Chapter 11 Hunting in the Mountains

Early in the morning, news spread throughout Changhe Village that Tian Shi had lost two of her front teeth and her eyes had been bitten by poisonous insects overnight.

When the news reached Qin Ruo’s ears, she wasn’t surprised at all.

It was just a little trick, Tian Shi deserved it.

After breakfast, Qin Ruo took her hunting bow and arrows, as well as her three-pronged hunting fork, and went out.

Qin Zimu carried his backpack and followed behind Qin Ruo.

Old Lady Qin’s patience with Qin Ruo had reached its limit. She wanted to scold her a few times, but seeing Qin Ruo dressed for going into the mountains, she held back.

Qin Ruo, with her hunting tools, went straight to the foot of Humpback Mountain.

Qin Zimu silently followed behind her, keeping a safe distance. The villagers of Changhe Village mainly relied on farming or doing odd jobs in the town to make a living.

Hunters like the Qin family were unique.

After all, hunting wasn’t something everyone could do. The mountains were dangerous, and one could easily lose their life if they weren’t careful.

These days, although everyone’s lives were not very good, few dared to venture into the mountains.

Since Qin Huaizheng’s accident, the villagers of Changhe Village had been terrified of Humpback Mountain.

They would only go to the outer edges of the mountain to pick mushrooms and fungi, gather wild fruits, and dig wild vegetables.

As winter approached, farming activities decreased and the weather turned cold. Qin Ruo and Qin Zimu hardly encountered anyone along the way.

Qin Zimu had been following the original owner for a long time, so he had seen a lot and could set some simple traps. Occasionally, he could catch some wild chickens or rabbits.

The chances were very low, but Qin Zimu was still used to checking his traps every few days.

As soon as they entered the mountains, Qin Zimu went straight to the place where he had set his traps, but he found nothing.

Qin Zimu sighed, his young face tense and dejected.

He also wanted to be like his sister, able to hunt some game, so that their family’s life wouldn’t be so difficult.

“What are you sighing for? You made the traps like this, and you expect to catch anything? Just look around the outer edges for anything edible and pick some back. Don’t wait for me, go back by yourself.”

Qin Ruo glanced at the pits, which were about a meter deep, with a few sharpened bamboo sticks at the bottom. How stupid would an animal have to be to fall into them?

After giving Qin Zimu his instructions, Qin Ruo prepared to go further up.

The original owner would usually go a little further into the outer edges when hunting.

But today, Qin Ruo didn’t intend to just take a casual stroll. She was already here, there was no way she would return empty-handed.

Qin Zimu looked at Qin Ruo with pleading eyes, his meaning was clear, he wanted to go into the mountains with her.

Qin Ruo pretended not to see and started walking. Having Qin Zimu with her would only hinder her and affect her performance.

“Qiuxi, Zimu, are you going into the mountains today too?” Suddenly, a surprised voice came from the path ahead.

A young boy about the same age as Qin Zimu came running towards them, followed by an older boy.

They were the Zhou brothers from Changhe Village, Zhou Dazhu and Zhou Erzhu.

Zhou Dazhu was thirteen years old this year, and Zhou Erzhu was the same age as Qin Zimu. The Zhou brothers were Qin Zimu’s few friends.

Because of this relationship, the original owner would take special care of the Zhou brothers.

For example, she would teach them how to make traps to catch wild animals. The Zhou brothers could occasionally catch some wild animals and exchange them for some money, adding to their family’s income.

The two brothers had gone into the mountains today to see if their traps had caught anything and to dig some wild vegetables to take back.

Unfortunately, the Zhou brothers’ traps were also empty today.

When they saw Qin Ruo and her brother, they quickly came over to greet them.

Zhou Dazhu and Zhou Erzhu were both very happy to see Qin Ruo, because it meant they could follow her a little further into the mountains.

That meant they had a chance to find good things, even if it was just wild fruits or vegetables, there would be more of them than in the outer edges.

In the past, the original owner would allow the Zhou brothers to follow her into the mountains as long as it was safe.

Usually, the original owner would go hunting, and the Zhou brothers would pick wild fruits and dig wild vegetables nearby.

Although the two brothers were young, they were very savvy.

They would always bring back some wild fruits and vegetables for the original owner.

Qin Ruo nodded without saying anything.

The original owner, Qin Qiuxi, wasn’t very talkative, so the Zhou brothers didn’t mind. They quickly followed Qin Ruo’s footsteps.

Qin Zimu also followed after getting Qin Ruo’s permission.

She hadn’t agreed to let Qin Zimu follow her earlier because she was afraid she would have to distract herself to take care of him.

Now that she had met the Zhou brothers, Qin Ruo didn’t have that worry anymore.

Zhou Dazhu was honest and steady, while Zhou Erzhu was quick-witted and lively.

With them and Qin Zimu, Qin Ruo wasn’t worried about any accidents.

The original owner had been to this mountain often, she was very familiar with it.

Humpback Mountain was tall and majestic, with winding ridges.

The mountain was covered in wild grass and towering ancient trees, stretching for dozens of miles, a truly magnificent sight.

Qin Ruo, drawing on the original owner’s memories, quickly reached a forest on a gentle slope, a place the original owner often visited.

Upon arriving, Qin Ruo didn’t stop but continued towards another direction in the forest.

“Qiuxi, are we going further?” Zhou Erzhu asked curiously, seeing that Qin Ruo didn’t stop there.

“We’re going to a different place today. Just follow me.” Qin Ruo looked at the footprints on the ground, not turning her head.

The restless part of her was already clamoring.

It seemed that heaven was kind to her, the skill of sensing the direction and distance of animals had come through with her.

Qin Ruo spoke, and the Zhou brothers and Qin Zimu silently followed.

They would do whatever Qin Ruo said.

About a quarter of an hour later, Qin Ruo, who was walking at the front, finally stopped.

She turned around and made a shushing gesture, took the arrow from her backpack, drew the bow, and nocked the arrow.

She shot three arrows in succession at the grass in front of her, “Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.”

After the three arrows, Qin Ruo walked forward.

Three wild chickens lay in the grass, each weighing about three or four pounds.

“Sister… Sister… Wild chickens, you hit them.” Qin Zimu and the Zhou brothers excitedly gathered around.

Qin Ruo’s skill instantly captivated the three young boys. Their eyes were all sparkling.

Although they had followed Qin Qiuxi into the mountains before, seeing archery firsthand was a different experience.

The key was that she had shot three arrows in a row and hit them all.

Qin Ruo smiled, feeling her anxiety since transmigrating ease a little.

She took the arrows from the wild chickens, carefully sensed the nearby movement, and directly designated an area where they could move.

“You guys stay here and pick some mushrooms, don’t pick the small ones, save them for next time. Don’t go too far, if anything happens, call out to me.” After giving her instructions, Qin Ruo went further in.

The Zhou brothers and Qin Zimu had been focused on the wild chickens.

After Qin Ruo finished giving her instructions, they realized that this place, which they had never been to before, was full of ancient trees and weeds.

Clusters of wild mushrooms were growing freely on the ground.