After Shallow Night arrived, the silence was broken as households bustled about collecting sunstones from the Fire Spring.
Qin Ming was ready to set out, fully armed with a hunting fork, short blade, and bow and arrows. He had already eaten the flatbread Lu Ze had brought him, but hadn't mentioned his plan to leave. He was afraid Lu Ze would try to stop him.
Qin Ming didn't intend to take unnecessary risks. He was aiming for a relatively safe area, hoping for a bit of luck. He'd thought long and hard about it and recalled a glimpse of something he'd seen in the mountains during autumn. Based on the creature's habits, it was likely still living nearby.
"Hopefully it's still there and brings me a nice surprise."
The outside gradually quieted down. No one else was heading to the Fire Spring.
Qin Ming set off. Along the way, he passed two villagers. He greeted them with a smile, then quickly moved on before they could react. He passed the Fire Spring and stepped into the pitch-black wilderness.
Conditions were brutal outside. Qin Ming trudged through the waist-deep snow, most of his body submerged. The cold was biting. His breath turned to frost on his brows and hair. Even though it was the Shallow Night, the world remained dim, and the sights beyond were obscured.
Clutching his hunting fork, he moved forward with difficulty. After traveling about two kilometers, he neared his destination. Ahead loomed a dense forest, its dark outline already visible from a distance.
Qin Ming's target was the forest's edge; he had no intention of going deep in. He stepped unevenly through the snow into the woods. Most trees were bare except for a few species, and their branches sagged under layers of snow.
Qin Ming stopped, carefully recalling the creature's movement pattern from his previous sighting. He remembered seeing a tree hollow in the area, possibly one of its nests.
"It's bigger than others of its kind—likely mutated. If I can find its main nest, I should get a decent haul." After a short pause, he pressed on. The forest was pitch-black. Occasionally, strange birds shrieked, adding to the eerie silence.
Suddenly, Qin Ming tensed. A faint, putrid smell reached his nose. Something was off. He gripped his hunting fork with both hands and scanned the surroundings on full alert. Then, without hesitation, he thrust the sharp steel fork overhead! He'd heard a strange whoosh and pinpointed the scent's origin. Looking up, he saw it.
A shadow hung upside down from a high branch, over ten meters up. It had a ghastly old man's face and dove at Qin Ming's head like a predator.
The sudden horror in the lifeless forest was chilling.
Thankfully, Qin Ming had sensed something wrong and was prepared. He struck with his fork just in time to meet the airborne threat.
A sharp screech pierced the forest, bone-chilling. The creature veered away mid-air, avoiding a direct hit, and glided aside just meters from impact. Wind surged as it spread powerful wings and soared into the sky through the canopy, circling briefly before vanishing into the dark.
Though he hadn't gotten a clear look, Qin Ming was sure what it was.
A man-faced vulture—a carrion-eating raptor with a gray-black eagle body and a pale, wrinkled, human-like face. It usually weighed under forty pounds. Normally, it wouldn't attack living adults. Was it acting strangely now because prey was scarce?
Qin Ming stayed on guard. He waited a long while, but it didn't return. The destination was near. He couldn't give up now. After a brief rest, he moved forward again.
"This should be it."
This area was mainly populated by Mongolian scotch pines, broadleaf trees, and white birches. Qin Ming recognized the place; he'd found the same tree hollow here before.
Though the forest was dark, he could still clearly see the hollow from a few meters away. Its rim was oddly clean. That wasn't a good sign. If the creature was hibernating in the hollow, its breath should have left frost on the entrance.
He frowned. Was the creature never here to begin with? Taking a deep breath, he carefully searched nearby. Gripping the hunting fork in his right hand and a short blade in his left, he remained on alert as danger could strike anytime in the wild.
Qin Ming crept forward silently, making no sound. After about fifteen minutes, he spotted tracks in the snow—signs of an animal. His spirits lifted. Suddenly, a burst of radiant light surged from the distant mountains, briefly illuminating the forest.
Qin Ming was startled but quickly took advantage of the moment, scanning the area for any lurking beasts. He also looked for suspicious tree hollows nearby. The brilliant glow faded as quickly as it came, plunging the forest back into darkness.
It was "earthglow"—a phenomenon from the Fire Spring's underground steam, an occasional event.
More common in warmer weather, especially summer, earthglow could last for a day or two and even stir weather changes, bringing rainclouds. When it rained, smoke and glow mixed with dense droplets, creating a dazzling spectacle.
