Chapter 4: Arrogant Wild Chicken

  Lingui River is the name of a river, and its source is in Zhaoyao Mountain, which is where Li Mang wants to go. People who like to venture into the primeval forest know how important streams are for animals in the forest.

  Li Mang hoped to find something at the source of Lijiang River.

  However, Li Meng had just walked out of less than a hundred meters when he stopped and stared at a stone under his feet with shining eyes.

  Yes, it's a stone, but this stone is golden in color, absolutely more dazzling than the gold of the nouveau riche, and under the refraction of light, it can blind Li Meng's titanium alloy eyeballs.

  "My god!" Li Mang squatted down, picked up the stone and examined it left and right, even tapping it with the vegetable knife in his hand. It was quickly determined that this was a piece of gold, or rather, pure gold.

  Here is just a shallow layer, and gold is exposed on the outside. This piece is large, at a glance, there is also a dazzling patch of sandstone, all of which are golden sand.

  "Is this the rhythm of getting rich?" Li Mang said calmly.

  It's really calm, not that Li Meng doesn't love money, it's just that Li Meng now has money but nowhere to spend it. After all, Yan Huang restricts his freedom, no chicks to hook up with, and even if he had a sports car, there's nowhere to drive it. And there's no need to rush to buy a house, the tens of thousands of salary from the past half year are still in the bank!

  Li Meng's old home was not wealthy, but at least they had enough food and clothing, everything was fine. He didn't ask for wealth or nobility, he was a contented person with no great ambition.

  It was just this large piece of gold and a whole ground full of golden sand that shocked Li Meng, but only that.

  Besides, he didn't bring anything this time, let's wait for another chance to dig again!

  He threw the gold and jade under a cassia tree and continued on his journey.

  "Rustle..."

  The monkey's cry from the front made Li Meng's spirit shake, but he didn't dare to go up easily. After all, monkeys are not necessarily friendly animals, let alone the monkeys in the Shan Hai Jing world, who knows if they will be very ferocious, Li Meng is not clear.

  Li Mang's cat walked slowly with its waist down, and soon saw the source of the cry, his face was full of surprise, and his mouth couldn't be closed for a long time.

  In front is Lijiang River, a beautiful stream that cuts through the ancient forest like a silver river. Through Migu Lee's knowledge, this side is Zhao Yang Mountain, and on the other side of the creek is the second peak of the Qu Yuan Mountain Range - Tangting Mountain.

  The cries were coming from the opposite hall courtyard mountain, in sight there were no other animals, only a group of monkeys, the number was uncountable, in short it was just a vast expanse of white, looking far away at the front chaotic everywhere, afraid that there were tens of thousands of them, like a beehive, really frightening.

  What made Li Meng even more surprised was that this was by no means an ordinary monkey, it looked like a monkey but had no tail, its arms were thick and bigger than its feet, with white fur, and was good at climbing.

  Across the way, it was no longer a cassia tree, but a large fruit tree laden with bright red fruit, similar to apples but not quite the same. And those white monkeys were leaping about with nimble movements, full of joy and natural spirit.

  "Are these the Ancient White Ape Men?!" Li Mang swallowed his saliva, not just because of their robust bodies, but also due to their numbers and ferocious appearance. If they were to suddenly appear in front of him, he feared that he would be torn apart instantly.

  "Wah wah...... zhi zhi......"

  Because of the exclusion of danger, Li Meng had already arrived at the creek bank. The white apes on the opposite side naturally discovered his appearance and immediately gathered on the opposite bank, shouting and gesturing, with a provocative expression and an unyielding momentum.

  If there wasn't a small stream about fifty meters wide in between, these guys would probably rush over and tear Li Mang apart.

  Li Meng did not doubt this point.

