Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

The large wild animals in the forest have been driven away, but there's no guarantee that some won't slip through the net.

The group leaving the city, under the cover of a black bear steward and several gray wolf instructors, departed their homeland and traversed mountains and valleys.

When the road they had come from disappeared among the mountains, the group camped in a flat valley.

This is the last safe zone, guarded by elders of the clan.

The grand hunt has officially begun; the rest of the journey is up to you.

What prey you catch depends entirely on your skill and luck; dying in the mountains is not uncommon.

The atmosphere in the valley gradually became heavy. After checking their equipment again, they headed towards the thousand-meter-high mountain where the giant tree was rooted.

Liu Xingmo untied Bao Hei from the carriage, locked the doors, and left it at the camp.

Then, he and Sumali climbed onto the turtle's back and headed into the forest.

In previous years, they always acted with teams led by second-tier experts. Now that their own side also has second-tier combatants, and they have some secrets that shouldn't be revealed, they decided to act alone.

Leaving the open valley, a swirling shadow covered the land.

The old branches overhead resembled countless hands reaching towards the sky, yet grasping nothing. A few yellow leaves clung to the branches, and occasionally a single leaf, the size of a bed sheet, would be blown away by the wind and sway gently before crashing to the ground.

The fertile black soil was covered with fallen leaves, and the old turtle's claws made a rustling sound when they stepped on it.

Sumali cocked her gun, her eyes, sharp enough to see through the darkness, fixed on the sky shrouded by ancient trees.

Bao Hei is quite a formidable opponent, capable of handling ground threats. Therefore, their greatest danger comes from the sky.

Both eagles and owls have a great fondness for humans, these hairless mice covered in flesh.

These ferocious and agile carnivorous birds are natural enemies of humankind.

Breathing in the stale smell of withered leaves and dry grass, Liu Xingmo controlled his contracted beast with his soul imprint and headed into the depths of the dense forest.

The jungle was eerily quiet.

Thick, giant trees rise from the ground, with some reaching 20 meters in diameter.

The bare branches blocked out the blue sky and white clouds, tore the sun apart, and captured the sunlight.

The low-lying areas were quite dark, with thick, impenetrable shadows hidden under tree roots and in the crevices of rocks.

Occasionally, beams of light would fall to the ground, a golden expanse dotted with fine dust particles, leaving dappled shadows on withered branches and fallen leaves.

"Bang!" A gunshot rang out.

Liu Xingmo turned his head and saw Su Mali quickly changing bullets.

"What's wrong, Mary?"

There is a snake.

"Where is it?"

"It's over there, under the leaves."

Liu Xingmo looked closely and saw a thin stripe with intertwined black, gray and yellow stripes rolling and twisting in the grass.

This natural camouflage is extremely deadly.

After Su Mali reloaded her gun, Liu Xingmo also raised his own.

The butt of the rifle rested on my shoulder, and the sights were aimed at the snake in the distance.

His whole body tensed up, and he pulled the trigger.

A loud "Bang!"

Bright flames spewed through the dark forest, smoke slowly dissipated, and the air was filled with the smell of sulfur.

Su Mali's hand rested on Liu Xingmo's shoulder, which was still numb from the shock.

"Missed, let's try again."

"good!"

Pull back the barrel, eject the spent cartridge case, and then push the cone-shaped bullet into it.

Release the safety, aim, and fire again.

"Bang!"

A triangular snake head, about the size of a fist, exploded with a crack.

This snake should be completely dead.

Even as a small, immature snake, it's as thick as a person's leg. If it were fully grown, it would be thicker than a person's waist.

With their flawless camouflage, lightning-fast attacks, and deadly venom, snakes are among the most terrifying creatures in the jungle, ranking as one of the three most dangerous animals.

The so-called "three fierce beasts" refer to three ferocious animals that have killed countless people: the five-step snake, the weasel, and the owl.

These are the animals that need to be especially wary of during this large-scale hunt. After all, even the strongest members of the tribe cannot drive them all away in the dense jungle.

Liu Xingmo never expected that the seemingly successful start would turn out to be a venomous snake.

He maneuvered Bao Hei close to the trembling, twitching, colorful worm on the ground, and after confirming that there was no other danger around, he jumped off the turtle's back.

He drew his long knife from his waist, chopped off the snake's head, then gutted the snake, removed its gall bladder, emptied its internal organs, and released its dirty blood.

A small snake, as thick as a bowl and eight meters long, was prepared. The meat and bones, weighing over a hundred pounds, were wrapped in lotus leaves, placed on the turtle's back, and then the journey continued.

There were rustling sounds coming from the shadows.

Liu Xingmo held his breath and focused intently, paying close attention to every slightest movement.

Unfortunately, his eyesight was poor and his marksmanship was terrible; he spent the whole afternoon shooting but didn't take down many prey.

He had gotten used to the gun barrel, and loading and aiming were all done in one smooth motion.

As the sun began to set, the jungle grew even darker, making it unwise to venture any further.

Liu Xingmo rode the old turtle back to the camp along the same route.

In the flat valley, many campfires were lit. A stream flowed through it, and people were washing clothes with cool water.

Liu Xingmo found his own van, unlocked it, and took out the seasonings.

Remove the scales from the venomous snake and chop the large pieces of meat, bones and all, into sections.

Sumari selected two good pieces of meat about the length of an arm, made crisscross cuts on the surface, sprinkled them with salt and sauce, then skewered them on a pole and grilled them over a fire.

Liu Xingmo had already set up a stove and lit a fire.

He held the skewers in his hand and placed them on the flickering flames.

Soon, the aroma of charred snake meat, mingled with the rich fragrance of seasonings, transformed into a wisp of warm smoke, drifting through the cool mountain air.

Seeing that the meat was almost cooked, Liu Xingmo picked up the snake meat, gently blew on it to cool it down, and bit off a piece of the golden-brown meat.

It has a mild flavor but an excellent texture. Paired with soybean paste, it's quite a delicacy.

Sumali ate in small bites, the firelight illuminating her fair face. Her striking, exotic features flickered in the smoldering flames.

Liu Xingmo took out two more bottles of wine from the carriage, uncorked them, and raised a toast with his wife to celebrate.

Meanwhile, the entire camp was bathed in the orange glow of the fire.

People strung all sorts of prey onto tree branches and roasted them over a fire, where they sizzled.

This relaxed demeanor makes it seem like they're out camping, enjoying a hard-won opportunity to travel and have fun.

That's not wrong.

The rules for the grand hunt were established by our ancestors.

The original intention was to ensure that future generations would not forget their original aspirations and would always remember their fighting spirit.

After thousands of years of development, the experience of hosting the event has become increasingly mature, and the risks have gradually decreased.

Each departing team would carry a skyrocket, also known as "a single arrow piercing the clouds, and a thousand troops would come to meet it."

In case of any mishap, a signal flare will be fired, and a skilled warrior will arrive on a large bird to provide assistance.

Many people came with a leisurely attitude, and some were already wandering around the campsite. When they met someone they liked, they would come up and chat with them.

At that moment, a flippant voice rang out: "Oh my! You two even brought Golden Water! I love that, but it's a pity Jinli Restaurant is closed; I haven't had it for days."

A slightly burly figure sat casually by the campfire, his eyes fixed on Sumali and the bottle of liquor in her hand.

The man's voice was androgynous and slightly deep: "You're a really pretty girl, and you don't look like you're from around here. Count me in, want to grab a drink?"