12dz Chapter 16 Selection
Chapter 16 Selection
After everyone left, Zhang Nanfeng remained motionless for a long time.
He originally thought that the man was just like the man with thick eyebrows, a skilled mortal, and not worth worrying about.
Only when he looked down at himself did he realize how dangerous things had just happened.
If he hadn't disguised himself beforehand, he would likely have been captured again.
He never expected that there would be such a person in Mengjia Village. This was the strongest person he had encountered since his reincarnation.
He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not give up his original plan. Instead of following Meng Cang's group, he followed Meng Shi's group from a distance.
......
After a whole day, they searched every inch of the stream, explored every edge of the swamp, and even circled the pool where the Purple Star Mother Toad had exploded several times, but the Meng family still found nothing.
As dusk settled over the forest, figures gathered in the mountain hollows.
The Meng family members sat or stood, their faces weary. Some cursed under their breath, while others simply lay down on the ground, staring blankly at the branches and leaves.
Meng Cang stood on a blue stone, saying nothing, waiting for the breathing to calm down and for the resentful gazes to fall upon him.
"Gentlemen."
"That spirit seed was able to escape from Second Master's grasp and even managed to pierce through snakes and coil around bamboo, demonstrating its extraordinary nature. Such extraordinary things are naturally protected by heaven and earth; how could they be found in a single day?"
Having said that, he took out a leather pouch from his bosom and tossed it to a young man from the Meng family.
"You've worked hard today. Upon returning to the village, each of you will receive three taels of silver, and plenty of wine and meat. We'll meet here again at dawn tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, the dejected look in everyone's eyes vanished considerably, and those who were lying down also propped themselves up on their knees and bowed in agreement.
Meng Cang's gaze swept over the crowd, then he said slowly:
"If we can capture this spiritual object, I, Meng Cang, in the name of the eldest master of the Meng family, promise that all of you present may enter the Poison Treasure Pavilion and choose any one of the Poison Techniques."
Upon hearing this, Meng Shi also turned his head to look.
Zhang Nanfeng, perched on a branch of an old cedar tree thirty feet away, took in the entire scene.
This person is not only incredibly powerful, but also skilled in managing subordinates, able to reignite the fighting spirit of exhausted soldiers with just a few words.
It seems I underestimated the Meng family.
Zhang Nanfeng couldn't help but begin to doubt himself, secretly wondering if his decision to try to control the Meng family was appropriate.
......
For the next few days, the Meng family still found nothing.
Zhang Nanfeng seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace. The initial enthusiasm waned, eventually turning into numbness. Meng Cang no longer personally led the search, and the operation was gradually shelved until finally no one mentioned it anymore.
Zhang Nanfeng, on the other hand, remained a detached observer of everything.
He has not wasted these past few days.
During the day, he would sneak up to the edge of the village, listening to the idle chatter of passersby and observing the comings and goings of merchants. Gradually, he pieced together the outline of this world—
This place is called Southern Frontier, and Mengjia Village is located on the border of Southern Frontier, backed by Boundary Marker Mountain. Crossing a ridge leads to a place called "Eastern Continent".
This Eastern Continent is not a single country, but a collective name. Various factions within it are deeply intertwined, and its customs are quite similar to what he called the "Central Plains" in his previous life—all living in flowing robes and valuing scholarship and farming as a family tradition…
The more Zhang Nanfeng heard, the more wondrous this world seemed, as if it were separated from his previous world by only a thin sheet of paper, through which similar traces could be seen.
At night, he would go into the forest to hunt poisonous insects.
He neither cultivated wind techniques nor transformed poison. He simply accumulated the venom, patiently waiting for the opportune moment.
He never gave up the idea of controlling the Meng family.
The breakthrough point has already been identified.
......
That afternoon, Zhang Nanfeng was resting in his burrow when he suddenly heard footsteps coming from the woods. He cautiously peeked out and saw a small, thin figure emerge from the trees.
