EFB Chapter 5 Mountain Pass and Mountain Guard
Chapter 5 Mountain Pass and Mountain Guard
The next morning, as dawn broke.
Chen Luo got up early, feeling exceptionally refreshed and full of energy.
The reason for this is probably that after mastering the Nine Yang Force, not only can it bring about an explosion of first-level strength, but it also obviously improves physical fitness.
That's how martial arts training works; through repeated tempering and training, the physical body can become stronger and stronger.
He had heard that some martial arts masters, not to mention their strength, could live twice as long as ordinary people.
After preparing some dry food and steamed buns for breakfast and lunch, Chen Luo did not delay and went straight to Beishan.
Beishan got its name from its location north of Qingshan County. Similarly, there are Xishan and Nanshan.
At the same time, because the deep mountains of Beishan are filled with miasma and unbearably humid, ordinary people cannot stay there for long, so it is also known as Qingzhang Mountain.
Snakes prefer damp environments, and in terms of the shallow mountainous areas alone, Qingzhang Mountain has the most abundant snake population among the three mountains.
Upon arriving at the mountain pass, Liu Zhengshan was still on duty today.
"Good morning, Brother Liu." Chen Luo greeted him, habitually taking five coins from his purse and handing them to him, "Today's mountain tax."
Chen Luo didn't know about other places, but in Qingshan County, in addition to the monthly taxes, hunters also needed to pay an extra five coins as a mountain tax each time they went up the mountain.
The mountain tax was mainly used as the salary for mountain guards like Liu Zhengshan.
This is similar to a protection fee, because there are many demons and wild beasts in the mountains. The reason why the foothills are relatively peaceful is mainly due to the pioneering and patrolling efforts of the mountain guards. Every year, there are even mountain guards who sacrifice themselves in the monster tides that break through the pass.
However, despite the danger, the income in the mountain guard is very high.
With subsidies from the county government, they ate government food. Even Liu Zhengshan, the lowest-ranking guard of the mountain pass, received a monthly salary of nine hundred cash, close to one tael of silver, after deducting miscellaneous taxes.
One of Chen Luo's small goals in learning martial arts was to join the Mountain Guard, just like many people in his previous life who wanted to take the civil service exam and have a government job.
However, the entry requirement for joining the Mountain Guard is the third level of the Nine Yang Force, which his current strength is far from sufficient.
Liu Zhengshan shook his head and did not accept the five coins Chen Luo offered. Instead, he took a piece of dried meat wrapped in a cloth and gave it to Chen Luo, saying calmly, "This is dried meat that Sister Wang made. She said it was to thank you for the herbs you sent yesterday. It's very effective, and Wang Lan's injury has improved a lot."
He paused, then added, "I also thank you on behalf of Wang Lan. Today's mountain tax is waived; consider it repayment for that medicinal herb."
"Hehe, it's nothing." Chen Luo didn't stand on ceremony and accepted the jerky with a smile, but he opened his mouth as if to say something and then stopped.
"Speak your mind." Liu Zhengshan raised an eyebrow.
"Well, it's like this, if you were to sell that herb, it would fetch about thirty coins."
Chen Luo extended his hand to Liu Zhengshan, chuckling somewhat sheepishly, "If you really want to repay me on behalf of Brother Wang, you'll have to give me another twenty coins."
Liu Zhengshan remained expressionless, making a gesture as if to roll up his sleeves. "Say it again."
"Just kidding, just kidding." Chen Luo quickly ran away.
But to his surprise...
After a brief moment of anger at his joke, Liu Zhengshan pondered for a moment and then actually took out a string of coins from his pocket.
"Here's a little over a hundred coins. I remember you owe a lot of miscellaneous taxes. I'll lend you this money to tide you over for now."
"You've probably heard that the regulations stipulate that this year's mountain service will be collected from those who owe taxes. I remember you seem to owe quite a bit of taxes," he added.
Chen Luo paused for a moment, hesitated slightly, but finally accepted the string of coins and said earnestly, "Thank you, I will pay you back as soon as possible."
"Just pay it back as you see fit," Liu Zhengshan waved his hand, somewhat dismissive of Chen Luo's words.
As the mountain guard who was responsible for checking Chen Luo's snake-catching harvest every day, he was well aware of how meager Chen Luo's income was.
Even his taxes were in arrears, so he didn't expect Chen Luo to pay off the hundred-odd coins anytime soon.
I only offered my help because we've known each other for a long time, I have a good impression of this guy, and I'm financially well-off.
Chen Luo naturally noticed Liu Zhengshan's indifference and felt somewhat helpless.
He wouldn't really want to accept it unless absolutely necessary, since lending money can hurt feelings, but he really needs the money.
