The Martial Saint Started from Scavenging

The group walked along the official road for two days through the wilderness.

On the way, they encountered two merchant caravans and a dozen or so scattered households, as well as several government patrols who checked them, but Hu Ba managed to evade them all.

At this point, their team had entered a deserted mountain forest, and they could no longer see any other travelers on the road.

In the past two days, Ye Sheng has been like a freshman, frantically absorbing all the wilderness survival skills that Hu Ba and the others have demonstrated.

He watched how they determined direction by the position of the sun and stars, and how they identified whether an animal was a wild beast or a monster by the droppings it left behind.

But what Ye Sheng observed most closely were the methods they used to set up the traps.

Hu Ba seemed happy to show off his skills to this seemingly obedient "little brother," occasionally stopping to offer a few pointers.

"Young man, watch closely. This thing is called a 'tripwire,' specifically designed to deal with fast-moving four-legged animals. Its key feature is the slipknot in this knot."

As Hu Ba spoke, he skillfully tied a knot on the ground with a vine he had torn from a tree.

"This slipknot needs to be just the right tightness. If it's too loose, it won't stay in place; if it's too tight, the animal will break it when it struggles. It needs to be just right to fit around the leg, and the more it struggles, the tighter it will tighten."

Ye Sheng squatted to the side, not saying a word, just watching intently.

But he broke down and recorded every action and detail of Hu Ba, and then repeatedly simulated it in his mind.

At this moment, on the [Skill Panel], the progress bar for the new skill that was being developed was rising rapidly.

[Trap Creation: Not Found 95/100]

[Trap Creation: Not Found 98/100]

[Trap Creation: Not Found 99/100]

"It's just a little bit away from activation," Ye Sheng thought to himself.

"Did you understand? This is the skill that makes me a living. If it weren't for our connection, I wouldn't teach it to just anyone."

Hu Ba glanced at Ye Sheng, his tone carrying a hint of smugness and a deeper meaning.

"Hmm, that's about right."

Ye Sheng nodded, and also pulled off a vine from the side, imitating Hu Ba's earlier actions, and began to tie a knot.

His movements were a little clumsy at first, but soon they became more and more fluid, as if he had practiced them hundreds of times.

A moment later, a knot almost identical to the slipknot Hu Ba had tied appeared in his hand.

Seeing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Hu Ba's one eye. He thought to himself: This kid learns pretty quickly. Could it be that I've mistaken him for someone else? Is he really an imposter, Qiangzi?

Just then, the panel in front of Ye Sheng finally flickered, and a new line of text appeared.

[Unlock Skill: Trap Creation]

Current progress: 0/100 (Beginner)

[Practice: Mastering the basic methods of creating and setting up traps enhances the ability to utilize the environment.]

Become!

Ye Sheng was secretly delighted, but his face remained impassive.

He handed the knotted rope to Hu Ba, scratched his head, and asked with feigned simplicity, "Master Ba, do you think this is alright?"

Hu Ba took it, pulled hard, and examined the knot details carefully before finally nodding: "Hmm, not bad. Young man, you have quite a talent; you're a good prospect."

He praised her outwardly, but inwardly he sneered: What good is talent if she's still going to die soon?

In fact, Ye Sheng's intuition was quite accurate, but he was also half right.

Hu Ba did indeed accept the bounty from the Blood Pact Merchant Guild. However, he wasn't a professional bounty hunter; he was just a commoner hunter with the strength of a mid-stage entry-level martial artist. He was simply attracted by the huge bounty offered by the Blood Pact Merchant Guild, which is why he took the job.

Two days ago at the post station, Hu Ba began to suspect the identities of the Ye brothers.

However, at the time, he had also heard that the Blood Pact Merchant Guild had sent silver-ranked assassins to hunt down the Ye brothers, and then there was no news of them.

Although Hu Ba was a hunter from humble origins, he had been out and about for many years and was well aware of the prowess of the Blood Pact Merchant Guild's silver-ranked assassins.

To become a silver-ranked assassin in the Chamber of Commerce, one's strength must at least reach the Bone Forging Realm.

