Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

Seven hunting dogs spread out in a fan shape, with Zhou Rui and his two companions following behind them side by side. Wang Shouye walked in the middle, while Zhou Rui and his companion walked on either side, about ten meters apart, able to see each other. The scene resembled a Japanese sweep, only with far fewer people.

After searching for an hour and a half, they hadn't found a single leopard hair, but had instead startled a few pheasants. Zhou Rui didn't waste any time; he grabbed his slingshot and shot down two of them. Before he even had to retrieve them, the dog brought them back. Zhou Rui was so impressed with the dog's intelligence that he considered getting two of them. However, Zhou Rui didn't plan to keep hunting dogs; he just wanted to catch one to guard the house and keep An'an company.

Zhou Rui stopped to drink some water, not from exhaustion, but because the group had been exchanging greetings every now and then, which had taken up some water. He put down his water bottle and continued his careful search. That's how hunting is; you have to carefully observe your surroundings and spot anything unusual. Zhou Rui had also used his abilities to sense things, but they were all small creatures; he hadn't found any trace of a leopard.

"Ruiwa, Shaofeng, come here!" Wang Shouye shouted loudly.

"What's wrong, Master?" "Uncle Wang, what's the matter?"

Zhou Rui and Gu Shaofeng ran over one after the other after hearing this.

"It's getting late, and we've basically covered this much for today. We need to find a campsite first. Sleeping in the forest tonight requires both safety and a good rest, otherwise it will affect our operations the next day. So we must choose a good campsite and not be careless."

Zhou Rui heeded the advice; after all, his hunting experience from his previous life wasn't applicable now. In his past life, he had access to a lot more advanced technology—waterproof tents, night vision goggles, insect repellent spray, and more. Even the surrounding warning devices were electronic; if a wild animal touched them, they would make a loud noise, scaring away any animals that gathered around.

"Uncle Wang, there's a small rocky beach ahead. It's fairly open and there's a stream nearby. What do you think?" Zhou Rui suggested.

He was most familiar with this area; he had even caught some ducks there last time for lunch, so he suggested it.

"Let's go take a look first. Whether it's suitable depends on the site conditions."

Zhou Rui led the two to the rocky beach. The stream was wider than the one they had seen last time, after all, it had just rained heavily. The water was also much muddier, filled with yellow mud, and the fish beneath the surface were no longer visible.

Wang Shouye surveyed the terrain and found a spot about ten meters from the stream. He built a fire with his back against a small slope, and the place where the fire had burned would be his campsite for the night.

Afterwards, the group divided the work: Zhou Rui started a fire and cooked, Wang Shouye patrolled the surrounding area and looked for food, and Gu Shaofeng used the objects in the forest to prepare some tools to set up traps around the area, so that the leopard wouldn't sneak up on them at night without making a sound.

Fortunately, Zhou Rui had planned ahead before going up the mountain, bringing some dry firewood from home. After building up the fire, he added some freshly chopped wet wood. He also placed some damp wood and thatch around the fire, which they would use to get through the night.

After lighting the campfire, Zhou Rui began processing the two pheasants, while also checking on what Gu Shaofeng was doing. Gu Shaofeng first set several snares with vines directly in front of the camp, then retreated a few meters and tied some silk threads about ten centimeters off the ground, hanging bells from each thread. Snares wouldn't be very effective against wild animals, but the clever placement of the bells suggested they were for warning purposes.

Finally, Gu Shaofeng whittled dozens of short wooden sticks and stuck them upside down on the slope behind their campsite. The sharp tips, after being heated over the fire, all pointed outwards, resembling a hedgehog. Apparently, this was to prevent leopards or other wild animals from attacking from behind at night. Of course, small bells were also essential; these little gadgets were a way to achieve great things with minimal expense, and there was no need to skimp on them.

