The mountain path was arduous.
Lin Zhao and Wei Huaro ascended, drenched in sweat. Soon after, Lin Zhao volunteered to carry Wei Huaro’s bamboo basket, filled with bamboo slips and various other items. The young boy was already accustomed to carrying things; whenever he went up the mountain to chop firewood, he would carry a large load. A basket of pig fodder, medicinal herbs, and on top of that, a thick bundle of dry firewood. The Lin family ancestral home was already bare as a monk’s purse, so anything that could be sold for money, young Lin Zhao would pursue. Those dry firewood could be cheaply sold to wealthy families in town, while medicinal herbs could fetch a few copper coins from Doctor Zhang, barely enough to sustain their lives.
Wei Huaro pursed her red lips, her eyes filled with pity as she looked at Lin Zhao. This young boy was several years younger than her, yet his strength surpassed hers, and his movements were more agile. Wei Huaro even believed that if Lin Zhao were left alone in the mountains, he would be capable of surviving. On the contrary, she, having been pampered, was utterly useless.
…
By the time they reached the mountain peak, darkness had already begun to fall. The first thing that met their eyes was an incredibly dilapidated Taoist temple.
Lin Zhao walked ahead and discovered that the temple gate had long since rotted away. The roof of the front hall was riddled with holes, rendering it uninhabitable. Fortunately, the main hall was constructed of brick and tile, still capable of sheltering from wind and rain. It was a pity that this temple seemed to have been abandoned for many years. The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, and the main hall, apart from the enshrined statue of Laozi, was completely empty. There was no hope of finding anything to eat, let alone a meal.
At this moment, thunder rumbled, and dark clouds rolled in from afar, signaling an imminent rainstorm.
“Cun’er.”
Lin Zhao frowned, "The Taoist priests here must have left many years ago. What do we do?"
Wei Huaro’s delicate eyebrows furrowed. She stood there blankly, "I also… I don't know."
"Never mind that."
Lin Zhao said, "It's getting dark, and we won't be able to get down the mountain today. I'll clear the weeds in the courtyard, then lay some grass in the main hall. We’ll just have to make do with spending the night here in the main hall."
Immediately, Lin Zhao swung his wood-chopping knife, clearing all the wild grass in the courtyard. He was worried about venomous snakes hiding within. He himself was not afraid, but Wei Huaro might be. Fortunately, although the temple had long since lost its incense offerings, it seemed to still be blessed by deities, as there were no poisonous insects or fierce beasts. Instead, Lin Zhao discovered some wild fruits in the grass, which he collected entirely. There was about a handful of them. He used his clothes to carry them all and placed them on the grass mat Wei Huaro had laid out in the main hall.
Today, there would likely be nothing to eat, and these fruits might not be enough to fill their stomachs, but it was better than nothing.
Afterward, Lin Zhao wielded his wood-chopping knife, splitting the rotted gate into firewood. He started a fire in the main hall. Wei Huaro sat by the fire, while outside, the rain had already begun to fall. It poured down in sheets, but Lin Zhao seemed perpetually restless. He donned a straw cloak hanging in the temple's back courtyard and, with his wood-chopping knife, cut down trees as thick as his wrist that had grown in the courtyard. He then used vines to fashion a makeshift door.
The front hall needed a door, otherwise, if a pack of wolves were to appear, they would have unimpeded access.
After finishing everything, Lin Zhao, drenched and shivering, returned to the main hall and sat down to warm himself by the fire. Wei Huaro then offered him half of the remaining fruits. Lin Zhao felt utterly drained and indeed needed to eat something. However, these fruits were not tasty at all; some were dry and astringent, others were bitter. To maintain his strength, he could only force himself to eat them. It was better than starving to death.
Outside, the storm raged, with lightning and thunder.
Wei Huaro dared not sleep. She leaned against her bamboo basket, sitting on the grass mat by the fire. Her beautiful eyes were filled with sorrow. Their climb up the mountain had not led to an encounter with the legendary immortal masters, and their quest for enlightenment was once again thwarted. The question now was whether they could even survive to descend the mountain. She felt a slight regret, wishing she had bought more dry rations on the way up. Her argument with her parents had indeed been her own fault.
She glanced at Lin Zhao beside her, feeling that he, though younger than her, was far more sensible. She had been careless and hadn't brought enough food, while Lin Zhao lacked the money to do so, yet he had done his best.
…
After a while, unable to bear the hunger any longer, Lin Zhao got up and assumed a boxing stance by the fire. Instantly, a very faint martial intent flowed through him. This was the Farmer's Three Punches taught by Long Zaitian. The young boy could only perform the superficial movements and had not truly grasped the essence. Otherwise, he might have already stepped onto the threshold of a first-realm martial artist.
After practicing for a while, he felt even hungrier.
Lin Zhao frowned. He knew that Cun'er must also be hungry but was too stubborn to say anything. If they continued to linger like this, they would both starve to death here. Therefore, Lin Zhao grabbed his wood-chopping knife, secured it to his waist, put on his bamboo hat, and donned the slightly oversized straw cloak.
"Lin Zhao."
