Purple Sable

Liu Zi, injured, was still moaning in pain in the snow, each breath he drew carrying an obvious tremor.

The other man stared in the direction the wild boar had vanished, unwilling to accept it as he chased after it a few steps with his steel fork raised.

But the bloody hoofprints quickly disappeared into the snow and rocks deep within the dense forest. Where was there any trace of the wild boar left?

How could a man trudging through knee-deep snow possibly catch up to a mountain beast fleeing for its life?

"Don't chase it! We can't catch it!" Heizi shouted in a low voice, his tone heavy with exhaustion and frustration.

"Carry Liu Zi back first! We need to find a doctor to set that leg right away!"

The man stopped, panting harshly, and viciously slammed a fist into the snow-covered trunk beside him, shaking down a spray of snow.

Several hundred pounds of meat that had nearly been theirs had flown away just like that, and one of their brothers had been seriously injured on top of it. This trip had been a loss all the way to grandma's house!

In silence, the two men chopped down several thick branches and used rope and fur coats to fashion a simple stretcher, carefully moving the continuously screaming Liu Zi onto it.

They had come full of high spirits and returned with their heads hanging low. The heavy stretcher and their even heavier hearts made every step extraordinarily difficult.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the mountain, Fang Yuan was braving the increasingly fierce wind and snow, cautiously searching for signs of prey.

The wind whipped snowflakes into his face like icy blades, stinging painfully.

Narrowing his eyes, he moved through the rugged mountain terrain with one foot deep and the other shallow, relying on the lightness and balance granted by [Basic Footwork].

At the same time, he kept a vigilant watch on his surroundings.

Suddenly, his gaze sharpened. Turning sideways, he avoided the edge of a pitfall cleverly disguised beneath the snow—one set by other hunters.

At the bottom, sharpened wooden stakes could faintly be seen.

In these deep mountains and ancient forests, if you stepped into someone else's trap and died, you died for nothing.

After traveling farther, he reached a relatively sheltered slope where several thick ancient trees grew intertwined.

As Fang Yuan looked up, he suddenly noticed a vague outline amid the branches of one of the large trees.

His heart stirred, and he cautiously drew closer.

It was actually a simple treehouse built from thick branches and vines, constructed around the natural shape of the forked branches.

It looked quite old. Covered in dead vines and snow, it had nearly blended into the tree itself.

Fang Yuan cautiously circled the tree and observed it, then listened closely for quite some time. Only after confirming there was no sign of any living creature nearby did he carefully climb up with both hands and feet.

The treehouse was small. A thick layer of dust had accumulated inside, spiderwebs hung in the corners, and the air carried the mingled smell of rotten wood and dirt.

It had clearly been abandoned for a long time, perhaps a temporary shelter built by some old hunter years ago.

"This place isn't bad. It's hidden, and it can keep me away from the beasts on the ground," Fang Yuan calculated inwardly.

"If I clean it up, it might serve as a place to spend the night when I go deeper into the mountains in the future."

He gave it a brief inspection. The treehouse's structure was still fairly sturdy.

Just as he was about to climb back out—

"Rustle... scuffle..."

An incredibly faint rustling, distinctly different from the sound of the wind, suddenly came from the darkest corner of the treehouse!

In this dead-silent, abandoned treehouse, the sound was especially abrupt and eerie!

Every hair on Fang Yuan's body stood on end! Without even thinking, his body instinctively jerked backward!

At the same instant he moved, a purple blur shot out from that corner like lightning, lunging straight for his face!

It was too fast! Fang Yuan did not even have time to swing his axe. He could only rely on the reflexes honed by [Basic Footwork] to dodge sharply to one side!

But he was still a fraction too slow!

Thump! A soft, muffled impact rang out.

The purple blur collided solidly with his dodging shoulder!

The impact was not strong, but it startled both sides.

The shadow landed, rolled nimbly, and instantly darted several steps away before abruptly turning back.

It revealed a pair of alert, lively little black eyes. Its fur stood on end as it hissed threateningly.

Fang Yuan steadied himself as well. When he looked closely, his heart gave a hard jump!

It was actually a sable!

A Purple Sable, its entire coat a rare deep violet! It was slightly larger than an ordinary weasel.

