Doomsday: Grinding EXP Through Hunting

Many years later, when Tang Wen stood atop a high vantage point, gazing at the endless wilderness, he would always recall that morning when he left Flame Camp far behind.

At the camp's entrance, a crowd had gathered to see them off.

To the south of the camp, the howls of wolves echoed—four Sand Wolves.

In terms of size, one was enormous, while the other three were large, and one was small.

The three larger ones were Superior Exotic Beasts, while the smaller one was a Mid-level Exotic Beast.

The enormous one was the Sand Wolf King.

The camp had offered sufficient benefits, and the Sand Wolf King was willing to lead a few Sand Wolves to escort the three of them to Mountain Chasing City.

Tang Wen walked over to the familiar Superior Sand Wolf, gave it a few pats, scratched its chin, and then mounted it.

Bai Youruo and Bai Xue followed suit. The Sand Wolves didn't reject them, but they weren't particularly enthusiastic either.

Their four eyes were fixed solely on Tang Wen.

As if complaining that he hadn't chosen to ride them.

"Take care, everyone! We'll meet again!"

"Young Mistress Bai, take care!"

Only Tang Wen, Bai Youruo, and Bai Xue were heading to Mountain Chasing City.

Bai Ying stayed behind at Flame Camp, preparing to set off with Commander Qian's long-distance merchant caravan, traveling by water to Tri-Alliance City.

The wind whistled past their ears as the Sand Wolves began to run.

Tang Wen looked back, watching the camp gradually shrink until it was the size of a matchbox, and the people at the entrance became nearly invisible.

Suddenly.

He was reminded of the first time he left home many years ago, boarding a train to attend university in the southern state.

During that long summer vacation, he had always thought that leaving home and going to school would be a joyful experience.

Just the thought of it filled him with anticipation.

But when he actually stepped onto the train and it started moving, watching the scenery fly past outside the window.

He was suddenly overwhelmed by an indescribable panic.

At the time, he thought it was fear.

Many years later, looking back, he realized it was a turning point in his life.

From then on, his hometown only had winters and summers, no longer springs or autumns.

Was this the same feeling of leaving home?

The Sand Wolves climbed the southern hills.

Tang Wen looked back again, and the entire camp was now out of sight.

He carried the Thousand-Li Mirror in his pocket but ultimately didn't take it out.

That feeling became clear once more:

"A crossroads in life!"

Unlike the confusion he felt when leaving for university, he now clearly understood that the choices he made today would inevitably shape his future destiny.

After a few seconds, Tang Wen turned back, tapped the wolf's back with his legs, and the Sand Wolf shot forward like an arrow, charging into the boundless wilderness.

"Let's keep up!"

Bai Youruo shouted.

Soon, a day passed.

The Sand Wolves' innate ability was to manipulate the wind.

Even though the wilderness terrain was complex and constantly changing, in just one day, the three humans and four wolves had covered several hundred miles.

This was partly due to Tang Wen's new tamed beast, a Mid-level Sand Wolf, whose speed and stamina significantly slowed the group.

Otherwise, they could have covered a thousand miles in a day.

By now, the Sand Wolves were starving, and under the guidance of the Blood Raven, they went off to hunt.

With eyes in the sky, hunting was convenient, and it didn't take long.

The Superior Sand Wolves returned with two wild boars.

The Sand Wolf King and the Blood Raven were nowhere to be seen, likely off hunting elsewhere.

Tang Wen cut off several dozen pounds of ribs, leaving the rest as dinner for the Sand Wolves.

Running hundreds of miles in a day, hunting at night, and even bringing back food for themselves.

Where else could you find such good "employees"!

Eco-friendly, fuel-efficient, and self-sufficient.

They even charged ahead in the face of danger. Nineteenth-century capitalists would have wept at the sight!

Tang Wen laughed as he patted the wolf's head.

The Superior Sand Wolf wagged its tail and ate quickly.

Tang Wen and the two women rested in the crevice between two large boulders.

The sand was scorching hot from the sun, and the night had yet to cool down.

"I'm heading to Mountain Chasing City. Are you coming too?" Tang Wen cut the pork ribs into small pieces, placed them on a stone slab, and handed them to Bai Xue.

He then took out the meat buns made by his sister from the parchment in his bag and shared them with the two women.

Bai Youruo replied while eating, "About three hundred miles from Mountain Chasing City, there's a small town called Star Camp. We'll go there."

Tang Wen felt relieved. It was fine for him to take risks in Mountain Chasing City, but according to Old Crow's description of the situation there yesterday, it would be troublesome if he had to worry about protecting two strikingly beautiful women.