Unfortunately, although he now possesses the innate talent of "vertical pupils," it remains uncertain whether he can earn 480 coins within seven days.
"But I'm sure I can earn more than before, and it shouldn't be difficult to pay off this loan as soon as possible," Chen Luo thought to himself.
After passing through the mountain pass, we followed the mountain path into the mountains and arrived deep in the lush forest.
There are several streams here, the source of which is probably deep in the mountains. Most of Chen Luoping's snake-catching catches are concentrated in this area of about ten miles.
He approached the stream and began the first step in catching the snake: searching for it.
Snakes are solitary, cold-blooded animals with a limited distribution. They are also adept at camouflage, so hunters generally rely on luck to catch wild snakes. They catch them if they happen to encounter one, and if they don't, they consider it a loss.
Therefore, although snakes are very valuable, with their gallbladders, molted skins, and venom having medicinal value, and their meat being sold to taverns, few hunters actively seek out snakes, except for snake catchers like him, and even if they wanted to, they couldn't find any.
Therefore, the ability to find snakes is the most important skill that distinguishes snake catchers from ordinary hunters.
Chen Luo has extensive experience in finding snakes and knows that the key to finding snakes lies in identifying traces. You need to carefully observe the subtle changes in the dead leaves and soil on the ground, and use various clues to determine the snake's whereabouts, and then follow the traces to track it.
Even so, he often returned empty-handed from catching snakes.
One reason for this is that the snake escaped when it was captured.
The other half is that he simply couldn't determine the snake's movements.
For example, on rainy days, the rainwater will disrupt the traces left by the snakes. Or in winter, snakes don't come out at all, so he can only rely on experience and luck to find the burrows where snakes hibernate.
This illustrates the difficulties faced by snake catchers.
But the current situation is different.
"With the dynamic vision aid provided by vertical pupils, finding snakes and such might be simplified."
Chen Luo muttered to himself, silently closing his eyes. When he opened them again, he quietly activated [Vertical Pupil].
In an instant, the entire forest seemed to slow down again in his eyes, and every rustling of grass and the wind around him became sluggish.
Despite having tried it last night, Chen Luo still found the change novel. However, since the vertical pupils had a limited duration, he had to find the snake as soon as possible and didn't have time to savor the wonder of it.
He looked around intently, and soon his gaze settled on a patch of grass about three zhang away.
There's a problem.
The surrounding haystacks were either swaying gently in the wind or relatively still, but that particular patch of grass was trembling slightly at a strange frequency.
It looks like it's been bitten by some kind of animal.
This tremor, which would normally be almost imperceptible, becomes particularly noticeable with the help of the vertical pupil's ability to perceive movement as stillness.
Unlike the movements of snakes, snake catchers do not only catch snakes.
Chen Luo cautiously approached, and when he got close, he seized the opportunity and swiftly grabbed and lifted the grass!
—Swoosh!
A rabbit appeared in his hand.
It was still a big, fat gray rabbit, constantly struggling with its legs outstretched in the air. It was heavy and a bit difficult to hold in my hand.
Chen Luo stared wide-eyed. Good heavens, this must weigh at least ten pounds!
It's worth noting that rabbit meat is even more gamey than pork, and its value is lower, but a ten-pound rabbit can still sell for at least 70 coins.
70 coins!
This is just the warm-up stage, and you've already got 70 coins?
Chen Luo's lips unconsciously curled up, revealing a hint of joy from the harvest.
At this rate, it's really possible to collect 480 coins in five days.
"This rabbit should still have a family."
He tied the rabbit's legs in pairs with dry grass into tight knots, threw them into the bamboo basket and covered it, then bent down to continue carefully observing the surrounding movements.
After a long while, they still couldn't find a second rabbit nearby.
It turned out it was also an orphan. Chen Luo felt a little regretful and was about to remove the vertical pupils to rest and recuperate.
However, the next second, his gaze suddenly sharpened.
He grabbed a thick wooden stick with his right hand and swung it hard at the trunk of a nearby camphor tree!
--boom!
With a muffled thud, a long snake seemed to appear out of thin air and landed on the ground.
Its scales are grayish-brown all over, with dark triangular spots that resemble bark cracks, blending perfectly with the nanmu tree, making it extremely difficult to distinguish with the naked eye.
But when it lands in a patch of green grass, it suddenly becomes conspicuous.
But after it landed, it did not fall down. Instead, it quickly turned its spear-shaped head, stood tall, and stared at Chen Luo with its cold eyes, its tongue flicking out and hissing.
Chen Luo was delighted when he saw its appearance clearly.
Grey-headed viper, 80 coins!