Hunting

[Trained in the Basic Body-Tempering Technique for one hour. Maximum strength increased by 0.1]

[Basic Body-Tempering Technique proficiency increased by 3%]

The sky was still dark when Qin Yan stopped training. Heat rose from his entire body, and an indescribably refreshing sensation spread through his limbs and bones.

He drew a basin of cool water and washed himself briefly.

The chill cleared Qin Yan's head somewhat.

He washed up and ate a simple meal.

Qin Yan slung a sinewwood bow and arrows over his back, packed rations, a rope, and a cloth sack, and tucked a brush knife behind his waist.

As the sky began to lighten, Qin Yan followed a narrow mountain path into the dim woods, the calls of birds, beasts, and insects sounding constantly in his ears.

For children from a farmstead built against the mountains, the mountains were nothing unfamiliar.

Qin Yan moved at great speed, running and leaping through the mountains like a nimble ape.

He saw quite a few birds along the way, but he ignored the small ones entirely.

Even if he shot them down, they wouldn't have enough meat to give him a taste.

He wanted birds and beasts that were at least medium-sized.

He was still only in the mountains near the village, an area that had been combed and scoured countless times.

Any animals of a decent size had long since been hunted out.

To find a place with more game, he had to head deeper into the mountains.

His strength and speed, far beyond those of an ordinary person, allowed him to move through the forest without the slightest discomfort. He darted and dodged his way swiftly across its complicated terrain.

Along the way, he even saw several traps set by villagers, waiting for beasts to walk into the net of their own accord.

After examining them closely, he saw that only one trap had been triggered. Signs of a struggle surrounded it, and it was clear that the captured prey had broken free of the not particularly sturdy trap.

They were probably traps Seventh Uncle and the others had set.

That meant he still hadn't gone far enough. Qin Yan needed to venture deeper.

He crossed two mountain peaks in succession.

The surroundings here were deeper and more secluded. Ordinary people could never have reached a place like this.

Even hunters wouldn't come this far unless they spent the night in the mountains.

[Traveled cross-country for two hours. Maximum speed increased by 0.1]

As Qin Yan's body improved in every respect, his senses and reactions also sharpened considerably.

This place hadn't been heavily hunted, and there were noticeably more animals of all kinds.

Rustle, rustle!

Qin Yan's ears twitched, and he heard dry leaves being crushed and rubbed together more than ten meters away.

"What a fat snake!"

The mottled patterns covering its body blended with the surrounding dead leaves. Its head was triangular, and it seemed to sense Qin Yan's gaze, immediately assuming an attacking posture in his direction.

It resembled a pit viper from his previous life, but its body was exceptionally stout. By a rough estimate, it was at least as thick as an adult's arm: a typical python's build with a venomous snake's length.

How many times had he seen this kind of snake in his memories?

The villagers called it the Withered Ghost Hand. Its venom was potent, and when it attacked, it was like a ghostly hand shooting out of the dead leaves. Once bitten, a person could basically only wait for death.

But it had plenty of meat, and it was delicious. Bold villagers often caught them to eat.

Its gallbladder also had a decent detoxifying effect. Sold in town, it would fetch at least two or three hundred copper coins.

This one was bigger than any he had seen before. It was over two meters long and weighed at least ten jin by his estimate, a rare large specimen of its kind.

Sensing danger, the venomous snake hissed continuously in warning.

"Feisty little thing, aren't you?"

Qin Yan smiled faintly at the sight, drew the long-handled brush knife at his waist, and brought it down on a small tree about a zhang tall.

He stripped off the branches, leaving a straight, long stick in his hand.

Without the slightest hesitation, he swung it fiercely down at the snake's head.

The blow carried tremendous force, leaving the venomous snake writhing and twitching, its ability to move dropping straight to the freezing point.

It couldn't be helped. Qin Yan had only ever caught nonvenomous snakes, so the safest approach was to beat it half to death first.

He wasn't about to risk his life practicing snake-catching techniques, at least not now.

He easily pinned the snake's head down with the stick and seized it by the neck, taking its fate into his hands.

He lifted it and bounced it in his hand. It weighed at least twelve jin.

"Not bad! I'll stew you when I get back tonight."

Qin Yan was in a good mood. He had landed such a big catch as soon as he arrived.

He carefully removed its fangs and put it in the cloth sack.

He didn't kill it outright, fearing it wouldn't be fresh afterward and that the taste would suffer.

He didn't know whether his luck had run out, but he didn't encounter even a trace of large animals like wild boars or deer.

He did come across two more snakes, though both were nonvenomous.

An arrow cut through the air and pierced the chest of a foraging quail in an instant, pinning it firmly to the ground.

It kept giving low cries, but soon fell silent.

[Target hit. Archery proficiency increased by 1%]

"Three snakes, two quail."

Qin Yan glanced at the setting sun and counted his spoils.

He was a little dissatisfied with the result, but that was how hunting in the mountains went.

The sky gradually darkened!

Only then did Qin Yan return from the mountains.

[Wilderness running training. Maximum speed increased by 0.1]

[After prolonged training, maximum spirit increased by 0.1]

A faint fire gradually sprang to life, and steam billowed from the pot as the prepared snake meat and quail tumbled in the boiling water.

A layer of oil floated on the pale broth.

Life was hard. The only seasoning Qin Yan had was a few irregular chunks of coarse salt, which had a faint bitterness to them.

He glanced at the snake gallbladder in a bowl nearby, and a flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes. He had heard it was a great tonic, but should he try it?

"I've seen people in the village eat this before, and I never saw anything go wrong. It should be fine."

Qin Yan swallowed, quickly popped it into his mouth, and gulped it down with a movement of his throat.

He sensed a faint fishy taste in his mouth.

After a while!

[Swallowed a special snake gallbladder. Maximum strength increased by 0.3]

[Swallowed a special snake gallbladder. Maximum spirit increased by 0.1]

The two messages that appeared in his mind filled Qin Yan with delight. He hadn't expected the snake gallbladder to have such a good effect.

This Withered Ghost Hand is good stuff!

Warm currents flowed through his body, and he was noticeably stronger than before.

His perception had also improved considerably.

The aroma of meat from the pot grew stronger and stronger, but he looked at the dilapidated old house and the bitter coarse salt.

Qin Yan let out a sigh.

"I'll have to find more seasonings in the future. As for this coarse salt, I think I saw something about it in a video before. I'll try it later and see if I can make refined salt."

As Qin Yan thought this, he picked up a piece of snake meat with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. His eyes lit up.

This snake meat tastes pretty good. There's plenty of it, and it's delicious. These past few days, a bird could've flown out of my mouth from the blandness.

The flavor's a little lacking, but that savory freshness is truly exceptional.

That night, he ate his fill more than he had at any time since coming to this world.