Chapter 6: Intimidating the Villagers and Being Counter-Tailed After Returning to the Mountain

Sure enough, the snow began to fall the next day. Anren Village seemed to be covered by a thick quilt, falling into a deep, heavy silence.

Village Chief Du Dahai looked at his son with concern, sighing repeatedly. Anren Village was not a wealthy place. It had little arable land and sat right against the massive Yulong Mountain range. Beyond it lay Yonghe Town, and past the town, there was only a border garrison city. That city was at war and in desperate need of supplies. Every resource in Yonghe Town was prioritized for the military, and the surrounding villages fared no better. Currently, regardless of household size, each family was allotted rations for only two people. All other grain was confiscated. This had fueled resentment among the villagers, as everyone was going hungry. Du Dahai had held many meetings because of this, and another was scheduled for this morning.

Chu Long arrived at Du Dahai’s gate early, accompanied by Wang Wei, a local layabout. The two men stood with their left hands tucked into their right sleeves, chatting animatedly.

"You wouldn't believe how arrogant my younger brother has become," Chu Long complained. "He found a pig leg and dared to shout at me. Does he not know that an elder brother is like a father?"

"If my brother dared to act like that, I’d beat him to death," Wang Wei sneered.

Other villagers nearby joined in. "Found it? You’d think he hunted it himself by the way he’s acting. What’s he posturing for?"

"If I had a younger brother like that, I’d beat him into submission, too."

"Did he share it with you? No? Then how are you acting as the eldest brother? Doesn't your brother usually listen to you and your mother? When he gets here, we’ll help you teach him a lesson. It’s time to put him in his place."

Most of the village men had gathered. Du Dahai waited in the courtyard until, finally, a figure approached from the distance.

"He’s here. Brothers, make sure to help me teach my brother a lesson. Yesterday, this guy didn't just curse at me; he even shouted at our mother. Such an unfilial wretch."

"Your brother is getting too arrogant, daring to be disrespectful to your mother? If I don't beat him until he kneels and apologizes to you, I’ll change my surname!" Wang Wei declared, standing up to confront Chu Feng.

As Chu Feng drew closer, Wang Wei fell silent. The villagers who had promised to help Chu Long all fell silent as well. Chu Feng was carrying a wood-cutting axe, and there were still traces of blood on the blade. His face was expressionless, as cold as the temperature of the day.

"Chief, I’ve come to return your axe," Chu Feng said.

"Oh... you..." Du Dahai looked at him in surprise. When he had seen Chu Feng before, the boy’s eyes were always shifty, cowardly, and unable to meet anyone’s gaze. But now, he exuded a fierce, brigand-like aura.

Du Dahai had only seen eyes like that on one type of person: the horse bandits who had raided the village years ago.

"If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going," Chu Feng said, then turned and left the courtyard.

A meeting? What did that have to do with him? He had only come to give the Village Chief some face. The entire courtyard, filled with men, remained deathly silent. It wasn't until Chu Feng had left that Wang Wei spoke up with a sneer: "What is he putting on an act for? Does he really think he’s something special just because he got lucky and found some meat on the mountain?"

Chu Long spat, "Let him act. I’ll make sure he has no food to eat this month!"

***

The Yulong Mountains stretched on endlessly, reaching an altitude of nearly a thousand meters. The ground, which had been withered and yellow yesterday, was now a vast expanse of white after a night of heavy snow. Chu Feng stood at the foot of the mountain, gauging its height. He did not rashly venture deep into the range. A few hundred meters ahead lay a dense forest; yesterday, he hadn't even reached that point.

His gear today was much better than yesterday. He wore a fur coat over the cotton-padded clothes Wei Xiaoxia had given him. In his hand, he held a short-handled hoe and a steel animal trap. He had spent the night studying the trap and understood its mechanism perfectly. The spring used deer tendons, which, after being treated, were incredibly resilient. They had given the trap significant power, though the resilience had a limited lifespan. Having already caught a wild boar once, the tension had been used once. He estimated it would last at most two more uses before it was useless. However, the deer tendons could still be salvaged. If he found the right wood, he could craft a bow.

His primary goal today was to find wood for a bow; hunting was secondary. He still had enough boar meat at home to last a while, so there was no rush. But if an opportunity arose, he wouldn't let it pass.

The mountain was eerily quiet under the heavy snow—so quiet he could hear the snowflakes landing. The snow wasn't very deep yet; every step he took crunched like walking on cotton. It would be difficult to dig for wild vegetables now, and soon the entire mountain would be buried. The only upside was that footprints would be very clear.

Chu Feng watched the ground intently. Sure enough, he found tracks: cloven hoofprints. A deer! And they were fresh. At this pace, the deer might not be far.

He followed the tracks, occasionally sweeping away the snow to see if any wild vegetables were hidden beneath. By noon, he had only managed to dig up a few shepherd's purses. Chu Feng blew on his hands and looked at his surroundings. He couldn't go much further. Others in the village had thought about foraging on the mountain—the trap in his hand probably belonged to one of them—but the life of a hunter was too dangerous. The terrain was complex, especially after a snowfall, and one could easily slip or get injured. If you were close to the village, it was fine, but if you were far away or lost, you were at the mercy of fate.

This trip was mostly to scout the environment. If he could catch something, great; if not, he would set his traps and check back later.

Ahead stood a massive pine tree, so wide it would take four or five men to encircle it. Chu Feng had never seen such a tree. He went to the far side and began to climb. As a wilderness survival enthusiast, climbing was a basic skill. He stopped at the first branch and waited in silence.

He had felt something strange for the past half-hour. He had been tracking the deer, but it seemed someone was tracking him. Chu Long had eventually let slip that he had meat at home. No doubt, someone had come for that. Although he didn't know who it was, in the depths of these woods, Chu Feng felt a surge of lethal intent.

A moment later, a man came running toward the pine tree in a hurry. When Chu Feng saw who it was, he froze for a split second, but he quickly made his decision. Gripping the hoe tightly, he leaped down from the tree toward the man scurrying below.