Chapter 82: Rare Treasures in the Forest, Dog Barking at Night

The forest had almost no clear paths, and the way down the mountain was full of broken and decayed wood.

There were still quite a few insects, and occasionally, Lin Heng would see millipedes crawling on the ground, curling up into a circle with a light touch.

On the trees, there were often longhorn beetles, rhinoceros beetles, and green beetles. If it were when he was a child, Lin Heng would definitely catch a few to play with, but now he just glanced at them and moved on.

After about ten minutes, Lin Heng and the others arrived at the confluence of the three streams in the canyon. Just a few steps in, Lin Heng spotted something by his feet.

“I found a ginseng here right after coming down the mountain, this place is not bad.” Lin Heng looked at it but didn’t dig it out. It was too small and not worth much.

Dried ginseng only sells for about 80 cents per kilogram. Despite the name “ginseng,” it’s very common in the Qinling Mountains.

Much like epimedium, Lin Heng had already seen several patches on the way, but didn’t bother picking them up, as the purchase price was low, and you needed a lot to make a small amount of money.

“I found a big one here. I’ll dig it up and cook it tonight.” Tian Baishun also found one and took his machete to start digging.

The dark soil under the trees was very soft. In no time, he had unearthed a handful of more than ten roots, weighing about half a kilogram.

“The mountain stream is just ahead. Let’s walk upstream and see if there’s a place to shelter from the rain and wind,” said Uncle Lu Honghai, leading the way.

“Watch out for snakes,” warned Uncle Li Baiquan, walking alongside Lin Heng.

In the summer, the wild grass grew wildly, and the grass around their feet was half a meter high, with some that cut at the feet and others whose seeds clung to their clothes.

Walking through the grass was much harder than in the forest, where the grass wasn’t as thick.

“Cluck-cluck!!”

Suddenly, a wild chicken flew up from the nearby grass and flapped its wings, flying off into the distant forest.

The four of them could only watch, unable to shoot it with a gun or bow.

“Damn it, hunting in the summer is really tough,” Tian Baishun cursed and lit a cigarette, taking two deep puffs.

“Yeah, hunting is better in the autumn and winter,” Li Baiquan also grumbled, annoyed by losing the trace of the badger earlier that day.

When they reached the stream, the group took a deep breath and washed their faces.

“This water is really cold,” Lin Heng remarked, feeling an icy sensation as he touched it.

“The mountain stream is cold, not to mention we’re near Mount Taibai,” Tian Baishun said matter-of-factly.

Lin Heng knew this, but he was wondering if the place might have Qinling salmon, a rare fish species that thrives in cold water, with the highest water temperature not exceeding twenty degrees. The water here seemed to be about that temperature, so he thought it might be worth keeping an eye on.

They walked upstream along the stream. The path was difficult, but still much easier than walking through the grass.

“There are also some big stream stone bass here, and the groundhogs are around,” Lin Heng said, looking at the bass in the water, similar to those in the White Stone Gorge.

“Too bad it’s too far. Otherwise, we could have used a vibration to catch some fish,” Li Baiquan said with a smile.

While they were talking, a black figure suddenly darted out from the edge of the stream and disappeared into the grass.

“Damn, that’s a huge water snake!” Lin Heng exclaimed.

Before he could process it, Uncle Li Baiquan was already chasing after the snake.

He ran after it, grabbed its tail, and with one swift motion, yanked it up. With the other hand, he slid down the tail and grabbed the snake’s neck. The whole process took less than ten seconds.

“Impressive!” Lin Heng praised. He usually grabbed a snake by the tail with one hand and used a stick to pin down its head, but this was much faster.

“You have great snake-catching skills,” Tian Baishun also praised.

Li Baiquan smiled and weighed the snake in his hand. Not very satisfied, he said, “It looks big, but it only weighs a little over two kilos. Never mind, let it go.”

Water snakes are cheap, and this one wasn’t big enough. Li Baiquan didn’t want to carry it for a few days.

“Don’t let it go! Let’s stew it tonight. I brought a pot with me. We can make a dragon and phoenix soup,” Tian Baishun quickly stopped him. The old man didn’t mind, he would eat anything.

