Chapter 4: The Wilderness World

As dusk descended, the peace was broken. Every household was busy heading to the Fire Spring to collect the Sunstones. Qin Ming was ready to depart at any moment, armed with a hunting spear, a short knife, a bow and arrows, fully equipped for the journey.

He had already eaten the flatbreads that Lu Ze had brought him, but he didn't mention his plan to go out, afraid of being persuaded against it.

Qin Ming didn't want to put himself in danger but planned to take a risk in a relatively safe area.

He had thought about it for a long time and remembered a shadow he had seen in the mountains during autumn. Based on the habits of that creature, it should be dwelling nearby.

"Hope it's still there and can surprise me."

The outside gradually quieted down, and no one was going to collect Sunstones anymore.

Qin Ming set off, encountering two villagers along the way. He greeted them with a smile and quickly left before they could respond.

He passed by the Fire Spring's location and entered the pitch-black world.

The wilderness environment was harsh. Qin Ming trudged through the snow, with only his chest and head exposed, the rest of his body hidden from view.

The weather was extremely cold, and the white mist he exhaled froze into frost on his eyebrows and hair tips.

Even though it was just dusk, the world seemed dim, and the scenery in the distance was obscured.

Qin Ming held the hunting spear, struggling to move forward, finding the journey difficult.

Finally, after walking about four miles, he neared his destination.

Ahead, there was a dark mass—dense trees. Though still distant, their outlines were already visible.

Qin Ming's target was the edge of the forest, not venturing too deep.

He moved cautiously into the dense woods. Most of the trees were bare, with snow covering their branches, except for a few species.

Qin Ming stopped, carefully recalling the activity path of the creature he had seen earlier.

He had discovered tree hollows in the area—possibly one of its nests.

"It's bigger than others of its kind. It's likely mutated. If I can find its main nest, there should be a decent reward."

After a brief pause, Qin Ming continued on.

The forest was dark, with the occasional strange bird cry echoing through the air, adding an eerie atmosphere to the desolate place.

Suddenly, Qin Ming tensed. Faint but unmistakable, he smelled a faint rotting odor. This was highly unusual.

He held his spear with both hands and scanned his surroundings, on high alert.

In a flash, he thrust his sharp steel spear upward!

He heard an unusual rush of wind and confirmed the source of the smell. At the same time, he looked up and saw what it was.

A dark figure hung upside down from a tree branch about ten meters above, with a pale, elderly face. It swooped down with fierce speed, aiming straight for Qin Ming's head.

In the dead and silent forest, such a scene was truly terrifying.

Fortunately, Qin Ming reacted swiftly. Sensing something was off, he quickly thrust his steel spear towards the airborne creature.

A sharp, chilling screech echoed through the forest, sending a shiver down the spine. The creature didn't continue to dive directly but veered off to the side when it was a few meters away.

The cold wind picked up, and it spread its powerful wings, soaring up into the night sky. After circling briefly, it disappeared into the distance.

Though Qin Ming didn't get a clear look, he was certain of its identity.

A human-faced eagle, a scavenger bird with a gray-black hawk body, its face resembling a wrinkled, pale old man, except for the beak. Its weight generally didn't exceed forty pounds.

Normally, it wouldn't attack living adults, only feeding on corpses. Could it be this abnormal behavior was due to the current scarcity of prey?

Qin Ming remained cautious, waiting for a long time, but the creature didn't reappear.

He was not far from his destination, and he couldn't give up now. After a brief rest, he set off again.

"This should be the place."

This area was primarily composed of Chinese fir, broadleaf trees, and birch. Qin Ming was sure he hadn't gone the wrong way when he found the tree hollow he had seen before.

Though the forest was dark, he could clearly see the clean edge of the tree hollow just a few meters away. This was not a good sign.

If the creature had been hibernating in the tree hollow, the moisture it breathed out would have surely formed some frost at the entrance in this extreme cold.

It would be impossible not to feel disappointed. Qin Ming frowned slightly. Could it be that the creature didn't inhabit this area at all?

He took a deep breath and decided to search the nearby area carefully.

He gripped the hunting spear tightly in his right hand and held a short knife in his left, always ready to defend himself. After all, one could never predict the dangers of the wilderness.

Qin Ming moved slowly, searching quietly, but made no noise.

After about a quarter of an hour, he saw tracks left by some animal in the snow, and instantly, he felt hope.

Suddenly, a large burst of light erupted from the mountains ahead, momentarily illuminating the dark forest.

Qin Ming was startled but quickly became alert. He took the opportunity to carefully scan the surroundings to see if any large beasts were lurking.

At the same time, he quickly swept his gaze over the area to see if there were any suspicious tree hollows.

Soon, the bright light faded, and the world returned to its inky darkness.

Quickly, the bright twilight disappeared, and the world returned to its ink-black hue.

It was the "earthlight" emanating from the fiery springs deep within the earth, a rare occurrence.

It was more commonly seen when the weather warmed, especially in the summer, and sometimes the earthlight could last for one or two days, triggering celestial phenomena or bringing large rain clouds. During that time, the dense raindrops mixed with the misty light, making the world incredibly vibrant and beautiful.

