Chapter 62: We Found Water!

Returning to the spot where they had just hunted the wild boars, Qi Da took over for Luo Laosan.

When they left, Luo Laosan was sharpening his knife. The three wild boars were hung up to be bled, but the butchering hadn’t started yet.

Nearby, they found a foul-smelling mud pit, likely a place where the wild boars frequently gathered.

They followed the path upward but saw no signs of a water source.

Everyone was starting to lose patience.

“We’ve come so far, and there’s still no water? Did we go the wrong way?” Hu Er asked.

Luo Laoda shook his head. “If there’s water, it should be in this direction. Look at these trees—don’t they seem to be growing better than the others?”

Yan Lao’er took a look and saw that the trees were indeed lush and thriving, as if they had plenty of water.

He scraped at the ground with his foot and found that the soil here was moister than at the foot of the mountain.

It seemed they were on the right track.

“Let’s go a little further,” Luo Laoda said.

But Hu Da had a different opinion. “No, look around—on the trees, on the rocks—there are scratch marks, some deep, some shallow. It’s too dangerous. We can’t go any further.”

“Can you tell what kind of animal made those claw marks?” Qi Si asked.

Hu Da shook his head. “We don’t have any real hunters here, but in a deep mountain forest like this, it’s either a big cat or a bear.”

Yan Lao’er instinctively looked around—

And then he saw it. A beautifully patterned, spotted creature…

“There! There! In the tree!” Yan Lao’er’s voice was hoarse, and he didn’t even dare to breathe.

He fumbled and shoved the iron crossbow into Hu Lao’er’s hands.

Hu Lao’er instinctively loosed an arrow.

The little creature was incredibly agile, leaping between the branches and disappearing in just a few bounds.

“It’s fine, just a lynx,” Hu Laoda said as he retrieved the arrow.

A lynx?

Yan Lao’er let out a deep breath. Thank goodness it wasn’t a leopard—his heart nearly stopped for a second.

Qi Si noticed his tension and waved his wooden club.

“Yan Er-ge, don’t worry, I’m here!”

Qi Da didn’t know what Qi Si had said to him earlier, but he stuck close to Yan Lao’er the whole time. Hearing this, he nodded firmly and swung his own wooden club with great enthusiasm.

Yan Lao’er: This is great. My happiness is off the charts right now.

His courage suddenly surged.

“We’ll go up for another two quarters of an hour. If we still don’t find water, we’ll head back.”

Everyone nodded and continued forward.

Time ticked by. Just as they were about to turn back—

Qi Da looked around blankly and asked, “Do you guys… hear something?”

Hear what? The air was filled with the buzzing of insects, the chirping of birds, and the rustling of leaves—perhaps from the wind, or maybe something moving through them.

Suddenly, Yan Lao’er took two deep sniffs.

Moisture!

“There’s water! It’s nearby!” he shouted.

Without hesitation, he sprinted forward.

Finally, behind a hillside that had blocked their view, he saw it—a real mountain stream.

The water trickled gently through the mountains, nourishing the life on both banks.

Where it struck the rocks, it splashed into the air before falling back down, shimmering in the sunlight.

The water was so clear that they could see tiny fish, only about the length of a finger, swimming upstream.

Everyone was overwhelmed with joy!

They had finally—finally—found water!

Even though they were grown men, some already fathers, they couldn’t help but run toward it like children.

Qi Wu was about to scoop up a handful to drink when—

“Hey, hey, hey! Stop! Stop your hands! Stop your feet! Stop your mouths!” Yan Lao’er shouted in a panic, his words tumbling out in a rush. “Everyone, stop right now!”

The others respected Yan Lao’er. Ever since they left the village, he had changed—no longer just a bookish scholar speaking in a way they couldn’t understand. He led the way, went out searching for villages to trade for food, kept watch at night, and even joined in the hunts. They had all grown fond of him.

So, when he yelled, they all froze and stared at him in confusion.

Yan Lao’er let out a long breath—he had managed to stop them in time.

“Let’s fetch water first. If you guys start splashing around, the whole stream will get muddy—how are we supposed to drink it then?”

It was a stream, yes, but the water was shallow. If they started kicking around, they’d ruin the drinking water for everyone.

He leaned closer to check it out. “Actually, why don’t we move over there? This spot can be for drawing drinking water, and downstream, we can wash up. To be honest, I can’t even stand my own smell anymore.”

Luo Laoda laughed. “My wife complains about mine too.”

Hu Da snorted. “What man doesn’t stink? We’ve been on the road this whole time—where was I supposed to find perfume for myself?”

“Smell isn’t the issue—I just want to jump in and cool off,” Hu Er said eagerly.

“Look at that water—it barely reaches your ankles,” Yan Lao’er pointed out. “Why don’t we bring everyone up here? It’s been too long since we had proper access to water. Let’s stay for a few days, rest up, and fill all our buckets, basins, and pots before we move on.”

No one objected to that idea.

It had been far too long since they’d had enough water to use freely.

With a stream like this, they wouldn’t mind staying for months—though, of course, that wasn’t possible. But was it safe to bring the others up here?

“The villagers will definitely be happy, but… what if we run into something dangerous?” Qi Si asked.

“We’ll set up some campfires,” Yan Lao’er said quickly. “We’ll clear out the area and the path leading up here. It’ll take some effort, but if we chop enough wood and keep the fires burning all day, animals won’t dare come near.”

He quickly picked out a suitable spot.

“That area over there looks good—it’s flat, and if we squeeze in, we can all fit.”

“But the path up here is rough. Carrying supplies will be difficult,” Luo Laoda frowned.

Yan Lao’er reassured him, “It’s fine. My Sanbao is strong. If needed, we’ll just make multiple trips.”

Well then, what were they waiting for?

The group hurried back down the mountain, clearing away dead branches and old tree roots as they went.

Seeing them return empty-handed, the villagers looked disappointed.

Did they not find water?

Yan Lao’er, however, sprinted straight toward his brother.

Yan Huaiwen stood with his hands behind his back, watching Luo Laosan work.

The village’s elders, women, and children were all gathered nearby.

In past years, whenever a pig was slaughtered for the New Year, the whole village would come to watch.

And these three wild boars—well, these were ones they had hunted themselves.

It was a completely different feeling.

“Big Brother! We found water! We found water!” Yan Lao’er shouted joyfully, as happy as a child.

Yan Huaiwen’s eyes lit up, a slow smile spreading across his face.

The villagers gasped and looked around at each other. “Really? Did they really find water?”

“Yes!” The men who had returned thumped their chests, grinning from ear to ear.

The three wild boars were suddenly forgotten.

Luo Laosan casually stabbed his knife into a boar and joined in the cheering.

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go get water!” Village Chief Luo immediately called out.

“Father! Father! The water’s not going anywhere! No need to rush!” Luo Laoda reassured him.

Yan Lao’er then turned to his brother and the villagers. “Hauling water back one trip at a time is too much trouble. There are too many of us, and we won’t have enough. Instead, let’s move up there for a few days, rest properly, and make full use of the stream.”