Human Settlement (2)

"Intruder! State your reason to Ka-Ruo!" the cultivator covered his fist with the Spiritual Thread and strike. As a cultivator with a hint of experience, Mu Qing Lang steps backward twice before he sent the cultivator a kick.

"Pak!" it was blocked in exchange for a little pain on his wrist. The cultivator's interest in Mu Qing Lang increases as there's no one inside the Ka-Ruo Settlement capable of exchanging blows with him.

Only his father, also a fellow cultivator and his teacher, are capable of teaching him. But today, Mu Qing Lang's arrival gave him even more opportunity to get stronger.

"Hug Force!" the attack was unrefined, but still capable of imitating a grass bear's attacking power. Mu Qing Lang is forced to use a back turn swing to throw his attack aside.

Taking a deep breath, Mu Qing Lang hinted that the cultivator should stop, but his hint was ignored as the cultivator is already inside the fighting mood. Unless he wins or defeated, this fight cannot be stopped!

"Since he wrapped his Spiritual Tread on the fist to make it stronger, how about I put them on my wrist? The defensive power is going to be invulnerable!" Mu Qing Lang caught up from the fighting experience, and feel a burst of air explodes in his mind.

[Experience increases by 50 points due to enlightenment]

The notice was shown on the surface of the carriage, just like when Mu Qing Lang first checked on his status. His fight against the cultivator escalates to the finalization when Mu Qing Lang fortify his defense on both wrists.

But the most surprising issue is that to arm his fist with some Spiritual Thread, this took more than just training to achieve. One must have the affinity to cultivation, martial understanding, and most importantly, storage/core that can retain and keep the Spiritual Threads inside his body.

Thus, to do what the cultivator did with his fist earlier, it took him all his backup Spiritual Thread to execute this move once. To recreate this miracle can be said as impossible for the next two to three days.

This is not because he's weak and lack of affinity to cultivates, but lack of a cultivation art that can bring him further in his cultivation! If this cultivator remained like this until his old age, all he could achieve is making the Ke-Ruo Settlement bigger, but nowhere stronger.

"Grass Bear Fist!" the cultivator rained his fist at Mu Qing Lang's guard, but instead of damaging his opponent, the cultivator ends up hurting his two fists. If this continued, it's not impossible to say that he crippled himself just to try bringing down the sturdy concrete wall.

"Stop right there! This friend, please forgive my child for not seeing how high is the mountain before trying to overcome it with his strength." an adult about 40 to 45 years old came up to stop the fight.

His arrival can be said as the savior to both. The cultivator's mind is too proud to give up, while Mu Qing Lang is a person that late to lose. It would be a loss to both parties of this was to continue further.

"Finally!" the arrival of this senior was a big help to him. Earlier, when he's defending against the cultivator's fist, he's forced to put up both of his hand up to block the attack. But with the call from the senior to stop, Mu Qing Lang swings his hand powerfully to throw the cultivator aside.

His injury wasn't too positive to look at. How can a pair of fists lost to Mu Qing Lang's arms? His finger bones dislocated, blood oozing out from the wounds, and some blackened bruise starts to come out on his palm, wrist, elbow, and even on his shoulder.

"This friend. Thank you for your generosity for not being calculative with the youngsters. Ka-Ba, come here and greets this skillful teacher and apologize for making things difficult for him!" this senior, Ka-Ruo, ordered his child over as he greets Mu Qing Lang politely.

Ka-Ba, the cultivator, struggles to stand due to his injured pair of arms. Some other settlement members came to give him a hand, where instead of shaking hands with Mu Qing Lang, he gave him a bow with an apology.

Mu Qing Lang wasn't a person with petty thoughts.

He withdraws a bottle of Recovery Ointment for Ka-Ba. After it was administered to him on his external wound, the youth actually came out from his room in the evening, completely healthy and fit.

At the same time, it fortified Mu Qing Lang's reputation and standing to the people from Ka-Ruo Settlement. Given the opportunity to enjoy their cooked rabbit from the hunters, this is the first time Mu Qing Lang enjoyed the flavor of game meat.

To enhance this flavor further, Mu Qing Lang took one of the Sodium Deposit Crystal and used the copper knife to scratch the surface. The bits of crystal that drop on the meat is rubbed on the rabbit's leg to make sure the salt is applied evenly.

A bite tore the meat straight into his mouth. Armed with the taste of Crystal Salt, the taste become much more stable. To let the leader of this settlement, Ka-Ruo enjoy the taste, he handed another Sodium Deposit Crystal to him.

