.

Carrying out such operations in the Endless Wilderness was far more difficult than handling the Earth Pass within the controlled environment of the trial. One could not simply wipe out a horde wholesale. It was necessary to leave room for the beasts to breed, allowing for the periodic harvest of blood crystals, while also keeping the annual beast tides manageable and minimizing unexpected events.

Such practices required lords to demonstrate nuanced judgment and execution. New students entering the Hundred-Thousand Mile Mountain needed considerable time to find this balance, and even seasoned veterans sometimes miscalculated and were swept out of the wilderness in a single stroke.

For this reason, the authorities at the Ministry of Education had set the issue aside, imposing no restrictions on such operations. Not everyone could master the balance so easily, and just as one finally managed to stabilize the ecological equilibrium of a region, they would face the challenge of moving on to start anew elsewhere.

Li Hongshen, however, had discovered a shortcut. Shamelessly borrowing routes from the seniors, especially with the old Ma Wu guiding the way, had greatly increased his pace and sharply reduced the incidence of beast attacks.

He was especially fortunate; thanks to traveling through the domains of seniors and having Ma Wu as his guide, he had never faced obstruction from the native tribes.

That was, until the third week after entering the middle region. Having borrowed a senior’s route, they found themselves entering a pine forest—a stand of rare purple pines, highly prized for their timber and abundant with pine cones that provided for the smaller beasts within.

On the very first day in the forest, Li Hongshen’s group was stopped by a native hunting party, about a hundred strong, blocking their way forward.

Upon receiving the vanguard's report, Li Hongshen brought Zhao Yun and Ma Wu to the front of the team. Facing the native warriors clad in animal skin skirts, he turned to Li Li.

“What’s the situation?”

“The chieftain and his people are blocking our path, refusing to let us pass. But they don’t seem intent on fighting either, so we’re not sure what to do.”

“Ma Wu, see if you can ask them what’s going on. Zhao Yun, go with him and protect Ma Wu.”

Following Li Hongshen’s instructions, Ma Wu and Zhao Yun left the group, approaching the natives. Negotiations like these were best handled by Ma Wu, who had already helped peacefully bring two native tribes under their control at the wilderness’s edge—he was quite practiced in such matters.

After a round of negotiation, the natives’ tense demeanor visibly eased; at the very least, the atmosphere was no longer so stiff. Ma Wu then returned.

“They say there’s a Mountain Lord breeding its young up ahead. We’re not to disturb it, or the Mountain Lord will turn its wrath on them.”

“Mountain Lord—do they mean a tiger?”

“Yes, it should be the Tiger King of this region. It seems this tribe worships a Tiger King and its pride, though the exact relationship is unclear.”

In the Endless Wilderness, the relationship between humans and beasts was not limited to the master and battle-pet dynamic. Beyond the lords’ own tribes, the native clans had a long history of coexistence with wild beast hordes—some akin to keeping pets, others leaning toward symbiotic cooperation, and still others offering reverence and allegiance, submitting to the beasts’ rule.

“If we detour, how long will it take?”

“This forest is vast. According to the information your senior provided, skirting it would cost us nearly a month and a half—significantly impacting our plans.”

Li Hongshen looked at Ma Wu. “Can you persuade them to let us through?”

Ma Wu gave a slight shake of his head, clearly lacking confidence in convincing the natives.

Seeing Ma Wu’s expression, Li Hongshen’s eyes sharpened. He pressed his lips together, jaw clenching.

“We’ll fight. Force our way through.”

At his command, the front ranks drew their hand crossbows and unleashed a volley at the natives. Before the rest could react, Li Hongshen’s team had already charged, cutting through them in a brief but overwhelming skirmish.

Ma Wu showed no discomfort at the sight. Years ago, he might have hesitated, sometimes even tried to dissuade Li Hongshen, but he’d since learned this was the better way.

According to Ma Wu, battles between native tribes seldom harmed the general populace; they typically began with single combat, with the victors claiming spoils and the defeated preserving some strength. Large-scale conflict was rare—if it occurred, not only might lords intervene to mediate, but wild beasts could also seize the opportunity, so the natives maintained an unspoken bottom line.

When natives and lords collided, both sides generally avoided each other, as lords wouldn’t bother with fruitless ventures. But when necessary, conflict was inevitable, and the lords usually held the advantage. The natives’ tribes were either destroyed or absorbed.

So it was now. A detour of a month and a half would irreparably disrupt Li Hongshen’s plans. In just over two months, the long summer would end.

After the long summer came the rainy season. If they failed to reach their target city before the rains, they’d be forced to travel in harsh weather. Worse, if they couldn’t reach their destination by the end of the rainy season, they’d face the onslaught of the beast tide out in the wild—a prospect that none, including Ma Wu, wished to consider.

The risks would be uncontrollable, the outcomes unpredictable. At best, they might survive the beast tide and continue; at worst, they’d be swept from the Endless Wilderness—an outcome Li Hongshen could not accept.

He intended to stand at the forefront of this year’s students from Pengcheng First High, not become the school’s laughingstock. If he were forced out of the Endless Wilderness within a week of enrollment, he’d suffer utter social ruin—he might never even find a wife in the future.

After hastily gathering the fallen warriors’ bodies, Li Hongshen ordered the Storm Eagle to begin patrolling the mountain. Everyone prepared for retaliation from the tiger pride, for tigers were not to be trifled with.

(Today I wrote slowly on my phone, not wanting to slack off or let down my investors, so I eked out 3,000 words. My condition isn’t good—my back aches, it throbs whether I lie down, turn to my side, or lie prone. Sigh...)

(End of chapter)