Through the vast forest, Fang Yuan advanced cautiously.
Sunlight filtered through the tall trees, casting dappled patterns of fragmented shadows.
Lush green grass carpeted the ground at his feet, and wildflowers bloomed in abundance.
Birdsong filled his ears, along with the gentle babbling of flowing water.
The further one strayed from the stockade, venturing toward the outer reaches, the more dangerous it became. That was why Fang Yuan was especially careful.
The wilderness was exceedingly dangerous. A Gu Master needed at least Third Transformation cultivation to venture out alone. But even that didn't guarantee safety — many Third Transformation Gu Masters had perished in the wild, and some at the Fourth Transformation as well. Fierce beasts, venomous insects, Gu insects, and the occasional bout of terrible weather could all bring about one's demise.
However, the wild boars Fang Yuan intended to hunt could be found right near the stockade. Otherwise, the mountain folk and hunters wouldn't have been able to occasionally catch them.
"The environment around the stockade gets cleared out by clan Gu Masters at regular intervals. For a First Transformation, Middle Stage Gu Master like me, this area is relatively safe. But I still need to be wary — wild beasts and Gu insects are mobile."
Relying on the experience of his previous life, Fang Yuan searched cautiously.
Time passed gradually, but Fang Yuan found nothing.
"Damn it. Qing Mao Mountain is still too vast for someone in my current state. I don't have any detection Gu, I'm unfamiliar with the terrain, and the areas near the stockade are regularly cleared out. Finding a wild boar here is just too difficult. I'll head to the foot of the mountain!"
Having found nothing, Fang Yuan immediately changed course and made his way toward the mountain's base.
Qing Mao Mountain had three major stockades: the Guye Stockade, the Bear Family Stronghold, and the Bai Family Stronghold. The Bear Family Stronghold sat on the front slopes, the Guye Stockade was positioned midway up the mountain, and the Bai Family Stronghold was located at the waterfall on the rear face of the mountain.
Besides these three major stockades, dozens of villages were scattered at the foot of the mountain, home to ordinary mortals.
The three stockades divided these villages among themselves, serving as their hidden overlords. Whenever they needed household servants, they would select them from these villages.
But they would never choose Gu Masters.
Gu Masters were only cultivated from within the clan. Even though they knew that among these mortal villagers there were individuals with cultivation aptitude — albeit in very small numbers — they still refused to take them.
This world placed extreme importance on blood ties. Keeping power within one's kin was the fundamental policy for a clan's stability.
Many stockades, in their desire to expand, carelessly incorporated outsiders into their ranks, ultimately leading to a leakage of power and internal strife, which caused them to fall into ruin or decline.
In any world, the foundation of political power was the military — that was a universal truth.
And the military was an instrument of violence, an embodiment of power. Only by mastering power could one gain status and authority.
Of course, the clan system was not entirely rigid. New blood was incorporated as well. Every year, outsiders would marry into the family and be freed from servitude. Their children would take the surname Gu Yue, becoming the new generation of clan members.
It was like a deep pool being fed by a stream. Don't underestimate that stream — without it, the pool would be stagnant water, rotting and stinking before long. With it, the water stayed fresh, and the pool would gradually grow larger.
Shen Cui, Fang Yuan's former personal maid, had been counting on exactly this — trying to climb the social ladder and escape her servile status.
Fang Yuan descended the mountain. After half an hour's walk, he could faintly see wisps of cooking smoke rising from below.
After walking a bit further, from a hillside with a wide view, he spotted a village in the distance, nestled along a small river.
The villages in this area were all under the rule of the Guye Stockade. Although they weren't as safe as the areas directly around the stockade, they were still periodically cleared of threats. Ordinary mortals could survive in such an environment, so for Fang Yuan, it was certainly acceptable.
"Hmm?" On the mountain path near the village, Fang Yuan keenly noticed tracks on the ground. Past experience told him these were the traces of a wild boar.
"After it!" Spirit lifting, Fang Yuan followed the tracks, gradually delving deeper into the forest.
Green moss and jade-like lichen blanketed the shaded stones, while ancient cypresses and towering locusts formed a dense canopy.
The summer forest, under the blazing sun, seemed all the more deep and secluded.
The thick undergrowth suddenly stirred.
Several mountain deer that had been grazing on the abundant grass immediately raised their heads, eyes warily fixed on the brush, ears twitching.
The half-man-tall grass parted, and a youth emerged from within.
The youth had pale skin, short black hair, and wore simple hemp garments. It was none other than Fang Yuan.
Swish, swish, swish.
The startled deer sprang into motion — their slender yet powerful legs carrying them forward in a combination of leaps and trotting strides. In an instant they dashed away, vanishing from Fang Yuan's sight.
"Those were all does. Their pelts could be skinned and made into warm leather jackets, and their meat served as food for certain Gu insects. Had they been bucks, their antlers and velvet would have been even more valuable — some varieties of golden-tipped velvet were essential materials for Gu advancement."
The wilderness was fraught with danger, but it also harbored abundant treasures.
Fang Yuan glanced in the direction the deer had fled, then withdrew his gaze. His target on this expedition was a wild boar, not these deer.
He pressed onward.
Buzz... buzz... buzz...