Tracking

After the intense heat subsided, the restlessness in the mountains and forests completely subsided, leaving only a deathly silence.

The lingering energy from the fierce battle still lingered in his limbs. Lu Heng breathed heavily, steadying his swaying body. The continuous group attacks had taken a heavy toll, and layers of soreness and swelling surged up in his body. He had no time to rest; he couldn't linger on the desolate battlefield for even a moment.

He quickly scanned the scattered animal corpses and began to tidy up the battlefield.

The ground was littered with charred carcasses of Horned Sheep, marks left by the Geothermal heat, but the meat inside remained intact. Lu Heng nimbly collected the carcasses one by one and stored them in his Wristband Space. His fingertips touched the dry, brittle wool, and he felt a pang of regret. The high temperature had ruined the entire pelt, rendering it useless for warmth. He could only go home and dismantle it to see if he could salvage a small amount of material.

After dealing with the sheep carcasses, he turned to clean up the jackal carcasses nearby.

In the previous battle, the sheep only ate the entrails of a few jackal carcasses; the vast majority of the jackals' bodies remained intact without extensive damage. The entire jackal pack consisted only of Black Iron-Level Exotic Beast as its leader; the rest were ordinary mountain jackals.

In the resource-scarce wilderness, every animal carcass has value for food and materials, and Lu Heng collected and preserved them all without exception.

After the entire battlefield was quickly cleared, the surroundings became completely quiet.

Lu Heng looked down at the soil beneath his feet. The ground was covered with layers upon layers of dense sheep hoof prints, some deep and some shallow, messy yet orderly. These were clear traces left by a large flock of Horned Sheep on a collective rampage, and also the path they had taken to the battlefield.

He stared at the hoofprints covering the ground, lost in thought.

The flock of Horned Sheep he encountered today was completely different. They were robust, fierce, knew how to fight as a group, and had a very strong fighting spirit. He remembered the description on the Wristband had examined earlier; these sheep carried a trace of Tu Lou Bloodline.

It is this special bloodline that makes their physique, wildness, and gregarious habits far surpass those of ordinary mountain goats and beasts.

Allowing unknown groups to roam freely within one's hunting grounds is always a potential threat. Only by understanding their activity patterns, usual habitats, and whether they still exist can one truly feel at ease.

Having made up his mind, Lu Heng followed the direction of the hoofprints and stepped forward to investigate.

He walked steadily, his eyes fixed on the ground, carefully examining the tracks along the way.

The soil in this mountain forest is irregularly distributed. In the low-lying areas, the soil is soft and moist, and the hoofprints can be clearly and completely preserved. However, as you go further in, the ground turns into hard frozen soil that has been dried by the mountain winds all year round. The soil is hard and dense, and the light hooves cannot leave any marks at all. The tracks then stop and become intermittent.

Fortunately, the number of Horned Sheep that came here was huge. Even though the hard soil could not leave a mark, the trampled grass, the pebbles kicked up, and the branches rubbed smooth by the sheep's horns along the way, all intertwined with countless small but continuous traces, still clearly outlined their route. Lu Heng easily connected the discontinuous tracks and steadily explored forward.

As you travel forward, the terrain gradually rises, and the surrounding landscape subtly changes.

The low-lying, damp, dense forest was completely left behind, the thick bushes gradually thinned out, and the view suddenly opened up. Before us lay vast stretches of grayish-white bare rock slopes, the ground dry and hard, without any mud or puddles, a stark contrast to the damp, cold, and oppressive atmosphere of the low-lying forest.

The scattered boulders are stacked and undulating, the cliffs are steep and straight, and the rocks are riddled with crevices, pits and grooves, with sparse vegetation growing here and there, creating a completely different mountain landscape.

Lu Heng stopped and looked around at the entire rocky slope.

The ground was covered with layers of old and new hoof prints, densely packed everywhere. The protruding edges of the rocks were covered with smooth marks from years of friction by sheep horns, and the newly grown wild grass along the rocks was mostly bitten and uneven.

All signs indicate that this flock of Horned Sheep frequently appears and roams this area.

He simply couldn't be sure if this was their nesting site.

Lu Heng had a general impression that goats mostly did not have fixed dwellings, unlike jackals which needed to stay in fixed dens. They mostly wandered around and rested wherever they pleased, without a fixed place to live.

The traces in front of us can only prove that this is a high-frequency activity area for them, but we cannot determine where they land.

