Intercepting the Spoils

Qin Ming withdrew his gaze, slung the beastskin bag onto his back, and headed back the way he had come.

He had gained quite a lot today and was already satisfied. With over half a bag of food, he would not go hungry for some time.

There were hollows and rocks beneath the snow, making the road difficult to traverse, but Qin Ming was in a good mood.

With sufficient food, he no longer had any misgivings. If he practiced those particular movements for an extended period, perhaps he would make new progress.

At the same time, he looked forward to early spring, when the season of surging vitality would arrive.

Do not be fooled by the current world of ice and snow, where grass and trees faced bleak desolation and all things lay buried in silence. Once the period of depletion passed, the Fire Springs in the mountains' dangerous regions would gush forth, and Earth Light would begin steaming up frequently. Vegetation would sprout branches and buds, and all things would revive. It would be an entirely different sight.

As he neared the edge of the dense forest, Qin Ming abruptly stopped, tossed down his beastskin bag, gripped his hunting fork tightly in both hands, and spun around.

A pair of scarlet eyes appeared in the darkness, terrifyingly eerie as they rapidly drew closer.

His hairs stood on end. Though it was still some distance away, he could sense that the creature following him was large and extremely vicious. A rank, bloody smell rode over on the cold wind.

He planted the hunting fork in the snow and swiftly took down his bow and arrows. His arm strength was astonishing; in an instant, he drew the hard bow—which ordinary people could scarcely use—into the shape of a full moon. A powerful iron arrow shot out, and even the bowstring's tremor rang loudly.

In the distance, the creature charging toward him with a savage aura suddenly faltered, apparently struck by the arrow.

Qin Ming focused completely and drew his bow again and again. His superb archery was on full display as iron arrows with devastating force disappeared one after another into the night.

A dull growl came from the woods. The scarlet eyes vanished, and amid the sound of dead branches snapping, the creature hid behind the trees.

Qin Ming did not dare relax. The unknown dangerous creature was injured, but not fatally. Once it lay concealed in the forest, it would become even more dangerous.

Without hesitation, he grabbed the beastskin bag and hunting fork, then swiftly rushed out of the mountains and into the open snowfield.

He did not want to linger in that dim environment, fearing a sneak attack. He suspected it was a troublesome mutated creature.

A considerable commotion came from the forest, along with the sound of snow being violently churned up. Clearly, that creature was fiercely pursuing him.

Qin Ming immediately drew his bow. Some iron arrows thudded into thick tree trunks, shaking the snow from the branches so that it cascaded down in an instant like a snowy waterfall.

The creature was forced back once more and fell silent in the forest.

Had it been an ordinary beast, it would either have been frightened away or charged forward in ferocity after being wounded. Yet this mutated creature prowled in the dark, still waiting and searching for an opportunity.

Qin Ming held his bow toward the dense forest, confronting that dangerous creature.

The snow on the ground churned as a massive shadow repeatedly appeared and disappeared among the trees. Its scarlet eyes were chillingly sinister, carrying an especially oppressive presence in the night.

But in the end, it was still blocked by Qin Ming's astonishingly powerful arrows. It let out an unwilling, low hiss and vanished into the dense forest.

Qin Ming's expression was grave. Though the woods were dark, he could still make out that it was a figure capable of running upright. He had no idea what kind of mutated creature it was.

He slowly retreated. There was no movement in any direction, but he never lowered his guard.

Even when he was less than half a kilometer from the Fire Spring at the village entrance, he remained vigilant.

There had been bloody lessons from the past. Some villagers had already neared the village entrance and let down their guard, only to be pounced upon by unknown creatures trailing them through the darkness and silently dragged away.

Outside Double Tree Village, three young men shivered from the cold, stomping their feet and rubbing their hands as they exhaled great clouds of white mist. Their eyebrows were covered in ice crystals.

They waited on the snow path Qin Ming had trampled out when he entered the pitch-black territory, speaking in low voices.

"This weather is freezing. Staying here is pure misery. If it really comes down to it, we should just leave. I'd say there's an eighty-percent chance he'll die out in the wild and won't bring back any prey at all."

"What's the rush? What if he gets lucky like Old Man Li and finds a mountain beast frozen to death in the outer forest?"

The three of them usually loafed around, were gluttonous and lazy, and did not dare enter the mountain's dangerous regions. Yet in the village, they acted rather tough and loved mooching food and drink.

After learning that Qin Ming had left the village to hunt, they had crooked thoughts and wanted to wait here to intercept his spoils.