Wei Huaro frowned, "Where are you going?"
"To find food."
Lin Zhao gritted his teeth, "Cun'er, you wait here. I'll close the front door before I leave, and even if wolves come, they won't be able to get in. You guard the fire, and make sure it doesn't go out. As long as the fire is burning, those wolves won't dare to approach you."
"But you..."
Wei Huaro looked at the wound on Lin Zhao’s calf, which was already bleeding again.
"It's nothing."
Lin Zhao smiled, "Just a superficial wound, I'm used to it. You wait here, I'll try my luck. If I'm lucky, perhaps I can find some food."
"Alright~~"
Wei Huaro nodded gently, her beautiful eyes filled with worry, but she was helpless and could offer no assistance.
…
Late at night, illuminated by flashes of lightning, the young boy descended the mountain, cloaked in his straw garment.
He didn't follow the mountain path but stumbled through the wilderness, hoping to encounter a pheasant dazed by the torrential rain, or perhaps a rabbit drowned in the downpour. He had encountered such things before. At the very least, with such heavy rain, some newly grown wood ear mushrooms or other fungi might appear in the forest, which, when roasted, could replenish some energy.
He frowned. His entire body was soaked by the rain, and the wound on his calf throbbed with sharp pain. He stumbled, nearly falling. As he supported himself against a small tree, he heard the sound of flowing water. He immediately followed the sound and found a mountain stream cutting across the mountainside. Lin Zhao picked up his wood-chopping knife, quickly cut down some slender branches, bundled them together, and then laid them across the stream to intercept any passing small fish.
Indeed, soon after, two finger-length small fish were caught. He immediately beat them dead on the bank and carefully set them aside. Then, the young boy continued to dam the stream to catch more fish, hoping to catch a large enough one, at least enough to satisfy him and Wei Huaro. Otherwise, the two of them would likely not survive the next few days.
After a while, accompanied by splashing sounds from the water, a fish weighing at least a pound thrashed about. Just as a lightning flash illuminated the area, Lin Zhao, with quick hands, grabbed it. He then threaded it onto a willow branch and placed it on the bank. One after another, before long, the young boy had caught about two or three pounds of fish.
It was at this moment that Lin Zhao suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
He frowned, slowly turning around. In the rain, a dark shadow was staring at him. It was a lone wolf, in a pouncing posture. Moreover, this wolf had a wound on its forehead, the same wolf that Lin Zhao had struck on the head with his knife in the early hours of yesterday. Clearly, this wolf had been cast out by the pack and, now starving, had ventured out alone in the pouring rain to forage.
"..."
Lin Zhao did not panic. At this moment, panic meant death. He slowly turned around, gently drawing his wood-chopping knife from his waist. His eyes were fixed intently on the wolf ahead. Under the lightning’s glare, the wolf's eyes gleamed with a ghostly blue and greed. It looked as if it wished to bite through the boy's bones and leave nothing of him behind.
Lin Zhao’s body sank slightly, maintaining his balance. He no longer had the strength for a prolonged struggle with the wolf. He had to strike a fatal blow, otherwise, he would become this lone wolf's meal. His heart pounded. He could not die; his mother was waiting for him to care for her, and Cun'er was waiting for him back at the main hall.
For a moment, the young boy’s eyes were filled with resolve.
In an instant, the wolf could no longer suppress its craving for flesh and blood. It leaped fiercely from a rock beside the stream and lunged directly at Lin Zhao. Lin Zhao seized the opportunity to sink his body lower, pressing his center of gravity further down. Using the light of a lightning strike, with thunderous force, he used his elbow to brace against the lone wolf's chin, preventing it from biting him. At the same time, the wood-chopping knife slashed towards where Lin Zhao anticipated the wolf’s neck to be!
One slash, two slashes, three slashes…
With each descending blow, Lin Zhao could feel the wolf gradually cease its struggles. A warm liquid flowed from the fur of its neck; it was wolf’s blood. However, Lin Zhao remained cautious and continued to slash, until the entire wolf’s head was severed. At this point, he staggered and collapsed into the stream, feeling as though all his strength had almost completely vanished.
…
After a while, the young boy got up. He tried to drag the entire wolf's carcass but found he was too weak from hunger. He therefore settled for less, detaching the wolf's two hind legs. He then cut off the more meaty parts, took off his outer garment, wrapped them all up, and finally, disemboweled the wolf, taking out the heart, liver, and other organs, wrapping them all together. Afterward, he tied the two wolf legs and a string of fish to his waist. In his left hand, he carried the clothes wrapped with wolf meat, and in his right hand, he held a recently cut walking stick. Hobbling, he made his way towards the Taoist temple on the summit.
By the time the young boy reached the temple, the sky had dawned, and the rain had stopped.
He slowly pushed open the front hall door and called out weakly, "Cun'er..."
Inside the main hall, Wei Huaro rushed out. Seeing Lin Zhao's pale and haggard appearance, tears welled up in her eyes.
Lin Zhao saw that Wei Huaro was unharmed and finally felt relieved. A smile flickered across his face, and then his vision went black, and he fainted.