Chapter 19 - Danger And Harvest
Lin Mu stood up and stretched his limbs, followed from which a series of cracks and pops could be heard from his body. The first thing Lin Mu felt different was now that he had broken through to the 5th stage of the body tempering realm, he did not feel as cold as before. With his skin’s resistance increased, Lin Mu would be able to withstand the harsh climate with much greater ease.
"I’m one more step closer to becoming a qi cultivator. Now I just have to keep up this pace and not falter." Lin Mu declared firmly.
He then entered the hunting shack to cook some food. Now that he had plenty of condiments, the only things he lacked were vegetables and meat. Lin Mu just hoped that he would be able to hunt a beast tomorrow.
After eating dinner, Lin Mu lied down on the makeshift bed and slipped into a deep sleep. He found himself in the same black space as before and just waited for his body to wake up naturally. Lin Mu woke up in the morning feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.
He went to the stream to bathe, after which he washed the clothes he was wearing and then wore a new black set of clothes. He then entered the forest to check the traps. Lin Mu checked all the traps and could only find one snare that had caught a black-horned rabbit which he took and went back to skin and prepared for his breakfast.
He roasted the rabbit and applied plenty of spices and condiments, which made his meal much more enjoyable. After his stomach was filled, Lin Mu felt like he had the energy to last the entire day now. As today would be the first time he would be hunting in the forest, Lin Mu felt both excited and agitated.
He entered the forest and chose a different path than before this time. This path headed towards the north into the deeper parts of the forest, where stronger and larger beasts lived. Lin Mu still felt a little nervous, so he tried to make as little noise as possible; to not alert any of the beasts.The inaugural upload of this chapter took place via N0v3l-B1n.
Lin Mu had walked for an hour, during which he had seen many beasts; most of them being smaller beasts like the thorn tailed rats, with others being larger herbivores such as the stone-hoofed deer - which he would not be able to chase after. He thought he was a little lucky that he did not encounter any larger carnivorous beasts.
He was searching for a suitable prey that he could kill, without putting himself in much danger. Another hour later, he found a beast that he could hunt. It was a hook winged swan that had caught his attention. It seemed like it was separated from its flock and was currently pecking at worms and bugs in the grass.
As soon as he moved his hand, a sickening crunch could be heard since the rock crushed the skull of the Red-snouted boar. The beast did not scream, nor struggle, as its life was ended in an instant. Lin Mu waited for a minute to ensure that the beast was dead and would not miraculously come back to life the next moment.
He then climbed down to check the aftermath. Blood and brains could be seen splattered around the head of the beast, giving off a bloody stench. Lin Mu finally calmed down after checking the dead beast, and his adrenaline rush faded. He placed his hand on the large rock to store it back in the ring.
’I could not identify what kind of rock it is, but at least I found a practical use for it,’ thought Lin Mu with a chuckle.
After the large rock was stored into the ring, Lin Mu could see the state of the Red-snouted boar. Its head was barely recognisable, having been crushed, with only its hard tusks surviving the impact. Lin Mu stored the carcass of the beast into the ring and ran in another direction, as other beasts would soon be attracted because of the fresh scent of blood. He did not want another dangerous encounter and felt like he had enough adventure for one day.
Lin Mu reached the hunting shack 3 hours later. He then went towards the stream to skin the carcasses. Now that he had a blade to skin and gut the beasts, things would be much easier for him.
Lin Mu first took out the carcass of the Hook-winged swan and started removing the feathers while being careful of the small hooks located at the tips of the feathers.
He removed all the feathers and stored them in the ring, as they could be used to make fletching. He would be able to sell them, along with the pelt and tusks of the Red-snouted boar, in the town. The next thing he did was to slit the throat of the boar to drain the blood. It was a little difficult for Lin Mu to lift the beast as it weighed over 100 kilograms.
While the blood drained from the boar, he cut off the head of the hook winged swan and let its blood drain as well. After its blood was drained, he slit the belly and removed all the guts, keeping the heart and liver behind. He then washed and stored the carcass into the ring. He did the same for the Red-snouted boar too, except that he only threw away the stomach and intestines; keeping the large organs.
Lin Mu felt a little tired after completing the task and wanted to rest. Now that he had the Red-snouted boar’s carcass, its vital energy rich meat would last him for at least a week.
He went to the shack to cook the hook winged swan’s meat first, which he flavored with spices. He rested while the meat was roasting. Lin Mu then gorged on the roasted swan beast and felt a warmth spreading from his stomach.
This warmth was the vital energy stored in the beast’s flesh. He did not feel this before from the black-horned rabbit as its flesh had very little vital energy stored in it. After finishing his meal, he went outside to continue training his body and to practice with the sword.