For those living without daylight, this was the most beautiful sight.

The dense forest returned to its shadowed state, and Qin Ming displayed a genuine, radiant smile as he had just discovered another tree hollow adorned with frost-like ice flowers.

He moved slowly through the snow, the slight sounds of his steps covered by the rising cold wind.

He tiptoed, approaching a large tree as thick as a water barrel, looking at a tree hollow located some distance off the ground. After lifting his hunting fork, he reached the hole just in time.

Qin Ming lowered the hunting fork and then suddenly leaped, charging out of the snow. He grabbed the tree trunk with force, swiftly and skillfully climbing, directly reaching the tree hollow.

With a swift motion, his short knife slashed the area around the opening, producing a dull thudding sound.

At the same time, a creature that was about to rush out quickly retreated, narrowly avoiding the sharp blade.

Qin Ming hadn't expected to actually trap the creature inside the tree hollow, which was an unexpected delight.

In his mind, if he could find its main nest and take all its stored food, that would be considered a success and would bring a good harvest.

The tree hollow was bustling with activity, accompanied by urgent cries.

The hole wasn't very large, and Qin Ming had to stretch his hand in with some difficulty. He swung the knife a few times, and since the wood of this part of the tree had long dried out, the hole quickly expanded.

He quickly took out a leather bag and placed it over his hand, starting to capture the creature.

The dark tree hollow echoed with the frantic cries.

Qin Ming's entire arm was inside, feeling the creature bumping against him. Luckily, the leather bag was thick enough, otherwise, he would've been bitten.

He grabbed the prey and swiftly pulled it out.

He took out a piece of sunstone from his chest and shone it into the depths of the tree hollow, revealing a joyful expression as he saw wild walnuts, chestnuts, and red dates—plenty of dried food.

These were his main target.

The taste of hunger was unpleasant, but these dried fruits could stave off hunger and were a lifesaver, causing Qin Ming's clear eyes to shine with fiery light.

He turned his head and looked at the small beast in his hand. Its bright red fur, now glowing under the light of the sunstone, was smoother than satin.

This was a red squirrel. Normally they didn't weigh more than a pound, but this one was over two pounds, clearly mutated.

It was gnawing on the leather bag Qin Ming was holding, trying to escape but unable to.

Its glowing red fur shone brightly, indicating its high value.

Qin Ming took out a piece of iron wire and swiftly bound it, tightening it before hanging it from the tree.

Next came the joy of harvesting. He continued pulling out various dried fruits from the tree hollow, quickly filling the leather bag.

Finally, he weighed it and found it to be over eight pounds.

Nearby, the mutated red squirrel, hanging upside down, glared with its jet-black eyes, squeaking non-stop in apparent fury.

Qin Ming thought it was cursing him.

"You're so heavy, how could you possibly eat all this winter food that's barely over eight pounds?" Qin Ming said, hanging it from his hunting fork and holding the sunstone as he searched nearby.

Every winter, the snowfall was thick, and mutated creatures like this didn't usually bury food underground, or else they wouldn't be able to find it themselves.

Sure enough, Qin Ming discovered a second tree hollow nearby, followed by a third, and even the first one he found without frost flowers—each one had "stored food."

He peeled a batch of wild walnuts and ate a handful of chestnuts. It tasted really good. Then he washed the red dates in the snow and ate five of them, savoring the sweetness.

Qin Ming wasn't hungry anymore. A happy smile spread across his delicate face as the dried fruits not only tasted delicious but also solved his immediate problem.

Clever rabbits have three burrows, and this glowing red squirrel had four nests, storing over thirty pounds of food. No wonder it was a mutated creature.

Qin Ming had already filled more than half of the leather bag.

"Chirp chirp…" The mutated red squirrel initially struggled violently, its cries continuous. When it saw that all four of its nests had been found and emptied, it froze, and then stopped moving.

Qin Ming was surprised and shook it. Was it dead?

He had heard that mutated mountain creatures were far stronger than their kind and very intelligent, but they also had volatile temperaments. He hadn't expected it to die from anger.

"Perfect, Xiao Wenrui said he wanted to eat meat, so I can make a pot of meat soup," he muttered to himself, surprised that he could satisfy the child's wish so quickly.

In Shuangshu Village, some of the villagers were discussing.

Someone mentioned that Qin Ming was fully armed and heading out into the wild. With his demeanor, it seemed like he was going to hunt large beasts!

Lu Ze also received the news and frowned deeply. How could that kid go out alone? He wasn't planning to hunt a bear, was he?

…

Qin Ming stood on a high ground and found he was very close to the mountain peak. This was the low mountain at the outer edge of the dense forest.

Unfortunately, he searched for a long time and didn't find any more squirrel holes.

He reached the mountain top and gazed ahead, the forest black and dense, while the towering mountains stood, only a few blurry shadows visible.

Deep within the mountains, there was a very bright area, but it was obscured by thick night mist, with only a faint glimmer of light leaking through.

Qin Ming knew that area meant the unknown, mystery, and danger—territory he couldn't step into.