Chapter 52: Turned into Jerky

As expected, the scene was exactly as Aunt Niu had described. Everywhere lay the twisted corpses of wild beasts, sprawled chaotically across the ground!

At that moment, at the outermost edge of the Nanling Mountains, numerous powerful figures arrived, riding magical artifacts. Representatives from all the major factions had been dispatched. The aura of a Supreme fluctuated subtly in the air.

On a treasure ship, an elder gazed into the distance, a flute strapped to his back. No one knew what he was pondering.

“Brother Qin Ming, the Nanling Mountains have finally been opened. Do you think the treasures left behind by our ancestor will also appear this time?” Another elder quietly approached Tie Ming, carrying a brush tucked at his waist, clearly someone who painted. There remained a trace of fervor in his eyes.

“Indeed, but do not forget—the things left by our ancestor can only be claimed by the younger generation. We have no hope at all,” Tie Ming warned, his tone admonishing.

“I know. Our disciples are the top talents of the Sacred Land. Who in our faction can compare to them?” The other elder scoffed, his words full of disdain.

“Hah, you seem to have forgotten that old Zhou brought his two young disciples here days ago. Though Zhou has passed, his two disciples are far from ordinary. In the arts of music and painting, they are unrivaled,” Tie Ming glanced at his companion and spoke.

“That’s no concern! Without even a Supreme above them, what right do they have to join this contest?” The elder dismissed the notion even more disdainfully.

He waved his hand and addressed the two behind him. “Haoming, Zhuxin. Go find Huanyue and Ruofeng. They should return to visit their master now.”

“Yes!” The two replied, cupping their hands.

…

In the mountain village.

Zhu Xiaoyuan, accompanied by Ruofeng and Huanyue, walked to the entrance of the village. They looked toward the Nanling Mountains, momentarily stunned.

Once, Nanling was famed for its beauty; now the mountains had collapsed, the earth cracked, and a pervasive sense of death lingered everywhere. Trees had toppled, rocks scattered, and the air was thick with the metallic scent of blood.

The expressions of Zhu Xiaoyuan and the others were grim. Who knew how many creatures had perished in this catastrophe to cause such turmoil?

“What happened here? Is this a divine punishment from the heavens? How could something so terrifying occur?” Ruofeng stared in disbelief.

“We were lucky to spend yesterday in this small village. Nothing happened to us. Otherwise, we might have died in there!” Huanyue’s eyes were full of fear. The scene was simply too dreadful.

At this moment, their respect for Zhu Xiaoyuan deepened. Had they not met him that day, or had he not brought them into the village, would they have already met their end?

This was the foresight of Elder Zhu!

Both young women were filled with lingering dread.

“Ruofeng, the Nanling Mountains suffered such upheaval, but we didn’t feel a thing last night…” Huanyue blinked her large eyes in confusion.

Ruofeng turned to Zhu Xiaoyuan and said, “As long as our master is here, no harm can ever come near him. We are by his side, so we are completely safe!”

“Did you not notice? Of all places around the Nanling Mountains, only our village remained untouched. It’s as if nothing happened at all. Even the villagers only discovered the collapse at dawn—they knew nothing during the night!”

“So our teacher merely resides here, and even disasters dare not approach?” Hearing this, Huanyue’s mouth fell open, her eyes wide with awe.

Once again, they looked at Zhu Xiaoyuan, their gaze filled with shock, disbelief, and reverence.

This was the demeanor of a true master—simply living somewhere, without even lifting a finger, and no calamity would ever dare approach.

“I understand now! Didn’t Aunt Niu say today that all the beasts died around our village? These creatures possess spiritual awareness; they must have realized the village was a sanctuary, so they tried to enter to escape the disaster!”

“But they could never get in. Without our master’s permission, not even in death would they have a chance to enter!” Ruofeng glanced at the heaps of beast corpses outside the village.

Legendary exotic beasts lay piled together—the land turtle was as large as a house, its shell hard as iron, adorned with strange patterns; there were enormous birds, as tall as trees when standing upright, their feathers bristling.

Many spiritual beasts seemed to have died at the village gate in an instant. Driven by terror, they never set foot within, perishing just outside.

“I bet the meat of these beasts must be tough—just look at the tightness of their hides!” someone exclaimed.

“Don’t mention it. Come look—my blade has a notch, but not a mark is left on this hide.”

“I reckon even if we chop some off, our pots won’t be able to cook it!” another grumbled.

“My firewood axe broke long ago, but the knives little Zhu made for us work well. We should have him forge a few more someday!” the villagers chatted noisily.

For them, the village’s isolation meant self-reliance. Now, after the earthquake, so many beast corpses appeared nearby—it was as if heaven had bestowed them a blessing!

They would feast well! Even if much of it was inedible, they could cut it up for other uses.

“Everyone, keep at it! Think about it, with so much meat, if we turn the surplus into jerky, it’ll last us a year!” a villager called out cheerfully.

“No way! Those are mammoths, the ten-thousand-mile Kunpeng, and the longevity turtle! All spiritual beasts, at least sub-Supreme in strength. Now, not only have they died tragically, but they’re being chopped up and dried by villagers?”