“Alright then.” Li Baiquan chuckled and put the snake in a bag.

Lin Heng shook his head. The snake was unlucky; none of the four were afraid of snakes, so tonight, it would only be in trouble.

They walked about seven or eight hundred meters upstream and came to a patch of white stone beach, with white stones scattered on the ground and some big trees in the distance.

“Those two large stones in the southwest look like a good place to camp,” Lin Heng said, pointing to two large stones about four or five meters across.

“I think it’s good. Let’s go check it out,” Uncle Lu Honghai nodded, and everyone walked over.

The sun had set behind the western ridge of Mount Taibai, and half of the sky was stained blood-red, while the other half was a deep blue. Combined with the idyllic surroundings, it felt like they had stumbled into a fantastical realm.

If they had a camera, Lin Heng would definitely have taken a picture of this scene.

When they reached the large stones, the spot indeed looked great—spacious, with no weeds around, and not many mosquitoes at night. The view was wide, and they could spot any danger in time.

“The gap is too wide, though. We’ll need to gather some branches to block it,” Tian Baishun said.

Li Baiquan took out his machete and said, “Let’s do it. We probably won’t find anything better.”

The shelter was formed by two large stones leaning together, creating a triangular space. Both sides were ventilated, so they would need to block the other side.

“I’ll help with the tree cutting. Uncle, you and Old Tian go cut some grass,” Lin Heng said, also taking out his machete.

“Alright,” Uncle Lu Honghai nodded and walked off to gather grass.

Lin Heng picked up some dry branches and placed them against the stone, layering them to block the gap, though it was still a bit drafty.

“I’ll do it. You step aside.” At this point, Li Baiquan had chopped a lot of tree branches and began placing them on top, completely sealing the shelter.

They added some larger tree trunks on top to prevent the branches from being blown away by the wind. Once this was done, their shelter was set up.

Next was the interior “decorating”—picking up stones to build a stove and using dry grass as bedding so they could rest.

“I’ll take care of the chicken,” Old Tian said, preparing to cook.

He eagerly took out a small aluminum pot with a 30 cm diameter from his basket and set up a stove to boil water.

“Eating this early? It’s the perfect time for hunting,” Lin Heng wondered.

Tian Baishun glanced at him and grinned, “The world is big, but food is the most important. We’ll cook the chicken first, and then we can hunt later.”

The old man was carefree, truly enjoying his life.

“Li Baiquan, go kill the snake and bring it for the soup. I also brought some wine. Let’s have a drink tonight,” Tian Baishun added.

Upon hearing there was wine, Lin Heng’s uncle’s eyes immediately lit up. “I’ll go now. You wait for me.”

He quickly took the snake from the bag, went to the stream, and with one swift cut, the snake’s head fell off. Its bright red blood flowed down the stream, attracting several small fish.

But the blood disappeared too quickly; by the time they could use it, it had vanished.

“Lin Heng, help me hold this while we skin it,” Li Baiquan said.

“Okay.” Lin Heng walked over to help.

They separated the skin from the meat, then tugged hard, and with a rip, the black snake skin was quickly peeled off.

“This is quick work,” Li Baiquan said with a grin, taking his knife to open the snake, remove its innards, and complete the process.

“I’ll go see if I can find any signs of prey.”

After finishing with the snake, Lin Heng took his bow and arrow and walked out. His uncle and Tian Baishun continued with the chicken.

As the sun gradually set, the mountain breeze turned cool, ruffling Lin Heng’s long black hair.

He walked along the white stone beach, with the misty Taibai Mountain in the distance and the flowing stream and tall forests nearby.

The scenery was beautiful, but he only admired it for a moment before focusing on hunting, as he was no longer a carefree wanderer—he now carried the responsibility of providing a happy life for his family.

Walking upstream along the stream, Lin Heng entered a tall, mixed forest and soon saw a line of ants marching on the ground, each carrying a small white egg, hastily moving to their new home.

The roadside prickly raspberries were ripe, ready to drop with a light touch. Lin Heng picked a couple and popped them into his mouth. His attention was drawn to a red squirrel on a tree nearby, holding an insect and nibbling it.

