Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

Early the next morning.

The rooster crowed, and Liu Xingmo awoke.

The room was chilly; even the thick down and silk blankets couldn't keep out the cold. The warmth of the other person beside me felt all the more precious in this winter.

Liu Xingmo lingered in bed for half an hour before reluctantly getting up and putting on his thick cotton-padded coat.

He went to the window and saw that the whole mountainside was covered in a bright, white expanse.

The heavy snow fell all night, covering the rolling hills and forests like a thick quilt.

Sunlight pierced through the sparse clouds, casting a diamond-like shimmer on the snow-covered forest, so dazzling that it was hard to open one's eyes.

The branches of the nectarine tree were piled high with fluffy snowflakes, and as the howling north wind swept by, it shook off the white peach blossoms.

Winter, once a year, graced the ancient city in the mountains last night.

At this time of year, the people of Heilongzhai put aside their usual work and diligently prepare for the winter.

After all, winters in this world are no joke; a single snowfall can be waist-high, piling up layer upon layer, even burying small trees.

Liu Xingmo clearly remembers that when he was six years old, the snow piled up to cover the windows of his treehouse.

How to survive the winter is truly an art.

Some people live in caves, and some live in man-made igloos. If you want to hibernate in a tree, you need a tree that is at least ten meters thick, with a naturally formed tree hole.

In any case, a house made of thin planks from a small fruit tree can't hold much heat in the cold wind. Every year, people burn the whole house down because they burn too much firewood for warmth.

Liu Xingmo has many things to do in winter. The first thing is to find a new place to live.

At this time of year, we would build a small house on the ground. As long as the snow covered it, the cold wind wouldn't be able to get in.

As for this year, we need to change our strategy.

Liu Xingmo is preparing to move to a mine in the heart of the mountain.

On the one hand, next year's expenses will definitely be high, so they need to continue making money during the winter. On the other hand, the gold refining equipment that Sumari needs also needs to be forged in the blast furnace attached to the mine.

On the other hand, both insects and turtles are hibernating animals. If they want to move freely in winter, the only place they can be is in warm mines.

Liu Xingmo arrived at the insect circle, where three rhinoceros beetles and a scorpion were nestled motionless in the grass.

The four of them are not to be relied upon during the move.

Insects lack fur for insulation and their bodies have difficulty generating heat. When a cold wind blows, the flesh inside their shells freezes into a solid block of ice.

All low-level insect-type contracted beasts can only hibernate by being half-buried in the soil during the winter.

Therefore, most people in Heilongzhai had no choice but to put aside their work and spend the winter in peace.

Liu Xingmo fed the insects, then went to the warehouse to get some dried fish, and then went out.

Holding a broom, I swept the platform in front of my house and the steps on the tree trunks to remove the snow.

Then they went down to the ground, found the large snowdrift under the tree, dug a hole in it, and revealed a haystack.

Bao Hei huddled inside, trembling.

Although it is a naturally born mythical beast, its strength is insufficient.

Luck offers almost no benefit to the physical body. Furthermore, the amount of blood essence its master bestowed upon it was far too meager.

Liu Xingmo fed the dried fish to Bao Hei.

The old turtle trembled as it poked its head out of its shell, slowly grabbed the dried fish, and then slowly swallowed it.

"Baohei, this is winter, do you understand now?"

White vapor spewed from the turtle's nostrils, rising to the snow-covered top of its head and condensing into frost.

"There's a great place. It's a bit dark and stuffy there, but the temperature is just as warm as it was a month ago. Would you like to go?"

The old turtle's dim eyes suddenly lit up.

"Great! Keep up the good work and carry all our stuff over there. We'll be staying in the mine this winter."

The turtle quickly retreated into its shell and remained motionless, feigning death.

Upon seeing this, Liu Xingmo couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Given its size, Baohei would definitely lose a lot of body heat in the wild. Forcing it to work might actually cause frostbite, leading to skin necrosis.

What should we do then?

Are you suggesting we put clothes on it?

Hmm, it's not impossible...

Liu Xingmo made up his mind and used his own arm as a measuring tape to measure Bao Hei's entire body.

Then he went back into the house, took the money, dragged out a sled that hadn't been used for a year, and headed to the fur shop.

The snow was a meter deep, reaching up to waist height, making it quite difficult to walk through.

Only agile field mice can run on the snow; humans cannot.

At that moment, someone was driving a mouse-pulled sled, speeding along the road.

Liu Xingmo could only pull himself up the sled by a rope, slowly trudging up the mountain road.

When the white breath he exhaled formed a layer of frost on his bangs, the fur shop finally came into view in the distance.

A large open space, with bamboo poles and wooden sticks of varying lengths stuck into the ground.

At this moment, animal hides of all sizes and colors are being hung up on poles and sticks to dry in the sun.

The old tanner, his face etched with wrinkles as deep as tree bark, pounded away at a piece of dehaired animal hide with a wooden mallet.

Liu Xingmo planted the sled in the snow and walked over, panting, "Master, get me an extra-large leather coat."

"Extra large?" The old cobbler stopped hammering, turned to look at Liu Xingmo, and hesitated for a moment. "What kind of animal would wear that?"

"A tortoise." Liu Xingmo looked around at the various animal hides, finally fixing his gaze on a piece of bright brown deer hide. "My tortoise is huge, it's three and a half meters long now!"

The old cobbler was stunned, a look of suspicion appearing on his wrinkled face: "What kind of tortoise can grow to three and a half meters? And judging from your tone, it hasn't even reached its full length yet?"

"I estimate the maximum size is four meters. Just make it to that size, then scale it down a bit so it's easier to enlarge it later."

The old cobbler looked at Liu Xingmo, becoming more and more confused.

This young man's strength at the mid-level of the first tier is quite formidable among his peers. He mentioned a turtle whose owner was unknown, but its size was excessively large, suggesting he was making things up.

The old cobbler tentatively asked, "I've heard there's a kind of alligator snapping turtle abroad that's extremely large. I wonder which one you have...?"

"It's local, but with some other bloodlines mixed in. Make it to my measurements, it has to be deerskin. I've brought the money, I'll settle it all at once," Liu Xingmo said, rubbing his hands together.

"Alright, come back to me riding your tortoise when it's finished, so I can fix the clothes properly. To be honest, I've never seen a mixed-breed tortoise before, this will be an eye-opener for me."

"All right."

The old cobbler put down his wooden hammer and tapped on a large drum.

A short while later, a group of apprentices came out of the house.

They were men and women, dressed in fine mink coats, but their hands were covered in thick calluses—the hands of craftsmen.

The old cobbler has been in this business for many years. He doesn't need to draw blueprints; he can quickly form a design in his mind.

He gave his apprentices detailed instructions and discussed the design details.

Then the group of people walked together toward the ten-meter-wide deerskin carried on a bamboo pole.

Liu Xingmo watched from the side.