Therefore, he was quite wary of the Ye brothers. If the silver-ranked assassin from the Chamber of Commerce had really died at their hands, he was afraid that his own entry-level strength would be no match for them.

If their opponent can kill a Bone Forging Realm martial artist, then these few mere beginners are no match for them. In the end, the hunters may become the hunted.

Little did he know that the most crucial reason for the silver-masked man's death was actually the influence of Ye Kai's Dao Calamity power, which gave Ye Sheng the opportunity to launch a sneak attack and kill him in one blow.

Hu Ba, of course, had no way of knowing these inside details.

So he planned to first find a way to stall the other side, and then secretly use a carrier pigeon to send the whereabouts of the Ye brothers to the Blood Pact Merchant Guild.

Judging by the timeline, the Chamber of Commerce should soon set up a trap in the First Line Sky Canyon to surround and kill their target.

All he had to do was herd the two brothers into the slaughterhouse, like sheep.

At that time, he will not only receive a large reward, but perhaps he can also get some other benefits from the two brothers.

He always felt that these two seemingly ordinary teenagers must be hiding some kind of treasure, otherwise they wouldn't be being hunted down by the Blood Pact Merchant Guild.

The group continued forward, but each member harbored their own secrets and hidden agendas.

Along the way, Ye Sheng continued to pretend to be the honest and simple young man who was "humbly seeking advice," and learned several more ruthless and deadly trap-making techniques from Hu Ba.

Hu Ba, on the other hand, pretends to be a "kind-hearted older brother," patiently and meticulously teaching his prey in order to gain their trust.

For example, the super elasticity of bamboo can be used to make "forest-piercing arrows" that can pierce through the thick hide of wild boars in one shot; there are also "falling rock formations" made using heavy objects and the principle of levers, which, once triggered, will prevent enemies in a large area from escaping.

Therefore, on Ye Sheng's skill panel, the progress bar for [Trap Creation] is also increasing rapidly.

[Trap Creation: Beginner 25/100]

On the evening of the third day, the team finally arrived at the entrance of the One Line Sky Canyon.

It was a huge crack that seemed to have been cleaved open by some ancient god or immortal with a giant axe. On both sides were cliffs hundreds of feet high, reaching into the clouds, and in the middle was only a narrow passage that could only accommodate two or three people side by side. It was deep and cold.

"Young man, it's getting dark, and it's not easy to travel in the mountains at night. For safety's sake, let's camp here tonight."

Hu Ba pointed to a relatively open flat area at the entrance of the canyon and said, "We've all been traveling a long way and have exhausted ourselves. We need to rest and recharge. Tomorrow morning, we'll go into the canyon to hunt that armored rhinoceros. What do you say?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Sheng smiled slightly and replied, "Eighth Master, you can make the decision."

Afterwards, the hunters set up camp, processed the game they had hunted along the way, and started a fire to cook. Soon, the aroma of roasted meat filled the air.

Ye Sheng helped Ye Kai sit down in a corner on the outermost edge of the camp, away from the group of hunters who were talking and laughing loudly.

"Brother, I feel... something's not right here." Ye Kai lowered his voice and quietly whispered in Ye Sheng's ear to remind him.

Since his Dao E Body was activated, his perception of danger has become exceptionally sharp, even surpassing Ye Sheng's [Qi and Blood Perception].

"I felt several cold auras coming from the canyon ahead, which made me very uncomfortable."

Ye Sheng nodded; he had sensed it as well.

His talent, [Qi and Blood Perception], told him that at least seven or eight people were lying in ambush deep in the canyon.

One of his blood energies was particularly powerful. Although it was not as strong as the silver-masked man from the Blackwater Swamp, it was not far off. He was definitely a Bone Forging Realm martial artist.

"This Hu Ba, he wouldn't be planning to make a move here tonight, would he?" Ye Sheng muttered to himself.

"Hey kid, come here for a second."

Hu Ba suddenly shouted from the fire not far away, chewing on a large piece of juicy roasted meat.

This time, he didn't address Ye Sheng as "little brother," which suggests he's planning to completely drop his pretense.