The moment Lin Heng reached for his slingshot, the squirrel dashed to the top of the tree and leapt to another tree, disappearing quickly.

He shook his head and reluctantly put away the slingshot, entering the forest.

Not far in, he spotted a few plants of Astragalus growing together. The leaves were arranged in rows, with pods resembling peas, making them easy to identify.

“Since I haven’t found anything else, I might as well pull these out, dry them, and brew some tea,” Lin Heng muttered to himself and walked over to pluck them.

The soil was soft, and the plants came out easily. He cut the roots and placed them in his basket before continuing forward.

Even though it was already evening, finding prey wasn’t easy. There were no calls to be heard, and nothing stood out in the forest.

White milk mushrooms were scattered everywhere in the forest, and although the taste was too spicy even after boiling and drying, they were largely ignored by everyone here.

Lin Heng kicked a few aside and occasionally picked up a few chicken oil mushrooms.

“Couldn’t find any prey, but two Lingzhi mushrooms aren’t bad,” Lin Heng thought.

Lin Heng smiled and walked to the base of the oak tree, picking two beautiful red reishi mushrooms.

After searching nearby, he found three more.

“That’s enough for today. Even though I didn’t catch any prey, harvesting reishi and honey is still pretty good.”

He muttered to himself, already thinking of going back for a meal as he was starting to feel hungry.

However, when he looked at the ridge ahead, with its tall trees, he thought maybe there would be a new discovery if he went further.

“Alright, let’s continue looking,” he said, grabbing a handful of roasted soybeans his wife had made and munching on them, his thoughts drifting to Xiulan.

After walking half a kilometer along the mountain path, Lin Heng finally reached the ridge. As his gaze swept across the distance, he casually brushed aside a small branch, and suddenly a sharp burning sensation shot through his hand, followed by a piercing pain.

“Damn!! A living chili pepper!!”

Lin Heng cursed, instantly realizing he had accidentally touched a living chili pepper.

In the summer, this was one of the most dangerous things in the forest. It hides behind leaves, and if you touch it by mistake, it will hurt for half an hour.

Lin Heng looked at his hand and saw a bump forming. “As if you want to die.”

He turned around and flipped the branch he had just touched, and sure enough, there was a living chili pepper, the kind with four corners and long golden-green fuzz.

“King of the living chili peppers, no wonder it hurts so much.”

Lin Heng tore off the leaf that had the chili pepper on it. There are many kinds of living chili peppers, but this one was the most terrifying. It caused the most intense pain.

He placed the leaf with the chili pepper on a stone and took a small stone slab to squeeze out the green liquid inside, which he applied to his hand. The pain instantly lessened.

This was an old remedy from the mountains, and most of the time it worked well.

“Damn thing.” Lin Heng angrily crushed it to pieces, easing his frustration.

Although it was his own fault for touching the chili pepper, this thing should never exist.

This was probably a feeling shared by everyone who had been stung by one.

“Hmm?” While dealing with the chili pepper, Lin Heng thought he saw a glint of light in the corner of his eye. It seemed to come from the fur of an animal.

He slowly turned around, and about 300 meters away, a small figure came into view.

It looked like a deer, about the size of a lion dog, with dark brown fur, ears standing upright like a rabbit’s, and a ring of white fur inside its ears. The most noticeable feature was the two vertical white hairs on its chest.

When Lin Heng turned his head, it didn’t run away but stood still, seemingly very curious, watching him.

At that moment, Lin Heng held his breath and his heart raced. “This isn’t a muntjac, it’s a forest musk deer.”

What is a forest musk deer?

Also known as the “muntjac,” male forest musk deer produce natural musk. In 2023, one gram of natural musk could be bought for 350 to 400 yuan. Even in the 1980s, it was worth 30 yuan per gram. A male forest musk deer could have around 50 grams of musk, which meant killing a male forest musk deer could easily net you 1,500 yuan, a fortune.

How could Lin Heng not be excited?