Unless they hid and never showed their faces in front of the strong warriors of Mountain Chasing City, it would be difficult for the three of them to escape if anyone saw their faces and figures.

As they ate the slightly gamey pork ribs, they chatted casually.

Mostly, Bai Youruo spoke, and Tang Wen listened.

The night sky above was deep blue, filled with countless stars.

Under the vast sky, the three of them, four wolves, and a few campfires seemed incredibly small.

Flame Camp.

"The spear practice is a mess! Stop training! Come out and drink. This is wine I've been hiding for a long time!"

The Queen carried a string of wine gourds, shaking them gently, making a clattering sound.

In the past, she always worried about being caught by Old Xia when carrying wine gourds.

But today, she was completely at ease.

My Bing'er is so sad. As the Queen, can't I even accompany her for a drink? Is there no justice in the world?

"Whoosh!"

Zhou Bing placed her long spear on the weapon rack, looked at her carefree and somewhat thoughtless aunt, and shook her head with a smile.

"Alright, let's drink!"

"Hehe, that's more like it! Training can't compare to the joy of drinking!"

The Queen led her to a secluded room.

Tang Tang was busy there with Xiao Liu and the other two maids.

Xiao Taozi wasn't running around as usual.

She sat on the steps, her small hands propping up her face, lost in thought.

In her arms was the cloth doll Tang Wen had made for her.

Even the little girl had her own worries.

All the women, except the Queen, were in low spirits.

Only the Queen was truly happy, able to drink so much openly. How could she not be happy?

This was a treat reserved for holidays.

That night, the women got drunk.

In their sleep, they kept murmuring the same name.

In this world, traveling far from home was as dangerous as risking one's life.

Unless one was exceptionally powerful, most ordinary people who ventured out never returned.

Traveling, traveling, and more traveling.

The sun in the wilderness was too harsh, and running during the day would exhaust the Sand Wolves more.

So, Tang Wen switched to resting during the day and traveling at night.

This change actually allowed them to cover more distance.

"Caw, caw, caw!"

The Blood Raven circled and landed.

"Stop!"

Tang Wen, who was ahead, raised his hand and clenched his fist.

The Sand Wolf Pack immediately slowed down and came to a halt.

"What's wrong?"

"The Blood Raven says there are people ahead. In that direction." He pointed.

"Let's go take a look."

Tang Wen, Bai Youruo, and the Sand Wolf King quietly moved forward.

After walking a few miles, they saw a group of people in the wilderness.

They were working in the muddy ground, their upper bodies revealing rib-like figures, and their lower bodies wearing loincloth-like garments.

It seemed that even the Scavengers on the outskirts of Flame Camp were ten times better off than them.

They dug mud from a well, filled it into cloth bags, and then several people squeezed the bags together, forcing the muddy water into wooden buckets.

This was how they fetched water.

"It seems there's a village nearby, and this person is a slave."

A warm, fresh breath brushed Tang Wen's ear, making it itch.

The speaker was Bai Youruo.

Tang Wen asked, "Because there are no women working outside, you think they're slaves?"

"You should go and see for yourself. Some things can only be understood by seeing them."

Originally planning to bypass the area, Tang Wen understood her meaning: "Alright, let's go take a look."

Having lived in the Flame Camp for so long, he hadn't witnessed much of the cruelty outside.

A slave village—he truly hadn't seen one before.

The two went back to fetch Bai Xue.

By the time the three of them returned, the workers had already filled buckets with muddy water.

Carrying the buckets between them with wooden poles, they trembled as they walked back the way they came.

The Blood Raven followed them in the air.

Tang Wen and the two women, accompanied by the Sand Wolf King, took a wide detour and came across a crude structure surrounded by stones.

"This doesn't seem like it could house many people, does it?"

"Hmm, this suggests the slave owner's power is limited. Perhaps he's a Martial Master, or maybe just a few Martial Practitioners."

"Ah?" Tang Wen looked at Bai Youruo.

"What, looking down on Martial Masters? Want to make a bet?"

"Bet on what?" Tang Wen said casually.

"How about the loser agrees to do one thing for the winner?" Bai Youruo ra

ised an eyebrow and smiled.

Tang Wen, gazing at her beautiful face, quickly said, "Alright, I bet it's a Martial Master."

"Eh?"

"It's settled then."

His intuition gave no warning; the danger in the village was limited.

Not giving Bai Youruo a chance to back out, Tang Wen darted forward first.

(End of Chapter)