Chapter 5 Swamp Station

  "Hm?" Tang Lin looked at him, "Did you succeed in hunting down that thousand-year-old tree demon last time?"

  Hong Cheng let out a bitter laugh and said, "I really need to tell you this. Last time we went hunting, although there were warriors who went with us and they brought a large number of the talismans you sold us, but the power of that thousand-year-old tree demon was truly beyond our imagination. The warrior we invited almost lost his life at the hands of that monster. Recently, the Misty Swamp has been quite turbulent, so if you're going to go, be careful."

  Tang Lin's eyes sparkled with bright light as he nodded and said, "I understand, thank you for reminding me. I'll leave first."

  "Be extremely careful." Hong Cheng said worriedly.

  Tang Lin waved his hand and left the Red Carp Society, immediately heading towards the city gate, and soon passed through the guards' inspection, leaving Longxiang City.

  A vast moat, turbulent river waters.

  Tang Lin gazed at the lush greenery of the distant mountains, feeling a sense of exhilaration and freedom in his heart. From childhood to adulthood, this was his first time leaving Longxiang City.

  "The Misty Swamp is thirty kilometers west of Longxiang City." Tang Lin followed the geographical records taught by the Academy, and after leaving the crowded city gate, he quickly displayed his agility in a secluded area, jumping through the mountains and forests like a spirit monkey.

  "There are big mountains everywhere outside, and inside there are hidden ferocious beasts. Hunters should come to hunt frequently." Tang Lin was running wildly in the mountains, his hands grasping at vines between trees, when suddenly he felt a chill run down his spine as his hand closed around something cold and wet. He looked up to see that what he had grabbed onto was a bright green vine - but it was actually a poisonous snake!

  "Hmm!" With a slight exertion of his fingers, he pinched the venomous snake's Qi Hai (a vital point seven inches below the elbow).

  Crack!

  The skeleton shattered with a loud noise, and the venomous snake immediately went limp, its tail still twitching as Tang Lin casually threw it away.

  "It's a good thing I listened to Xiao Hui and refined some antidotes before leaving. Now, when encountering ordinary venomous snakes or demons, there's no need to be afraid at all." Tang Lin smiled to himself, quickly climbed over the mountain peak, and headed towards the direction of the misty swamp.

  Before long, Tang Lin arrived at the outskirts of the Misty Swamp, having run all the way and consumed a lot of physical strength. He was sweating all over and stopped on a hillside, looking far away to see a vast open space with a small village, like a temporary relay station.

  "Huh?" Tang Lin was curious, and after a few sprints, he ran to the outside of the post station. He saw that on several major roads nearby, people were constantly walking in pairs into the post station.

  Tang Lin discovered that most of the people coming and going were men, with robust bodies, either tall and strong or lean and agile. Each person wore leather or armor on their body and carried various different weapons in their hands.

  Tang Lin walked into the crowd and found that although this station was small, it had everything. There were several ironwork shops, craft shops, leather goods stores, as well as tea houses and taverns for people to rest. The streets inside were bustling with people coming and going, and there were many street stalls selling all sorts of strange and exotic things.

  "Dog tiger tooth, three two one grain, used to forge a dagger is the best material, only the last three grains, someone wants to buy."

  "Wolf skin, ten taels per piece, everyone come take a look, take a look..."

  Tang Lin followed the shouting stalls and saw rows of three-inch-long white teeth, still stained with fresh blood, apparently freshly obtained from a fierce beast and sold directly here. The bloody wolf skin emitted a strong bloody smell, dyeing the stall's fabric red.

  "My father once said that some martial artists, after training, specialize in hunting fierce beasts for money. I didn't expect there to be so many, but my father always said that practicing martial arts is only for strengthening the body, not for killing or fighting." Tang Lin's expression was excited as he looked around at everything and the faint scent of blood in the air, as if it made all his pores stand on end.

  "Is anyone there, we are the Red Carp Gang, and we need two senior martial artists to enter the swamp for hunting together." On a high platform, several young men with a red carp embroidered on their chest shouted loudly.

  The people around heard it was Hongyu Gang and immediately many people gathered over.

  "Where did this kid come from." Several passersby glanced at Tang Lin, and someone asked him, "Little friend, are you lost or has your home been raided by fierce beasts? Do you want me to escort you back home?"

  In a place like this, merchants often trade goods, but are robbed by fierce beasts, which is why the young man asked.

  Tang Lin shook his head and said, "I'm here for hunting."

  "Hunting?" The man noticed the crude leather on him and couldn't help but laugh, saying: "Little kid, don't your parents take care of you? You're so young and already out hunting, do you know how dangerous fierce beasts are?"

  Tang Lin did not want to say more and turned his head to look at the side.

  At this time, those few shouting Red Carp Gang youths suddenly saw Tang Lin. One of them rubbed his eyes hard and realized he wasn't mistaken. He was shocked for a moment before hastily pushing through the crowd to rush over to Tang Lin.

