Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World

Chapter 266: Chapter 154: Stone-breaking Crossbow

Gu Sheng suddenly regretted not using the Shapeshifting technique to alter his appearance before leaving Gu’s Manor. If there had been a suitable opportunity, he could have intervened to snatch something for himself.

However, as he continued chatting, he gradually came to understand the extraordinary nature of the Mu Trading Company, and the thought dissipated.

According to his traveling companions, the Mu Trading Company was the largest merchant association in the Red Cloud Prefecture. Their business wasn’t limited to Red Cloud Prefecture—branches could also be found in neighboring prefectural cities. Backing them was the powerful Mu family, renowned as one of the leading powerful families in the area.

As someone new here, Gu Sheng realized that offending such a giant over something trivial was highly unwise.

Following Mu Qinghe into the Thunder Wood Mountain, Gu Sheng quickly noticed the peculiarities of this place.

Though the forest was dense with towering trees, the air was extraordinarily dry. While walking through the woods, they even spotted bright arcs of electricity flashing intermittently. The static was so intense that everyone’s hair stood on end.

Gu Sheng saw a tree flickering with several electric arcs and, out of curiosity, placed his hand on it. Instantly, a surge of electricity coursed through his entire body, leaving him tingling and with all his hair standing straight.

He yanked back his hand as if shocked, staring at the tree with a mixture of awe and suspicion. Seeing his reaction, the others couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

”Hey there, little brother, this must be your first time at Thunder Wood Mountain, huh?”

Gu Sheng awkwardly nodded, ”Yes, it’s my first time.”

The group erupted in laughter at his response.

”No wonder! Kid, don’t go around touching these trees willy-nilly. If you’re lucky, you’ll just get a numb shock for a while. But if you’re unlucky and touch one that’s been storing energy, you might end up cooked inside and out. My nephew got zapped once, and he was bedridden for three whole months before he recovered!” a scruffy, middle-aged man in his forties chuckled as he warned Gu Sheng.

Gu Sheng could only give an embarrassed smile, quickly hiding his hands inside his sleeves.

The leader, Mu Qinghe, noticed their playful banter and immediately scolded them with a grave expression: ”We’re on a mission here! What’s with all this noise? Be quiet, the lot of you! There are plenty of Thunder Beasts in Thunder Wood Mountain. If we draw the attention of a strong one, even if we band together, we’d still be no match!”

At Mu Qinghe’s sharp reprimand, the previously jolly group instantly fell silent, and the forest became eerily quiet.

Gu Sheng moved closer to the middle-aged man who had warned him earlier and asked in a hushed tone, ”Uncle, what exactly are these Thunder Beasts? Are they really that strong?”

The middle-aged man stole a glance at Mu Qinghe, ensuring he wasn’t paying attention, before leaning in to explain quietly.

”Thunder Beasts are essentially beasts with demon blood. Due to the unique environment here, they’ve all developed some degree of control over lightning, hence the name Thunder Beasts.”

”Lightning is a force of nature—it’s incredibly destructive. As a result, Thunder Beasts are far stronger in combat compared to regular demon-blooded beasts of the same level. To make matters worse, in this environment, our own combat abilities are constrained. If you run into a Thunder Beast here, it can cost your life in the blink of an eye. But, there’s no need to worry too much; their numbers aren’t particularly high. I’d guess there are no more than thirty Thunder Beasts across this vast Thunder Wood Mountain.”

Gu Sheng felt a chill run down his spine but quickly followed up with another question.

”Since Thunder Beasts possess the ability to control lightning, can’t we refine their flesh into pills or their bones into weapons to gain such power for ourselves?”

Hearing the question, the middle-aged man couldn’t help but give him a thumbs-up.

”You’ve got a sharp mind, youngster! You’re absolutely right. If you can kill a Thunder Beast with potent lightning energy in its bloodline and refine it, you can indeed create pills or weapons that allow humans to briefly harness lightning power. But these pills and weapons are ridiculously expensive! I remember seeing a Thunder Blade in the Mu Trading Company once—it was priced at a whopping eight hundred thousand taels!”

Gu Sheng’s jaw dropped as he drew in a sharp breath. Though he’d considered himself worldly, he realized he was just a country bumpkin after all.

Eight hundred thousand taels for a single weapon? The thought alone was mind-boggling!

Under Mu Qinghe’s guidance, the group traversed Thunder Wood Mountain for three to four hours before finally arriving at a secluded valley.

Flanked by towering cliffs on either side, the valley left only a two-to-three-meter narrow passage in the center. The canyon was deep, with dazzling flashes of lightning occasionally flickering from within.

At the valley’s entrance stood two tall figures.

When Mu Qinghe saw them, his tense expression relaxed, and he hurried forward to greet them.

”Brother Yuan, Brother Wen, I’m back!”

The two standing at the valley’s entrance had strikingly similar features—they were twins. The elder was named Mu Qingyuan, and the younger was Mu Qingwen. Both were Mu Qinghe’s cousins.

The aura surrounding Mu Qingyuan and Mu Qingwen was even more profound than Mu Qinghe’s, with both nearly reaching the threshold of the Silver Bone Realm.

Mu Qingyuan scanned the group Mu Qinghe had brought and frowned. ”Is this all you managed to gather?”

Mu Qinghe gave a sheepish smile and replied, ”Brother Yuan, you specifically warned me not to recruit under the family’s name this time, so I had Lin Qing recruit people under her name instead. I didn’t dare tell her our true objective, so this is all I managed to find.”

Mu Qingwen glanced at the group before giving his elder brother a pat on the shoulder. ”It’ll do. With the three of us here, taking down that beast should be more than doable.”