The excitent and madness amidst the sharp whistling had long dissipated, leaving only bone-chilling agony and pain.
Shivering in the rain, listening to the sounds coming from deep within the cave ahead, Dong Shu couldn’t help but shudder and instinctively turned to the middle-aged man beside him with fear:
"Brother Aspen, maybe... we should just run!"
"This is too terrifying!"
In response, Aspen, who had previously stopped the young boy with a look, remained much calr.
Sitting on the ground, focused on tending to his leg wound, he glanced at the other with slight annoyance.
"You were so fearless just now, and now you know to be afraid?"
"Daring to step forward at that mont, you’re lucky it wasn’t you who was mistaken for a goblin and chopped down. Otherwise, no one would have a word to say."
"So are we running or not?" Hearing Aspen say this, Dong Shu obviously realized his earlier recklessness, and fear began to creep into his heart, making his tone more anxious, "What if..."
"Don’t be afraid."
Aspen, who managed to survive the previous deadly predicant by making the calst decision, now wouldn’t lose his usual composure.
"Given his strength, dealing with us is no different than dealing with those goblins; if he wanted to kill, he would have done so already."
"But since he didn’t act just now, it ans he has no hostility. Just sit here and wait for him to co out."
"Besides, if that adventurer really planned sothing, where could you run to?"
"We’re not far from the village now."
"Since he could follow goblins to their nest, he could easily follow us to the village."
The piercing screams from the goblins echoed in their ears, causing Dong Shu to shiver once again.
After about five minutes, the wailing of the goblins from within the cave finally ceased.
However, what followed was the sound of footsteps growing nearer, exerting a greater pressure on Dong Shu.
Unconsciously swallowing, his eyes fixed firmly on the cave entrance.
Only a vague silhouette, dark and mysterious, beca increasingly clear amidst the cold tallic grinding sound.
And when Xia Nan finally erged from the goblin nest, the young hunter dared not et his eyes directly.
The unexpected gains in the subterranean nest had allowed Xia Nan to indulge greatly, so his spirits were quite high now.
Though his expression didn’t change much, he actively spoke to the two hunters before him:
"You two..."
Before he could ask further, Aspen, having temporarily bandaged his wound, leaned against a nearby tree, stood up with care, and introduced their situation with caution and alertness.
He said they were from a small remote village nearby called "Fog Lamp Village" and had been surrounded by goblins due to an accident while hunting.
"Thank you very much, honorable adventurer."
"Would it be possible to know your na so we can share your selfless help with the villagers when we return?"
Xia Nan, without any reservation, straightforwardly gave his na, and his gaze on the two beca rather intrigued.
"Fog Lamp Village," "Fog Lamp Grass"...
To say these two aren’t related, even he wouldn’t believe it.
In fact, when asking Ms. Edwina for related information at the Green Grass Cauldron, she ntioned that on the other side of the canyon, where the Fog Lamp Grass grows, there seed to be such a small human settlent.
She said that if ergencies occur, it could be a temporary rest stop.
It seems that this small human settlent should be the Fog Lamp Village that the hunter spoke of.
However, he rembered that even when he asked Ms. Edwina for detailed information about this village, surprisingly, she, who annually issued Fog Lamp Grass collection tasks, didn’t know much.
She said it was because of the village’s unique geographical location, situated on the other side of the canyon, requiring a long detour to reach, and adventurers taking up the task were usually those with a professional level, rarely facing resource shortages.
Typically, they would return directly after collecting the herbs within the canyon; to prevent the Fog Lamp Grass from withering, ti was pressing, and they seldom had ti to detour to the other side of the village for an extended stay.
Under such circumstances, this small village near the canyon beca quite mysterious.
Listening to their introduction, Xia Nan said nothing, letting his gaze sweep over the two.
The one currently conversing with him, nad "Aspen," was a cautious and wary middle-aged man, about forty years old, tall, with weathered, bronze skin, and carried a well-used wooden longbow on his back;
Further behind was the young man who had boldly approached Xia Nan while the battle hadn’t ended; now, he was quiet, cautiously hiding behind Aspen, watching Xia Nan.
Nad "Dong Shu," about seventeen or eighteen years old, his weapon was an old and worn One Handed Sword.
With a slight ponder, considering he encountered local people who might know so details he wasn’t aware of, Xia Nan asked the two before him:
"Fog Lamp Grass... Have you heard of this plant growing in the canyon near your village?"
Imdiately, Xia Nan keenly noticed the change in their expressions.
There was a complex mix of reverence and fear, an indescribably peculiar look.
"What’s wrong, is there an issue?"
He asked.
"No, nothing... Mr. Xia Nan." Aspen forced a stern face, explaining, "That canyon, to so extent, is a Forbidden Land of our village."
"Only on the side near the village!"
"I can’t say much about it, but if you want to collect Fog Lamp Grass, just enter from the other end of the canyon; it’s safe. There’s not even a ntion of dangerous demons, rarely any goblins, and sotis we venture in to collect so grass to sell to passing caravans, supplenting our household inco."
Forbidden Land?
Recalling their strange expression earlier, Xia Nan had a slight association but chose not to delve deeper.
After all, his purpose this ti was just to collect so Fog Lamp Grass; everything else was irrelevant to him.
Aspen’s suggestion to pick herbs at the end of the canyon far from the village also aligned with his previous plan.
With a slight nod, he declined Aspen’s invitation to visit the village.
Of course, for safety, Xia Nan still asked Aspen for the detailed location of Fog Lamp Village.
Then he bid farewell and left.
Watching the silhouette disappear into the depths of the rain, Dong Shu let out a long sigh of relief.
Beside him, Aspen, who had been tense during the conversation with Xia Nan, finally relaxed as well.
If Dong Shu hadn’t quickly caught him, Aspen might have fallen directly into the mud.
"Brother Aspen, were you serious about inviting him to the village just now?"
"What do you think?" Aspen gasped, giving Dong Shu a stern look, "At this point, would the village chief even agree to outsiders coming in?"
Hearing this, Dong Shu couldn’t help but shrink his head, smiling sheepishly.
"Don’t worry, these adventurers are only after the Fog Lamp Grass each year."
"They leave imdiately after collecting, not coming to the village."
"Besides, the canyon in the middle is unconnected, there’s a rock wall blocking it, even if they go further in, they can’t co over."
From various perspectives, whether for Aspen or most of the villagers in Fog Lamp Village, this was undoubtedly a good thing.
But at the mont, Dong Shu seed hesitant, mumbling:
"If they could really co, maybe Lily wouldn’t have to..."
"Hmm?"
"Nothing, nothing... Brother Aspen."
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