For people who lived without daylight, it was the most beautiful sight imaginable.
As darkness returned, Qin Ming broke into a genuine smile. He had just found another tree hollow, this one rimmed with ice crystals. He moved through the snow quietly. The faint noise of his steps was drowned by the rising wind. He tiptoed to a tree as thick as a barrel. The hollow was a bit high up. He raised his fork and just barely reached it.
Putting the fork down, he suddenly leaped out of the snow, grabbing the trunk and climbing with agility. In moments, he was at the hollow.
He swung his short blade into the hollow's edge—thud!
At the same time, a creature inside that was about to lunge out quickly retreated, nearly struck.
Qin Ming hadn't expected to corner the creature like this. This was an unexpected bonus. He had hoped to find its main nest and take all its stored food. That would be more than enough of a reward.
The tree hollow rustled with urgent sounds and squeals. The hole wasn't huge. Qin Ming could barely fit his hand inside. He hacked at it a few more times. The tree was long dead and brittle. Soon, the hole widened.
He pulled out a hide pouch, slipped it over his hand, and reached in. Inside, a flurry of chaos erupted. His arm was jolted around violently, but the pouch was thick enough to protect him from bites.
He grabbed the creature and yanked it out. From his coat, he took a sunstone and shone it into the hollow. His face lit up with joy. Inside were wild walnuts, chestnuts, red dates—all kinds of dry goods. The hole was packed full.
These were his main targets.
Hunger was hard to bear. These nuts could fill his stomach. They were lifesaving. His clear eyes glowed with excitement. Turning to the creature in his grasp, its fur was a fiery red, smoother than silk under the sunstone's glow.
It was a red squirrel. Normal ones weighed less than a pound. This one was over two pounds. It was mutated. It was biting at the hide pouch, struggling to escape, but failing. Its glowing red fur shimmered. It was quite valuable.
Qin Ming pulled out a wire and quickly tied it up, hanging it from a branch. Then came the joy of gathering. He scooped handful after handful of dried fruit from the hollow, quickly filling the once-flat pouch until it bulged.
He weighed it. It was over eight pounds. Nearby, the hanging mutated red squirrel glared with big, shiny black eyes, squeaking angrily. Qin Ming felt like it was cursing him.
"You're this heavy. How's eight pounds of food enough for you to get through winter?" he said, hanging the squirrel on his fork and continuing to search by sunstone light.
Winter snow was thick. Mutated creatures rarely buried food underground as they wouldn't find it again. Sure enough, he found a second hollow nearby, then a third—and even the one with no frost had food in it.
He peeled some wild walnuts, ate a handful of chestnuts. It was delicious. Then he washed the red dates with snow and ate five in a row. Sweetness filled his mouth.
Qin Ming was no longer hungry. His delicate face beamed with joy. These nuts weren't just tasty, they solved his current crisis. A crafty creature always has multiple dens. This glowing red squirrel had four nests and had stored over thirty pounds of food. It was truly a worthy mutant.
Qin Ming filled most of his hide pouch.
"Squeak squeak…" At first, the red squirrel had fought wildly. But after watching all four of its nests get emptied, it suddenly froze and became limp and motionless.
Qin Ming was surprised. He shook it. "Did it play dead?" He'd heard mutated mountain beasts were strong and clever, but also quick-tempered. He hadn't expected one to die of anger. "Well then. Little Wenrui said he wanted meat. Now we can make a pot of stew," he muttered to himself, surprised he could fulfill the child's wish so soon.
In Shuangshu Village, some villagers were talking. Someone mentioned Qin Ming had gone out fully armed. Judging by his gear, it looked like he was going after a large beast!
Lu Ze also got word. He frowned deeply. That kid went off alone? He's not trying to hunt a bear, is he?
…
Qin Ming stood on a high slope, close to the summit. This was a low mountain at the edge of the forest. Unfortunately, after searching for a long time, he hadn't found any more squirrel nests.
He climbed to the peak and looked ahead. The woods below stretched dark and dense, the surrounding mountains looming, but only faint outlines could be seen.
Deep in the mountains, there were areas of dazzling light, but they were hidden by thick night mist. Only faint glimmers escaped.
Qin Ming knew that place represented the unknown, the mysterious, the dangerous. It was not a place he could step into.