Chapter 207: Chapter 200: Outshining Cai Shang, Reaping Dragons and Slaying Dragons

“Hurry up and catch up.”

The lady gently nudged her horse’s belly, and the white horse beneath her galloped swiftly, disappearing into the forest.

Li Xian merely wanted to experience the pleasure of hunting, not to compete. But in this situation, what could he do? Holding the reins, he softly called “Giddy up,” immediately following into the woods.

Madam Wen laughed, “Riding and hunting in the mountains and wilds is much harder than that of a hunter. The terrain in the forest is complex, with slopes, pits, and trees obstructing your way. You need to ride skillfully to spare any energy to shoot and kill the wild beasts in the mountains.”

“And only a top-notch horse can ride and hunt in the forest. Because an ordinary inferior horse, upon smelling tiger urine or bear odor… its legs would turn to jelly, unable to run a step.”

Madam Wen urged her horse ahead; Baiyun was light and agile. Suddenly, with a forceful leap, it rose several meters off the ground. Baiyun again kicked off a tree trunk, ascending several meters higher.

The lady took down the treasure bow, nocked an arrow and shot. The arrow flew like a nimble snake, taking down a bear beast. Baiyun lightly landed, scattering snow in all directions, accentuating the lady’s valorous aura.

More than a hundred meters out.

The giant bear fell to the ground.

Li Xian praised, “Madam, your shooting is divine!” Madam Wen said, “I’ve already hunted one bear; if you take no bounty, you’ll lose quite disgracefully.”

Just as she was about to speak again.

Li Xian’s ears twitched, catching a strange sound. Although the horse he rode was of no plain quality and extraordinarily elegant, it couldn’t compare to “Baiyun.” He stepped onto the horseback, leaping high, drawing the bow and shooting.

Miles away, a big bear fell to the ground.

“Excellent archery!” Madam couldn’t help but exclaim, thinking to herself, “What a fine lad, what a spirit, what a demeanor. Pure in accuracy and archery posture, I am not his equal.”

Her heart was filled with unspeakable joy. Every year during winter hunts, she always hunted richly but inevitably self-fulfilled. Her game had no one to share with; her magnificent shots had no one to witness.

With a desire to win in her heart, Madam Wen said, “Good, that’s the skill I need to compete with. Keep up quickly.” She rode ahead again.

The two of them rode one after the other. Riding and hunting through the mountains, Madam felt invigorated and elated. Li Xian pondered, “It seems Madam sincerely wants to compete. In that case, I’ll go all out. If Madam is holding back her strength, using only archery, yet I still lose, wouldn’t it be too useless?”

They saw a colorful deer. Madam Wen exclaimed in delight, “What a colorful deer, what a good omen.” She immediately nocked an arrow and shot, the arrow flying mid-air.

Another arrow flew in, beating her to the shot, killing the colorful exotic deer.

Li Xian laughed, “Madam, I’m truly sorry, but I beat you!” He rode past, surpassing the Madam.

Madam Wen raised her eyebrows, chuckling, “Good boy, you’re quite the cheeky one.”

Courtesy demands reciprocity. The two urged their horses, running through the mountain and wilds. They saw a tiger beast drinking by the creek. Li Xian raised his bow to shoot, while Madam beat him to it, slaying the tiger beast.

Madam Wen said, “How is it?”

Li Xian said, “Letting Madam have it, what harm is there in that?”

“Hmph, you couldn’t beat me, yet you say you let it go. You cheeky brat, quick with your words. Let me punish you well after you lose.” Madam Wen playfully chided with a smile.

Though her tone seemed angry, she actually savored the moment.

The two chased deer. In the blink of an eye, it turned night. The winter hunts span three days, and they looked for a mountain cave to spend the night.

A temporary cease-fire.

Li Xian held the reins of his horse beast; after a day of riding and hunting, they were all sweaty.

Madam Wen said, “I shall teach you the art of geomancy; in the future, when you’re out and about, you can use this method to find concealed caves in the mountains.”

Arriving at a place. Madam Wen said, “Look at this place; the stone walls are mottled, eroded by wind and rain for years. Look at the mountain terrain; there must be a cave here.”

“But the cave is stuffy and damp, or has an underground river. Also, it’s a place where snake beasts and bats dwell. Such a place is good for hiding, but it’s not necessary for us to go.”

She pointed to the mountain conditions from afar. Following the path, they indeed found a cave. Surrounding it were poisonous snakes, reeking with a stench.

Madam Wen’s geomancy skills were profound. From mountain conditions and terrain, to the aspects of vegetation, she could discern where there were rivers, where there were caves.