As he pondered, his gaze swept toward the towering vertical cliff face beside him.

The rough, dark rock surface is crisscrossed with countless fine cracks. A thin layer of frost-white crystals condenses at the edges of the cracks, slowly seeping outwards along the rock lines and adhering lightly to the rock wall, making it particularly conspicuous.

Lu Heng focused his mind slightly, a guess forming in his heart.

This is most likely Natural Salt Crystals.

Salt is scarce in the wilderness and forests, so all herbivorous animals need to replenish their salt regularly. This is also the nature of herbivores to patrol salt sources regularly. The frequent appearance of Horned Sheep on this rocky slope is most likely because they are licking the salt stains on the rock walls.

To avoid misjudging by sight, he immediately raised his wrist to activate the Wristband's identification function and aimed it at the white crystals on the rock wall.

A moment later, an identification entry popped up, confirming that what was seeping from these cracks in the stone was indeed Natural Salt Crystals.

Lu Heng understood instantly.

This is not Beast Nest, but a regular salt replenishment point for the Horned Sheep.

He secretly calculated the Shelter's supplies. He had a sufficient stockpile of salt, enough to last for a long time if he used it sparingly. But salt was an essential resource for survival in the wilderness, and the more the better; the more he stockpiled, the safer he would be.

Having made up his mind to collect salt crystals for storage, Lu Heng gripped the Bronze Hunting Blade at his waist, reached out and grabbed a protruding rock, stepping on the narrow rock ridges, and carefully climbed up the cliff face.

The cliff face was almost vertical, with no flat footholds. Every point of contact was narrow and treacherous, and a slight misstep could lead to a fall. Lu Heng lowered his center of gravity and moved cautiously and slowly, inching forward to chisel out the salt crystals embedded in the cracks in the rock.

During his climb, he glanced to the side and noticed several clumps of uniquely shaped succulent plants growing in a hidden crevice in the rock beside him. Their leaves were thick and green, and they grew close to the salty rock crevices. They were wild plants he had never seen before.

Unfamiliar plants in the wilderness often hold hidden value, and Lu Heng immediately raised his hand to appraise them.

[Rock Fennel]

Description: Growing in the crevices of rock walls where salt crystals have crystallized, its fleshy leaves have a slightly salty aroma. The tender leaves can be eaten directly to supplement nutrients, and the crushed leaves can be applied externally to relieve redness and inflammation of wounds. It is a rare plant in the wilderness that can be used for both food and medicine.

After reading the introduction, Lu Heng's eyes lit up with joy.

For a long time, his diet consisted only of salt, and the bland taste had long since bored him. He preferred palatable food, and in the resource-scarce wilderness, encountering plants that provided natural seasoning was a hundred times more precious than ordinary salt crystals.

Compared to the optional hoarding of salt, Rock Fennel is the real unexpected treasure.

He immediately changed his mind, temporarily abandoning the extraction of salt crystals and prioritizing the harvesting of Rock Fennel.

Survival comes first, and safety is paramount. He only chooses low-lying, stable, and easily accessible Rock Fennel. He would never risk climbing high, precarious areas with treacherous crevices, even if there were still plants around, as a fall would be certain death and would be a complete loss.

After harvesting and collecting all the low-lying Rock Fennel, he then chiseled off several pieces of Natural Salt Crystals, held them firmly in his hand, and slowly retreated back to the ground along the cliff face.

With my feet firmly planted on the solid rock slope, the tension in my heart completely dissipated.

Just as I was about to head back, my peripheral vision caught sight of a clump of slender, long-leaved herbaceous plants hidden in a crevice at the bottom of the cliff. They were ordinary in appearance and blended into the rocks and weeds, making them extremely difficult to spot.

Lu Heng habitually raised his hand to make the assessment.

Salt Onion

Description: It grows by taking root in the crevices of salty rock walls. The leaves have a unique spicy aroma and can be used as a seasoning. The juice can be crushed and applied topically to mildly inhibit infection of superficial wounds.

Looking at the test results, Lu Heng was slightly taken aback.

This Salt Onion looked nothing like the scallions he knew; it was plain in appearance, but its effects were exceptionally useful, making it another unexpected gain.

He bent down and carefully picked all the Salt Onion, then stored them properly in his Storage Space.

Rock Fennel, Salt Onion, Natural Salt Crystals.

The reconnaissance mission, originally initiated to investigate potential threats from animal herds, unexpectedly yielded three rare supplies.