Finally, he no longer had to travel on foot. Riding saved both strength and time.
When the white horse ran at full speed, it felt to Chen Sanshi as if its hooves never touched the ground—like he was flying through the air.
At this rate, he could easily travel 1,000 li a day.
Before he even realized how much time had passed, he had already reached Swallow-Edge Village. He called for Zhao Qiao to come along and tied the horse at Zhao's house before heading into the mountains.
The forest paths were rugged, and wild beasts lurked everywhere—it was impossible to ride a horse up there.
When they reached the creek, Wu Da couldn't hold back any longer.
"Uncle Zhao, why don't we just follow Shitou across the river? It's not like this mountain belongs to them! Why should we listen to those martial hall brats?"
"Yeah, I agree," Zhuang Yi said, scratching his head. "If we go with Brother Chen, they won't dare do anything to us."
"No!" Zhao Qiao said firmly. "Don't cause trouble for Shitou."
He pushed the two back, forcing them to leave.
Chen Sanshi didn't say anything.
It wasn't that he feared trouble—but rather, even if the martial hall people didn't dare act in front of him, what would happen after they separated?
He couldn't protect Zhao Qiao's group all the time. Between training and future battles, he had no time to guard anyone.
Unless he could make those martial hall men truly fear him from the bottom of their hearts, it was better to let them stay clear.
But that time hadn't come yet.
After parting with them, Chen Sanshi headed straight for the northern mountain depths.
He didn't stop even when he passed by game, climbing steadily upward until he reached the peak. From there, he scanned the surrounding ridges carefully.
Among them, one mountain stood out completely—it was entirely red.
The slopes were covered in maple trees, blazing like a sea of fire.
Normally, deer preferred to live in lush green forests full of food.
But a spirit beast was no ordinary animal. Its habits could be just as strange as its bloodline.
Since he'd already searched every green mountain without success, he might as well try the red one.
The two mountains weren't far apart—roughly 10 to 15 li.
As Chen Sanshi approached the maple mountain, he spotted many people from Tailei Martial Hall scattered around the foothills.
Among them was Wei Xu, whom he recognized, along with others who looked even more senior.
They wouldn't be gathered here for no reason. Clearly, they had found something. That meant he was in the right place.
Sure enough, when he got closer, he could hear them talking quietly.
"Yesterday afternoon, halfway up the mountain, Fifth Master almost caught the white deer!"
"But that thing's hearing is crazy sharp—it sensed us from several dozen zhang away! Jumped several meters high and vanished in the blink of an eye!"
"It must still be somewhere on this mountain."
"Fifth Master said we don't have to catch it ourselves. Just find its general range and we'll get a big reward!"
Even though they were whispering, Chen Sanshi heard every word clearly.
Jumped several meters high, huh?
No wonder its tendons could be used to make heavy bows.
If it had shown up here, then it must have left traces behind.
And even the smallest trace—he could find it.
With a clear target in mind, he hurried up toward the mid-mountain.
"Why's he here too?" Wei Xu exclaimed when he spotted the armored youth. His heart tightened. "Senior Brother, that's the guy I told you about—the one who killed a tiger on his own and shot me with an arrow! Damn it, what if he finds the white deer before us?"
"Then what are you waiting for? Start looking! That white deer is our ticket to fortune!"
If the old Hall Master's injuries could really be healed, even getting just one shop as a reward would set them up for life.
...
Halfway up the mountain, the maple forest glowed like a sea of red. Fallen leaves blanketed the ground.
Several arrows were stuck in the soil—a sign that someone had recently failed in a hunt here.
Chen Sanshi crouched down and began searching inch by inch around them.
Soon, he found it—a strand of white hair resting lightly on a crimson maple leaf.
Ordinary deer hair was stiff and needle-like.
But this hair was soft as cotton, even finer than down.
Every 30 steps or so, he found another few strands.
Following the trail, he crossed several groves, tracking the path from the mountainside all the way around to the far side of the peak—until the path abruptly ended at a cliff.