Zhang Nanfeng recognized him; he was the boy who had captured him with the thick-browed man that day.
The boy carried a steel fork on his back, his arms bulging, and looked around as he walked.
Zhang Nanfeng had already noticed him when the Meng family was searching the mountain.
He always lagged behind the group, hiding even further than himself. When the Meng family went east, he went west; when the Meng family searched the pool, he would squat on the slope in a daze, and only after everyone had gone far away would he go forward to search alone again.
But their goal was the same: to find themselves.
Strangely, even after the Meng family gave up, the boy continued to go into the mountains every day without fail.
Zhang Nanfeng had observed for many days and had already figured out some of the details.
Very few people from Mengjia Village venture into the mountains alone. Even those who do are often cunning and unapproachable.
This young man, however, was both young and innocent.
It's the best time to make a move.
Zhang Nanfeng followed behind, quietly watching the boy turn over stones and clear through the grass, working up a sweat.
He had gone ahead of time to find an excellent spot before he turned 18.
Here, high slopes rise on both sides, with vines hanging down like curtains, narrowing the path into a slit. A beam of sunlight shines down from the gap in the sky overhead, like a golden sword nailed directly into the path.
Zhang Nanfeng had long since shed his disguise, revealing a body covered in gold and purple spots, which were made transparent by the beam of light.
Meng Jinchuan walked over humming a folk tune from southern Xinjiang, then suddenly stopped.
He saw it—
At the end of the path ahead, in the sunlight, crouched a strange object that glowed with a golden and purple hue.
The strange object was silently watching him, its eyes holding a divine scrutiny.
Startled, Meng Jinchuan fell to the ground with a thud, the steel fork clattering out of his hand.
He stared blankly at Zhang Nanfeng, then crawled two steps closer, his voice trembling uncontrollably:
"Golden...golden toad?"
Seeing him approach, Zhang Nanfeng neither dodged nor flinched, but simply nodded slightly.
This nod was like a thunderbolt, causing Meng Jinchuan to tremble violently, unable to get up, and his eyes even turned red.
Seeing his intense reaction, Zhang Nanfeng had doubts in his heart, but remained calm on the surface.
His gaze fell on the boy's arms, and he tapped the ground with his webbed finger, as if a god were asking for offerings.
Meng Jinchuan was taken aback, then suddenly realized what was happening. He hurriedly took out the dry rations wrapped in oil paper from his pocket, and untied the water pouch from his waist, piling them all in front of Zhang Nanfeng.
But after thinking about it, he still felt it wasn't enough, so he shook out a few more pills for treating miasma from his pocket.
Zhang Nanfeng glanced at it, but didn't touch the food and water pouch. He simply opened his mouth and swallowed the few pills.
Immediately, he curled his tongue up, and a drop of golden venom condensed on the tip of his tongue, shining like molten gold in the sunlight.
Zhang Nanfeng spat the drop of golden poison onto a broad leaf, pushed it in front of Meng Jinchuan, gave him a deep look, turned and leaped into the shadows of the forest, disappearing from sight.
With each exchange, the divine will becomes clear.
Meng Jinchuan knelt on the ground, holding the broad leaf in his hands, his whole body trembling like a leaf.
He stared at the golden poison on the leaves, then looked in the direction where Zhang Nanfeng had disappeared, and pinched his thigh hard.
The excruciating pain made me realize it wasn't a dream.
Tears streamed down his face instantly. He kowtowed three times in the direction Zhang Nanfeng had disappeared. Forgetting to gather his provisions and water bag, he stumbled back to the village, clutching the leaves in his hand. He ran while muttering to himself, tears mingling with a smile, his face a blur of tears as he continued running, muttering to himself:
"The legend is true... The golden toad has appeared, bringing prosperity to the Meng family..."
Zhang Nanfeng did not actually leave, but remained hidden in the shadows, watching the boy's retreating figure.
It became.