Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

This place stands in stark contrast to the oppressive atmosphere of Beijing and the trains, a place shrouded in anxiety and weariness. Here, the sky is high, the land is vast, and the population is sparse, as if one has suddenly leaped from a cramped cage into an endless wilderness.

"Comrade, is this your first time in Inner Mongolia?" A loud voice rang out beside me.

Wei Chen turned his head and saw an old man wearing a dark blue old cotton-padded jacket, with a dirty sheepskin vest over it, a dark face covered with wrinkles, leading a skinny horse. The old man was squinting at him, his eyes filled with the curiosity and a little assessment that grassland people have when looking at outsiders.

"Yes, this is my first time here." Wei Chen nodded, giving a fairly friendly smile.

"What brings you here? Visiting relatives? On official business?" The old man sniffed, took out a pipe from his pocket, but didn't light it; he just held it in his hand and played with it.

"It's kind of a business trip, just buying some things," Wei Chen replied vaguely.

"Purchasing?" The old man looked Wei Chen up and down, then at the not-so-bulging backpack on his back, grinned, revealing a set of teeth yellowed from tobacco smoke. "These days, coming all the way to the grasslands to buy things? You're probably just trying your luck, aren't you? I heard life's good back in the Great Wall?"

Wei Chen's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained impassive: "Master, you are very knowledgeable about the situation inside the pass?"

"Hey, I've heard a lot about sports cars, taxis, and people coming and going from all over the country," the old man waved his hand. "These days, it's tough everywhere. But our place is sparsely populated, blessed by God, so it's still better than where you are. Even a starving camel is bigger than a horse, you know." He paused, lowered his voice, and said, "Young man, seeing you're all alone, are you planning to head deeper into the grasslands?"

Wei Chen didn't deny it: "I just wanted to wander around, see the scenery, and try my luck." The old man sized him up, seemingly deciding he wasn't one of those reckless youths blindly venturing into the grasslands, and offered a more friendly reminder: "This season isn't good for sightseeing. When the blizzard starts, you can lose your bearings. There are also many wolves, and when they're starving, they'll fight you to the death. Going deep into the grasslands alone, without a good guide, a good horse, or a good gun, is no joke."

"Thank you for the reminder, sir," Wei Chen said earnestly. "I'll be careful. By the way, sir, where can I buy a detailed map around here? Also, is there anything I should be aware of when heading north to the pastoral areas?"

Seeing that Wei Chen was listening to his advice, the old man's tone softened: "Map? The commune's supply and marketing cooperative might have one, but it'll only be a rough sketch. You'll have to ask the locals for the locations of the grasslands, lakes, and winter pastures. Head north..." He clicked his tongue, "After Hasuhai Lake, it gets even sparser. There are a few pastures, but they're all quite far apart. At this time of year, most herders are hibernating in their winter pastures, so they're hard to find. If you really want to go deeper into the area, it's best to find a Mongolian brother who knows the way to guide you, bring enough dry food and ammunition, and also, keep your eyes peeled and stay away from wolf tracks and wild boar droppings."

After chatting for a few more minutes, the old man led his skinny horse away, muttering before he left, "These days, there aren't many young people who dare to venture alone into the depths of the grasslands..."

Wei Chen silently memorized the old man's words. Hasuhai, winter pastures, wolves, wild boars… all this information was important. He didn't linger at the station, heading straight to the supply and marketing cooperative near it.

The supply and marketing cooperative had a fairly complete selection of goods, but it was clearly biased towards daily necessities and production supplies. Wei Chen used national grain coupons and cash to buy a large bag of salt, several boxes of matches, and several bottles of high-proof "Grassland White" liquor; since he had come across it, he might as well collect a few bottles. There was also a decent-quality Mongolian dagger and a large piece of hard milk curd wrapped in oil paper.

Many things require tickets. Wei Chen used national tickets to purchase some items, mainly because he wanted to find a general map.

In the end, he found only a very rough regional map that marked the locations of the main towns and communes, but there was no detailed map showing the terrain, water sources, or pasture distribution.

After quietly transferring most of the supplies into his spatial storage, leaving only a map, a dagger, a water bottle, and a small bag of dry rations on his person as a mere formality, Wei Chen once again left the supply and marketing cooperative.

He ignored the horse-drawn carriages and scattered long-distance buses soliciting business near the station, but instead determined the direction, tightened his baggage, and started walking northwards towards the vast, boundless snowfield, heading without hesitation.

At first, deep ruts and messy footprints were visible, indicating roads leading to nearby villages and pasture settlements. But after less than an hour, these traces of human activity quickly diminished and disappeared. Only vast expanses of snow remained beneath our feet, with the occasional hoofprint or claw mark of a wild animal. The wind swept across the open field without any obstruction, whipping up snowflakes that stung our faces. The sky was azure, the sunlight blinding, but the temperature was so low that our breath turned to frost.

