With his earlier experience of swatting mosquitoes, Qin An quickly adapted.
He pinched his arm and felt that his strength seemed to have increased a little, though not noticeably.
For his frail body, this wisp of Qi and Blood was truly a drop in the bucket.
"Still not enough." He stuffed the wild rabbit into the bamboo basket, covered it with wild vegetables, and continued searching the ground for tracks, seeing if he could make any new discoveries.
After walking some distance further, Qin An's gaze swept across the ground and caught sight of a few mud-stained brown feathers, their edges still clinging to bits of grass.
"Mountain pheasant!" His eyes instantly lit up.
Mountain pheasant meat was tender and fresh. If he could find eggs, there would be nothing better to nourish Cai Yan and Cai Zhen.
The cautious way the two little girls had drunk their thin porridge yesterday was still spinning in his mind.
He followed the tracks along the way deeper into the mountain forest.
The deeper he went, the denser the trees became. A thick layer of rotting leaves had accumulated underfoot, and stepping on them made no sound at all.
Occasionally a squirrel darted across the branches, startling a flurry of falling leaves.
The vegetation here was clearly more lush than at the outskirts. Unnamed wild fruits hung from the branches, red as agate.
Qin An recognized them as edible wild raspberries. He casually picked a handful and stuffed them into his mouth, and the sweet-and-sour juice instantly dispelled his dry mouth and parched tongue.
But he did not dare let his guard down.
【Hunting Techniques】 clearly noted that the deep mountains not only held more prey, but also hid fierce beasts like bears and wolves.
He gripped the sling tightly, taking every step with extreme steadiness, his ears carefully distinguishing the sounds around him.
He did not know how long he had walked when a "cluck cluck" call came from ahead.
Qin An's heart tightened, and he parted the bushes blocking his way.
He saw that in a clearing not far away, two brightly colored mountain pheasants were scratching at the soil, and beside them under a low tree lay another one, presumably incubating eggs.
He did not dare alarm them, and slowly retreated a few steps, hiding behind a thick pine tree.
This time he chose a larger stone. The muscles in his arm tensed, all of his powerful wrist strength burst forth, and under the cover of the tree trunk he swung out the sling.
The stone struck precisely on the back of the mountain pheasant that was pecking at the ground with its head lowered. It flapped twice and then fell.
The other mountain pheasant flew up with a startled cry.
Qin An was quick-eyed and quick-handed. With a backhand he swung the sling again. The stone grazed past its wing. Though it was not fatal, it broke its ability to fly, and it crashed heavily to the ground.
He hurriedly rushed forward and finished it off with one more blow.
【Congratulations, Host, on killing a mountain pheasant. You have obtained one wisp of Qi and Blood.】
【Congratulations, Host, on killing a mountain pheasant. You have obtained one wisp of Qi and Blood.】
Two wisps of Qi and Blood surged into his body, and they were actually about the same as the wild rabbit from before.
Qin An vaguely guessed that the amount of Qi and Blood was probably related to the strength of the prey.
After dealing with both mountain pheasants, he groped around under the low tree for a while, and sure enough, he found a warm nest.
Inside lay ten eggs in neat order, the shells bearing faint speckles.
"Not bad luck." Qin An grinned widely. He carefully wrapped the eggs in soft grass and placed them in the bamboo basket, then dug out some sparrow eggs from a nearby tree hollow. Only then did he prepare to return, fully satisfied.
But just as he turned around, he heard a "crash" from not far away, as if something heavy were churning up the soil.
Qin An instantly became alert. He quietly circled around to take a look, and drew in a sharp breath. Seven or eight wild boars were rolling in a mud pit.
The largest one was half a person tall, with tusks exposed and a sleek, glossy hide. One look told him it was not to be trifled with.
【Gregarious fierce beasts detected. Host is advised to retreat immediately.】
The System's notification tone carried a cold warning.
Qin An swallowed. Yet a trace of longing flashed through his eyes.
With so many wild boars, if he could kill one, the Qi and Blood he obtained would probably be worth dozens of mountain pheasants.
But he looked down at the sling in his hand, and in the end suppressed his greed.
With the sling's killing power, never mind killing a wild boar—it was even doubtful whether it could break through the other's hide.
"If only I had a strong bow." He felt some regret in his heart.
Only a stronger weapon could deal with these big fellows. For now, he could only gaze and sigh.
Qin An was just about to quietly retreat when his ankle suddenly felt cold.
Looking down, he saw a green snake as thick as two fingers coiled at his feet, its triangular head slightly raised, its tongue flicking in and out with a fishy smell.
"Hiss!" His scalp went numb, and Subconsciously he raised his foot and stomped down hard.
The green snake was struck on its vital spot. It let out a sharp hiss, and its body writhed violently.
The commotion instantly alarmed the wild boars in the mud pit.
The largest wild boar suddenly raised its head, its muddy eyes locking onto Qin An's direction. It let out a deafening roar and charged over with the other wild boars.
