Chapter 3 Wild World

As twilight fell, the tranquility was shattered, and every household busied themselves fetching Sun Stones from the Fire Spring. Qin Ming was ready to set off at any moment, armed with a hunting fork, a short knife, and a bow and arrows. He had already eaten the flatbread brought by Lu Ze but hadn’t mentioned his intention to go out, fearing he would be dissuaded. Qin Ming didn’t want to take unnecessary risks and planned to venture into a relatively safe area to test his luck. He recalled a fleeting sight he had seen in the mountains during autumn, and based on the habits of that creature, it should be residing nearby. "I hope it’s still around and can bring me some surprises." Outside, the world gradually quieted down, and no one went to fetch Sun Stones anymore. Qin Ming set out and encountered two villagers along the way, greeting them with a smile before quickly moving on before they could react. He passed by the location of the Fire Spring and entered the pitch-black world. The wild environment was extremely harsh; Qin Ming traversed through the snow, with only his chest exposed, the majority of his body hidden beneath it. The weather was exceptionally cold, and the white mist he exhaled froze into frost on his eyebrows and hair tips. Even in twilight, the world was dim, and he could see nothing in the distance. Holding the hunting fork, Qin Ming trudged forward with great difficulty. Finally, after walking about four miles, he approached his destination. Ahead loomed a dense thicket of trees; although it was still some distance away, he could already make out its outline. Qin Ming’s target was the edge of the forest, not going too deep. He stepped cautiously into the thicket, where most of the trees were bare aside from a few species, their branches laden with snow. Qin Ming paused to carefully recall the activity patterns of the creature he had seen before. He had noticed that area had tree hollows, perhaps one of its nests. "It’s larger than its kind, likely mutated. If I can find its main nest, I should reap considerable rewards." After a brief pause, Qin Ming continued onward. The forest was dark, and at times eerie cries from strange birds echoed, making this desolate area feel exceptionally haunted. Suddenly, Qin Ming tensed up; he caught a faint whiff of a foul odor that was quite abnormal. Gripping his hunting fork tightly, he surveyed the surroundings, bracing for any threat. In a flash, he thrust the sharp steel fork upwards! He heard an unusual sound of wind and pinpointed the source of the smell, simultaneously looking up to see what it was. A dark figure dangled from a branch about ten meters high, with a ghastly pale old man's face, swooping down fiercely toward the top of Qin Ming's head. In this lifeless forest, such a scene was indeed spine-chilling. Fortunately, Qin Ming was quick to react, having sensed something was amiss; he swiftly raised the steel fork to counter the creature in mid-air. A sharp cry echoed through the mountains, sending chills down one’s spine; the creature did not dive straight down but glided to the side a few meters away. The cold wind rose, and it spread its powerful wings, soaring into the night sky, circling briefly before vanishing from sight. Although he couldn’t see it clearly, Qin Ming was still able to identify its type. A human-faced vulture, a scavenging bird of prey, with a gray-black eagle body, its face resembling that of a wrinkled, pale old man, weighing no more than forty pounds. Normally, it wouldn’t attack living adults, only consuming corpses. Was it behaving unusually due to the current scarcity of prey? Qin Ming remained vigilant, waiting for a long time, but it did not reappear. He was not far from his destination and couldn’t give up just like that; after a short rest, he set off once more. "This should be the spot." This area was primarily comprised of camphor pines, broadleaf trees, and white birches, and Qin Ming was certain he hadn’t made a mistake as he discovered the tree hollow he had seen before. Though it was dark in the forest, he could still see that the edges of the hollow were quite clean, which was not a good sign. If that creature had been lurking inside the hollow, the water vapor it exhaled would surely have formed some frost at the entrance in such cold conditions. It was impossible not to feel disappointed; Qin Ming frowned slightly. Did that creature not inhabit this area at all? He took a deep breath, preparing to search nearby carefully. He gripped the hunting fork tightly in his right hand and held the short knife in his left, maintaining a defensive stance, as no one could predict the dangers of the wilderness. Qin Ming slowly explored, searching without making any noise. After a quarter of an hour, he spotted traces of some animal left in the snow, and he immediately felt a glimmer of hope! Suddenly, a large ray of light surged up from the mountains ahead, illuminating the forest in an instant. Qin Ming was startled and immediately became alert, taking this opportunity to carefully observe the surroundings for any lurking large beasts. At the same time, he quickly scanned the area for any suspicious tree hollows. Soon, the bright ray of light vanished, and the world returned to darkness. That was the "Earth Light" steaming from the depths of the ground at the Fire Spring, which occasionally appeared. It was generally more common when the weather warmed up, especially in summer, and at times, the Earth Light could last for a day or two, influencing weather patterns and potentially bringing heavy rain clouds. During that time, the dense raindrops accompanied by mist created a spectacular scene in the