Li Xian once accompanied his father, patrolling and hunting in the wilds, and also knew the trick to find mountains, seek caves, and explore water to find rivers. But it was all experiential knowledge, lacking understanding of the principles. Today, hearing Madam’s personal guidance and teaching, he suddenly realized, repeatedly feeling enlightened.

“Madam is so learned; when can I possibly gain even a fraction of it?” Li Xian sighed with emotion.

Madam Wen chuckled lightly, “You’re so talented and smart, you’ll learn it soon. I’m just afraid that once you’ve mastered everything and your wings have grown strong, you’ll fly away instead.”

“How could that be?” Li Xian retorted.

Madam Wen smiled without saying a word.

Soon they found a cave, spacious and airy, glowing with colorful halos inside, with stalactites in various shapes. It was like an Immortal Cave Mansion.

They decided to spend the night here.

Madam Wen sat cross-legged on the ground, practicing Inner Martial Arts.

Meanwhile, Li Xian was skinning the colorful deer, slicing the venison, threading them into skewers. He built a fire for roasting, sprinkling salt, grass materials… and various other items.

[Skill Level +2]

[Skill: Culinary Skill]

[Skill Level: 897/1500 Minor Achievement]

[Description: A casual preparation results in a rare delicacy. Your culinary skill has reached Minor Achievement, knowing how to make tasty dishes using all available ingredients.]

The colorful deer was an exotic gem from the mountains, its meat fresh and tender. Li Xian controlled the heat, making it crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with perfect seasoning.

The aroma of the meat wafted out.

Madam Wen stopped her inner cultivation, raising her eyebrows slightly.

Seeing Li Xian roasting venison, the fire reflecting on his face, the young man appeared quite mature. Her heart rippled, “This boy, in his exuberance, is truly captivating; when working steadily, he’s extremely reassuring.”

Li Xian finished grilling the deer meat, handing it to the Madam. Madam chewed slowly, savoring the sweet, fresh flavor, finding it very good. Despite her noble status, accustomed to gourmet food, this small barbecue possessed a unique flavor.

Madam Wen said, “When did you learn culinary skills?”

Li Xian said, “I figured it out myself. Does Madam find it tasty?”

“Exactly.” Madam Wen nodded lightly.

Nothing more was said that night.

The next morning arrived in a blink of an eye.

Frost and snow fell, but the weather seemed to warm again. Madam Wen mounted Baiyun, smiling as she said: “The competition isn’t over yet. If you defeat me, the matter of the hunting conflict will be wiped clean. I will even heavily reward you. But if you can’t win against me, I will heavily punish you.”

On the first day, Madam Wen hunted four deer, seven tigers, and five bears. Li Xian hunted three deer, six tigers, and six bears. In terms of game, they were about equal.

On the second day, Li Xian hunted seven deer, seven tigers, and seven bears. His heroic spirit and chivalry thoroughly displayed. Madam hunted six deer, eight tigers, and five bears, slightly falling behind.

At night during their rest, Madam Wen scolded: “You have a lot of nerve, snatching two of my bear beasts.”

Li Xian laughed and defended himself. The two chatted for a while, and Madam Wen said: “You, such impudence when your wings are not even fully grown. I wonder how you will treat me in the future.”

Li Xian said: “I will definitely treat Madam well.” He reached out to embrace her. Madam was tender and sweet, also feeling delighted.

Over two days, Li Xian learned a lot about geomancy. Looking at the mountains and rivers again, aside from the beautiful scenery, there were also the mountain forces and earth veins, with feng shui flowing through them.

The third day.

This day was to decide victory and defeat. Although Madam Wen was strong, she was sincere about this contest. As soon as dawn broke, she prepared for the archery contest of the day.

Bear Tiger Mountain stretches for dozens of miles, some peaks not belonging to anyone. Madam Wen said: “Baiyun, let this brat see your prowess.”

Baiyun snorted twice, its body emitting a white mist. Blue cloud patterns flowed over its entire body, its four hooves stepping and gradually leaving the ground. Potholes in snowy fields and obstructing grass along the way were all ignored.

It was as if they were flying through the clouds. Madam Wen shot several arrows in succession, hunting three strange bears at once. Li Xian refused to be outdone: “Madam said there would be punishment, and there surely will be.”

With sharp eyesight, he saw that this place was teeming with bear and tiger beasts, with an unusual number of bears. A quick glance, and he noticed bear beast tracks in the distance. Immediately he drew his bow and shot arrows, sending three arrows at once.