  "...... Is it used like this?!" Li Mang said calmly, but in fact he was very afraid. The atmosphere of the tens of thousands of monkeys on the opposite bank was too overwhelming, and even though he knew they couldn't come over, he still felt intimidated. No wonder they say that there are no other animals on this side of the river, they were scared away and didn't dare to come here!

  Li Meng's gaze finally returned from the small stream in front of him, perhaps because it was near the source and there was no pollution, the water quality was so clear that it was like a mirror.

  The water in the middle of the stream is very deep, estimated to be around ten meters, but it's still visible to the bottom. The stones on the riverbed and the fish swimming in the water are all clearly visible.

  "What kind of fish are these!" Li Mang couldn't help but exclaim in wonder.

  The fish in the water are quite strange, even eerie. They come in black, yellow and purple, with different colors to say the least. Not a small number of them have feet, some two, some four, which is still considered normal. Some amazingly only have one foot, three feet, etc., with peculiar numbers. Their appearance is also very bizarre, completely beyond Li Mang's understanding.

  However, these fish are very alert and have a strong sense of awareness. Within a radius of ten meters around Li Mang, not even half a fish can be seen, as they deliberately avoid him.

  "I was thinking of catching some to take back and taste the freshness! Now it seems that's not possible, they've all become spirits." Li Mang could only look on with a craving, for some reason, seeing these fish made him feel delicious, as a foodie, his eyes were still sharp.

  "Go for a walk to the source above."

  After hesitating for a while between going up or down, Li Mang finally decided to go upstream, hoping to find the source of Lixi Water. This stream is so beautiful and mysterious, he had to see how it was born.

  As he walked up this road, Li Mang was amazed. Not only were the fish in the water really strange, but there were also many interesting little things on the shore.

  Jade is the most common, found on the shore and underwater, each piece is crystal clear and truly beautiful. If placed outside, it would be considered a fine treasure, worthy of being called a precious gem. If sold, Li Mang could become rich just by picking them up from the creek's edge.

  What's more interesting is that these jade stones are not only different in color, but also peculiar in shape. Li Mang, although he convinced himself that he didn't bring a bag and couldn't take it back, every time he encountered a beautiful one, he couldn't help but stop and pick it up. His pockets were really full, so he simply took off his upper shirt, used it as a package to hold the jade stones he liked, and carried them in his hands.

  But even so, Li Meng's clothes were soon filled up, and he had to reluctantly give up continuing the search.

  Unconsciously, Li Mang had already walked to the source of Lixi River.

  In front is a stone mountain, very large and extensive. The spring water seeps out from the mountain, making a gentle gurgling sound that is extremely moving. Adequate water also forms a large piece of beautiful forest on both sides, in addition to the Osmanthus trees that can be seen everywhere on Zhaoyao Mountain, there is also a large area of Xiangfei bamboo, with spots and dots full of spiritual energy, like jade carvings, extremely beautiful.

  Looking up, the stone mountain is high and majestic. Behind it is a grayish misty expanse, which is not white fog. It seems that there is no space in front of us, as if something has intercepted the space in front of us.

  "Could this be the end of Nanshan Jing?" Li Meng's heart was not calm, as the space here was too strange and went against common sense.

  By recalling the map of Nanshan Jing, it is indeed the end of Nanshan Jing in front, but in real life, the earth is round and there is no saying that the sky and sea are infinite, nor should there be a saying that space has an end.

  But this scene is really happening right before our eyes.

  "This shouldn't be the end of space, just a kind of restriction, a restriction on my activity area in the Shan Hai Jing world." Li Mang had another perspective.

  This was not a wild guess by Li Mang, previously he had tried to turn to the second page of Shan Hai Jing but failed, now thinking back, Li Mang's guess was also due to his insufficient authority.

  "So does this mean I can only move within the Nan Shan Jing Tu domain for now?" Li Mang ventured to guess again.

  However, this is not a matter of the moment, and for now, it's most important to understand the situation in this space, especially the environment.

