Along with the venomous bees came a wild boar.
The rustling and crashing sounds from earlier had been caused by it.
Apparently frightened by the swarm, the boar snorted wildly as it charged about recklessly.
Some of the thinner bamboo stalks were snapped in half by its rampage.
Xu Lang raised his left arm.
The semi-transparent, plump Golden Silkworm Gu slowly floated into the air.
In the very next instant—
The previously aggressive swarm of human-faced venom bees, which had been rushing forward to sting everything in sight, suddenly froze mid-air.
The overwhelming pressure emanating from the Golden Silkworm Gu suppressed all insects.
Within moments, the entire bamboo grove fell silent—
Mosquitoes, bugs, everything vanished as if swept clean.
Even the human-faced venom bees, rulers of this bamboo grove that no human or beast dared provoke, were completely subdued.
Hundreds of venom bees landed obediently on grass blades and bamboo leaves, not daring to move.
The plump Golden Silkworm Gu flapped its tiny wings, its bead-like black eyes darting around as it inspected the swarm—
Like a mighty general reviewing his troops.
Xu Lang had already estimated—
There were roughly two to three hundred human-faced venom bees in this swarm.
Even tigers or wolves would be helpless against such numbers.
At that moment—
The wild boar that had been fleeing in panic suddenly turned and charged straight toward Xu Lang.
Its eyes were bloodshot, tusks half a foot long, and its massive body weighed at least three hundred pounds.
Perfect timing.
Xu Lang had been looking for something to test his newfound power on.
As the saying goes—
When one holds a blade, the urge to strike arises.
Now that Xu Lang controlled a swarm of venomous bees, if he didn't use them on something, it almost felt like a waste.
Without hesitation, Xu Lang activated his Insect Control skill.
He commanded the swarm to take flight and target the boar's most vulnerable areas.
The wild boar had thick skin and tough flesh—ordinary stings wouldn't penetrate.
But it still had weaknesses.
Its long snout, constantly used for digging, was sensitive.
The underside of its belly—
And the area beneath its tail—
All vulnerable points.
Under Xu Lang's precise control, the human-faced venom bees swarmed these exact spots.
The Golden Silkworm Gu hovered nearby, visibly eager, as if wanting to join in.
But Xu Lang shook his head.
It wasn't time for the Gu to act.
Besides—
The Golden Silkworm Gu's toxin was far too potent.
If it killed the boar outright, the meat would be ruined.
Just as the boar closed to within two zhang of Xu Lang—
It suddenly let out a horrific scream.
Its snout, belly, and rear were now covered with venom bees.
The pain was so intense that the boar leapt nearly a meter into the air.
Then it collapsed, rolling and thrashing on the ground, smashing its snout against the earth in a desperate attempt to shake off the bees.
Xu Lang calmly controlled the swarm, skillfully avoiding the boar's violent struggles.
At first, he wasn't entirely proficient—
A dozen bees were crushed or knocked dead.
But as the poison took effect and Xu Lang's control improved, there were no further losses.
A few minutes later—
The massive boar lay on the ground, twitching, completely unable to stand.
Xu Lang nodded in satisfaction.
The venom of the human-faced bees was indeed formidable.
And unlike ordinary bees, they didn't die after a single sting.
Their stingers could clearly be used repeatedly.
Xu Lang quickly cut a thick section of bamboo and carved an opening into it with his blade.
Then, under his command, the entire swarm of human-faced venom bees flew neatly into the bamboo tube.
Once the last bee had entered, Xu Lang carefully sealed and stored it.
At that moment, Hu Ba Yi, Shirley Yang, and Wang Pangzi came rushing over.
Wang Pangzi was in the lead.
"Lord Lang! Have you lost your mind? Why didn't you run?!"
Seeing Xu Lang standing unharmed, Wang Pangzi rushed over and patted him all over, checking for injuries.
Only after confirming Xu Lang was completely fine did he finally let out a breath of relief.
"You scared me to death! If something happened to you, how would I explain it to Old Hu?"
His eyes were practically tearing up from anxiety.
Meanwhile, Hu Ba Yi and Shirley Yang had already noticed the fallen wild boar nearby.
"The boar… blocked the swarm?" Hu Ba Yi asked in astonishment.
Xu Lang went along with it and nodded.
Even Shirley Yang couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement.
Xu Lang's luck was simply unbelievable.
Running into either the boar or the swarm alone would've been dangerous—
Yet somehow, the swarm killed the boar, Xu Lang remained unharmed, and they even got a free wild boar out of it.
It really made others feel helplessly envious.
The boar's violent thrashing had cleared out a large open space in the bamboo grove.
Xu Lang suggested they make a fire there and process the boar.
The smoke would also help keep away insects.
Hu Ba Yi checked the time.
They had set out early, so they still had enough time.
He immediately assigned the heavy task of handling the boar to Wang Pangzi.
As for the rest—
They continued cutting bamboo and building the raft.
With the system enhancing him and the Golden Silkworm Gu boosting his strength, Xu Lang worked quickly, cutting bamboo with ease.
Before long, they had more than enough materials.
Both Hu Ba Yi and Wang Pangzi had worked in logging camps in the northeast during their younger days.
Timber there was often transported downstream by water.
Their hometowns were also mountainous and rich in rivers.
Building bamboo rafts was nothing new to them.
Under their hands, the raft took shape skillfully.
While the raft was being assembled, Xu Lang—now free—made a quick trip back to the Colorful Cloud Inn.
There was far too much boar meat.
The four of them couldn't possibly finish or carry it all.
In the end, they decided to inform Kongque so the innkeeper could bring people later to collect the meat.
By the time Xu Lang returned—
A sturdy bamboo raft, made from eight thick bamboo logs, was already floating on the river.
At that moment, distant thunder rumbled across the sky.
"We need to move quickly. The weather in the mountains changes fast. If it starts raining, we'll be in trouble," Shirley Yang reminded them.
Very soon—
The four of them boarded the raft and began pushing it forward—
Toward the dark tunnel cave beneath Zhelong Mountain.