When they heard Uncle Lu’s name, everyone was startled and turned to look.
Wang Wu sat there with his chin raised, legs shaking with pride—clearly pleased with himself.
Uncle Lu was Wang Wu’s mentor and the oldest hunter in Qingshan Village, even more senior than Xu Tielin.
No wonder Wang Wu was so smug.
Last time, he had lost face while trailing Xu Changnian. Now that Uncle Lu had returned, of course he’d help him regain some dignity.
Although things wouldn’t escalate into a fight with the Xu family, as fellow hunters, a bit of competition was inevitable. After all, rivals in the same trade were natural enemies.
…
On Xiaoyue Mountain, Xu Changnian moved forward slowly. He’d been here a few times before, but this was the first time he was trekking through snow. Every step had to be taken with extreme caution. One wrong move and he could sink into a snow pit.
After moving a few hundred meters, he noticed fresh animal tracks in the snow… long oval-shaped paw prints, with the front paws slightly larger than the back, and a small gap between the toes. The marks were clear—it hadn’t been long since the animal passed through. But what kind of animal?
Xu Changnian was still new to hunting. His past success had relied on the system. When it came to identifying animals by footprints, he had to think carefully.
“Four toes… judging by the size… looks like a dog…” he muttered.
“Shit!” Xu Changnian immediately sobered up, quickly drawing his hunting knife and scanning the surroundings with caution. He didn’t know whether there were dogs on Xiaoyue Mountain, but there was one animal whose tracks closely resembled those of dogs—wild wolves!
Whew—after thoroughly checking the area, Xu Changnian let out a breath of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. No wolves were lying in ambush!
Never underestimate the beasts on the mountain—especially wolves. These pack animals were highly intelligent. When they hunted, they didn’t just charge blindly; they worked in teams, lying in wait and ambushing their prey. Calling them cunning was an understatement.
This moment reminded Xu Changnian—just because he had the Information System didn’t mean he was invincible. If something truly unexpected happened, the system couldn’t save his life. In the end, he had to rely on himself.
After that small scare, Xu Changnian carefully continued forward.
Squeak squeak—when he reached the mountainside, animal cries echoed from the distance. He looked up toward the source and spotted a gray squirrel on a tree about 40 to 50 meters away, its fluffy tail swaying in the air.
“Since I ran into you, I’ll graciously accept the gift. Let me hit you with one arrow!” Xu Changnian took out his mulberry wood bow, calmly nocked an arrow, and aimed toward the tree.
Swoosh—The willow arrow struck the tree trunk dead on. Xu Changnian nodded in satisfaction. His days of practice indoors hadn’t been wasted.
So why didn’t he aim for the squirrel?
Because he never intended to. Squirrel meat was sour and bitter—he’d heard Xu Tielin say it was awful.
The real value of squirrels lay in their winter food storage—pine nuts, hazelnuts, and the like. If you came across a squirrel on the mountain, you didn’t need to kill it—just scare it, and it would run straight back to its stash.
Squeak!
The arrow striking the tree made it tremble, startling the squirrel. Its gray fur puffed up as it leapt to a nearby tree and fled.
Xu Changnian wasn’t in a rush. He retrieved his arrow from the tree and followed the squirrel from a distance. Startled and darting about, the squirrel eventually disappeared near a dead tree.
Xu Changnian approached. The trunk was about half a meter thick. He knocked on it with his hand. Thump thump—the trunk was hollow.
That was enough confirmation. Most likely, the squirrel’s nest was inside this tree. Xu Changnian pulled out his hunting knife, found a weak spot in the trunk, and struck it hard. Bang! The withered tree shook violently, as if it were about to fall.
Squeak! The squirrel panicked and sprang from the trunk, leaping to another tree and watching Xu Changnian anxiously. Its tiny green-bean-like eyes stared hard, and its claws twitched furiously, though it didn’t dare come down.
Seeing the squirrel’s reaction, Xu Changnian grinned. Its panic confirmed this was its nest—and it had to be loaded with goods!
He hacked again and again.
Before long, the dry trunk split open, and out spilled a large pile of pine nuts and wild nuts. Xu Changnian’s eyes lit up with joy—what a haul!
He packed the nuts into his bag. By feel, it seemed to weigh about 1.5 kilograms. Not bad at all.
Thanks, little guy! Nuts weren’t meat, but they were rich in fats and nutrients. A light roast and they’d smell amazing—perfect as snacks after meals.
Squeak squeak squeak—the squirrel, seeing its hard-earned winter stash looted, jumped around frantically and squealed furiously at Xu Changnian.
He couldn’t understand squirrel language, but he was sure those squeaks were absolutely loaded with curses.
“If you don’t scram, I’ll be taking more than just your pine nuts…” Xu Changnian nocked an arrow and pointed it at the squirrel, giving a cold warning.
The squirrel must’ve sensed the killing intent radiating from that cold arrowhead. With a miserable cry, it turned and fled into the distance.
Xu Changnian didn’t bother chasing it. He packed away his bow and continued toward the grouse den.
Despite their size, squirrels were mostly fluff. Under all that fur, they were just oversized rats with terrible meat. Not worth the effort.
But the more anxious you were, the more trouble you’d run into.
Awooo—he froze at the sudden distant howl of a wolf. Sure enough, just as the system had predicted—fortune and calamity came intertwined. The mountain was anything but peaceful.
But something about that wolf howl felt off—unlike the proud, resonant howls he’d heard before, this one sounded pitiful. Wolves usually howled to declare territory or signal to the pack. Their calls were loud and powerful.
Someone was hunting wolves?!
With snow still deep on the mountain, who would risk going up to hunt wolves? No ordinary hunter had that kind of nerve.
Xu Changnian thought back. The only one who might have that kind of courage was the old man who gave him the rabbit—Uncle Niu.
Hunters bold enough to enter the mountain now were surely seasoned veterans. Naturally, Xu Changnian suspected Elder Niu Ben.
He readied his bow and arrows and cautiously advanced.
A few dozen steps ahead, he found messy footprints in the snow, and among them—splashes of red blood.
Swoosh! The sharp sound of an arrow splitting the air suddenly shot toward Xu Changnian from the forest ahead!
Thankfully, he had been vigilant.
With a quick sidestep, he narrowly dodged the arrow.
So it’s an ambush, huh? Then take this!
Xu Changnian wasn’t one to suffer quietly. Tracing the arrow’s origin, he shot back reflexively—three consecutive arrows in return!