He lay flat on the edge, peering down.
The drop wasn't too deep, about 40 to 50 meters.
Fortunately, there were plenty of footholds. Using his Moves as Light as a Swallow agility, he climbed down easily, as nimble as an ape.
At the base of the cliff, the red world turned green again—lush forest teeming with life. Birds called, animals rustled, flowers and trees thrived everywhere.
It looked exactly like the kind of place a white deer would live.
Chen Sanshi opened the sandalwood box he'd brought. Inside was a jet-black, cloud-shaped spirit mushroom glistening faintly.
A soft breeze carried its unique fragrance through the air, refreshing his mind with a single breath.
It was indeed a treasure.
He set the mushroom in an open clearing, then concealed himself about 10 zhang away among the trees. He notched an arrow and drew his bow fully.
Keeping a two-stone bow drawn at full tension was exhausting even for strong men.
But Chen Sanshi did it because he knew the white deer's hearing was sharp beyond belief—it could likely detect the faint sound of a bowstring. That was probably why the Tailei Martial Hall had failed before.
Combining this with his Tracking and Hiding skill, he melted completely into the forest.
Even a bird fluttered down to perch on his shoulder, mistaking him for part of the trees.
He didn't have to wait long.
Roughly ten minutes later, a flash of white appeared.
A slender, radiant figure emerged silently from the cliffside—it was running up the nearly vertical rock face, its hooves finding invisible holds as if gravity didn't exist.
It lived halfway inside the cliff!
No wonder they hadn't been able to find it anywhere else in the mountain.
The white deer was clearly drawn by the spirit mushroom.
At first, it moved swiftly, but the closer it got, the more cautious it became—taking a few steps, stopping, then moving again. Yet, no matter how alert it was, it failed to notice the danger hiding in the shadows.
"Whizz—"
Just as its muzzle was about to reach the spirit mushroom, a sudden shift in the air made its ears twitch. In that same instant, it leapt straight up—over three meters high.
Unfortunately for it, the Wolf Fang Arrow struck first, piercing clean through its skull.
"Thud—"
The white deer died midair and crashed lifelessly to the ground.
"What fast reflexes," Chen Sanshi murmured.
If he hadn't drawn the bowstring in advance, he might not have hit it in time.
After climbing mountains back and forth so many times, he'd finally done it.
The resources from this one white deer would be enough to sustain his cultivation almost until the tempering bone stage, saving him a great deal of time.
Still, the journey down the mountain might not be peaceful.
Carrying a white deer down was like walking through a market holding a brick of gold.
At first, only one or two martial hall disciples trailed behind him. But soon, they multiplied like wolves drawn by the scent of blood—more than twenty followed close behind.
Unfortunately for them, Chen Sanshi was no naïve child.
Even if the gold was right in front of their eyes, none of them dared to make the first move.
"Even Fifth Master couldn't manage this!" Wei Xu muttered, staring at the hole in the deer's head. "How did he even hit it?"
"Forget that—stop him first!"
The eldest disciple, Huang Tao, stepped forward impatiently.
"Senior Brother, be careful," Wei Xu warned. "This one's petty—and ruthless."
"Ruthless my ass! You said he's just a Flag Officer, didn't you? I've already reached Major Achievement in tempering blood—why should I be afraid of him?"
Huang Tao shoved Wei Xu's hand away and strode up to block the path.
Chen Sanshi's expression didn't change. "What do you want?"
"Brother," Huang Tao said politely, cupping his fists, "we'd like to pool some silver to buy the white deer from you. We'll pay market price—fair trade, no loss to you. What do you say?"
"Not selling."
Chen Sanshi stepped to the side, intending to walk past him.
"Stop!"
Huang Tao's tone hardened. "If you won't give us this courtesy, you're not leaving here today. I advise you—"
Before he could finish, a flash of cold light sliced across his face.
"Pah!"
Something dropped to the ground.
For two stunned seconds, he didn't move. Then the pain hit—sharp and excruciating.
