According to Yan Qing’s earlier observation, the black bear had been severely injured.
She stayed at the cave entrance, listening carefully for any movement—but nothing stirred.
Spotting some dry branches nearby, she devised a new plan.
She poured some oil on the branches, wrapped them in leaves, and lit them. Thick black smoke billowed out immediately.
Yan Qing walked to the cave mouth, gave the smoky bundle a hard toss inside, and darted behind a rock to hide, holding her breath.
Ten minutes passed—still no movement.
Once the smoke cleared, she made a bold move.
Right hand ready with the crossbow, left hand holding the flashlight, she flashed it inside the cave.
In an instant, Yan Qing saw the entire interior.
The cave was about thirty square meters. The black bear lay at the back, motionless.
She scanned it again with the flashlight, keeping it on this time.
To be safe, she shot an arrow at the bear. Still no response.
Yan Qing stayed frozen at the entrance, carefully watching the black bear. Once she confirmed it truly wasn’t moving, she cautiously stepped inside, her right hand ready to fire at a moment’s notice.
The stench hit her immediately. The smell was so strong it made her head spin, almost suffocating her.
After a moment to adjust, she approached the bear and tapped it with a stone—still no movement.
Then Yan Qing noticed the blood around it. She exhaled in relief.
It was dead.
Heh heh—truly a case of the snipe and the clam, the fisherman benefits. That fisherman, in this case, was Yan Qing herself.
She couldn’t help but grin, showing her teeth in a silly, triumphant smile.
Suddenly, a faint whimper made her instantly raise her crossbow.
But upon closer inspection, she immediately relaxed.
There was movement.
Yan Qing slowly circled to the front of the black bear, making absolutely sure the bear was dead.
Wait!
Something stirred beneath its body.
Using her foot, she gently moved the bear’s legs aside.
What she saw made her eyes widen.
Black bear cubs.
Two of them!
Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest.
Black bear cubs! Tiny, helpless, just like the ones raised from birth at a zoo.
These were perfect bodyguards—the guardians of the forest.
“Hahaha… heavens, you really are good to me!” Yan Qing laughed, wanting to throw her head back and howl with joy.
But she restrained herself—the smell was unbearable.
The cubs were still warm. She hesitated to leave them on the ground.
Then she remembered: could she store them in her space?
Before she could fully think it through, the black bear corpse vanished into her space.
Fantastic!
The two cubs, suddenly orphaned, began whimpering. Yan Qing quickly grabbed a basin and a deformed stuffed pillow.
This old pillow had been a bit loose and saggy. She had considered discarding it when organizing her things, but thought, why not store it in space?
Now it proved perfect—a warm, makeshift nest for the cubs.
She placed the pillow inside the basin, tidied it a bit, and put the two cubs in. Immediately, they stopped crying—it seemed they were newborns, still delicate, with fur barely grown and needing warmth.
After settling the cubs, Yan Qing grabbed her flashlight and went outside.
She decided to store the tiger corpse in her space as well.
A tiger! She could later use its hide to make a tiger-skin mat—plop it right onto the sofa.
Hahaha, a tiger-skin seat!
Even if she didn’t store it, leaving it to rot would be wasteful. Might as well save the fur.
Feeling pleased, she stored the tiger in her space, then quickly gathered a large bundle of dry branches nearby and returned to the cave.
You might ask, why go back to the cave despite the smell?
Of course, it stank—but there was no alternative. Tonight, she had to stay there.
Besides, with two wild animals down and all the commotion, she guessed there were no other animals nearby. It was safe.