Chapter 30 – Into the Mountains

With Qingfeng’s help, the hunter finally agreed to let Wen Lan accompany him into the mountains for the hunt.

Having gotten her wish, Wen Lan waved goodbye to Qingfeng, but to her surprise, a wave of reluctance welled up inside her at his departure.

She felt that although the hunter might become her “golden finger” in this new world, it was Qingfeng who had truly changed her fate.

“Brother, don’t worry. I’ll take good care of your master. As long as I’m around, he won’t go hungry!” Wen Lan silently vowed in her heart.

Yunzhong Mountain was named as such because of its unique geography—shrouded in mist and clouds year-round, giving it a dreamlike, mysterious atmosphere.

Following behind the hunter’s figure, Wen Lan stumbled her way deeper into the forest. Before she realized it, her small figure was completely swallowed by the mountain’s expanse.

This scene echoed the ancient verse: “Only know that I am deep in the mountains, the clouds so thick I know not where to go.”

Compared to Wen Lan’s clumsy entrance into the mountain, Iron General and the hunter were much more at ease. Ever since entering the forest, Iron General had been as happy as a dog in paradise—bounding ahead, then darting out from the trees to wag its tail at the hunter. Wherever it went, birds scattered and rabbits fled in panic.

The hunter didn’t scold it. On the contrary, he seemed to be enjoying himself as he leisurely took in the mountain views—he looked more like a man on vacation than someone out to hunt.

He did, however, refuse to let Wen Lan stray too far from him.

At first, Wen Lan, seeing that the hunter was strolling about like a tourist, thought to take the chance to slip into the woods and see if she could find any mushrooms or wood ear fungus. But as soon as she made a move, the hunter turned back and gave her a hard stare.

That look seemed to say: Don’t cause trouble for me.

With Qingfeng gone, Wen Lan felt a bit uneasy around this man with a mysterious identity. She gave him an awkward smile and quickly caught up to him.

By noon, the trio—two people and one dog—reached a mountain stream. The hunter set down his machete and squatted beside the creek to splash water on his face.

Wen Lan, quick to act, hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief from her waist and offered it to him.

Unexpectedly, the hunter didn’t accept it. Instead, he used his sleeve to wipe his face, then sat on a rock and scanned the surroundings.

It had to be said—his actions, rough and unbothered, matched his rugged appearance, giving off a faint aura of a wandering swordsman.

Wen Lan couldn’t help but glance at him a few more times.

In terms of looks, this hunter wasn’t bad at all. If only he would shave off that full beard…

She was curious about his age and wanted to ask—but didn’t dare.

“You can go forage now,” the hunter suddenly spoke.

The unexpected words startled Wen Lan, who had been caught in the act of staring at him.

“What?”

“Go forage,” he repeated, pointing upstream along the creek. “There’s a pine forest up there.”

Huh! Was he giving her directions?

So this guy wasn’t so bad after all—cold-faced, warm-hearted type.

“Thank you, thank you!” Wen Lan quickly expressed her gratitude, then stood up and looked toward the direction he indicated.

Sure enough, there was a large pine forest beyond the stream. But the path there looked rough—full of fallen branches, broken logs, and overgrown weeds.

Looks like making money in ancient times wasn’t going to be easy.

Wen Lan sighed, suddenly missing her former life. She had been well-fed and pampered since childhood, graduated from university into a career she loved—writing about food and wellness—and spent her free time going on adventures with friends. Life had been sweet.

And now…

Still, she reminded herself, at least she was alive. That was already luckier than Lin Furong, who had died young without even tasting the sweetness of life.

Alright then—time to work hard!

Wen Lan tightened the belt at her waist, bound her pant legs with cloth strips, adjusted the basket on her back, and set off toward the pine forest.

What she didn’t know was that, behind her, the hunter was watching her with a strange expression in his eyes.