After a while, dusk fell, diandian fires lit up in the village, and the smell of barbecue wafted in waves, disappearing into the deep savage forest. A cold crescent moon hung high in the treetops, and the moonlight and starlight illuminated the branches and leaves. The shadow casts on the ground, the surrounding fields are lonely, the wind passes through the dense forest, carrying a faint fishy smell.
The night in the Barbarian Bone Forest is another world.
Everyone was bored waiting, and no one wanted to rest in the native's hut. They would rather stand in the wind and dew for a long night, if necessary.
Meng Zhongliu hurried over with three Kunlun disciples, ordering them to be on guard here and calling everyone into the village to discuss matters.
The village occupies a small area, and the huts are squeezed together, leaving an open space in the middle. The stars surround a huge altar like a crescent moon. The fire is blazing, illuminating the dark brown fields. Blood soaked every stone of the altar.
Shi Pingfu stood in front of the altar with his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes like an eagle. Three young native women came and went, laying a few pieces of beaten tree bark under everyone's feet and offering hot dishes. Food and tea. They had dark skin, flexible bodies, and agile movements. They kept their heads lowered, fearful and afraid to take another look at them.
Meng Zhongliu was considered half of the master. He smiled and invited everyone to sit on the ground and said: "Since you are here, you are welcome. Come and try the local food first. Although it is just simple cooking, it is also It has a unique flavor."
There are four kinds of food served by the native woman, roasted meat, boiled meat, blood sausage, plus a pot of wild vegetables mixed with meat and oil, which are served in a heavy wooden basin. The portion is very generous. . They themselves still eat raw bone marrow, liver and kidneys on weekdays. They know that outsiders are not used to eating them, so they don't serve them.
Wei Shiqi was born as an Orion and felt very friendly. To roast meat, cut the meat into slices and lay it on a hot stone slab until the color turns white. Cooking meat is more troublesome. The natives lack containers such as iron pots, so most of the time they put the meat and water in the animal's stomach bag and hang it over the fire to roast it. Blood sausage is made from washed intestines filled with blood, cooked and eaten.
The tender ones are roe deer meat, and the old ones are wild boar meat. They are dipped in salt water and eaten. The aftertaste is slightly bitter. The salt of the natives is not good. The bitter taste comes from the salt, not that the meat is not fresh. Because of this, blood sausage has a fecal smell, a strong taste, and is very chewy. It wasn't delicious, but the familiar flavor reminded him of the time he spent alone in Laoya Ridge. The past events made him feel a little sad, and he ate a lot of meat without knowing it.
Neither Shi Pingfu nor Meng Zhongliu made any move, and Wang Jin and others only touched their lips slightly and made some remarks. Only Kou Yucheng seemed to be competing with Wei Shiqi, eating meat one after another. He made the blood sausage almost all by himself and devoured it without caring about the taste.
The native woman collected the wooden basin, served them salt tea, and stepped away. Meng Zhongliu coughed and then got back to business.
About a month ago, the natives who went hunting in the Barbarian Bone Forest brought back news that two rows of men were found walking in a shallow shoal near the drinking water of the animals in the upper reaches of the Tongtian River.Meng Zhongliu didn't pay much attention to the footprints at first, thinking it was a Xuanmen monk from the Central Plains who had crossed the border without authorization, so he ordered Jin Yibiao from the Five Elements Sect and Xu You from the Sword Control Sect to go and find out. As a result, at dusk on the fourth day, Jin Yibiao fled back to the village with his sword crooked, covered in blood, he relaxed in one breath, fell to the ground, and was unconscious.
Meng Zhongliu checked his injuries. The injury was under his armpit. It was dug out by the monster's claws and four ribs were broken. His internal organs were contaminated with poison and the wound was ulcerated. He applied detoxification and healing medicinal powder. , still cannot prevent the spread of toxicity. Jin Yibiao's breathing became increasingly rapid and his life was in danger. It was too late to send him back to Liushi Peak for treatment. Meng Zhongliu could only administer strong medicine to stimulate the remaining energy in his body and temporarily awaken him.
According to Jin Yibiao, he and Xu You flew along the Tongtian River with their swords, and the journey was uneventful until they arrived at the shallows where the upstream beasts drank water. The footprints on the shoal had been trampled into chaos, and it was impossible to distinguish them. Only two vague footprints were found under a few iron pear trees. It could be vaguely seen that they were left by men. They were barefoot and without shoes. Jin Yibiao stepped on the footprints. , based on the traces left behind, it is estimated that the weight of the other party is several times his own, and he is definitely not a human being.
The two of them were searching around when a strong wind suddenly passed over their heads. A naked man jumped down from the treetop, roared, stretched out his sharp claws and dug out. With extremely swiftness, he jumped from Xu You's side. It was inserted into the chest, a living heart was cut out, stuffed into the mouth and chewed squeakingly, staring at Jin Yibiao with a fierce look in his eyes.
Jin Yibiao stabbed quickly with his sword. The man swatted the flying sword aside like a fly and swallowed the chewed heart in one gulp. Jin Yibiao knew he was outmatched and made a decisive decision. He quickly retracted his flying sword and stood up with his sword. His armpit had already been wiped by the opponent's sharp claw, and blood surged out. He desperately activated the sword technique and threw himself away from the ditch without looking back. Go, but the other party didn't catch up.
The brief period of sanity was just a flashback. After saying this intermittently, Jin Yibiao died of poison.
Late that night, there was a commotion among the monsters in the Barbarian Bone Forest, and they gradually approached the native village. Shen Changhe of the Gouyan Sect went into the forest to investigate, but disappeared as soon as he left. No one was seen alive, and no corpse was found dead.
Meng Zhongliu knew something was wrong and immediately sent a letter to Liushi Peak asking for help. At the same time, he ordered his disciples to hold on and be on guard and not to act rashly.
The next morning, he went deep into the Barbarian Bone Forest alone and flew for more than a hundred miles along the Tongtian River with his sword. When he looked back, he saw the naked man Jin Yibiao mentioned in the distance.
He is not alone.