Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World-Chapter 120 - 97: Tragic Scene at Cang Mountain! Elders’ High Stakes Gamble! - Part 2
Chapter 120: Chapter 97: Tragic Scene at Cang Mountain! Elders’ High Stakes Gamble! - Part 2
He had already warned Gu Jinmu; it could be considered the utmost benevolence. Even if he revealed his suspicions, others might think he simply wished to avoid taking risks.
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Whether this situation was a danger or an opportunity was ultimately just Gu Sheng’s speculation. If Gu Jinmu listened to his advice and refrained from entering the mountains, but others reaped abundant rewards later, it might even lead to conflict—something unnecessary.
Life and death are determined by fate, riches decided by heaven. Gu Sheng only needed to concern himself with his own choices. Even if Zhang Ze and others refused to heed his words, he wouldn’t obstruct them.
Closing the courtyard gate, Gu Sheng focused on cultivating by himself.
All he needed now was to quietly wait for the arrival of the black market auction. Considering the earnings from the wild bear a few days ago, he could gather three hundred taels of silver before the auction, which should be enough to buy what he desired.
In the following days.
Gu Sheng stayed home training silently, undergoing two more medicinal baths. The effects of the Blood Nourishing Powder remained consistent for now.
However, Gu Sheng was beginning to notice the gradual weakening of the substance’s potency. In the future, if his flesh was to continue transforming, he would either need more Blood Nourishing Powder—or require even more precious medicines.
This inevitably meant needing more resources.
This realization gave Gu Sheng a headache, as he continuously calculated how he might earn more silver coins.
But this wasn’t something that could be resolved in a short span of time, so Gu Sheng could only steady his mindset.
Just when Gu Sheng thought he could peacefully wait for the black market auction, an unexpected turn of events occurred.
He hadn’t anticipated the accident would strike so soon.
After Gu Jinmu and others decided to enter the mountain, at least a dozen martial artists accompanied by hunters from the surrounding villages ventured in for hunting. Within just a few days, the atmosphere shifted dramatically, and as more people entered, many unknowingly approached the deep mountain.
This immediately led to a catastrophe!
In a single day, all those who ventured into the mountain—be they martial artists or ordinary folk—perished. Of those few who managed to escape, less than one in ten survived!
And those survivors had only made it out from the extreme outskirts.
The mountain woods were steeped with the scent of blood, filling people with dread.
Within the depths of the mountain, an unforeseen menace had appeared—a bloodthirsty Demon Fox. Provoked, it stormed down from the depths, slaughtering indiscriminately. Any human it encountered met a tragic fate: drained entirely of blood and flesh.
Even martial artists stood no chance; they were utterly powerless to resist.
Gu Jinmu did not make it out of the mountain.
When Gu Sheng received this news, he remained silent for a long time, inwardly relieved that he had withdrawn early—and grateful he resisted temptation. Otherwise, his fate might have mirrored Gu Jinmu’s!
Even from just the survivors’ accounts, it was clear this Demon Fox was beyond what martial artists of the Blood Refining Realm could contend with.
Gu Jinmu’s demise stirred little emotion in Gu Sheng—but what truly weighed on him was another name.
Zhang Ze.
Gu Sheng had spent recent days cultivating at home, yet he hadn’t expected Zhang Ze to join Gu Jinmu in venturing into the mountain.
"Asheng, Ah Ze—he..."
Gu Erniu’s eyes were slightly reddened. He and Zhang Ze had grown up together, frequently teaming up for hunts. Seeing Zhang Ze meet such a tragic fate pained him deeply.
Gu Sheng remained quiet as well.
Zhang Ze had been one of the people he connected with the most in Gu’s Manor. Though not as close as Gu Erniu, there was still a semblance of friendship between them.
With Zhang Ze gone, Gu Sheng couldn’t claim to feel no emotion at all.
"Ah Ze acted for the sake of his son. Gu Jinmu needed a hunter to guide him into the mountain and promised to share a portion of the gains. He approached me, but I wasn’t swayed—Ah Ze, though, was..."
Gu Erniu covered his face, anguish evident in his expression.
"Asheng, you clearly warned him, but still, Ah Ze..."
Gu Sheng lightly patted Gu Erniu’s shoulder, letting out a sigh.
This outcome was shaped by personality.
The very first time Zhang Ze went hunting in the mountains, his rashness almost got him skewered by a wild boar. That close brush with death may well have been fate.
Zhang Ze had always carried a gambler’s disposition. That wild boar hunt had scared him into restraint for a time, but habits are hard to change. When Gu Sheng rose to become a martial artist, all the hunters grew envious.
Both Gu Erniu and Zhang Ze secretly resolved to have their children pursue martial arts.
But resources are a challenge impossible to ignore.
To succeed in martial arts, money was essential. Thus, when Gu Jinmu came asking, Zhang Ze couldn’t help but be tempted.
Gu Sheng consoled him softly:
"From now on, we’ll do our best to help Brother Ze’s family..."
Gu Erniu nodded silently.
In this ruthless world, surviving without a man in the household was grim. No matter how much assistance others offered, certain things couldn’t be replaced—only their best efforts would suffice.
"Now it’s up to the manor to decide how to handle this."
With such tremendous loss, Gu’s Manor couldn’t possibly remain indifferent.
From Gu’s Manor alone, over twenty people perished, including several martial artists. The rest were hunters and herbal gatherers. Adding those from neighboring villages, the death toll exceeded a hundred.
...
Gu’s Manor Conference Hall.
The three most skilled individuals in Gu’s Manor, along with the clan elders, sat solemnly. Everyone had been informed of what transpired on Cang Mountain.
In truth, they had already caught wind of anomalous behaviors among large beasts a few days prior—but before they could respond, the calamity struck.
"What a pity about that boy Jinmu..."
An elder sighed.
Yet most people’s focus was on how to address the situation. Cang Mountain sustained numerous villages nearby; with the Demon Fox now entrenched, failure to deal with it would spell long-term troubles.
"This Demon Fox is not like the Demon Wolf discovered two years ago. It consumes Essence Blood; its demonic blood concentration must be far greater than that of the Demon Wolf. It’s not something martial artists in the Blood Refining Realm can handle."