  The upper reaches are already at an end, while the front is cut off by a stream, and can only be passed through by swimming or making a bamboo raft.

  Behind and below, Li Mang hasn't seen yet, but judging from the map of Nanshan Jing, it's likely that there is no road behind, and below is also separated by Lixi Water. If Li Mang wants to explore other places in Nanshan Jing, he can only wade through Lixi Water to reach the second hall on the opposite bank, but currently, the conditions are not quite allowed.

  First, there is no bamboo raft. Although Li Mang can swim across, there are snakes in the water and even some ferocious fish species. If he swims across rashly, his hundred or so catties of flesh might be divided up by unknown creatures.

  Besides, starting from the opposite Tangting Mountain, there will be ferocious beasts in the mountains. To say nothing of others, those white apes on the opposite side look very fierce and should not be entered rashly.

  "Now I have to get familiar with this first mountain, so as to prepare for the exploration of the next one." Li Mang made an arrangement for himself.

  But what made Li Mang feel strange afterwards was that this mountain, which was also considered a scenic spot with its mountains and waters, never had any wild beasts in sight, as if it were a safe zone.

  "Is this set up for my safety?" Li Mang seemed to have an epiphany, but of course, he couldn't rule out other reasons that he hadn't encountered yet. After all, Li Mang had been to very few places.

  "... a pheasant!" As expected, Li Mang's eyes lit up immediately afterwards. It turned out that he saw a majestic pheasant with shiny and long feathers slowly walking out of the Xiang Fei bamboo forest. Although it was just a pheasant, its feathers were smooth and beautiful, very majestic and lovely.

  But Li Mengcai didn't care about these, he only saw a delicious dish beckoning to him! He carefully put down the package in his hand, thought for a moment and put down the vegetable knife, only holding the 20-inch long watermelon knife, crouching and approaching cautiously.

  Li Meng's old home was in the mountains, and as a child he often went into the forest to catch wild chickens and rabbits, naturally developing a pair of sharp eyes. This wild chicken looks delicious at first glance, it must be a delicious dish, can't miss it.

  "...Strange, this wild chicken isn't afraid of people." Li Mang stopped his body five meters in front of the wild chicken, but felt that something wasn't quite right.

  The pheasant was very vigilant, and if it encountered any movement in the wind, it would immediately run away. However, this particular bird was an oddity - despite having already discovered Li Mang's approach, it merely ruffled its feathers and gave a warning look, but did not flee.

  "Hey! This wild chicken probably hasn't encountered any danger before, thinking it's all that fierce!" Li Mang sneered, his feet full of energy, raising the watermelon knife and chasing after him in one swift step.

  "Oh oh oh!!!"

  But who would have thought that this arrogant pheasant not only didn't get scared away, but instead pushed off the ground with both feet, causing sand and rocks to collapse. In an instant, it leaped high into the air, spreading wide its sharp claws like gunheads, while its pointed beak was also raised high, aimed straight at Li Meng as it flew towards him at a speed that exceeded his imagination.

  Adding Li Meng's distraction, it turned out that he was approached by this wild chicken, and its sharp claws fiercely scratched towards Li Meng's chest!

  "Hahaha!!"

  Li Mang is now topless, and his chest skin is as if it has been scraped, revealing several deep blood marks.

  "Pffft!"

  However, what made Li Meng suffer even more was yet to come. The sharp beak of the chicken had fiercely pecked at his shoulder, directly tearing out a large piece of flesh and blood.

  "Ah!"

  Li Mang let out a mournful cry, but at the same time he also reacted and took advantage of his instinctive sideways movement to muster all his strength and swing the watermelon knife at the wild chicken.

  "Pffft!"

  The watermelon knife chopped the wild chicken's neck, and its entire arrogant head was cut off, but the lower half of the wild chicken did not die directly. It lay on the ground, struggling desperately. The hard rocks on the ground were crushed to powder as soon as they encountered its claws, making people's hair stand on end.