Even in the dim light, its fur gleamed with a noble luster. Its quality was exceptional!

"Purple Sable!" Fang Yuan's breathing quickened. This little thing was valuable!

A fine Purple Sable pelt could absolutely fetch an astronomical price in times like these! It was nowhere near comparable to those few wild rabbits!

What an unexpected windfall!

Fang Yuan's eyes turned sharp. Taking advantage of the instant when the startled Purple Sable froze, his left hand shot out like lightning and seized the loose skin at the back of its neck with flawless precision!

The Purple Sable let out a frightened, shrill squeak. Its four limbs struggled desperately, its sharp claws raking wildly through the air.

But Fang Yuan's hand was like an iron clamp, utterly unmoving.

He lifted the little thing, about to find something to tie it up with, when he met the Purple Sable's round black eyes.

Oddly enough, there was not much of a wild beast's ferocity in those eyes. Instead, they showed an almost humanlike terror and... pleading?

It even stopped struggling violently. It merely hugged Fang Yuan's thumb with its little paws and made tiny, whimper-like cries, its eyes watery.

"Tch, this thing isn't stupid."

Fang Yuan was somewhat surprised, but he did not loosen his grip.

A Purple Sable of such fine quality would definitely bring in a large sum of money in the city. It might even be enough to pay for exemption from Military Service.

He quickly calculated its worth in his head.

The Purple Sable was exceptionally clever. It seemed to read the killing intent and calculation in Fang Yuan's eyes, and it grew even more anxious!

It vigorously shook its head. One little paw desperately pointed toward somewhere deep in the forest, while the other repeatedly clasped itself in a begging gesture toward Fang Yuan.

Urgent squeaks poured from its mouth, as if it were desperately trying to explain something.

Fang Yuan was a little dumbfounded by its humanlike gestures.

Just then—

[Skill: Basic Beast Language Proficiency +1]

The sudden notification in his mind made Fang Yuan freeze!

Beast language? This could count as a skill too? Was it because he had tried to understand the Purple Sable's intentions?

Instinctively, he focused his attention and stared at the Purple Sable, which was frantic with urgency.

Strangely enough, the formerly meaningless squeaks—

seemed to truly begin conveying some vague message to him, based on emotion and body language!

It was an intense plea, an offer of exchange.

In the direction its little paw pointed, there seemed to be something it considered extremely valuable, something it could use to trade for its freedom.

Fang Yuan frowned, uncertainty churning in his heart.

He looked at the beautifully furred little creature in his hand, then at the deep, unknown forest it was desperately pointing toward.

Should he take the risk of trusting a wild beast, or take the sable pelt and make a sure profit?

Seeing his hesitation, the Purple Sable gestured even more desperately. Its little head bobbed as though kowtowing, its eyes full of urgent assurance.

"...Damn it, I'll trust you once." Fang Yuan finally gritted his teeth.

He slowly released his hand.

The moment it regained its freedom, the Purple Sable darted far away, but it did not immediately flee.

It looked back at Fang Yuan, then quickly ran several steps in the direction it had pointed earlier. It stopped and looked back at him again, signaling for him to follow.

"It really does keep its word!" Fang Yuan nodded.

Gripping his axe tightly and staying alert, he quickly followed.

That pursuit lasted nearly half a shichen.

The Purple Sable was exceptionally agile in the snow, deliberately slipping through difficult terrain. Fortunately, Fang Yuan had begun mastering [Basic Footwork], or he could barely have kept up.

At last, the Purple Sable stopped before a crack in a rock wall on a shaded slope, covered in thick snow.

It swiftly scraped away the snow and dead leaves around the crack with its little paws, then squeaked twice at Fang Yuan.

Its little eyes gleamed with pride and anticipation.

Fang Yuan stepped forward in confusion, crouching down to inspect it carefully.

Deep within the rock crevice, a strangely shaped plant grew quietly.

Several emerald-green leaves crowned it. A long, slender stalk rose from the center, bearing several bright red, succulent berries at its tip.

The exposed roots were lustrous, nearly translucent yellowish-white, and shaped remarkably like a human figure.

Even its limbs and head-root could be vaguely distinguished!