Three strange bears instantaneously perished.

Madam Wen seemed both to praise and scold: “Good lad.”

Their contest was delightful, but it was tough for the tiger beasts in the mountains.

…

Meanwhile on another front.

The bear beasts in Bear Tiger Mountain had increased, with Scale Armor Bears, Giant Power Bears, and Stone-Breaking Bears appearing one after another. This was not due to natural growth.

But rather from a month ago. An uninvited guest arrived in the forest. He had his own plans and used some method to create exotic bear beasts.

This day, he returned from being away and saw many of his bear children dead or injured, shocking and angering him to shout: “Who, who killed my beloved children?”

In a frenzy like a wild beast, he smashed rocks and trees, destroying everything in his path. Calming down, he realized the bears had not been dead long, the villain was nearby.

He searched high and low, climbing and leaping through trees, looking for the villain who killed the bears. Following the beast corpses in the forest, he searched along the path.

Finally, he saw two figures on horseback, out on a hunt. He cried out, coldly saying: “Filthy couple, filthy couple, I shall make you wear bear pelts, become my bear children.”

Ferociously jumping, he reached out a hand towards Li Xian, another towards Madam Wen.

He moved like a flying dragon, with great strength. His moves were simple yet exceptionally powerful. Li Xian, quick-witted, knew he couldn’t resist. He rolled off his horse to avoid the deadly move.

Madam Wen turned and extended a palm strike, gently imprinting it. The figure was startled, disregarding everything else, and immediately went on the defensive. This palm seemed light but was actually infused with complex Inner Qi circulation.

The figure flew backward, landing steadily on the ground. Li Xian was astonished: “I have never seen anyone who could take a strike from Madam. This opponent is formidable!”

He silently retreated behind Madam.

Madam Wen said: “Bear Lord?” She recognized the person and dismounted.

It turned out that this suddenly appearing individual was not an unknown figure but the notorious Bear Lord from the Red List.

He was eccentric by nature, rumored to have been raised by bears since childhood. Later, through a strange encounter, he stepped into the martial arts world. After cleansing himself, he showed his [Crimson Down Appearance], his body covered in crimson down.

This appearance was bizarre and fearsome, hence not well-received, he spent his days with bears. Later, he held a high position in a demonic cult.

Madam Wen arched an eyebrow and said: “So it’s you. So, the bears we hunted today, most of them were from your hand? I wondered why there were so many bears, and it turns out it was your doing.”

Bear Lord said angrily: “Wen Caishang, why did you kill my bear children!”

Madam Wen said: “Killed them, so what? You dare ask for an explanation?”

“Fine, fine, since it was you, I can’t do anything now, but this feud I will remember.” Bear Lord turned and left.

Madam Wen’s eyes flashed with sharpness: “Bear Lord is no weakling, meeting him now is likely no coincidence. I shall try to extract more information from him, if necessary, I’ll kill him right here.”

She said: “Bear Lord, why rush off? I didn’t know these strange bears were your bear children while hunting the mountains and fields. Cai Shang apologizes here.”

Bear Lord’s expression softened, greatly appreciative, “So you shall compensate me?”

“We are both in the same camp, why cause discord? At the grand banquet in the future, we’ll still need each other’s help.” Wen Caishang said: “If it’s not enough, you can catch some more people from the town, dress them in bear pelts, won’t they be obedient bear children listening to you?”

“Bah, bah, bah!” Bear Lord said: “You outsider, what do you know about the effort involved!”

He suddenly said: “You said we are in the same camp, could it be… you are also here for the Dragon Slaying Banquet?”

Li Xian thought to himself: “Again with the Dragon Appreciation Banquet and Dragon Slaying Banquet! Madam once said if I achieved minor achievement of the second level of Setting Sun Bloodsword, she would take me to the banquet. What kind of banquet is this?”

Madam Wen said: “Precisely, I and you are the same…” She suddenly flicked her sleeve, revealing a killing move.

A longsword emerged from her sleeve, as soft as a ribbon. The sword was peculiar, able to extend or contract, resembling both a whip and a sword.

The sword light flew across, instantly plowing several feet of sword marks in the ground. Bear Lord exclaimed: “Sleeve White Snake…”, wanting to retaliate, but the White Snake Soft Sword had already pierced his heart.

Bear Lord bled profusely, his blood astonishingly fragrant. Madam Wen proudly said: “How could a mere evil villain be worthy to associate with me.”

Li Xian asked: “Madam, what exactly is the Dragon Appreciation Banquet?”

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep