Mountain and Sea Demon Martial Arts, Starting with Vertical Pupils

A few days later, at Qingzhang Mountain, at the mountain pass.

Zhou Xiaoliang, dressed in light armor of a mountain guard, reached out and blocked their way with a spirited air. "Pay the mountain tax of five coins before you go up the mountain, or don't blame me for being impolite."

"I didn't bring any money, could you pay for it for me?"

Chen Luo rolled his eyes at him, slapped his hand away, and ignored him as he carried his bamboo basket across the mountain pass and onto the mountain path.

Having not gone up the mountain to catch snakes for many days, and having been eating meat almost every day, Chen Luoyu didn't have much money left, which is why he came to Nanshan to make a living.

He should have come much earlier, but because the roar of that beast that day was truly terrifying, he dared not make any rash moves. He only dared to come after the other restless hunters came to Qingzhang Mountain to hunt and returned safely.

However, it is early winter now, which is not a good time to catch snakes.

Although the snakes in this world are quite different from those in the previous world, most snakes still hibernate and are not easy to find when they are hiding in their burrows.

Chen Luo was still at the foot of the mountain when he saw withered grass lying on the ground. The further he walked along the mountain path, the frost-covered grass became sparser and the colder he felt.

The branches of the trees were also bare, and the remaining leaves fell with a rustling sound when the wind blew, creating a somewhat bleak scene.

When they arrived at the mountain stream, they used their vertical pupils to look around, but they could not see any active prey, only the sound of flowing water.

Chen Luo had anticipated this.

There's no way around it; that's how it is in winter, especially in the mountains. Snakes, rats, and rabbits almost always stay in their burrows, storing up a lot of food for the winter, and they hardly come out until spring.

"We have no choice but to go to the back mountain," Chen Luo said helplessly.

The foothills of Qingzhang Mountain are divided into the front and back mountains. The back mountain is closer to the deep mountains and covers a much larger area than the front mountain. Even in winter, you can encounter prey such as deer, foxes, raccoons and boars.

Correspondingly, the back mountain will be more dangerous, especially in the winter when food is scarce, as large wild animals such as tigers and wolves may break in from the deep mountains.

The predecessor almost never went to the back mountain.

After all, snake catchers are called snake catchers in a sense because they are not good at dealing with other prey.

The back mountain is often a place where many experienced hunters travel together. They are more or less skilled in combat and are equipped with raincoats, crossbows, and even hunting dogs and falcons.

However, Chen Luo felt that he was no longer the same as before. Not only had he achieved minor mastery of the Ninefold Strength, but he also had the assistance of the Vertical Pupil. Going to the back mountain occasionally should not be a big problem.

With this in mind, he still searched around the mountain stream for a while, but only caught a small wild rabbit. Finally, he made up his mind to go to the back mountain.

Following the mountain stream upstream, after about half an hour, Chen Luo faintly heard the sound of birch bark whistles.

The birch bark whistle is a sophisticated hunting technique that uses birch bark to mimic the calls of various birds and animals, thereby attracting prey.

It looks like they've reached the back of the mountain, and there seem to be other hunters in the area where he is.

Chen Luo silently put away the wooden stick and replaced it with a wood-chopping knife.

On the one hand, it was to prevent unexpected encounters with wild animals, and on the other hand, it was to prevent other hunters from entering.

The back mountain was actually beyond the control of the county government. Unless a passing patrol guard witnessed it, anyone who died in the back mountain, even with a knife stuck in their chest, would be presumed by the government to have been killed by a wild animal.

In my memory, my predecessor's father instilled in me the principle that "there is no good or bad in the mountains, and you can know a face but not a heart" from a young age. It seems that being cautious is the right thing to do.

Chen Luo arrived near the stream, took a piece of dried meat, chewed it, rested for a while, and then used his vertical pupils.

At first glance, and soon with the effect of seeing night as day, a striking dark patch appeared on the sunny side of a gravel slope.

The sunny slope revealed a dark, shadowy spot, undoubtedly a beast's den.

Chen Luo tiptoed closer and indeed found a small round hole, about half a foot in size, hidden behind pebbles and dry grass.

He could still see the yellowish sheen on the dry grass stems at the entrance of the cave, and he immediately realized that this must be a fox den.

Foxes will make a point of cleaning up the feces near their dens, but they are not able to clean up the fox oil that comes off their belly fat. This amount of fox oil is almost imperceptible, but fortunately, Chen Luo has the ability to see in the dark as if it were daytime, so he can recognize it at a glance.

Even though he knew it was a fox den, Chen Luo didn't have high hopes of catching anything.

There's nothing we can do. Foxes are cunning by nature, and their dens are often empty. Who knows if it's even in this den?

But even so, we still have to give it a try.

To catch foxes, rats, and rabbits that hide in burrows, the usual method is to block the burrow entrance and smoke them out with soot, but this requires at least three hunters working together, which he couldn't do alone.

But it's different for martial artists who have achieved a minor level of mastery in the Nine Yang Strength.

Chen Luo searched around and found a stone of similar size. After picking it up, he suddenly activated the triple force of the Nine Yang Force and slammed it down on the slope of the cave.

Fox dens are often protruding. When a stone is thrown into a den with a force of over 500 pounds under the force of the explosive energy, a loud bang is heard, and the soil and rocks fly everywhere, and the den collapses.

Chen Luo glanced over and indeed saw the outline of a fox trail, but did not see any foxes.

He had anticipated this outcome, and had no choice but to continue his search elsewhere.

He then found several more holes, which he smashed down one by one with stones, but he still couldn't find any trace of the fox.

"How cunning!" He was so angry that his teeth itched, until he finally discovered a certain cave entrance, and Chen Luo had a sudden inspiration.

This cave entrance was different from the fox dens he had encountered before. It was located on a slightly flat, shady slope and was almost completely covered by dry grass and many dead leaves. It was extremely difficult to spot at first glance. Even with his ability to see the night as if it were day, he almost missed it and could only see a black gap about three fingers wide.

He crouched down and looked around, but found no yellow stains or oily sheen outside the cave.

"It doesn't seem to be a fox den."

Chen Luo carefully used a stick to lift some fallen leaves, and upon closer inspection, he couldn't help but be taken aback.

Once the disguise was removed, the three-finger-length hole was fully exposed, actually about the size of two fists. With his enhanced night vision, he could see that the hole was half a zhang deep, and there were several small, thorny fruits growing there.

As a snake catcher, Chen Luo recognized the small fruits almost instantly.

Snakeberry, also known as wild strawberry.

He was immediately pleasantly surprised.

As far as he knew, snakeberries in this world often lived in symbiosis with snakes, with snakeberries consuming snake saliva and snakes nourishing themselves with snakeberries.

Furthermore, very few snake species can produce wild strawberries. Each type of wild strawberry has extremely high medicinal value and sells for a high price. The wild strawberries he discovered alone would probably be enough for him to live a life of luxury for half a year.

Fortunately, the snake's den was well hidden and was not discovered by other hunters, which secretly pleased Chen Luo.

At the same time, since wild strawberries and snakes live in symbiosis, you can often tell what kind of snake it is by looking at the shape of the wild strawberry.

Chen Luo stared intently at the snakeberry, but the snakeberry was quite deep inside the cave, and in the darkness, he could only see its outline, which was difficult to discern from the outline alone.

After thinking for a moment, he picked up his machete, intending to cut down a wild strawberry plant to examine it.

Wild strawberries need good ventilation to grow, so they grow near holes.

As for the snake that owns the wild strawberry, it is probably still hibernating deep inside its den.

He was practically lying on the ground, pressing his hand against the hole, and slowly inserting the machete inside.

But the next second, as if he saw something, Chen Luo's expression changed drastically. He suddenly jumped up and ran away.

Almost the instant he leaped away, a scarlet snake shadow suddenly darted out from where he had run!

The snake was about a foot thick and twenty feet long, a huge creature. Most frighteningly, its head was topped with a cluster of red flowers, like a bright red rooster's comb.

As Chen Luo fled, he glanced back and realized that despite his quick reflexes, the snake was getting closer and closer to him as it slithered away. His expression immediately turned grim.