"That kid Qin Ming is nimble and incredibly strong. We'd better not capsize in the gutter and get dealt with by him instead."

"What are you afraid of? He's just recovered from a serious illness, so his body must be weak. Later, pull the beastskin bag over his head. Just watch your strength when you hit him—don't actually beat him to death."

Though they wanted to do evil, they did not have the nerve to kill anyone. They only intended to strike Qin Ming from behind and secretly rob him of the prey he brought back.

Qin Ming had remained on guard the entire way, his nerves taut. His eyes were sharp, and from a distance, he had already spotted three dark figures.

He immediately crouched down. The snow on the ground had already nearly reached his shoulders, and now he vanished completely.

Following the snow path he had made earlier, he silently crept forward and finally recognized the shadows ahead as three village layabouts.

Qin Ming stopped in a suitable position, close enough to hear their conversation.

A moment later, his expression darkened. These three actually wanted to club him unconscious here and steal his prey?

Though he had not gone bear hunting and had merely raided a squirrel nest—hardly something that would make him shine with glory—he had truly experienced two life-and-death crises. He had been attacked in succession by a Human-faced Vulture and an unknown mutated creature. One small mistake could have gotten him killed. How could he tolerate them stealing food he had risked his life to obtain?

Hu Yong, Ma Yang, and Wang Youping were shivering with cold. Together, they dug out a snow hollow that could shelter them from the frigid wind. It counted as an ambush prepared in advance, and they huddled inside to wait.

They assumed Qin Ming would risk going deep into the forest to hunt and misjudged when he would return. Otherwise, they would not have spoken so freely just now.

"Be more cautious. Don't make any noise later," Ma Yang said.

Hu Yong nodded. "When we strike from behind, be quick, accurate, and ruthless. Move cleanly!"

Wang Youping complained, "I hope he comes back alive with prey. Let him show up soon so we can give him a few iron-bar rewards already. I'm nearly frozen stiff."

Suddenly, the snow hollow they were hiding in collapsed with a boom, instantly burying all three of them. Caught entirely off guard, their mouths and noses filled with snow.

Hu Yong reacted the fastest and was the first to rush out. But before he could steady himself, he saw a foot before his eyes. With a bang, it kicked heavily into his face.

The searing pain twisted his features. Then a hunting fork smashed violently into his shoulder. It felt as though his bones were about to break, and the pain sent him staggering to the ground.

Ma Yang fared about the same. The moment he poked his head out of the snow, Qin Ming kicked him in the nose. The agony mixed with a sour ache he could not endure. He let out a miserable howl, tears and snot streaming down his face as he rolled continuously in the snow.

Hearing that something was wrong, Wang Youping burrowed into the meter-deep snow and did not dare come out. Then he suddenly felt pain in his back. The sharp steel fork pierced his clothes and drew blood.

"Don't... don't kill me." His voice trembled, and even his lips were shaking. What shamed and embarrassed him even more was that he had wet himself. He was terrified that he would be stabbed straight through the heart.

Qin Ming had no intention of taking his life. Judging by feel, he had merely pierced his skin enough to draw blood.

He poked Wang Youping out, then raised his foot and kicked him three meters away, sending him tumbling into a snowdrift again.

"Qin... Ming."

"Ming Ge, we're from the same village. We see each other every day. Please show mercy. We were wrong this time."

Once the three saw who it was, and then saw the coldly gleaming steel fork in his hand pointed at them, they immediately wilted.

They actually all carried knives and clubs, but seeing Qin Ming so fierce and brimming with killing intent filled them with fear from the bottom of their hearts. On top of that, they were already injured, so they cowardly did not dare resist.

They usually bullied the weak and feared the strong. When they truly encountered a hard nut, they did not dare stir up trouble at all.

Though the three were hateful, Qin Ming was not about to kill them over this. However, a harsh "lesson" was unavoidable. He pressed the steel fork against their bodies and made them squat obediently on the ground.

Then he gave them a thorough beating, fully loosening up his muscles and bones.

In the end, the three were bruised and swollen, their mouths full of bloody froth. They wailed miserably for quite some time before being released after a stern warning.

Qin Ming felt that people like them were fierce in appearance but weak in heart. They lacked both the nerve and the ability to become truly vicious criminals. One ruthless tidying-up was enough to teach them a lesson.

Meanwhile, outside the dense forest where Qin Ming had confronted the mutated creature, a donkey leisurely approached across the vast open land in the distance. It seemed familiar with the road ahead and appeared to be heading into the mountains.

There was unexpectedly a Weasel on the donkey's back. It was pure white as snow, without a single stray hair. In this era when the sun had set and never risen again, white creatures were relatively rare.

