’I’ll just have to go find it myself, then. No need to ask anyone else.’

After chatting a bit more, Qin Fang subconsciously asked why they hadn’t come by in the last two months.

...He had been looking for them for two months, after all, so he held a bit of a grudge.

Old Li hadn’t expected Qin Fang to be so concerned about them. He smiled and explained that they had earned over twenty taels last time, which was enough to cover his family’s expenses for several months. Plus, it was currently the spring planting season, so they naturally had to stay home and tend to their fields instead of going into the mountains.

The mountains were dangerous, after all. This World was nothing like his previous one; ferocious beasts and venomous insects appeared frequently, and any one of them could be deadly. If they had any other choice, the Hunters wouldn’t be willing to venture into the mountains so often.

Only then did it dawn on Qin Fang...

’I’d forgotten it was the spring planting season.’

In this era, common people had to grow their own food.

After a bit more small talk, Qin Fang told them that if they had any game to sell in the future, they could bring it directly to his home.

Hearing this, the Hunters were visibly delighted. Having a regular customer was undoubtedly good news for them.

They all eagerly agreed.

After seeing the Hunters off, a glint appeared in Qin Fang’s eyes.

’Li Family Ao, Old Ox Back... Hmm, I should go take a look.’

’Was this Wild Boar King a freak of nature, or is there really something magical involved?’

That very day, he found Monkey and asked him if he knew of the place. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"Li Family Ao? I know it. It’s not far from here."

Monkey immediately confirmed that he did.

"I’ve never been there, though... but one of the brothers in the gang is from Li Family Ao."

Monkey finished, a bit puzzled. "Master, why are you asking about Li Family Ao?"

Now that he was getting more familiar with Qin Fang, Monkey was still respectful, of course, but he now dared to ask questions he wouldn’t have before when they chatted...

Most of the time, Qin Fang was actually very easy to get along with.

Of course... that was on the condition that you were one of his own.

Qin Fang shook his head. "It’s nothing... Can you bring that person here?"

"No problem."

Since Qin Fang didn’t answer, Monkey immediately dropped the subject. He went out and, before long, returned with the gang member from Li Family Ao.

He was a young man about the same age as Monkey, with dark skin. Upon seeing Qin Fang, he broke into a good-natured smile. "Master Qin."

Qin Fang looked him over, then nodded. "What should I call you?"

"Master Qin can just call me Xiao Qi," the young man said with a simple, honest smile.

...By now, Qin Fang was familiar with the faces of most members of the Fish Dragon Gang, but aside from Monkey, none of the others had ever had a proper conversation with him, so he didn’t know what to call most of them.

Qin Fang nodded. "You’re from Li Family Ao?"

"Yes."

"Do you know of Old Ox Back?"

"I do. Old Ox Back is pretty famous where I’m from."

"Can you take me there?"

"No problem!"

This Xiao Qi simply answered whatever Qin Fang asked, without asking any questions of his own.

When asked to be a guide, he agreed without the slightest hesitation.

This actually gave Qin Fang a rather good impression of him.

"Alright, then we’ll set out tomorrow morning."

Qin Fang was a man of action; once he decided to investigate, he wouldn’t delay.

"Okay. Should I come here and wait for you tomorrow morning?" Xiao Qi asked.

Qin Fang nodded.

Xiao Qi and Monkey left.

「The next morning.」

Qin Fang first practiced his Pile stance, watching his proficiency increase by another twenty-eight points.

His Pile Skill was now at 2,489 points...

The progress was very gratifying, to say the least.

’I hope this trip proves fruitful.’

He tidied up a bit and opened the door, only to see a figure squatting by the entrance.

Hearing the door open, the figure immediately stood up and greeted him, "Master Qin."

Qin Fang saw that it was Xiao Qi.

"Been here long?"

Xiao Qi gave a simple smile. "I got here before dawn. I was afraid I’d hold up Master Qin’s business."

Qin Fang raised an eyebrow and gave a slight nod, not saying much. "Let’s go."

"Alrighty."

The two of them left the marketplace and headed up a mountain path.

The direction toward Li Family Ao was completely different from the one toward Pingze City.

Now that the ice and snow had completely melted, the path was much easier to walk.

Xiao Qi didn’t say much along the way. He just led from the front, only replying with a sentence or two when Qin Fang spoke to him first.

From beginning to end, he never once asked what Qin Fang was going to Li Family Ao for.

About an hour later, Xiao Qi suddenly pointed to a cliff up ahead. "Master Qin, that’s Old Ox Back."

Qin Fang instinctively looked over and saw a tall cliff. The top of the cliff was curved, and from a distance, it really did look like a great green ox lying prone on the summit.

’So that Wild Boar King fell from there to its death?’

He nodded. The two continued on, and after crossing a few small hollows, they arrived at the foot of Old Ox Back.

Looking up from here, all they could see was an ordinary cliff; the shape of the ox was no longer visible.

"Where can we get to the top of Old Ox Back?" he asked after looking around.

"This way." As always, Xiao Qi had no questions, only answers.

He immediately led Qin Fang along a mountain path that wound its way up Old Ox Back.

From a distance, Old Ox Back hadn’t seemed very steep, but as they started the ascent, they discovered it was no easy climb. The slope was at a nearly seventy-degree angle, and if it weren’t for the dense trees they could use for leverage, it would have been truly difficult to scale.

Xiao Qi walked in front, using a Mountain-Cutting Saber to hack through the thorns and clear a path.

Qin Fang raised an eyebrow... He hadn’t even thought to bring a Mountain-Cutting Saber.

’This Xiao Qi is a meticulous one.’

"There doesn’t seem to be a path here... Do people rarely come up?" Qin Fang asked.

"Old Ox Back is too steep, and the top is completely bare. There’s no prey up there either, so yes, very few people ever go up," Xiao Qi answered honestly.