"Damn it!" Qin An's heart pounded wildly, and he turned and ran. Behind him came heavy hoofbeats, mud flying, and grass and trees snapping as they were rammed apart.
He ran with all his might, relying on his agility to weave through the thickets, but the wild boars' speed far exceeded his imagination, and they quickly closed the distance.
"Bang!" A small wild boar slammed into the back of his leg. Qin An staggered and fell flat on his face. His elbow was cut open by a sharp stone, and blood immediately gushed out.
Ignoring the pain, he scrambled and crawled to a large tree that took two people to encircle, and climbed up using both hands and feet.
The wild boars gathered under the tree, madly ramming the trunk with their heads. Leaves rustled down, and the whole tree shook.
Qin An clung desperately to the trunk, looking down at those wild boars snorting white breath. His back was already soaked through with cold sweat.
He could clearly see the wild boars' yellowed tusks. If he were bitten, he would probably be disemboweled in an instant.
He did not know how long had passed before the wild boars grew tired from ramming and were attracted by some distant commotion, only then sulkily leaving.
Qin An lay on the tree until he confirmed the wild boar herd had completely disappeared, and only then dared to slide down.
When he landed, his legs went weak and he collapsed straight to the ground, his whole body trembling.
The wound on his arm burned with pain, and the back of his leg was also bruised black and blue.
When he had climbed the tree earlier, his thigh had also gotten some scrapes.
He leaned against the trunk, gasping for breath, and a strong sense of helplessness surged in his heart.
If not for this large tree just now, he probably would have already become food for the wild boars.
If he could not even deal with a single wild boar, what was he talking about protecting Yang Yuyan and the two children?
"I must become stronger! I must become stronger as soon as possible!" Qin An clenched his fists.
The joy brought by the System had vanished completely, leaving only an urgent craving for Strength.
"In the future, I will definitely come back to avenge today's grudge!" After recovering, he simply bandaged his wounds with strips of cloth and headed down the mountain with the bamboo basket on his back.
It was very easy to get lost in the dense forest, but fortunately 【Hunting Techniques】 contained a method for determining direction.
Using the sunlight and the patterns on the tree bark, he finally found the path he had taken when coming.
As he neared the edge of the village, Qin An suddenly saw a familiar figure.
Zhao Erhu was leaning against an old locust tree, with several scratch marks on his face and bruises at the corners of his mouth. Clearly, he had been beaten.
When he saw Qin An walking over with the bamboo basket on his back, his eyes lit up, and he limped forward to meet him.
"Yo, isn't this the great hero Qin? Carrying so many vegetables—whose house did you steal them from?" Zhao Erhu said in a strange, sneering tone, reaching out to lift the bamboo basket. "Let brother take a look, just how much did you steal?"
Qin An's eyes turned cold, and with a backhand he grabbed Zhao Erhu's wrist.
His strength was already great, and having just gone through life and death, the force in his hand carried a savage ferocity.
Zhao Erhu cried out "Aiyo" in pain, his face instantly flushing red. "You brat, you dare lay a hand on me? Are you trying to assault an official?"
Qin An did not speak, only staring at him coldly.
The chill in those eyes made Zhao Erhu shiver inexplicably.
Only then did he remember that this brat was a stubborn fool who did not fear death. Even back when he was being escorted, he had dared to stand up to him, and annoyingly, he could not beat him.
"Let go! I was just joking with you!" Zhao Erhu shouted, fierce in appearance but weak inside.
Qin An slowly released his hand.
He knew that the official skin on Zhao Erhu was not easy to provoke. Unless absolutely necessary, he could not let the matter blow up.
Zhao Erhu rubbed his reddened wrist, feeling stifled inside, but his mouth only grew more vicious.
"Hmph, look at you, you poor wretch. I'm afraid you can't even feed that mother and daughters, right? How about this—sell me those two little girls, and I'll give you a few dou of rice, guaranteed to get you through this winter."
The moment those words came out, Qin An's eyes instantly became like knives.
He stepped forward, and Zhao Erhu retreated again and again in fright. "You... what are you trying to do? I am an imperial official!"
"Scram." Qin An spat out only one word, and the killing intent in his voice made Zhao Erhu's soul nearly flee his body.
"Fine! Fine, you Qin An!" Zhao Erhu pointed at him, fierce in appearance but weak inside. "You've got guts! I'd like to see how long you can hold out! Once winter comes, your whole family will freeze to death!"
After saying that, he no longer dared to stay, and limped away.
Qin An stood in place, his brows tightly furrowed.
Zhao Erhu's words were like a needle, piercing through the joy of his full return.
Yes, winter was almost here.
This broken Thatched Hut let wind in from all sides and could not block the cold wind of the Northern Frontier at all.
Grain also had to be saved up enough, otherwise the whole family would surely starve to death.
The time left to him was already running short.
He took a deep breath, suppressed the anxiety in his heart, and quickened his pace toward home!