Forced to yield to the circumstances, the four merchants ultimately sold all their goods at a ruinous price, though it pained them to do so.

Of course, in return, they received the batch of various scrap iron parts stripped from the vehicles.

Watching the four men leave, Ah Gu sensed that something was wrong.

He immediately demanded, "What is the meaning of this? You’re going back on your word!"

Cao Biansheng gave him a cool glance. "Jia Liangcai was the one who made you a promise. What does that have to do with me? If you want those men killed, have Jia Liangcai do it."

With his world-shaking intellect, Cao Biansheng had easily figured out the key points. ’The core objective is to get the supplies at a low price! As long as we get the supplies, everything else is just a minor detail.’

Ah Gu finally learned the old man’s name. "Jia Liangcai, Jia Liangcai... I remember now!" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Thirty years ago, the Yingzhou Chief Historian wanted for treason was named Jia Liangcai! The wanted notice claimed that this Jia Liangcai had colluded with his people, the Rouruo.

’Isn’t he one of us, then? How could he conspire with this group to trick me? Damn these people from Great Yong, not a single one of them is any good!’

In the end, with a sour look on his face, Ah Gu traded away his goods at a low price, handing over two Longbows as well.

The only thing he felt fortunate about was that his identity as one of the Rouruo People hadn’t been exposed.

That made him feel a little better. ’At least this group keeps their word...’ My ass!

Watching Ah Gu storm off with his guards, Luo Gang clicked his tongue in amazement. He couldn’t help but look at the old man with a scholarly air standing behind Qin Ziwen. From start to finish, the whole affair had been orchestrated almost single-handedly by him.

’That kid, Cao Biansheng, was just used as a pawn, and he still thinks he’s a genius.’

Afterward, the three parties began to divide the goods they had just purchased.

First, the goods were split evenly three ways, as everyone had contributed an equal amount of scrap iron for the trade.

Second were the two Longbows. Since Qin Ziwen had played the biggest part in getting them at a discount, the other two sides tacitly agreed the Bows were his.

After stowing the two Longbows, Qin Ziwen casually dropped a bombshell. "While I was talking with him just now, I learned something. In their world, existences like ours have been appearing frequently in recent years. Given the scale of our own buildings, we shouldn’t be at a stage where they appear frequently yet."

Zou Jianghe said, "So you suspect that besides us, there are other Gated Communities."

Luo Gang said, "It’s not a suspicion, it’s a certainty. The structures from other Gated Communities are also frequently making contact with this dynasty. I suspect that in the future, we might end up competing with other Gated Communities, and we might even all descend upon this dynasty."

"That’s impossible..." Zou Jianghe frowned. A systematic, ancient feudal dynasty with uniformed, professional soldiers was in no way comparable to beasts that only followed their instincts.

If their grand army were to bear down on us, forget one Gated Community—even if we doubled our numbers, it would be difficult to resist.

"As far as I know, the Royal Family of the Great Yong Dynasty knows about Cards, and they also know about the existence of Home."

His words were like a bombshell.

The other two men silently processed this news.

"Alright, since the trade is done, I’ll be taking these goods back now."

Qin Ziwen returned to his residence with the goods.

This time, he had obtained a large amount of cotton, cloth, and herbs.

Every single one of these items was useful at the moment.

Qian Muzhen was both suffering and overjoyed. ’It’s rare for the lord to bring back so many herbs, but the quantity is a bit much. I’m so busy I can’t even catch my breath. It’s getting late, and I’m an old man. I can’t take staying up like this!’

Seeing this, Qin Ziwen called a few people over to help, but since they weren’t familiar with herbs, they only ended up getting in Qian Muzhen’s way. In the end, he shooed them all away.

It was nearly ten o’clock, and Du Yu still hadn’t returned. On the balcony, the sound of the Beaked Eagle landing could be heard; it had come back ahead of him.

Seeing the Beaked Eagle return alone, Qin Ziwen’s heart sank.

’Did something happen to him?’

After seeing its master, the Beaked Eagle opened its talons and dropped a blood-stained cloth.

Qin Ziwen quickly picked it up.

"On his return, Du Yu was blocked by a Raptor. After failing to drive it off multiple times, he killed it. Now, both man and horse are exhausted and cannot move the carcass. Please, my Lord, bring men to assist."

The piece of cloth looked like a corner torn from Du Yu’s clothing. Perhaps due to the limited space, the message was written concisely.

’As long as he’s okay.’

Qin Ziwen immediately gathered a group of people, brought along three wheelbarrows, and followed the Beaked Eagle’s lead, heading south.

Over half an hour later, they found Du Yu and the Mongolian Horse beside a large rock.

Upon seeing its master, Red Hare rushed over, its eyes welling with tears. It coquettishly nuzzled its head into Qin Ziwen’s chest. Then the horse turned around, lifted a hoof, and showed Qin Ziwen its raw, worn-down hoof.

Seeing this scene, the Beaked Eagle squawked indignantly in the sky.

But soon, its squawks were mixed with other cries.

A sound like the flapping of bat wings grew denser overhead.

The Beaked Eagle lowered its altitude and landed behind Qin Ziwen.

While it wasn’t afraid of a one-on-one fight, there were now several hundred of the creatures overhead.

"Careful, Winged Dragons!" Qin Ziwen shouted.

Everyone formed a circle, raising their Long Spears.

Overhead, a dense swarm of Winged Dragons circled like bats.

They were drawn by the Raptor’s corpse.

Several Winged Dragons made tentative dives, but they decisively pulled up and ascended whenever a Long Spear thrust at them.

Only one unlucky one failed to dodge in time. Carried by its own diving speed, it impaled its wing directly onto a spear shaft, like a sheet of paper being punctured.

The Winged Dragon struggled desperately on the spear shaft, its wings nearly slapping Yuan Ming in the face.

Qin Ziwu let out a great shout, swung his Long Spear, and slammed it—along with the Winged Dragon impaled on it—onto the ground.

The Winged Dragon, which weighed little more than ten pounds, couldn’t withstand such a heavy blow and was instantly knocked unconscious.

"SKRAW!"

"SKRAW!"

In the sky, the Winged Dragons were unwilling to give up their prey. They made intimidating screeches and periodically feigned dives.

Qin Ziwen and his group maintained their formation while slowly advancing northward.

The two sides remained at a stalemate for a long time. The Winged Dragons seemed to decide that the humans below were not to be trifled with and that lingering would only waste their energy. Following a lead Winged Dragon, they flew off into the distance.

It was nearly midnight by the time everyone returned to the Gated Community.

After a busy day, they gradually dispersed and went back to their own homes.

It was worth noting that the creature that had blocked the path at night was also a Desert Raptor. Although it was slightly smaller than the one hunted during the day, it still met the requirement of weighing more than twice his own weight. Du Yu’s progress for the Dragon Hunter title was now at two out of ten.

Du Yu handed two newly acquired Cards to Qin Ziwen. One was obtained from the southern altar, and the other was a drop from killing the Desert Raptor.

The two Cards were: [Enhancement Card] Human Physique Enhancement Card (One Star) and [Expansion Card] Blank Expansion Card (Minor).

After handing over the Cards, Du Yu went to wash up. He had bathed in some of the blood from the two dinosaurs he had killed during the day, which left him smelling strongly of blood and feeling sticky and uncomfortable.

"You have successfully survived in the wilderness for the thirty-fourth day. You obtained three Cards, participated in the hunt for a Flesh-Splitting Beast, and traded for some supplies... Comprehensive Score: 200 points."

"Reward granted: [Function Card] Level 2 Node Card x1."

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