Going home

After another brief stalemate, the Spotted Leopard beneath him breathed more and more faintly. Blood kept pouring from its abdominal cavity, soaking the snow, and its once-taut body went completely limp, without the slightest strength left to struggle.

Only after Lu Heng confirmed that its life had completely faded did he slowly release his arms, which had gone numb from the strain. Bracing himself against the snow, he shifted backward, putting a short distance between himself and the leopard's corpse.

Only then did overwhelming fear at what had nearly happened suddenly sweep through him.

Those brief moments had been a gamble with his life. Had his timing been off by even an instant, or had the bone dagger failed to twist through its organs, he would have been the one lying in a pool of blood. An immense sense of relief rose within him as well. Thankfully, he had kept his nerve and seized the fleeting opening when it twisted around to counterattack, fighting his way to survival with nothing but a thin bone dagger he used for everyday tasks.

He absolutely could not linger here.

The sounds of fighting and roaring, cracking bones and collisions had carried throughout the mountain ravine. This was, after all, the middle of Frost Forest. Such a tremendous racket could easily draw new threats, and Lu Heng had truly reached the end of his rope.

Lu Heng raised his left hand, and his bracelet glimmered. With a thought, he stored the entire Spotted Leopard corpse in his storage space. Only a large patch of congealed blood, the broken half of the bone dagger's handle, and a jumble of marks from the fight remained in the snow. He stamped the broken bone handle deep into the slush to bury it, reached back to grip the Iron Axe on his back, and hurried toward the Shelter.

As he traveled, he kept his nerves taut, his ears catching every unusual sound in the forest. Every few steps, he glanced back at the dense woods behind him, afraid that a wild beast might follow the scent of blood and catch up.

Snow continued falling all around him. The footprints he left along the way sank deep into the white snow, clear and conspicuous. Worry rose in Lu Heng's heart. Even if nothing was pursuing him now, his footprints would expose his route there and back. But on second thought, he quietly reassured himself that the snow was still falling, and perhaps fresh snow would cover all his tracks before long.

He did not dare pin his hopes on the snowfall alone.

Passing a short tree laden with thick snow, Lu Heng raised the Iron Axe and slammed the back of its head hard against the trunk. With a rushing crash, the snow piled in its crown tumbled down, covering his footprints in a thick layer and completely filling the depressions.

He repeated this method as he continued. After covering a stretch of ground, he would find a tree trunk laden with snow and shake the snow down to conceal his footprints, clearing his tracks as he went and leaving no distinct trail.

When only a short stretch remained before the Shelter, he came upon a thicket of slender branches and low shrubs beside the path. Lu Heng chopped off a cluster of fine branches with his axe and held it as a makeshift broom. Every few meters, he bent down to sweep his footprints level, scattering loose snow back and forth to erase the traces of his passage.

As he approached the foot of the hill where the Cave Shelter stood, the fetid, rotten smell unique to Cold Stiffs drifted on the wind. Slow, dragging movements reached him through the wind and snow. It seemed there were still some blocking his door.

Racked with pain and utterly exhausted, Lu Heng had no strength left to fight. He rushed to the wooden door, slipped into the cave, and yanked the door shut behind him. Then he swiftly hauled over thick, sturdy timber and braced it firmly against the door, the whole sequence frantic in its speed.

Within minutes, dull impacts came from outside. Thud, thud, thud. Stiff bodies slammed repeatedly into the wooden door, making it tremble slightly.

Lu Heng could not be bothered with the harassment outside. As his long-strained nerves suddenly relaxed, all his strength drained away in an instant. He slid straight down the icy cave wall, his back resting against the pile of firewood bracing the door, and slumped on the frozen ground with his limbs spread. Motionless, he quietly listened to the continued pounding outside and let exhaustion and lingering fear engulf him.

The nerves that had remained taut throughout the fight to the death finally slackened completely. With his back against the firewood, his eyelids felt too heavy to lift. Fear, pain, and exhaustion swept over him, and his consciousness quickly grew muddled. Before long, he curled up on the Shelter's icy floor and fell deeply asleep, oblivious to every sound around him.

He had no idea how long he slept.

The bone-piercing cold was the first thing to wake Lu Heng.

Night wind poured through the cracks around the cave door, while the chill of the frozen ground penetrated his clothes and seeped into every wound. The cold made his muscles tremble involuntarily, leaving his limbs stiff and aching.

His whole body felt weak and limp, his head groggy and swollen. He could not muster the slightest strength.

He could not tell whether he had caught a cold in the forest's wind and snow or was suffering the aftereffects of the adrenaline wearing off completely after the intense fight. His limbs were so weak that even raising a hand took effort.

Gritting his teeth, Lu Heng pushed himself up and dragged his heavy steps toward the fire area. His fingertips trembling, he quickly lit the dry firewood. Orange flames slowly sprang up, and warmth gradually spread, easing the bone-deep chill a little.

He sat down with his back to the fire, took dry rations and clean water from his storage space, and swallowed great mouthfuls of food. Tilting his head back, he gulped down cold water, quickly replenishing his nearly depleted stamina and fluids.

After recovering more than half his strength, Lu Heng made his way into the inner bedroom and lay straight back down on the simple wooden bed.

His whole body was limp, and he had no strength at all to get up. He lay sprawled on the bed and drank several mouthfuls of warm water in succession, easing the dry, painful discomfort in his throat.

Once he had calmed down, Lu Heng raised his hand to light up the bracelet interface, opened the supplies tab, and took stock of the gains from this mining trip.

All the qualifying stone he had gathered this time was sorted into its category, and the bracelet's stone count jumped to 35 units. Among it were several enormous pieces of dense bluestone, far denser than ordinary stone. One piece counted as two regular pieces of stone, making the total reserves particularly substantial.

He needed only one last portion of stone to reach the required amount for the Shelter's next upgrade.

Having checked his supply progress, Lu Heng braced both hands against the edge of the bed and gritted his teeth as he pushed himself to his feet.

With a thought, he released the Spotted Leopard corpse from his storage space onto the bedroom floor.

In the next instant, a pungent, rank animal odor mixed with the lingering smell of blood filled the entire bedroom. The beast's foul stench hit him full in the face, thick and unpleasant.

The enclosed bedroom was too small for the smell to disperse. Filth could easily fester there, and the lingering scent could also draw monsters from outside.

Lu Heng frowned, immediately put the leopard corpse away, and walked out of the bedroom to the center of the Shelter's spacious, well-ventilated main chamber.

After confirming that the space had adequate ventilation, he released the intact leopard corpse again and reached out to press the bracelet's dismantle button.

Blue light from the bracelet enveloped the beast's entire body. Its flesh, blood, skin, and fur rapidly turned insubstantial and broke down, and lines of a supplies panel slowly appeared:

[Item dismantled: Black Iron-tier beast, Spotted Leopard]

[Supplies obtained]

Leopard Core (Black Iron tier): The core of the leopard's primal bodily energy. Can be swallowed directly. Consuming it enhances physical strength in all aspects and strengthens the explosive power of muscles and bones.

Intact leopard hide (Black Iron): Thick, cold-resistant, and tough in texture. Can be used to craft high-tier protective leather gear.

Dense leopard bones (Black Iron): Far harder than ordinary beast bones. Can be used to forge weapons and build reinforcing components.

Fresh leopard meat (Black Iron): Contains pure beast energy. Eating it replenishes stamina and nourishes the body.

Sharp leopard fangs (Black Iron): Hard in texture. Can be used to make accessories and simple piercing weapons.