world. For those who lived without daylight, it was the most beautiful sight. The forest returned to shadow, and Qin Ming displayed a genuine, radiant smile, for he had just discovered another tree hollow, adorned with frost flowers. He slowly moved his feet in the snow, the slight sound masked by the rising cold wind. He tiptoed to a tree as thick as a barrel, observing the hollow at a height above the ground; he raised the hunting fork, just barely reaching it. Qin Ming set down the hunting fork and suddenly leaped, bursting out of the snow; he grasped the tree trunk and climbed swiftly and nimbly, directly reaching the hollow. He swung the short knife at the entrance, producing a muffled thud. At that moment, a creature that was about to rush out quickly retreated, narrowly missing the blade. Qin Ming hadn’t expected to actually corner this creature inside the hollow, which was an unexpected joy. In his imagination, if he could find its main nest and extract all its stored food, it would be a success, yielding considerable rewards. Sounds of commotion emerged from inside the hollow, accompanied by hurried cries. The entrance was not very large, and Qin Ming found it somewhat difficult to reach inside; he swung the knife repeatedly, and the tree’s body had long since dried out, so it didn’t take long for the hollow to widen. He quickly retrieved a beast-skin bag, slipped it over his hand, and began the capture. Chaotic cries came from within the dark hollow. Qin Ming thrust his whole arm in, feeling a frenzied thrashing; fortunately, the beast-skin bag was thick enough, or he would have been bitten. He grabbed his prey and swiftly pulled it out. He took a Sun Stone from his pocket and shone it into the depths of the hollow, revealing a delightful sight—inside were wild walnuts, chestnuts, red dates, and more, filled to the brim with dry goods. These were his primary targets. The feeling of hunger was unpleasant, and these dried fruits could suffice to stave off hunger, making Qin Ming’s clear eyes shine with fiery excitement. He turned his head to look at the small beast he had caught; its fiery red fur glistened under the light of the Sun Stone, smoother than silk. It was a red squirrel; typical individuals did not exceed one pound, but this one weighed over two pounds, clearly mutated. It was gnawing on the beast-skin bag around Qin Ming’s hand, trying to escape but unable to. Its vibrant, glistening fur was indeed of considerable value. Qin Ming took out a piece of iron wire, quickly secured it, and tightened it before hanging it on a tree. Then came the joy of harvest; he pulled out various dried fruits from the hollow, soon causing the deflated beast-skin bag to swell. In the end, he weighed it and found it exceeded eight pounds. Nearby, the mutated red squirrel hung upside down, its gemstone-like black eyes bulging round, chattering incessantly, seemingly filled with anger. Qin Ming felt as if it was cursing at him. "You’re so heavy; how could eight pounds of winter food be enough for you?" Qin Ming hung it on the hunting fork, holding the Sun Stone while searching the area. Each winter, the snow accumulated thickly, and such mutated creatures generally wouldn’t bury food underground; otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to find it themselves. Qin Ming indeed discovered a second tree hollow nearby, followed by a third, and adding to the first hollow he had found without frost flowers, they all contained "stored food." He peeled open a pile of wild walnuts, ate a handful of chestnuts, and exclaimed how delicious they were; then he used snow to wash the red dates and ate five in a row, savoring their sweetness. Qin Ming was no longer hungry, his delicate face adorned with a joyful smile; these dried fruits were not only delicious but also solved his immediate predicament. Clever rabbits have three burrows, and this radiant-furred red squirrel had four nests, storing over thirty pounds of food; it truly deserved to be called a mutated creature. Qin Ming filled more than half of the beast-skin bag. "Chirp, chirp..." At first, the mutated red squirrel struggled violently, its cries persistent, but upon realizing all four of its nests had been found and emptied, it actually stiffened and remained still. Qin Ming was puzzled and shook it. Was it dead? He had long heard that the physical constitution of such mutated mountain beasts far exceeded their kind, and they were very intelligent but also had a fierce temper; he hadn’t expected it to die of anger directly. "Perfect, Xiao Wenrui said he wanted to eat meat; maybe I can cook a pot of meat soup." He murmured to himself, surprised at how quickly he could fulfill that child's wish. In the nearby Shuangshu Village, some villagers were discussing. Someone mentioned that Qin Ming was fully armed out in the wilderness; judging by his demeanor, it felt like he was going to hunt large beasts! Lu Ze also received news and frowned deeply; how could that kid venture out alone? He wouldn’t be hunting bears, would he? ... Qin Ming stood on a high ground, realizing he was very close to the mountain peak; this was the outermost area of the dense forest's low hills. Unfortunately, after searching for a long time, he did not find any more squirrel holes. He reached the mountain top and looked ahead; the forest was a dark mass, and the towering mountains only revealed some vague shadows. Deep within the mountains, there were actually very bright areas, but they were obscured by the thick night mist, with only a hint of hazy light shimmering through. Qin Ming understood that those places signified the unknown, the mysterious, the dangerous, territories he could not tread.