"My ear! My ear!!" Huang Tao screamed, clutching his bleeding cheek.
"You guys—still want to buy it?"
Chen Sanshi's tone was calm and steady as he drew back his willow-leaf spear.
He had struck so fast that the tip of the weapon hadn't even been stained with blood.
"Maniac! You're insane!" the martial hall disciples shouted, faces pale. "Our senior brother didn't even touch you—how could you attack him?!"
Didn't touch me?
Chen Sanshi sneered inwardly.
It wasn't that he didn't want to act—it was that he didn't dare!
That ear was a cheap price to pay.
"I'll kill you!"
Huang Tao roared, his Major Achievement-level qi and blood surging violently through his body. Ignoring the pain, he drew his long sword and swung it straight for Chen Sanshi's face.
"Stop!"
A thunderous voice cut through the chaos at the last moment.
A man around forty dashed in and blocked Huang Tao's strike.
"Fifth Master!"
The Tailei Martial Hall disciples instantly rallied around him, their fear turning into relief.
"Fifth Master, you came just in time! This kid—"
"Enough," the newcomer interrupted, his gaze fixed on Chen Sanshi. "You must be the Flag Officer chosen for the Elite Selection—Chen Sanshi, right?"
Ignoring the others' noisy complaints, he instead said calmly, "Good spear work. And good courage. Surrounded by so many, and you still dared to strike first."
"You saw it yourself," Chen Sanshi replied evenly. "Your men tried to force a deal. I was just defending myself."
So this was the fifth son of Tailei Hall's Master—Song Wu.
"They were in the wrong. They deserved that loss," Song Wu said grimly. "But Flag Officer Chen, you've likely heard—my father is wounded and needs a spirit beast to heal. Would you consider selling me the deer's heart? I'll pay far above market price."
"Not for sale."
Chen Sanshi's refusal was immediate.
He'd already asked Medical Officer Jiang—of all the white deer's parts, its heart was the most precious for cultivation, priceless and nearly impossible to replace.
Even with a mountain of silver, it'd be near impossible to find another white deer in time.
He planned to use this one to push his tempering blood to Major Achievement and prepare for the tempering bone stage. There was no way he would give it up.
Besides, he wasn't worried about them attacking.
If they really meant to rob him, they wouldn't still be talking.
"Farewell."
Hoisting the deer onto his shoulder, Chen Sanshi turned and left.
Song Wu watched silently, not making a move to stop him.
"Fifth Master!" Huang Tao shouted in disbelief. "Why did you stop me? You should've let me teach that brat a lesson!"
"Idiot! I just saved your life!"
Song Wu spat at him. "He sliced off your ear before you even reacted. You think you could last more than a few rounds against him?"
"H-He's just a Flag Officer…"
Only now did Huang Tao feel true fear.
A Flag Officer's strength was usually no more than Minor Achievement in tempering blood. He was Major Achievement!
"Useless!" Song Wu snapped. "Dozens of you—what good are you?!
"We've searched for a month and never even saw the white deer's tail. He climbs one mountain and kills it! Worthless, every last one of you!
"Now pick up that ear! I said pick it up!"
...
"Damn it, what a mess."
On his way down, Chen Sanshi's heart was heavy with frustration.
He hadn't killed those martial hall disciples only because he'd noticed Song Wu watching from nearby.
That man was at the tempering bone realm.
Outwardly, Chen Sanshi hadn't suffered any losses this time, but he knew the truth—Song Wu had held back only because of fear.
Not fear of him, but fear of those standing behind him—Thousand-Household Xiang Tingchun, the Grand Commander's Office, even Hundred-Household Wang.
But that wasn't enough.
Why should common folk have to bow to martial halls just to hunt a beast on their own mountains?
Seclusion!
Only strength could settle everything.
Those martial hall dogs lurking behind him day after day—it made his blood boil.
Next time, if they dared to follow him again, he'd make sure the ground ran red with their blood.