Chapter 3: The Wilderness World
When Shallow Night arrived, the silence was broken as every household busied themselves going to the Fire Spring to collect Sun Stones.
Qin Ming was ready to head out at any moment, fully armed with a hunting spear, a short blade, and a bow and arrows.
He had already eaten the flatbread Lu Ze brought over, but he didn't mention his plans to go out, fearing he would be talked out of it. Qin Ming didn't want to put himself in unnecessary danger; he planned to try his luck in a relatively safe area.
He had thought about it for a long time, recalling a silhouette he had spotted in the mountain forests during autumn. Based on that creature's habits, it should live nearby.
"I hope it’s still there and can give me a surprise."
The outside world gradually grew quiet; no one else was heading out to gather Sun Stones anymore.
Qin Ming set off. He encountered two villagers on the road and greeted them with a smile, quickly moving past before they could even react.
He passed by the location of the Fire Spring and entered the pitch-black world beyond.
The environment in the wilderness was extremely harsh. Qin Ming waded through the deep snow; only his chest and head remained above the surface, while the rest of his body was buried.
The weather was exceptionally cold. The white mist from his breath condensed into frost on his eyebrows and the tips of his hair. Even during Shallow Night, the world remained dim, making it impossible to see distant scenery.
Clutching his hunting spear, Qin Ming trekked with great difficulty. The journey was far from easy.
Finally, after walking about four li, he approached his destination.
A dark mass lay ahead—a dense forest. Though still some distance away, its silhouette was visible. Qin Ming’s target was the edge of the woods; he didn't plan on venturing too deep.
He stumbled into the dense forest, one deep step after another. Aside from a few species, most of the trees were bare, their branches heavy with snow.
Qin Ming stopped, carefully recalling the activity patterns of the creature he had seen before. He had once discovered a tree hollow in this area, which might be one of its dens.
"It was larger than its kin, likely a mutation. If I can find its main nest, I should get quite a haul."
After a brief pause, Qin Ming continued forward.
The forest was dark. Occasionally, a strange bird would let out an abrupt cry, making this desolate area feel particularly eerie.
Suddenly, Qin Ming’s body tensed. He faintly caught the scent of rot, which was highly unusual. He gripped his hunting spear with both hands and scanned his surroundings, standing ready for anything.
In a flash, he thrust his sharp steel spear upward!
He had heard an abnormal whistling wind and pinpointed the source of the smell. At the same time, he looked up and saw what it was.
A black figure hung upside down from a branch over ten meters high. It possessed the pale face of a wretched old man. It dived down, savagely attacking Qin Ming's head.
In this deathly quiet forest, such a sudden sight was truly terrifying.
Fortunately, Qin Ming had sharp reflexes. He had sensed something was wrong in advance, and his steel spear quickly rose to meet the mid-air creature.
A piercing shriek rang through the mountains, enough to make one's blood run cold. The creature didn't crash into the spear; instead, it veered off to the side while still a few meters away.
A cold wind whipped up as it spread powerful wings, soaring through the gaps in the trees and into the night sky. After circling briefly, it flew off and vanished.
Though he hadn't seen it clearly, Qin Ming was certain of its identity.
A Man-faced Vulture—a carrion-eating bird of prey with a grayish-black eagle body. Aside from its beak, its face was indistinguishable from that of a wrinkled, pale old man. They usually weighed no more than forty jin.
Normally, they wouldn't attack a living adult, preferring corpses. Was it acting so strangely because prey was hard to find right now?
Qin Ming remained on high alert, waiting for a long time, but it didn't reappear.
He was close to his destination and couldn't give up now. After a short rest, he set off again.
"This should be the place."
This area was dominated by Scots pines, broadleaf trees, and white birches. Qin Ming was sure he hadn't found the wrong spot; he had located the tree hollow he remembered.
Though it was dark in the forest, he could clearly see from a few meters away that the edges of the hollow were clean. This wasn't a good sign. If the creature were hibernating inside during such extreme cold, its breath would have certainly formed frost around the entrance.
It was impossible not to feel disappointed. Qin Ming frowned slightly. Could it be that the creature didn't live in this area at all?
He took a deep breath, preparing to search the vicinity thoroughly.
He held the hunting spear firmly in his right hand and gripped his short blade in his left, maintaining a defensive stance at all times. After all, no one could predict the dangers of the wilderness.
Qin Ming explored slowly, searching without making a sound.
Half a quarter-hour later, he spotted tracks left by some animal in the snow. He immediately felt he was on the right track!
Suddenly, a vast glow of light surged from the mountains ahead, momentarily illuminating the dense forest.
Qin Ming was startled but remained alert, using the opportunity to carefully observe the surroundings for any hidden large predators. At the same time, he scanned the area for any suspicious tree hollows.
Soon, the bright glow vanished, and the world returned to ink-black.
That was "Earth Light" steaming up from the Fire Spring deep within the earth's crust, an occasional occurrence. It was more common in warmer weather, especially in summer, when the Earth Light could persist for a day or two, influencing the weather and bringing massive rain clouds. Back then, heavy rain accompanied by mists of light made the world look exceptionally radiant and beautiful. To those living without daylight, it was the most beautiful sight imaginable.
