Chapter 30: Return

"This..."

Zhang Lingshan was equally stunned.

Was this demon rabbit killed by my single punch?

He found it somewhat unbelievable.

Was he really this powerful?

That couldn't be right.

No matter how strong his fist was, it shouldn't have been able to leave a demon rabbit so heavily battered and wounded.

When he observed that the weapons of Yu Mengyuan and the others were all stained with blood, Zhang Lingshan had a sudden realization.

That's it!

The specific situation must have been that after he punched the demon rabbit and sent it flying, Yu Mengyuan and the others rushed in and hacked it to death with a flurry of blades.

Although he hadn't killed the demon rabbit with his own hands, it was because he had tanked a palm strike from it that he had provided the opening for everyone else.

In short, he had achieved a great feat, and he deserved extra pay!

At the thought of extra money, Zhang Lingshan immediately turned his gaze toward Feng Shaolong's side.

As he looked, his pupils suddenly constricted.

The battle had been brutal.

Aside from A-Lei and Feng Shaolong, who were still standing, the other herb-gathering guards were all half-sitting and half-lying, gasping for breath. Some had shoulders slumped to the side, and others had legs hanging at impossible angles—clearly, they were crippled.

Even worse, several corpses were too gruesome to look at; their faces had lost all shape, leaving nothing but the imprint of a rabbit's paw.

Zhang Lingshan couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air.

Fortunately, he had entered the "Unknown State" at the critical moment, unleashing incredible combat power to meet that demon rabbit's palm strike head-on.

Otherwise, if that rabbit had stomped down, his own face would likely have been crushed.

Ultimately, it was his perfected Hunyuan Zhenyang Stance that had saved him.

Because he had mastered "Momentum," he was able to enter the Unknown State and exert extraordinary combat strength.

Others lacked this ability and could only attempt to fight the demon rabbit with ordinary means.

And they were merely ordinary Stone-Skin Martial Artists; their strength and speed were inferior to the demon rabbit. The only reason they had survived was because a powerhouse like A-Lei was guarding them.

Otherwise, not a single one of them would have had a way to live.

This was the power of a demon beast!

A mere demonized rabbit possessed such ferocious combat strength.

If creatures that were already fierce, like tigers and leopards, were to become demonized, how much more terrifying would they be?

Zhang Lingshan dared not even imagine it.

He was indeed still too weak.

Once he returned, he had to make haste to raise his Red Line Fist to the perfected realm as well.

Only then could he survive in this bizarre world where demons ran rampant.

"Everyone, tidy up and let's get down the mountain quickly. Otherwise, we won't make it back before dark."

Looking at the tragic battlefield, Feng Shaolong's pale face showed a lingering sense of dread. He let out a long sigh and actually took the initiative to begin bandaging the guards' wounds.

Since Zhang Lingshan's group had suffered fewer casualties, they took on the task of transporting the corpses.

"Junior Brother Shan has achieved a great feat. He is exhausted from facing that demon rabbit head-on. Uncle Tie, carry Junior Brother Shan down the mountain. Then, call a groom up to help," Yu Mengyuan commanded.

Without a word, Uncle Tie hoisted Zhang Lingshan onto his back.

Zhang Lingshan said, "Thank you."

Although he could still hold on, since the man was offering him this "benefit," it would be disrespectful not to accept it.

"Listen to advice to stay well-fed" had always been his motto.

Thus, as the object of special treatment, he was the first to return to the carriage.

"What happened? Why are only you two coming down? Where are the Sixth Young Master and the others?" the two grooms asked urgently.

Zhang Lingshan replied, "We encountered a demon rabbit. There were heavy casualties. One of you must go up with Uncle Tie to help carry the corpses, while the other stays with me to guard the carriage."

"What! A demon rabbit?"

The faces of both grooms changed drastically, their eyes filled with horror.

They were veterans of the Feng Family Pharmacy and were well-traveled, unlike the inexperienced youths like Zhang Lingshan.

Upon hearing "demon rabbit," they immediately knew a brutal battle had taken place.

One of them wasted no more words and rushed up the mountain with Uncle Tie, while the other looked at Zhang Lingshan with confusion. "Why were you allowed to come down early?"

Zhang Lingshan sighed. "It's a long story. You can ask when Senior Brother Feng and Senior Brother Yu come down. I was injured while fighting the demon rabbit, so Senior Brother Yu granted me permission to come down early to rest."

He was too lazy to answer the groom's questions. Instead, he pulled some dried meat from his robe and began to chew, quickly filling his empty stomach to give his exhausted body a moment's respite.

"You!"

The groom was somewhat infuriated by his attitude.

They were all subordinates of the Feng Family Pharmacy; at most, this kid had the added identity of being a disciple of the Hong Clan Martial Arts Hall. What was he acting so high and mighty for?

But despite his displeasure, he said nothing.

As an adult, he was emotionally stable.

Regardless, once the Sixth Young Master and the others came down, the truth would be known. If this kid had deserted his post or something similar, the Sixth Young Master would naturally not let him off the hook; he, a mere groom, didn't need to worry.

"They're coming!"

After waiting for a long time, the groom's eyes lit up as he finally saw everyone appearing from the mountain.

However, it was different from what he had imagined.

He saw people either supporting each other or being carried, half-dead; some were no longer even recognizable as human.

To think it was actually this tragic!

The groom was shaken to his core.

Fortunately, he was just a groom; otherwise, with his strength, he would likely be accompanying those corpses.

In contrast, the boy resting in the carriage was completely unharmed, looking even more comfortable than the others.

How did he do it?

He must have deserted his post, but why would a deserter be sent down early? What exactly was going on?

"Aren't you going to come help?"

Seeing the groom dazed, Yu Mengyuan immediately shouted loudly.

"Yes, yes, coming!"

A moment later.

The group finally placed the guards' corpses and the demon beast's corpse onto one carriage, covering them with cloth.

The others sat together in another carriage.

Feng Shaolong continued to ride his tall horse at the front, though he no longer possessed his previous high spirits, showing only a face full of exhaustion.

Yet, amidst the fatigue, there was a faint, almost imperceptible trace of excitement. When no one was looking, a joyful smile even appeared on his face.

Those were two demon beast corpses!

Although a demon rabbit could not compare to large predators like demon tigers or leopards, being able to hunt two demon rabbits was still a great achievement.

In terms of the harvest from these two rabbits alone, it was more profitable than all the medicinal herbs they had gathered today.

Not to mention, the herb gathering had gone quite smoothly.

Combined, they had made a massive profit.

Although many guards had died, their deaths were worth it!

How could one face a demon beast without sacrifice?

He would certainly provide their families with sufficient compensation, and he had even gone through the trouble of bringing their bodies back; this was the utmost benevolence of the Feng Family Pharmacy.

Anyone would have to say that the Feng Family Pharmacy was righteous!

After all, many factions would simply abandon the dead or bury them on the spot. Their approach was rare among the many powers.

*‘By the way, today's harvest isn't just this. There is also Junior Brother Shan. He actually managed to take a direct hit from a demon rabbit. This is incredible; I must speak with my father about this once we return.’*

Feng Shaolong cast a subtle glance at Zhang Lingshan, thinking to himself.