"Still sending him food?" The group members were displeased. They had worked tirelessly all day, finally setting up camp, and now they had to cook for him. They were all mercenaries, so why should he be treated differently?
"Just do as you're told and stop asking so many questions. He can't eat much anyway. Think of it as doing a good deed."
With Sini Si's orders, despite their reluctance, the group prepared a portion of food and delivered it to Li Xi.
"Thank you. You're all amazing. To be able to eat such good food in the wilderness… unlike me, who can't do anything."
"Just eat your food quickly."
The group member genuinely didn't want to hear Li Xi speak anymore.
As night fell, Li Xi lay on his backpack, listening to the sounds of beasts echoing through the Forget Worry Forest. He could even feel some of them approaching. He was unaccustomed to it and couldn't sleep for the first half of the night. Only when he discovered that the medicinal powder the Black Tiger Mercenary Group had sprinkled outside the camp was truly effective, preventing any beasts from getting close, did he finally fall asleep with peace of mind.
As for the default rule of regular mercenary duty, which was to take turns keeping watch.
Li Xi stated, "You're all amazing. Unlike me, who can't do anything and only drags everyone down."
After that, no one asked him to do anything or spoke to him, as if he were a piece of excrement stinking for miles.
The next morning, after breakfast, Meng Ke waved his hand and the entire carriage was stored in a spatial ring.
Seeing this, Li Xi secretly mused, "At least a hundred cubic meters of space. This ring should belong to Li, not Meng."
The Black Tiger Mercenary Group led the way on horseback, with others guarding the rear, while Li Xi and Meng Ke were protected in the middle.
The environment within the Forget Worry Forest was even more arduous than Li Xi had imagined. Countless tiny creatures were everywhere, swarming opportunities, as if trying to drain him dry.
However, the Black Tiger Mercenary Group was clearly experienced, handling various treacherous environments with ease.
When Sini Si produced a small lump of black matter, the approaching creatures instantly vanished. Not only that, but the wild beasts that had been lurking nearby scattered in utter panic.
It was literal panic-induced excretion. Li Xi saw a beast resembling a wild cat, which, upon seeing Sini Si produce the item, evacuated its bowels and urinated profusely, collapsing on the ground trembling, too scared to even move.
From the object, which was only the size of a child's fist, Li Xi felt a faint pressure. Although the pressure was small, it was exceptionally strong. Unable to suppress his curiosity, he asked, "What is this thing? How can it have such great power?"
The mercenaries of the Black Tiger Mercenary Group were naturally unwilling to bother with Li Xi. Seeing this, Meng Ke chuckled and explained, "This is the dung of a black dragon. It can retain some of its dragon's might for two years after being expelled. If preserved properly, the dragon's might can last for four to five years. These beasts, sensing the dragon's might, naturally dare not offend."
Sini Si, hearing Meng Ke's explanation, also turned back and added, "For us mercenaries in the wilderness, using the dung of a great dragon is most effective. It can reduce many troubles. Generally, magical beasts below level three won't dare to approach before figuring things out. There's just one drawback."
"What's the drawback?"
Sini Si smiled helplessly, "It's expensive. The dung of a great dragon is almost as expensive as gold coins of the same weight."
Pointing to the small lump of dung in his hand, he continued, "This small lump costs fifty gold coins."
Sini Si's words actually echoed the sentiments of most mercenaries. While mercenaries seemed to earn a lot of money, their equipment and materials were also incredibly expensive.
Not all mercenaries were like Li Xi, who had the assistance of a system, a massive increase in strength, and coincidentally earned so much money. The saying "poverty in scholarship, wealth in martial arts" was even more pronounced in this other world; if a family didn't have thousands of gold coins, it was exceedingly difficult for their child to become a professional.
"Then, if we raised a great dragon, wouldn't we get rich by letting it poop every day?" Li Xi proposed a guess.
This topic resonated with other mercenaries. An archer from behind chimed in, "I heard that S-class dragon knight mercenary Cameron sells his great dragon's dung. Not only dung, but also urine, saliva, everything. He makes a fortune every day just from these. Rumor has it he doesn't even take missions anymore."
"Yeah, I'm so envious of him for raising a dragon; he'll never run out of money for generations."
"If I had a dragon, I'd do the same. I could buy a manor and retire within a month."
The mercenaries couldn't help but grumble, giving Li Xi a new understanding of this world. It turned out such a thing was actually possible.
Just as everyone was engrossed in their heated discussion, a furious roar interrupted their idle chatter. The sound was so loud it was like thunder exploding in the sky, startling countless beasts. From the roar, they could even hear the sound of trees being easily snapped like sugarcane.
Sini Si's face turned pale, and he raised his hand. Everyone immediately fell silent and stopped advancing. Sini Si pointed towards the source of the sound and leaped away from the group.
The other mercenaries formed a circle to protect Meng Ke, all gripping their weapons tightly, ready to strike at any moment if anything unexpected occurred. Of course, Li Xi stood close to Meng Ke's side, making it unclear who was protecting whom.
Sini Si returned five minutes later, his face terrifyingly grim. He whispered to everyone, "It's a Mountain Giant Ape feeding ahead. We can't take this path; we have to detour."
The moment the words 'Mountain Giant Ape' were spoken, Li Xi could feel everyone's hair standing on end, and a few involuntarily swallowed.
It wasn't strange for them to be so frightened, given the fearsome reputation of the Mountain Giant Ape.
This was a magical beast born with level three strength, with the weakest adult being level six. Its height could reach twenty meters, equivalent to the height of a seven or eight-story building in his previous life. If a Mountain Giant Ape could upgrade further, reaching level seven or eight, even great dragons would not dare to land and face it head-on. It was truly the King Kong of this other world's magical beasts, one of the top-tier magical beasts in existence.
