Chapter 39

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Cailiang Mountain is not only famous in the Pengcheng area but is also a well-known mountain range nationwide. According to records, Cailiang Mountain stretches for over a thousand kilometers east to west, and its altitude exceeds three thousand meters. For a coastal city, such a mountain range is extremely rare.

Early in the morning, Zhao Xinyu set out with Heifeng. Although Zhao Xinyu had only been in Xihan Ridge for a few months, the villagers knew of him, though many did not recognize him. However, they had heard the villagers talk about Heifeng.

So when Heifeng appeared, even the villagers who did not know Zhao Xinyu recognized the young man following Heifeng. Along the way, Zhao Xinyu received greetings from many villagers.

Heifeng, who was very restrained outside the mountain, revealed his true nature once they entered Cailiang Mountain. He constantly darted in and out of the grass and shrubs, causing small birds to fly up frequently.

With Heifeng's company, Zhao Xinyu did not feel lonely. Many times, he enjoyed watching Heifeng's joyful movements, which was a visual pleasure.

Suddenly, Zhao Xinyu saw Heifeng stop, crouch down, and stare at a nearby patch of grass. Heifeng's body slowly moved, and for the first time, Zhao Xinyu saw a fierce look in Heifeng's eyes.

After crawling for over ten meters, Heifeng suddenly pounced. His large body moved as swiftly as a cheetah, without any hesitation.

When Heifeng reappeared, Zhao Xinyu saw a wild rabbit, about five to six pounds, in his mouth. The rabbit struggled, but its movements gradually weakened. By the time Heifeng reached Zhao Xinyu, the rabbit had stopped struggling.

Putting the rabbit into his spatial ring, Zhao Xinyu patted Heifeng's large head a few times, his eyes full of surprise. He knew that hunting was a natural instinct for animals, but he did not expect Heifeng to catch a wild rabbit on his first try.

"Good job, we can improve our diet at noon."

Heifeng growled a few times at Zhao Xinyu, wagging his big tail and circling around him before disappearing into the grass again.

At first, Zhao Xinyu could still see the path covered with wild grass, but after walking for three or four miles, there was no longer any path. All he could see were wild grass and shrubs, and in the distance, lush forests towered. It was clear that this area was rarely visited, even by the villagers.

Once they entered the ancient forest, Zhao Xinyu had some harvest. He collected a few pounds of wild mushrooms and about seven or eight medicinal herbs.

Turning to look in the direction of Xihan Ridge, Zhao Xinyu felt a sudden impulse and brought Jinhen and Jinyu out of the spatial ring.

The moment the two large creatures appeared, they both let out a long cry and spread their wings to fly into the sky. In the end, Zhao Xinyu could only see two faint golden dots in the sky.

Seeing Jinhen and Jinyu fly farther and farther away, Zhao Xinyu's heart tightened. He suddenly thought of a problem: would Jinhen and Jinyu return to the forest and not come back?

Thinking about this, Zhao Xinyu felt a bit disappointed. However, he reminded himself that Jinhen and Jinyu originally lived in the forest, and if they did not return, it would be a return to nature, and he would have done a good deed.

Just as he was feeling disappointed, two loud cries came from the sky. Zhao Xinyu looked up and saw Jinhen and Jinyu reappear in his field of vision. Although they did not return, at least he could still see them.

Although he did not know if Jinhen and Jinyu would return to his side, seeing them again made his disappointed heart feel better.

Suddenly, Heifeng's low growl nearby caught Zhao Xinyu's attention. When he reached where Heifeng was growling, he saw several dead trees with black, dew-covered objects scattered on them.

"Wild black fungus," Zhao Xinyu's heart raced. He had found similar fungus-covered dead trees in the mountains near his hometown, and many of the black fungi they ate now came from those trees in his spatial ring.

Seeing these fungus-covered dead trees, he would not let them go. It took him nearly an hour to bring all the dead trees into his spatial ring.

Just as Zhao Xinyu was about to leave, Heifeng growled a few more times. Zhao Xinyu was slightly stunned. When he turned to look at Heifeng, he saw Heifeng standing in front of a tree stump with a purple, fan-shaped fungus the size of an adult's palm on it.

