A thin mist hung over Hot Spring Valley. The farther in he went, the thicker it grew, as though he were entering a fairyland.
But Li Long had no time to appreciate scenery that would have looked like something from an immortal fantasy in later years. He rather disliked the mist. It limited his visibility to a dozen meters ahead; beyond that, he could see nothing clearly.
Li Long simply headed up the slope and into the pine woods.
Sure enough, the mist was thinner among the pines, and he could see a little farther.
But the pines here were relatively sparse, so the snow beneath them was thick. Every step sank to his knees, and pulling his legs free to move forward took considerable effort.
Hunting was not as easy or simple as people imagined.
To gain something, you had to give something, and what you gave did not necessarily match what you gained. Unfair as it was, that was how the world worked. There was nothing to be done about it.
Walking through the pine woods, his feet still made crisp crunching sounds in the snow. Though quieter than walking beside the stream at the bottom of the valley, the noise could just as easily alert the animals.
Li Long tried to be as careful as possible. The closer he came to the hot spring pool, the more cautiously he stepped.
Thirty or forty meters from the pool, he heard grunting-and more than one grunt!
Wild boars!
A whole herd!
Li Long grew excited. At last, he had encountered a decent herd of game. Suppressing the urge to rush out, he continued through the pines, planning to get closer and fire once he could see the boars from the woods.
Even one would be a catch. Two would