However, he quickly became disappointed because it was a female forest musk deer. He could tell because it lacked the outward-curving canine teeth that males have.

Noticing Lin Heng’s aggressive gaze, the female forest musk deer turned and ran away. Lin Heng didn’t chase it, instead watching as it disappeared into the distance.

“What a pity. It’s too far, and it’s a female,” Lin Heng sighed and shook his head. Once the prey spots you, it’s impossible to catch it.

Unless you have a sniper rifle with a range of several hundred to a thousand meters.

But this was actually good news. If there was a female forest musk deer here, there had to be a male around. As long as he searched carefully, there was bound to be a reward.

The male forest musk deer wouldn’t be too far from the female.

“It’s a pity that forest musk deer breed in November and December, so I can’t use sound to track them,” Lin Heng shook his head.

“Damn living chili pepper,” Lin Heng muttered, kicking the remains once more before continuing his search.

He had originally planned to head back, but now he decided to keep looking. Who knows, he might get lucky and find a male forest musk deer.

This was like when you decide to pack up fishing but suddenly hook a big fish, so you can’t resist casting a few more lines.

Lin Heng’s mindset was like that, but just like when you keep fishing after catching a big one and catch nothing, he found nothing as the day turned to dusk.

“Guess it’s time to go back.”

Lin Heng shook his head and decided to come back in the morning to search again.

He was now two to three kilometers from the shelter, and he took a new path back.

He decided to head down the mountain and check out the Sancha Valley.

Halfway down the mountain, he suddenly heard rustling noises. Turning around, he saw a hedgehog curl up into a ball and stop moving.

“Damn, trying to scare me?”

Lin Heng kicked it away.

He continued on, quickening his pace. Just as he reached the base of the mountain, a gunshot rang out from downstream, and everything suddenly fell silent.

“Who found prey?” Lin Heng wondered curiously.

The valley ahead was hard to walk through. The trees were sparse, and the grass was deep, making it difficult to navigate.

“Wang wang~”

“Hmm? A dog barking here? Is it Old Tian?”

Lin Heng froze, listening carefully and confirming it was indeed a dog barking. He immediately changed direction and headed toward the sound.

“Is this in a wetland?”

After walking a short distance, Lin Heng noticed the ground under his feet had become muddy, so he stopped.

“Old Tian, is that you?”

Lin Heng called out loudly, a bit worried. Could the old man be in danger?

“Wang wang!!”

There was no answer. The dog’s barking sounded even more desperate.

“Is he really in danger?”

Lin Heng was a little anxious. If Old Tian was in danger, why hadn’t he fired his gun?

Fortunately, Lin Heng was a firm materialist and didn’t believe in ghost stories. Otherwise, he might think he had encountered a ghost.

Taking out his flashlight, Lin Heng used a stick to probe the path, calling out as he walked: “Old Tian, is that you?!”

“It’s me, be careful, don’t fall into the mud, take it slow!”

Finally, Lin Heng heard Old Tian’s voice.

“Are you okay?” Lin Heng sighed in relief. As long as the old man could still speak, it was good.

“I won’t die for now, but if you hadn’t come, I might have been done for today. My chest is almost completely buried in the mud,” Old Tian’s voice was weak.

Lin Heng realized that Old Tian’s chest was trapped by the mud, which explained the faint voice. If he hadn’t passed by here, the old man would have probably died today.

He couldn’t understand how an experienced hunter like Old Tian could make such a basic mistake.

After walking a few steps, Lin Heng dared not proceed further and instead took a detour. As it got dark, moving in this dangerous terrain made his heart race.

The visibility was so poor that he couldn’t tell if the path was clear, so he had to move cautiously.

But he couldn’t go back for help; Old Tian was stuck up to his chest in the mud. If he went back for help, he might be gone by the time he returned.

After half an hour, Lin Heng finally found the path Old Tian had taken and reached the spot where he had gotten stuck.

From a distance, it just looked like an open area covered with leaves, but up close, it was a hidden black mud pit.

At this point, only Old Tian’s shoulders were visible above the mud. The nearby dog, struggling wildly, had already sunk, leaving only half its head exposed.

(End of Chapter)