Ink panel: Hunting the sun and surveying the sky from the bow.

Chapter 3 Hunting
Snowflakes fell to the ground, and there was a rustling sound in the forest.

Shen Qing looked up and saw that the Shicheng Mountain in the distance was only a hazy sight under the night sky.

He put his thoughts aside and expressionlessly pulled out all the arrows stuck in the wooden stakes, then put them into the quiver hanging on his waist.

In the wind and snow, he turned and left the bamboo forest.

When I got home, my eldest sister Shen Fang was already lying on the bed.

At this time of year, unless the villagers have anything important to do, they will basically go to bed as soon as it gets dark.

Shen Qing took off his bow and arrow, leaned against the wall, grabbed a handful of straw, and blocked the three window holes on the wall that were made of broken jars.

Then he took off his coat and went straight to sleep on the other side of Shen Fang.

Many families in this village cannot afford to build new houses, and even if they get married, they still sleep on the same kang with their parents.

Poor families don't have so many requirements.

Not to mention that Shen Qing and his sister have been sleeping together since they were young and have long been accustomed to it.

The quilts at home are filled with linen and cotton, and are not very effective in keeping out the cold.

When Shen Qing curled up in the quilt, he felt a wave of warmth.

The bed had been warmed up by Shen Fang.

Shen Qing lay flat on the bed, his hands behind his head, his eyes fixed on the ink writing in his sight.

These hunters live off the land and the water, and their regular means of making a living are hunting animals, selling their skins, collecting herbs and chopping wood.

But if he wants to change his situation as soon as possible, this may not work.

We have to hunt for something big.

The best is wild delicacies.

This thing has an excellent effect on strengthening the body, and eating it can activate the blood circulation.

Martial artists in the county flocked to it.

I heard that some wild delicacies can save months of hard work and are worth thousands of dollars.

It is what they, the mountain herders, dream of.

He had never dared to think about this before, but now with his archery skills improving, maybe he would have a chance to try it in the future.

"I'll go to the mountains tomorrow to take care of my food and clothing first, then ask my uncle and the others about the secrets of mountain delicacies, and see if I can try my luck later."

"A man cannot become rich without unexpected wealth, a horse cannot grow fat without night grass, and you cannot become rich just by raising some birds and beasts."

Winter is the season for winter hunting, and there are no taboos.

When spring comes, the government bans hunting.

Hunters like them can only hunt flying and water birds.

Even if you sneak up the mountain, the animals in the mountains have less energy after a winter, and the quality of the prey is not very good, so it cannot be sold at a high price.

The daily harvest of these hunters will inevitably be greatly reduced. If they want to live a good life, they have to rely on this time.

He must not miss this opportunity.

After thinking it over, Shen Qing's eyes flashed, and the panel that appeared in his sight was folded up like a scroll, and he fell asleep.

In Hongshan Village, it is usually dark in the winter.

Shen Qing adjusted his biological clock and woke up on time.

He rolled over from the bed and walked to a hole in an urn, took out the straw stuffed inside, and glanced outside.

The snow in the mountains hasn't stopped yet, but it's much lighter.

Judging from the situation, the heavy snow will stop in a few days.

Shen Qing crawled out of the warm bed, and the chill suddenly made him much more awake.

Shen Qing picked up a piece of "缊" clothing from the wall and put it on. He walked outside, grabbed a handful of snow and wiped it on his face, which was considered as washing his face.

"We can go to the woods behind the mountain today. We won't come back empty-handed."

Shen Qing was secretly thinking about the work he was going to do today, but Shen Fang's call from behind interrupted his thoughts: "Qingzi, come and have some porridge."

"coming."

Thanks to the mountain shrimp my uncle sent last night, I can have a piece of meat to eat in the morning.

Shen Fang tore off a piece of the mountain prawn early in the morning, then scooped out some rice grains from the empty rice jar and cooked a bowl of meat porridge. From afar, the aroma of meat in the water had already drifted over.