Wei Chen didn't wander aimlessly. As he walked, he consulted the simple map, using the sun's position and the outlines of distant mountains to roughly determine his location and direction. His goal was to get away from human settlements and into areas where wildlife might be more abundant.

At the same time, he quietly circulated the "Nine Heavens Sun-Shooting Technique." Within his dantian, the true essence, refined to the point of near perfection after many days of arduous cultivation and travel-time meditation, awakened like a sleeping dragon, began to surge and circulate along specific meridian routes. A warm current rose from his dantian, rapidly flowing throughout his limbs and bones, completely dispelling the chill that had invaded his body. His five senses were heightened to their peak at this moment.

His vision became incredibly clear; he could see the tiny tracks left by a rabbit leaping across the snow a hundred meters away, and he could discern the texture of rocks in the shadows of distant hills. His hearing caught the hissing of the wind rustling through the grass, the faint rustling of insects beneath the snow, and even the rustling of small animals crunching through the snow in the far distance.

In his sense of smell, the dry, cold air was mixed with withered grass, frozen earth, and a faint, almost imperceptible scent of wild animals. His mental energy spread out like invisible ripples, reflecting every movement of the grass and every sign of life within a radius of more than two hundred meters.

An unprecedented sense of power and control filled his entire body. He seemed to resonate with this world, his mind and body were clear, and he reached his peak state since leaving Beijing.

"This is the stage that truly belongs to me." Wei Chen opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as an eagle, sweeping across the boundless snowfield, his heart surging with heroic ambition.

He is no longer a purchasing agent confined to a small space and needing to maneuver carefully, but a hunter with superb skills and unlimited possibilities.

Hunting is not just about completing a task, but also about testing one's own abilities and engaging in the deepest dialogue with this ancient land.

He started walking, no longer deliberately following any path, but going wherever his heart desired, in the predetermined direction. His steps seemed slow, but each step was light and steady, leaving footprints in the snow so shallow that they were almost invisible, as if he had just lightly touched the ground.

This is the effect of applying the basic movement technique included in the "Nine Heavens Shooting the Sun Technique" in practice. Although it cannot truly leave no trace in the snow, it is far superior to ordinary people, saving a lot of energy when walking in the snow.

The hunt has officially begun.

Mental energy, like the most sophisticated radar, continuously scanned the surroundings. Soon, the first target appeared in his perception—about eighty meters to his right, beside a half-covered mound of withered grass, a small, grayish-brown figure cautiously poked its head out, its two long ears twitching slightly. It was a plump prairie hare, struggling to forage for food in the snow.

Wei Chen stopped, slightly turning his body. His right hand seemingly casually reached behind him (but actually took it out from his spatial storage), and there he held the hunting bow that had been with him for a long time, nurtured and warmed by his true energy, its wood now a dark red hue, its bowstring taut and powerful. At the same time, his left hand nocked an ordinary arrow. The whole process was silent, smooth, and natural.

He didn't aim deliberately; he simply relied on the mysterious feeling of locking onto the target with his mental power, as well as the almost instinctive muscle memory honed through countless games. The bow was drawn as full as a full moon, and the arrow flew like a shooting star!

"Thump!" A slight vibration of the bowstring. "Whoosh!" The arrow pierced the air, almost imperceptible.

The next instant, eighty meters away, the wild rabbit that was cautiously looking around suddenly stiffened, then collapsed limply. An arrow had pierced its head precisely, killing it instantly without even a struggle.

Wei Chen moved with seemingly leisurely steps, yet his speed was extremely fast. In just a few breaths, he arrived at the spot where the rabbit had died. There were only a few tiny bloodstains on the snow, almost blown away by the wind.

He bent down, his fingers gently touching the still-warm body of the hare. With a thought, the plump prey vanished from the snow, disappearing into the static space of his inventory within the game world. On the snow, only the pulled-out arrow, its tip stained with blood, remained. Wei Chen retrieved it, wiped away the blood, and placed it back in his inventory. There was no blood, no sign of struggle; it was as clean as if the hare had never existed.

He continued onward, his mind calm and open. The vitality of this grassland far exceeded his expectations. Within just half an hour, within the range of his spiritual perception, he discovered no fewer than twenty wild rabbits, more than a dozen various snowfowl (such as sandgrouse and snow partridge), and even a few marmots peeking out from near their burrows. The abundance of resources was a stark contrast to the barren, desolate landscapes of many inland areas, devoid of birds and beasts.

He didn't hunt insatiably. Every arrow that left the bowstring carried away a prey, never missing its mark. But his targets were carefully chosen: he only picked adult individuals that were obviously plump, with glossy fur, and whose meat was clearly of high quality. As for those rabbits and birds that were slightly thinner or obviously young, he would simply let them go, or even deliberately make some noise to scare them away.

He also picked out animals that weren't in the game world, since he'd come all this way and wanted to bring back some local specialties to try or as gifts. He ignored everything else.