But food was hard to find in a snowstorm, and the scent of blood could drift far on the wind and draw them here! He had to leave immediately!
He made a snap decision, using his woodcutter's blade to hack off the mountain goat's two meatiest hind legs as quickly as possible, then swiftly stripped off its relatively intact hide and rolled it up.
Leaving the rest of that massive body was a shame, but staying alive mattered more.
He had just bundled up the legs and hide, slung them over his shoulder, and prepared to hurry back the way he had come-
"Whimper... whimper..."
An exceedingly faint whimper came from a young animal in a nest of dead grass nearby, half buried in snow.
Li Xuan stopped short and looked over warily.
Deep inside the nest curled a little gray creature, scarcely bigger than a wild kitten. It was soaked through and trembling, its eyes half open, its breathing barely perceptible.
It was a wolf cub! It looked newly born. For some unknown reason, it had been abandoned here, and its life now hung by a thread in the blizzard.
Li Xuan shook his head.
A wolf could never truly be tamed, and taking it along might invite frenzied retaliation from its mother or its pack.
He turned to leave.
Yet just as his gaze swept over the little wolf cub,
the hunting panel in his mind automatically displayed a line of silver lettering utterly unlike anything shown for other prey:
[Target: Abandoned Forest Wolf cub (weak)] [Status: Dying, abandoned, available for contract] [Contract requirements: Spend 5 hunting points and continuously provide the necessities for survival.] [Notice: Beast taming is one of the hunting panel's core abilities. After a successful contract, shared growth, cooperative hunting, and other methods can provide long-term benefits. Careful protection and nurturing are required during infancy.]
Beast taming?! A contract?!
Li Xuan's heart jolted, and then immense delight surged through him!
He had always thought the hunting panel merely helped him strengthen himself. He had never imagined it concealed such an important ability!
With a tame wolf as his companion, tracking, keeping watch, hunting together, and even dealing with dangers in the mountains would become so much easier!
This was nothing less than heaven-sent aid!
Looking at the dying wolf cub, which might not survive another hour, then at the panel's "available for contract" notice, Li Xuan hesitated for only an instant before making his decision.
He approached carefully, hastily wiped his hands on the relatively clean inner surface of the hide he had stripped off, then gently scooped up the little wolf cub.
It felt cold and almost weightless in his hands. Only its faint trembling showed that it was still alive.
The little wolf cub seemed to sense the warmth and instinctively curled deeper into his palms.
Spend 5 hunting points. Form the contract! Li Xuan commanded silently.
[Hunting points -5] [Contract in progress... binding life imprint...] [Contract successful!] [You have obtained a companion: Unnamed (Forest Wolf cub)] [Status: Extremely weak, hungry, cold. Immediate warmth and feeding required.] [Beast taming module unlocked. Basic communication and status checks are available through mental commands.]
A faint, indescribable bond formed between him and the little life in his hands.
He could vaguely sense the little creature's pain, its cold, and its yearning to survive.
The snow fell harder and harder, dense flakes obscuring his vision. The distant wolf howls seemed to have drawn closer.
Li Xuan delayed no longer. He carefully tucked the wolf cub inside his clothes, warming it with his own body heat.
He shouldered the goat legs and hide, pushing the effect of the "Swiftness" trait to its limit.
Setting off downhill, he vanished swiftly into the boundless curtain of snow like a wisp of smoke.
There was no way he could spare the time to check the Mountain Pheasant trap today.
But the warmth against his chest and the heavy harvest on his back made him feel that this trip had been worth it.
The snowfall grew heavier, though the sky had brightened a little. The women beneath the old locust tree still had not left.
They huddled with their necks tucked into their collars, their eyes constantly straying toward the path into the mountains.
Life in the village was dull, and the women's greatest pleasure was gathering to gossip.
"This snow really might seal off the mountains."
White breath puffed from the fast-talking Aunt Liu's mouth. "I could tell Sister Wang was getting worried just now. Going into the mountains in weather this cold could end badly."
"How could she not be worried?" a young wife beside her chimed in, sympathy in her voice. "However unreliable the Li family's third son might be, he's still her husband's own younger brother. In weather like this, even old hunters wouldn't head in on a whim..."
"Her husband's own younger brother?"
Widow Zhao, who had been leaning against the tree trunk with her hands tucked into her sleeves, suddenly spoke up, her voice as sharp as though the freezing wind had honed it.
She curled her lips, her triangular eyes brimming with undisguised mockery and smug anticipation of the spectacle to come:
"If you ask me, he deserves it! No ability to speak of, but he still has to play the big man! He stumbled into some dog-shit luck a couple of days ago, and now he really thinks the Mountain God has granted him a livelihood?"
"Daring to head in during weather like this-what is that if not courting death?"
She deliberately raised her voice to make sure everyone heard her clearly. "Some people are just so shortsighted. They see a speck of grease and forget their own surname, praising a lump of mud that won't stick to a wall as though it were a blooming flower."
"Well, now their comeuppance is here, isn't it? I reckon Li Zhong's trip will be a complete waste! That Li Laosan is probably hiding from the snow in some nook or cranny, or he's slipped off to some gambling den in town to while away the hours again!"
Before she had finished, Wang came into view, pulling Li Zhong along as they trudged unevenly through the snow.
They hurried out of the village, anxiety plain on both their faces.
The sight only spurred Widow Zhao on. She deliberately called out, "Oh, Li Zhong's wife, you're really going to look for him? If you ask me, save your strength! In all this snow, that precious third brother of yours is probably enjoying himself somewhere! If you don't find him and Li Zhong ends up sick from the cold, your family really will..."
Wang's heart was burning with anxiety. How could she have any patience for a quarrel?
She treated it as nothing more than a gust of cold wind past her ear, shot Widow Zhao a fierce glare, and tightened her grip on Li Zhong's arm.
"Husband, don't listen to that filth coming out of her mouth! Hurry!"
Li Zhong kept his head down and said nothing, merely staring anxiously at the snow-white mountain path.
Seeing them ignore her, Widow Zhao felt slighted. Sour resentment mingled with smug satisfaction as she added another remark at their retreating backs:
"Hmph! Refuse to heed your elders, will you? Let's see if you're still so high and mighty when you come back empty-handed!"
Among the other women beneath the tree, some shook their heads and others sighed.
They found Widow Zhao's words unpleasant, but given the weather and Li Xuan's past "record,"
they could not help privately wondering whether, harsh as her words were...
...she might not be wrong.
Just then, barely a few steps beyond the village entrance, Li Zhong abruptly stopped, rooted in the snow like a wooden post.
Wang stumbled and nearly bumped into him, unable to keep herself from complaining,
"What are you standing there for? Hurry!"
But Li Zhong did not move. He rubbed his eyes hard, then pointed ahead into the swirling snow.
His voice rose strangely with excitement. "Wife! L-look! Is that... is that Third Brother?!"
Wang's heart pounded wildly, and she hurriedly looked in the direction he was pointing.
Amid the churning wind and snow, a tall, sturdy figure broke through the thick white curtain and walked steadily toward the village.
What he carried over his shoulder made everyone who looked that way hold their breath.
They were two immensely thick beast's hind legs, covered in grayish-brown fur.
They hung from a wooden carrying pole, their weight bowing it!
Beneath his other arm, he also held a large roll of thick, intact animal hide!
"It's young Xuan! It really is young Xuan! He even... he even brought down something big!"
Before you continue