Shen Qing took the bowl handed to him by his elder sister Shen Fang and drank from it while blowing on it.

The warm porridge flowed down his esophagus into his stomach, making him feel as if he were in a hot spring, feeling comfortable all over.

After drinking two large bowls and chewing a few pieces of meat, Shen Qing put down the bowl and said, "Sister, you drink some too."

Shen Fang smiled and said, "I drank it long before you got up."

Shen Qing knew Shen Fang's stubborn temper, so he didn't tell her what she was thinking. After finishing the drink, he smacked his lips and said, "I'm going out now. Let's eat meat together in the evening."

Shen Fang said worriedly, "You should pay more attention to your safety in the mountains. It doesn't matter if you don't get any prey. At worst, I can go find Chen Yuan."

Shen Qing took down the bow and arrow from the wall and hung it on her body: "Chen Yuan and the others are not good people either. Sister, stay at home and don't run around. Wait until I come back and don't make any decisions on your own."

"I know." Eldest sister Shen Fang nodded.

"out."

"Wait a minute." Shen Fang tore off a large piece of dried meat from the wall, stuffed it into Shen Qing's pocket and warned him, "Go slowly on the road. Don't try to be brave if you encounter wild animals like black bears and big insects."

Shen Qing put the dried meat in his pocket and said, "I'm saving it. I won't take risks. Sister, just wait for me at home."

After saying that, he turned and walked out the door.

Eldest sister Shen Fang stood at the door, watching Shen Qing's back gradually disappearing into the snow.

It was a very cold day, and Shen Qing left quite early, so he didn't meet any villagers along the way.

Shen Qing put his hands in his sleeves and sighed in his heart: "It's so cold, those who have a little ability are staying at home, and there is no shortage of meat to eat."

"Those who are worse off, like my cousin, also have their uncle to support them. They might even have the opportunity to go to the county town to learn martial arts."

"Only someone like me who has no one to rely on would go up the mountain so early and rely on myself for everything."

"If you don't have any skills, you will just freeze to death."

“What a lousy place!”

Shen Qing glanced at the sky, drew his hunting bow, and headed straight for the back mountain along the path often taken by hunters in the village.

……

According to the route he remembered, Shen Qing found the tree bark he had cut a few days ago.

Every time the hunters went into the mountains, they would cut a piece of bark about two feet long from a big tree outside the area they had cordoned off, then roll it up and stick it on a tree beside the road leading into the forest.

When hunters behind come in and see this roll of bark, they will know that this is someone else's territory and will not go too deep to avoid accidental injuries.

Shen Qing picked up a roll of bark from the ground, clamped it on a tree branch, and walked into the forest along the mountain path. After walking for a while, he reached the outskirts of Shicheng Mountain.

The forest here is full of thorns and bushes.

In addition, the heavy snow made it difficult to move around.

Shen Qing walked through the forest, stepping on the thick snow, one step deep and one step shallow.

According to past memories, there were a lot of prey in this area. When his father was still alive, he often came here and always got some prey.

An hour later.

Shen Qing sat in the snow, took out the strip of meat torn off by Shen Fang from his arms, put it in his mouth and chewed it to restore some strength.

Suddenly he stopped moving his mouth, carefully took out his bow, and gently pushed aside the bushes in front of him.

A colorful pheasant flew down from the top of the mountain and landed under an old tree not far away.

Hey, here comes life!
Shen Qing slowly pulled out an arrow from the quiver and put it on the bowstring. He held his breath and adjusted his breathing and posture almost subconsciously.

He didn't dare to try such a distance before, but now...

He slowly drew his longbow.

The bowstring was taut, the arrow pointing straight at the pheasant.

call out!
The arrow shot out like a meteor, breaking the silence of the forest.

The pheasant seemed to notice something, but it was too late.

After Shen Qing's archery skills improved, the arrow he shot pierced its body with incredible precision.

(End of this chapter)