The strongest among them was Sini Si, who had level four strength. Now, facing a world-class magical beast, they wouldn't even be enough for a single bite. The only reason they hadn't fled immediately was their excellent mercenary discipline.
Such a powerful creature made Sini Si and the others feel as if disaster was imminent. Even Li Xi, recalling the information about the Mountain Giant Ape, dared not rashly proceed. Although he possessed the divine power of Tsunade Hime within him, he wasn't sure he could defeat a Mountain Giant Ape, especially since a Mountain Giant Ape could tear apart great dragons, and Li Xi had never competed with a great dragon.
Besides, Li Xi had no quarrel with this Mountain Giant Ape. Who would inexplicably seek out an opponent they weren't confident against for a fight to the death? That would be like an old woman hanging herself, asking for death!
Twenty meters tall and weighing hundreds of tons, with tough skin, it was unbeatable. If they couldn't win, the only option was to retreat.
"Safety first. We'll take a detour," Meng Ke, no longer his usual calm self, agreed to Sini Si's suggestion to detour.
Sini Si led the group in a rapid detour. They could hear the Mountain Giant Ape's roars roughly every ten to twenty minutes. At these times, everyone held their breath, afraid that any slight movement might attract the Mountain Giant Ape.
During these moments, Sini Si put away the great dragon's dung, daring not to reveal the slightest trace of its aura.
Great dragon dung possessed absolute suppression against lower-level life forms.
However, when facing magical beasts of similar levels, carrying great dragon dung was akin to parading with a Japanese flag in China; if they weren't immediately killed, it would be because they were still waking up.
The group cautiously and carefully ran for two hours before they were finally out of the Mountain Giant Ape's range. Once they confirmed the danger had passed, everyone let out a sigh of relief.
Sini Si, despite his experience, was full of questions. "From what I observed, that Mountain Giant Ape should have just reached adulthood, with its level six strength still unstable. But why did it suddenly appear on the outskirts of the Forget Worry Forest?"
"There's no adequate food here to sustain it, nor are there any mating partners. Could something have attracted it?"
Everyone speculated wildly about possible scenarios, but Li Xi noticed that when Sini Si mentioned something attracting the Mountain Giant Ape, Meng Ke's expression flickered for a moment before he quickly masked it.
"With the Mountain Giant Ape being so powerful, we can only be safe by staying in Kado City. Why don't we go back? We can come again after the Mountain Giant Ape leaves."
Indeed, Li Xi was ready to shirk his responsibilities again.
Sini Si's heart stirred at this suggestion, and he looked at Meng Ke. He actually agreed with Li Xi's decision; with the Mountain Giant Ape as an unforeseen variable, undertaking missions in the Forget Worry Forest was indeed dangerous. If their luck ran out, they might not see the next year.
Meng Ke shook his head firmly. "We'll avoid the Mountain Giant Ape and move quickly. We'll reach our destination tomorrow. Once I retrieve what I need, we can take a different route back to Kado City."
"Alright, we'll listen to Master Meng Ke." Sini Si dared not offend Meng Ke; he was the employer, and he still needed his services, so he could only press on.
Li Xi said nothing further, following closely behind Meng Ke, never leaving his side, with an expression of being terrified. Being protected by the other mercenaries, one might even mistake him for the employer.
Since the great dragon's dung wasn't used, the group's journey was arduous. They only found a bear cave to rest in by nightfall.
A campfire was lit, and the freshly killed bear meat was roasting over the flames.
This bear not only had its home invaded but was also killed and eaten by its enemies. It likely died in extreme frustration.
After everyone had finished eating, Li Xi said, "Thank you all for your care these past few days. I'll stand guard tonight."
Meng Ke immediately objected, "Little brother Li Xi's strength is too weak; don't push yourself. Let Sini Si and the others do it."
The members of the Black Tiger Mercenary Group, though inwardly resentful, dared not speak out. They wondered why they hadn't encountered such a good employer in all their years.
"It's alright, Master Meng Ke. Although my strength is weak, I can still raise an alarm if anything happens."
Seeing Li Xi's repeated insistence, Meng Ke couldn't refuse, but he instructed Sini Si to protect Li Xi at all costs, ensuring his safety.
This command made Sini Si inwardly roll his eyes. It would have been better not to let Li Xi stand guard in the first place; it only added to his difficulty, having to guard and also look after him.
Outside the cave, Li Xi listened to the continuous sounds of wild beasts and pondered his future direction. He had been in this world for less than a month, but he already understood the power of the top experts here. Compared to them, he was now like a sesame seed to a watermelon.
"What are you thinking about?" Sini Si, worried about Li Xi guarding alone, walked out of the cave.
"Thinking about growing up quickly and finding a wife." Li Xi's face was as thick as a city wall, spewing out shameless words effortlessly.
Sini Si wanted to retort but swallowed his words. Not forgetting his original purpose, he asked, "I see Master Meng Ke is very attentive to you, little brother. How did you two meet?"
Li Xi chuckled, "If I told you the truth, you might not believe it. This leather armor I'm wearing was sold to me by his shop for one silver coin back then. He insisted on giving it to me even when I didn't want it. So, this mission is just to make me pay the price difference for the leather armor."
"Heh, one silver coin. I don't believe a word of that," Sini Si cursed inwardly.
Li Xi's every word was a lie, and Sini Si couldn't continue the conversation. He turned and went elsewhere.
Nothing major happened that night. The next morning, everyone got up and set off with the dawning sunlight.
They traversed mountains and rivers, proceeding cautiously. By midday, they arrived at the foot of a mountain.