Chapter 1184
The Legendary Man
The Legendary Man Chapter 1184-At night, between the viridescent mountains by a spacious lake were a few cultivators donning pelts. They were roasting animal meat by the campfire.
Among the few men, a middle-aged man who looked like he was in his forties stood up with a piece of roasted meat.
âIâm going to take the shift by the slope at the side. You guys should get an early night after eating. By the way, remember to clear away the unfinished meat. We donât want to lure other ferocious beasts over.â
The youths at the party smiled and nodded upon hearing the middle-aged manâs instructions.
âGot it, Mr. Downey. Donât worry. It isnât our first time out here. Weâll definitely clear out everything properly and leave nothing behind.â
The middle-aged man gave them a smile and headed toward the slope.
When the youths saw him leave, they hurried toward the campfire to check if their food was ready.
âStellan, why donât we catch some fish to eat? Itâs kind of tiring to have animal meat all the time,â the smallest and the youngest person in the group suggested as he looked at the rippling lake.
Hearing that, the three other people at the side lowered their meat and turned to look at the cultivator named Stellan.
âWellâ¦â Stellan turned to look in the direction the middle-aged man had gone. âMr. Downey has set up a formation and asked us to stay here overnight. If we leave on our own accord, and if something were to happenâ¦â
When the youths around him heard the hesitation in his tone, they became disheartened.
Stellan was the eldest among them, and he was the core of the team. If he did not agree with the suggestion, the others could not protest about it.
The small-sized young man resentfully tossed his unfinished meat into the lake a dozen of meters away from them.
âWelrun, what are you doing?â Stellan bolted over to Welrun.
âStellan!â
When the others noticed the strong fluctuation of Stellanâs spiritual energy, they quickly stood between the two.
âStellan, Welrunâs still young. Itâs his first time out here too, and he doesnât know better. Please donât be mad at him,â said the only young girl in their group as she tugged Stellanâs arm.
The other quickly towed Welrun aside and tried to convince Stellan to calm down too.
Stellan finally let out a sigh.
âDoes that mean he can be as reckless as this? When we brought you out of the village, didnât I tell you that ferocious beasts roam the land? Didnât I say we have to be extraââ
Before Stellan could finish his sentence, Welrun turned red in the face and cried out, âI just threw a piece of meat! Yes, itâs my first time leaving the village, but Mr. Downey said that this herbs-retrieving path has been used for many years. Iâm sure the beasts are all gone now, so what danger can we possibly be in? I donât ask for much. I just want to catch some fish from the lake. Donât you want to eat some fish too?â
Stellan noticed the tears welling up in Welrunâs eyes, and his gaze became much softer.
âIâm not being strict, but youâve heard what the elders said to us before our journey. Although weâve walked this path many times, weâll still encounter new beasts. Our priority is to bring the herbs to our chief. If you want to eat fish, Iâll make an application with the chief when weâre back. So, stop thinking about having any fish here.â
Stellan returned to the campfire and quietly ate his food.
Ultimately, the others convinced Welrun to go back to his original spot.
The episode made things tense among the group for a while as they silently polished off the meat.
What they did not notice was a gentle ripple occurring dozens of meters away on the lake.
The meat that Welrun tossed floated for a while before disappearing with a dark silhouette.
After eating, Stellan swiftly kept the rest of the meat in his storage ring.
Then, he took out a few pelts and passed them among the group.
âAlthough Mr. Downey is guarding for us on the slope, we should be careful too. Iâll stay up for the first half of the night, and the four of you will take turns staying up for the other half of the night. Hurry up and go to sleep now.â
At that, the four slept by the fire as Stellan sat cross-legged at the side with a sharp bone dagger lying by his side.
Stellan furrowed his brows as he looked at the sleeping Welrun, but his gaze held no hint of anger.
Welrun wanted to eat fish, and he did, too.
However, fish was a rare commodity in the mountains.
Fishes that once swam in the lake were all gone from the mass catching. The only fishes left were those that people were raising with care. If they were to steal any, they were bound for a vicious beating.
As for the fish in the giant lake, no one dared to catch them there.
It was definitely because the beasts in the water were too threatening.
If they encountered beasts they could not fight against in the woods, they could resort to fleeing by feet or through the use of formations.
However, they stood no chance of surviving those beasts in the water.
Perhaps because the water beasts were menacing, a certain area near the gigantic lake was a safer spot to rest at.
That was why they had decided to camp dozens of meters away from the lake.
Land beasts would not dare to approach them where they camped, and even if the water beasts did climb ashore, they would have time to react.
It was Welrunâs first time out of the village. The journey thus far had been smooth, so he had underestimated the perilous state of the outside world.
Stellan knew that Welrun would only learn to be cautious after witnessing the gruesome nature of the outside world.
Despite Welrunâs dissatisfaction toward him, Stellan did not wish to see Welrun risk his life.
Everyone had to grow up eventually, but Stellan hoped that Welrunâs growth would not be accompanied by regret.
âStellan.â
Right as Stellan was lost in his thoughts, a soft voice rang out.
When he turned around, he realized it was Mona, the only girl in the group.
âWhy arenât you sleeping?â Stellan asked with a soft chuckle.
Mona shifted over to Stellanâs side.
âStellan, donât take Welrunâs words to heart. Heâs still young, and he doesnât know the dangers lurking out here.â
Stellan smiled at her. âDonât worry. Why would I take his words to heart? You should sleep.â
âI canât,â Mona answered quietly. âStellan, if we send the herbs back this timeââ
âShh!â Before Mona could finish speaking, Stellan moved to hold the bone dagger by his side as he fixed his gaze at the lake. âWake them. Thereâs something moving in the lake.â
Right as Stellan uttered that, the other two leaped to a crouching position, clearly having not fallen into a deep slumber.
The only one who was still lost in his dreamland was Welrun.
Mona moved her fingers, and a pebble encased in spiritual energy shot toward Welrunâs wrist. While she woke Welrun up, she unleashed a pulse of spiritual energy to keep his mouth shut.
âThereâs something weird about the lake. Pack up. Weâre regrouping with Mr. Downey.â