  "Tang Gongzi, how did you end up here? Are you here for hunting?" The young man looked at Tang Lin with surprise and delight.

  "Who are you?" Tang Lin looked at him in confusion, seemingly not recognizing this person.

  "I once served as a gatekeeper and saw you." The young man said happily: "I heard that you forced our Axe Team Leader to be helpless, and the master praised you as a young hero!"

  Tang Lin rubbed his nose.

  It seems like what happened that day has spread far and wide.

  "Lord Tang, come with us." The young man looked at Tang Lin with eager eyes and said: "We have a lot of experience hunting in the wilderness, we can definitely help you. Our leader has told us that if we meet Lord Tang outside, no matter what your request is, we will do our best to fulfill it."

  Tang Lin thought of Hong Xue in his heart, and his eyes flashed as he shook his head and said, "I want to go out and make a name for myself alone. Maybe we'll have another chance to be together later."

  The young man looked a bit downcast, but still smiled and said: "That's okay, Young Master Tang. My name is Zhang Lang. If you need anything, just give me an order."

  "Hmm." Tang Lin nodded slightly.

  The wolf chatted with them for a few words and then retreated, returning to the high platform to continue shouting.

  After he left, the eyes of the people around fell on Tang Lin, secretly remembering his appearance. Most of the people here were frequent visitors and many knew each other. Tang Lin's new face, combined with Zhang Lang's words, made them aware that this was a master who couldn't be trifled with!

  Zhang Lang quickly gathered a few people, because they were the Red Carp Society, with great prestige, and would not be betrayed by their own people during hunting, so everyone was willing to join.

  Tang Lin made a round trip in the post station and was about to leave for the Misty Marsh.

  "Little friend, are you here to hunt?" A smiling red-clothed girl with a curved knife on her back stood in front of Tang Lin.

  A warm smile and a beautiful face, these two things always make people feel good. Tang Lin, however, only took one glance at her before shaking his head and leaving directly.

  The red-clothed girl stared blankly, watching Tang Lin's departing back, lightly biting her lip, turned around and walked to an alley entrance, saying: "That little ghost isn't falling for it, no choice, let's go hunting."

  "This little devil is quite clever, and the beauty trick actually didn't work." Someone inside chuckled.

  "Hmph!" The red-clad girl was indignant.

  ……

  Leaving the post station and walking for about one or two kilometers is the misty swamp.

  Tang Lin raised his head to look, the lush withered trees blocked the sunlight, and the swamp was filled with a dark feeling, making people's mood shrouded in gloom.

  "The journey has begun." Tang Lin adjusted his backpack, and Xiao Hui and some items were all placed inside.

  Whoosh!

  A figure flashed by and darted into the marsh.

  According to the book, the swamp is full of mud pits and venomous snakes. This is my first time here, I don't know the map, it's best not to walk on land. Tang Lin thought to himself.

  He leaped into the air and landed like a feather on a large tree branch, swiftly sweeping towards the depths of the swamp.

  "There are too many people hunting on the periphery, I'll go inside to look for some demonic creatures." Tang Lin accelerated his flight through the branches of the big trees, heading straight for the depths of the swamp.

  A few thousand meters ahead.

  "Hmm?" Tang Lin suddenly stopped in his tracks, landing on a branch of the tree, his movements making no sound. He gazed down at a murky pool of water below, where a greyish-brown slab protruded from the surface. From the angle of the pool's edge, it would have looked like just a piece of wood, but from up in the tree, Tang Lin could see clearly that it was actually a massive alligator.

  "It's just a fierce beast." Tang Lin shook his head, "Too weak, I need to cultivate 99 dragon marks. Xiao Hui said that it must be done with the fresh blood of a demon, and the stronger the demon's blood is, the greater the power of the dragon mark will be."

  He flashed away directly and continued advancing.

  ……

  A waterfall by the side, a clear spring trickles.

  A small deer is drinking water by the spring, this little deer has two curved antlers on its head, and its body is covered with colorful spots, beautiful and magnificent.

  Tang Lin fell from the tree into the grass beside, saw a small deer by the waterfall, and was somewhat surprised. "There are actually such herbivores here, could it be that they are transformed by monsters?"

  "It's not a transformation." Xiao Hui muttered in the bundle, "It was originally a monster, this is its original appearance, and those patterns on its body are not patterns, but eyes. This monster is called 'Pi', it runs extremely fast, look at the three-pronged antlers on this Pi's head, it should be 300 years of Taoism."

  "Can I handle it?" Tang Lin whispered.

  Although a warrior from a living environment can deal with a thousand-year-old demon, different demons have different powers and strengths. Some demons only need to cultivate for hundreds of years, but they are more terrifying than those who have cultivated for thousands of years.

  "If it's about strength, it can't beat you. If it's about speed, you're no match for it." Little Gray said in a low voice: "Look at your luck."

  "Hmm." Tang Lin stared at that 'pi'.

  At the moment it lowers its head to drink water—

  Whoosh!

  The body shot out like an arrow off a bowstring, bursting forth violently and suddenly.

  ……

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