Ka-Ruo copied what Mu Qing Lang did, and when he took a bite on the meat, everything changed.

"Hahaha! Excellent piece of little rock! To think that it can bring the taste of the rabbit up into heaven! Mu, this piece of gift, how can I repay you?" Ka-Ruo enjoyed it. If it's not because Mu Qing Lang seated beside him, maybe Ka-Ruo will order his hunters to change their profession to salt-mining.

"I've heard about leader Ka-Ruo for a long time from a merchant. I wonder if leader Ka-Ruo willing to share with this surname Mu regarding the Fire-Making knowledge?" Mu Qing Lang did not put on airs on himself and start negotiating.

"Fire-Making? This is easy. My son, Ka-Ba, is a proper fire-starter of our settlement. If Mu don't mind about the previous misunderstanding, why not give him a chance to repent and make himself useful in your camp?" Ka-Ruo is very decisive. As his son is precisely the kind of talent Mu Qing Lang needed, Ka-Ruo feels that letting his son go ahead and temper himself would be great.

"That would be great. With Ka-Ba's specialty and his attitude, I can see a little hope coming to my camp. Leader Ka-Ruo, I hope you don't mind me asking, but is there any problem happened recently? I've seen a few injured people here and there, and their injuries seem to get worse with more time pass." Mu Qing Lang wasn't a saint. But if he knows the cause of this problem, it will be easier for him to handle.

"Yes... Mu, how much do you know about the Stone Claw Bear?" Ka-Ruo answered Mu Qing Lang with a question.

"I know less than everyone present. Leader Ka-Ruo, please continue." Mu Qing Lang replied.

"Stone Claw Bear, this fellow is the leader of the Grass Bears. Their nest is located about fifteen settlements away, and around that area, nothing can survive from the pack of bear's attack." Ka-Ruo started to explain what happened a week ago.

"They used to live in harmony beside us. Once a while, the female bear will come over and rest in our warmer sheds when giving birth. But a week ago, they changed." Ka-Ruo was proud and happy when he describes how the bear coming to their shed to give birth.

But his tone changed when it comes to the story a week back.

"Amongst the Grass Bear, one of them, the most troublesome fellow, evolved into a Stone Claw Bear. While the Grass Bear is really friendly and loves to play with the human, the Stone Claw Bear has a more aggressive nature."

"That fellow took us for a surprise and attacked our settlement to showcase his strength. Under the leadership of a Stone Claw Bear, the Grass Bear has no choice but obey the evolved leader. Their attack took away one man and injured six of our fellow friends."

"Looking at their situation, I'm afraid that one or two of them will leave us either tonight or tomorrow..." Ka-Ruo revealed a sad expression when he mentioned about his people. But nothing beats the fact that among the six injured, one of them was his wife.

Ka-Ruo knows Mu Qing Lang might possess more Recovery Ointment, but their settlement was a small one, and what kind of treasure can they bring out to request for the medicine? Ka-Ba even has the intention to scrap those on his body to be given to his mother.

The atmosphere of the dinner turned dull from the answer. After the people left, Mu Qing Lang was escorted to his carriage where it was parked right beside Ka-Ruo's Wooden Hut. Ka-Ba still controlled himself although he keeps telling himself to request for another bottle of Recovery Ointment.

"What can I trade with him? Please tell me! What can I give to exchange for the Recovery Ointment?" Ka-Ba speaks in his head.

"Ka-Ba," Mu Qing Lang called.

"Yes!" that call surprised Ka-Ba. It feels like a surge went inside his body and bring him back from his daydreaming.

"Do you know the people that were injured by the Stone Claw Bear?" he asked.

"Yes. Uncle Ke, Mama Wu, Mama Ran, Uncle Qin, Brother Qin, and my mother. Do you want to see them?" Ka-Ba counted them with his fingers as he replied.

"I'm not seeing them. You will." Mu Qing Lang took six bottles of the Recovery Ointment and gave them to Ka-Ba.

"This!" Ka-Ba felt that the six bottles of medicine are ten times heavier than lifting his mother when she collapsed on the ground.

"What? Quickly go, starting from your mother." Mu Qing Lang finished reminding him and left into his carriage.

"Master Mu, thank you! Thank you!" Ka-Ba bowed and quickly returned to his home. A loud cries came from the Wooden Hut minutes later when something happened inside.

Then, Ka-Ba sprint outside of his house faster than a leopard and quickly distribute the medicine to those waiting for it.