The snake was called the Cockscomb Red. It was non-venomous, but extremely violent by nature, with astonishing constricting power and high strength and speed. Even a fully grown Cockscomb Red could not be afraid of lions and tigers.

In short, this thing has basically transcended the category of snake and can be called a ferocious beast.

Chen Luo really couldn't understand why he would pull out a cockscomb red substance from a random hole he made.

Cockscomb red roosters are usually only found in deep mountain areas, but this one was spotted in the back mountain. Upon closer inspection, it's highly likely that it was scared away by that mysterious beast's roar and came to the back mountain to spend the winter, and then he just happened to find it.

I don't remember my predecessor ever seeing this thing. I only heard my elders mention it, saying that the crested snake is one of the most dangerous snakes. The only snake species more dangerous than the crested snake is the snake demon.

Its most notable characteristic is its extreme aggression; it is vengeful and will never let go of its prey once it has set its sights on it.

Looking at it now, it's really true. Even though he ran far enough, that red cockscomb behind him kept chasing him.

"You're insane!" Chen Luo cursed angrily.

He couldn't outrun the cockscomb red cockscomb, and it looked like the cockscomb red cockscomb would catch up with him in just a few seconds. If he turned his back to it, he would definitely be a lamb to the slaughter.

Since we can't run away, then we won't run!

He gritted his teeth, abruptly stopped, and turned to face the rooster-comb red that was rushing towards him.

The Mountain Guard uses the Nine Yang Force Triple Force as the threshold, and this is not without reason, because the combined force of the three layers can unleash a force of several hundred kilograms, which is enough to give a person the initial qualification to challenge a ferocious beast.

It might be a stretch to deal with a ferocious beast like the Cockscomb Red, but with the help of vertical pupils, it might be possible to put up a fight.

Especially since he can't outrun the rooster-like bird, and he can't escape now, he has no choice but to fight it head-on.

Seeing its prey stop, the red-crested rooster did not slow down at all, but instead accelerated again, its blood-red snout flying like an arrow to bite!

This pounce was incredibly swift, covering the two-zhang distance in the blink of an eye!

With the aid of his ability to perceive movement as stillness, Chen Luo caught the fatal trajectory in time and rolled to the side at the last possible moment.

A foul stench swept past my face!

The crested rooster missed its attack, but without pausing, it turned and lunged at Chen Luo fiercely again. Chen Luo rolled around in a sorry state, narrowly avoiding the attack once more.

Having missed twice in a row, the cockscomb red was already furious. The color of its crest deepened, and it flicked its tongue wildly, locking onto Chen Luo. However, it paused briefly for two seconds because of this.

These two seconds gave Chen Luo a chance to catch his breath and adjust.

He scrambled to his feet as fast as he could, gripped the machete tightly with both hands, quickly took two steps back, spread his legs, and stared intently at the rooster-comb red.

With even greater speed and fury than before, the crested rooster leaped into the air and pounced for the third time!

The first two attacks had taught Chen Luo to anticipate the chicken's attacks. Before the rooster with the red comb could move, Chen Luo moved the moment its comb stood up.

Instead of retreating, he charged forward towards the crested snake. Just before they collided, he twisted his shoulder and turned to the side. The violent lateral movement almost tore his shoulder muscles apart, but he ignored the pain. As the crested snake brushed past him, a triple burst of energy suddenly erupted from his arms. The woodcutter's knife in his hand turned into a cold light and stabbed straight into the softest part of the snake's body with perfect accuracy!

"puff!"

The sharp blade pierced through the scales and muscles, and the immense inertia made it impossible for the crested snake to stop its forward momentum. The machete, like a zipper, slashed open the snake's belly from the point of entry, and blood and internal organs gushed out!

Chen Luo gritted his teeth, his arm muscles bulging, and held the knife handle tightly, letting the terrifying force almost knock him down.

"hiss--"

The cockscomb snarled with extreme pain, and with a whooshing sound, its thick tail lashed out like a steel whip at Chen Luo's left arm!

Chen Luo gripped the wood-chopping knife tightly with both hands, leaving him no way to dodge!