Unlike ordinary little animals, it was not lively at all. On the contrary, it was exceptionally quiet—one might even say mature. It sat cross-legged on the donkey's back, riding backward and facing the road behind it.

It did not resemble a wild animal. Its Divine Charm was more like that of a steady human being, its eyes deep as it rode the donkey along at an unhurried pace.

The mutated creature that Qin Ming had driven back suddenly pounced when it saw the donkey approaching. Yet when it noticed the snow-white Weasel on its back, it abruptly stopped. It then turned and plunged into the dense forest, diving headfirst beneath the thick snow as its body trembled faintly.

The donkey was not startled. It merely glanced blandly at the creature, then, like an old horse that knew the way, carried the silent Weasel toward the mountains.

The Fire Spring was in sight, and the Black White Twin Trees swayed.

Qin Ming quickened his pace and reached the village entrance shortly afterward. He finally relaxed completely.

"Qin Ming is back." Someone splitting firewood looked up and happened to see him.

Very quickly, several courtyard gates along the street opened.

Word had long spread that Qin Ming had ventured out alone. Many people had been wondering whether he could return alive and whether he would bring back anything.

"Right when Shallow Night arrived, he went out fully armed..."

Double Tree Village was not large. Villagers who heard the commotion along the road all came out.

Every household had Sun Stones that cast out Fire Haze, leaving even the street faintly illuminated.

When people saw a Red Squirrel hanging from Qin Ming's hunting fork, they instantly fell silent.

This was completely different from what they had imagined.

Lu Ze strode over. Seeing Qin Ming safe and sound, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief, the stone in his heart finally falling to the ground.

He was an honest man. Breaking the silence, he said, "Everyone said you went into the mountains to hunt bears, but instead you... caught a squirrel?"

"I raided its home too." Qin Ming smiled.

People noticed the beastskin bag on his back and immediately understood what was inside. Their eyes turned red with envy.

Then they noticed that the squirrel's fiery-red fur faintly glowed. It was clearly a mutated creature, and its value was certainly not low.

"Not only did you return safely, you also gained quite a lot on this trip," Old Man Liu, who lived at the village entrance, remarked with emotion.

Some villagers took the opportunity to ask whether it was safe outside now.

Qin Ming truthfully recounted his experiences along the way. He did not dare mislead his neighbors; that would cost lives.

When they heard that dangerous mutated creatures roamed the outer forest, everyone's expressions changed. For the time being, they still could not go out alone.

Qin Ming did not conceal anything afterward, either. He mentioned what Ma Yang, Hu Yong, and Wang Youping had done, immediately drawing the indignation of both young and old throughout the village.

"How shameless! They don't dare enter the mountains themselves, yet they wanted to strike at someone from their own village in the dark. This wasn't just intercepting spoils—they wanted to harm someone's life, didn't they?"

Ma Yang, Hu Yong, and Wang Youping had barely appeared at the village entrance, limping along and supporting one another, when Lu Ze led people over and gave them another savage beating.

"Brother Lu, Uncle Yang, Grandfather Liu, stop hitting us! Save us!" Their snot bubbles were streaked with blood and frozen to their faces. They screamed with heartsplitting, lung-rending misery. Mainly because they had provoked public outrage; plenty of people had long disliked them.

Qin Ming gave every child on the street a large handful of nuts, immediately making the group of children cheer without end.

Then he saw Grandma Zhou. Her face was pale as she leaned against her courtyard gate. He hurried over and, without allowing her to say anything, left her some dried food.

"Little Uncle, you're amazing! The wild walnuts are delicious, and the pine nuts smell so good!"

Inside Qin Ming's home, Wen Rui spared no praise. He was overjoyed, having sampled every kind of dried fruit, and his little mouth simply could not stop.

"Jujube paste, yummy, sweet." Little Wen Hui, just over two years old, spoke unclearly as he ate red-date paste made from steamed, pitted, mashed jujubes. He even smacked a kiss onto Qin Ming's face.

Nearby, the Red Squirrel hanging from the hunting fork woke from its unconscious state. When it opened its eyes and saw several people rummaging through its "family fortune," it immediately fell into despair.

"As expected of a mutated creature—hardworking and capable. It had stored more than fifteen kilograms of food," Liang Wanqing praised.

The Red Squirrel's eyes went perfectly round, nearly shooting fire.

At this moment, Lu Ze spoke seriously. "Little Qin, I think your body has mostly recovered. It is time to seriously consider the matter of 'New Life.'"