As the forest returned to darkness, a genuine, bright smile appeared on Qin Ming's face. He had just spotted another tree hollow, and this one was covered in frost.
He moved slowly through the snow, the slight sound of his footsteps muffled by the rising cold wind.
Tiptoeing his way to a tree as thick as a bucket, he looked up at the hollow, which was a bit high off the ground. He raised his hunting spear and just barely reached it.
Qin Ming set down the spear and suddenly leaped out of the snow. He hugged the trunk and climbed with agility and speed, arriving directly in front of the hollow.
He swung the short blade in his right hand, striking the area around the entrance with a dull thud.
At the same time, a creature that was about to rush out quickly scurried back, narrowly avoiding the blade.
Qin Ming hadn't expected to actually trap the creature inside; it was an unexpected pleasant surprise. In his plan, if he could find its main nest and take all its food stores, it would be a success and a significant haul.
The hollow was filled with constant movement and frantic chirping.
The opening wasn't very large, making it a bit difficult for Qin Ming to reach inside. He swung his blade repeatedly; the wood was already dried out, and after a few strikes, the hole widened.
He quickly pulled out a beast-hide bag, slipped it over his hand, and began his capture.
Frantic cries echoed from the dark hollow.
Qin Ming reached his entire arm inside, feeling something thrashing about. Luckily, the hide bag was thick enough, or he definitely would have been bitten. He grabbed the prey in one go and quickly yanked it out.
He pulled a Sun Stone from his shirt and shone it deep into the hollow. His face immediately lit up with joy. Inside were wild walnuts, chestnuts, red dates, and other dried goods.
These were his primary goals.
The feeling of hunger was unbearable, and these dried fruits were enough to stave it off. They were life-saving items, causing a fiery light to dance in Qin Ming's clear eyes.
He turned his head to look at the small beast in his hand. Its fiery red fur shimmered under the light of the Sun Stone, smoother than silk.
It was a Red Squirrel. A normal one wouldn't exceed a jin, but this one weighed over two jin; it was clearly a mutation. It was currently gnawing on the hide bag over Qin Ming's hand, trying to escape but failing. Its glowing, crystalline red fur was undoubtedly valuable.
Qin Ming took out a wire and deftly bound it tight before hanging it from a tree.
Next came the joy of the harvest. He scooped out handful after handful of dried fruits from the hollow, and soon the empty hide bag began to bulge. After weighing it, he estimated it was over eight jin.
Beside him, the upside-down mutated Red Squirrel stared with wide, gem-like black eyes, chirping incessantly as if it were incredibly furious. Qin Ming felt as if it were cursing at him.
"You're so heavy, how could eight jin of winter food be enough for you?" Qin Ming hung the squirrel on his hunting spear and used the Sun Stone to search nearby.
Every year the winter snow was thick, so these mutated creatures generally didn't bury their food underground; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to find it themselves.
Sure enough, Qin Ming found a second hollow nearby, followed by a third. Even the first frost-free hollow he had found turned out to have "stored food."
He cracked open a pile of wild walnuts and ate a handful of chestnuts, finding them incredibly fragrant. Then, he used snow to scrub the red dates and ate five in a row, his mouth filled with sweetness.
Qin Ming was no longer hungry. A happy smile spread across his refined face; these dried fruits were delicious and, more importantly, they solved his current predicament.
A wily rabbit has three burrows, but this squirrel with the glowing fur had four nests, storing over thirty jin of food. It truly lived up to its status as a mutated creature. Qin Ming filled more than half of the large hide bag.
"Squeak! Squeak!" Initially, the mutated Red Squirrel struggled violently and shrieked constantly. But when it saw all four of its nests found and emptied, it actually went rigid and stopped moving.
Qin Ming was surprised and shook it. Had it gone stiff?
He had long heard that the constitutions of these mutated mountain beasts far surpassed their kin and that they were very intelligent, but they were also very temperamental. He hadn't expected it to literally die of rage.
"Just as well. Little Wenrui said he wanted to eat meat; I can boil a pot of meat soup," he muttered to himself, surprised he could fulfill the child's wish so soon.
In Twin Tree Village, some of the villagers were talking.
Someone mentioned that Qin Ming had gone into the wilderness fully armed. From the look of him, it seemed like he was going to hunt a large predator!
Lu Ze also heard the news, his brow furrowing deeply. How could that kid risk going out alone? He couldn't have gone to hunt a bear, could he?
...
Qin Ming stood on high ground and realized he was very close to the summit. This was a low mountain on the outermost edge of the dense forest.
Unfortunately, after searching for a long time, he couldn't find any more squirrel dens.
He reached the summit and looked ahead. The forest was a dark mass, and while vast mountain ranges loomed, only faint, blurry silhouettes were visible.
In the deepest parts of the mountains, there were actually very bright areas, but they were obscured by the boundless night mist, with only a few glimmers of hazy light leaking out.
Qin Ming knew that those places represented the unknown, the mysterious, and the dangerous—territories he was not yet capable of treading.