Zhao Xinyu's eyes narrowed, and he exclaimed, "Lingzhi."

In traditional Chinese medicine, ginseng and lingzhi are two highly sought-after treasures. Although ginseng and lingzhi are sold in herbal shops, almost all of them are artificially cultivated. Wild ginseng and lingzhi, even if they are of average age, are still very valuable.

If someone else might have simply picked the lingzhi and taken it away, Zhao Xinyu, with his incredible spatial ring, did not collect the lingzhi but dug up the entire dead tree stump and placed it in his spatial ring.

After bringing the fungus-covered dead trees into the spatial ring, digging up another tree stump made Zhao Xinyu feel a bit tired. He found a clearing and gathered some dead branches. He cleaned the wild rabbit that Heifeng had caught, gutted it, and cleaned it with water from his spatial ring, then marinated it with seasonings.

Following the same steps, he started a fire. Once the flames died down and only embers remained, Zhao Xinyu skewered the rabbit with branches and placed it over the fire.

As time passed, the meat began to emit a fragrant aroma when the fat dripped onto the fire. Zhao Xinyu coated the rabbit with more seasonings, and the rich scent filled the air. Heifeng, lying beside him, started drooling, and soon a pool of drool formed on the ground.

As he continued to coat the rabbit with seasonings, the meat's aroma became even more intense. Heifeng, who had been lying down, suddenly stood up and growled.

Zhao Xinyu was slightly stunned, then he felt a gust of wind, and Jinhen and Jinyu landed beside him. Both creatures' eyes were fixed on the already golden-brown rabbit.

Seeing Jinhen and Jinyu return, Zhao Xinyu was naturally excited. However, the rabbit was only about four or five pounds, and even if they all shared it, it would not be enough to satisfy any of them.

Perhaps sensing Zhao Xinyu's thoughts, Jinhen and Jinyu let out a few low cries and then flew away.

Just as Zhao Xinyu moved the roasted rabbit off the fire, Jinhen and Jinyu returned. When they landed, a thirty-pound roe deer appeared in front of Zhao Xinyu.

Seeing the lifeless roe deer, Zhao Xinyu was stunned. Unlike mountain chickens and wild rabbits, roe deer are protected animals. Now, Jinhen and Jinyu had brought one back.

Shaking his head with a bitter smile, he began to butcher the roe deer, then cleaned and roasted it over the fire....

After more than two hours, the thirty-pound roe deer and the wild rabbit were completely devoured by Zhao Xinyu, Heifeng, Jinhen, and Jinyu. Only some bones remained on the ground.

Thinking about the roe deer being a protected animal, Zhao Xinyu buried the bones and fur in a deep hole and cleaned the area thoroughly.

Looking at Jinhen and Jinyu again, Zhao Xinyu patted the two large creatures, who were about one meter and twenty centimeters tall. "Try not to catch these things in the future; they are a bit troublesome to deal with."

The two creatures seemed to understand Zhao Xinyu's words and nodded before flying away again, quickly disappearing from sight. Zhao Xinyu could faintly hear their long cries in the distance.

After getting up again, Zhao Xinyu noticed that wherever Heifeng led him, he could hear Jinhen and Jinyu's cries at regular intervals. Sometimes, he could even see their silhouettes. This made Zhao Xinyu realize that Jinhen and Jinyu were not leaving but were helping him find a safe path.

At first, Zhao Xinyu was still on guard against wild animals, but once he understood Jinhen and Jinyu's intentions, he completely relaxed. Unconsciously, he had entered a rarely visited area, and his harvest continued to increase. By the end, he had collected an unknown amount of medicinal herbs.

When he emerged from a forest, Zhao Xinyu realized that it was already getting dark. His eyes narrowed slightly. He had not planned to spend the night in the mountains, but now it was dark.

Thinking that it would take a few hours to return and that he would arrive home in the middle of the night, he took out his phone to call Han Li and the others but found that there was no signal in the area.

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