The two pheasants weren't very big, weighing only two or three pounds each. Zhou Rui didn't plan to keep them and stewed them both. It probably wouldn't be enough for three big-bellied men. Bang! A gunshot rang out in the distance, just one shot; it seemed Wang Shouye was hunting. A moment later, the puppies returned, with Wang Shouye carrying a small roe deer behind them.

Next, Wang Shouye took out some mushrooms and wild vegetables from his pocket and instructed Zhou Rui to put them in the pot. Then he personally took a knife and butchered the roe deer. First, he gutted it and fed it to the hunting dogs. When that wasn't enough, he cut off some roe deer meat. In short, he made sure the deer were well-fed.

Zhou Rui washed the wild vegetables and mushrooms clean with water and threw them all into the pot. Then he cut a large piece of meat from the roe deer, chopped it into small pieces, shaved several large wooden skewers, strung them into large skewers, and grilled them over the fire. As Zhou Rui sprinkled some powder on his hands, an enticing aroma immediately wafted around.

"It smells so good. Ruiwa, you not only cook delicious food, but your barbecue is also pretty good." Wang Shouye and Gu Shaofeng both gathered around.

"Come on, let's eat the meat first. The pheasant will be ready soon."

Two skewers of roe deer meat per person. Zhou Rui selected skewers with a good balance of fat and lean meat. The fat was grilled over the fire, and with the spices Zhou Rui made himself, it was incredibly fragrant.

Wang Shouye didn't stand on ceremony, plucking a large piece of meat directly from the wooden skewer. It was fragrant, tender, and bursting with flavor—delicious. Seeing his master's satisfied expression after eating, Gu Shaofeng couldn't wait any longer and took a big bite of the meat in his hand. He couldn't quite describe the taste; it was just delicious and satisfying.

Seeing the two of them eating heartily, Zhou Rui wasn't in a hurry. Instead, he took out a bottle of wine from his bag. He poured about half a bowl of wine into a wooden bowl he had just carved, careful not to spill it.

"Uncle Wang, here you go."

Wang Shouye casually took it and downed it in one gulp.

"Ha..." This big bite of meat, paired with a bowl of wine, is so comforting.

"Oh... uh? Uh also bites..." Gu Shaofeng was no longer arrogant. With his mouth full of meat, he couldn't even speak and started asking for wine.

Zhou Rui smiled and didn't tease him intentionally. He then poured two more bowls.

"Ha..." Same old ways, no wonder he's Wang Pao's apprentice.

Unlike the other two, Zhou Rui only took a small sip, letting the wine swirl on his tongue. Then he took a bite of meat, the flavors of wine and meat exploding together on his tongue.

After finishing the roe deer meat, each person filled a lunchbox with pheasant meat. The chicken, wild vegetables, and mushrooms were mixed together, and it was delicious. Having hiked through the dense forest all afternoon, everyone was starving, and with Zhou Rui's culinary skills, they were so engrossed in eating that they didn't have time to talk.

"Junior brother, another bowl of wine." Gu Shaofeng's arrogance was worthless in the face of meat and wine. In the morning he was Brother Zhou, and in the evening he was Junior Brother.

"Drink a little less, just enough to warm you up. If you drink too much, you won't be able to react properly tonight," Zhou Rui said as he poured the wine.

"Your junior brother is right. Alcohol numbs the nerves, and when you drink too much, your brain doesn't work properly. Save the rest of the wine for when you're on night watch, and only sip it slowly," Wang Shouye advised, clearly aware of Gu Shaofeng's deep love for alcohol.

"Yes, I know, I won't be greedy," Gu Shaofeng replied, shaking his head.

After the three finished eating and drinking, they moved the fire forward, where the ground, baked by the fire, had dried completely. Zhou Rui carried over the dried straw from beside the campfire and spread it out on the ground; this would be their resting place for the night. Wang Shouye arranged that Zhou Rui would guard the first half of the night, Gu Shaofeng would guard the middle period, and Wang Shouye himself would guard the second half of the night until dawn.