--boom!

A tremendous force slammed into his left arm, sending him flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into a thick tree trunk.

Unable to suppress the urge to spit out a mouthful of blood, Chen Luo felt as if his internal organs had shifted, and his whole body was in excruciating pain, but he dared not loosen his grip on the knife in the slightest.

He endured the excruciating pain, struggled to sit up, held the machete horizontally in front of him, and warily looked at the long snake in the pool of blood.

The crested red snake's belly was wide open, blood gushing out, yet its ferocious head remained fixed on Chen Luo.

The man and the snake were locked in a final standoff.

However, a few seconds later, the enormous snake body twitched violently a few times before crashing to the ground and then fell silent.

"Dead?"

Chen Luo stared intently at the red cockscomb, and after a moment of confrontation with the corpse, he finally breathed a long sigh of relief when he saw that it had indeed stopped getting up.

"That was close... Ah!" he exclaimed. But as soon as his tense nerves relaxed slightly, a wave of excruciating pain washed over him, making it hard to breathe, especially in his left arm, which he felt might be broken.

The blow from the snake's tail had really hurt him.

But now was not the time to recover. Chen Luo struggled to get up, thinking of giving Cockscomb Red a few more cuts.

Suddenly, he stopped abruptly and turned his gaze sharply to the east.

He noticed a slight change in the light and shadow to the east, indicating that something was approaching and was very close. He knew he couldn't avoid it now. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, gripped the woodcutter's knife in one hand, and stared intently at the east.

Before long, two figures appeared.

There were two men. When Chen Luo saw one of them, he was surprised and his heart tightened slightly.

"Brother Chen, it's you?"

One of them was Lin Zhou, whom he had met at the tavern a few days ago. He was very surprised to see Chen Luo, saying, "I heard a commotion from far away, but I didn't expect it to be Brother Chen here."

"A rooster-comb snake?" The other man, also dressed in a long robe, was someone Chen Luo vaguely remembered following Lin Zhou at the tavern. Seeing the snake on the ground, he looked at Chen Luo and exclaimed in surprise, "Did you kill this rooster-comb snake?"

Lin Zhou also saw the cockscomb red snake, then looked at Chen Luo with some disbelief, "I didn't expect that Brother Chen's triple strength would be able to kill a cockscomb red snake. He truly deserves to be called a snake catcher."

"Just lucky." Chen Luo forced a smile despite the excruciating pain, but a thought flickered in his mind.

He wasn't actually familiar with Lin Zhou, but he knew that Lin Zhou possessed the strength of a triple-level expert and that he was a snake catcher.

This made him unconsciously wary, and he quietly tightened his grip on the wood-chopping knife in his hand. He had not forgotten Song Ruokui's instructions, especially since they were currently in the back mountain, where the county government's laws did not apply.

At the same time, I can't help but wonder why Linzhou would appear in this back mountain?

And it just so happened that he ran into her?

Judging from his surprised expression when he saw her, it seemed like it was just a chance encounter.

If it really was a chance encounter, then Chen Luo was a little puzzled. He had run into him far too many times. He had seen him in Donglan Lane before, and then in Hongfutang. He never expected to see him again in the back mountain.

"Brother Chen was able to kill the Cockscomb Red all by himself. He is indeed a disciple who is favored by Instructor Li. Even Miss Li seems to have a high opinion of Brother Chen."

After a brief moment of surprise, Lin Zhou quickly calmed down, smiled slightly, glanced at Chen Luo, and suddenly asked, "Brother Chen, are you injured?"

Despite Chen Luo's best efforts to disguise himself, his tattered clothes and the bloodstains on the ground still caught Lin Zhou's attention.

"It's just a minor injury, nothing to worry about," Chen Luo said calmly.

Linzhou knows him very well, probably because he has investigated him behind the scenes.

Although I don't know why he's investigating me, it's probably not out of kindness.

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhou exchanged a glance with the man beside him. The two silently exchanged some kind of information and then smiled at each other inexplicably.

Chen Luo also keenly noticed that when the man next to him looked at him again, he crossed his arms and his eyes showed a hint of excitement.