Chapter 10

At around seven in the morning on the mountain, although the mist had dissipated, some still lingered in the forest, making the surroundings intermittently blurry and hazy. The moisture from the mist quickly soaked through Yun Yi's clothes.

Carrying a not-so-light backpack, Yun Yi walked with ease, thanks to the physical conditioning he had undergone in the space, which made climbing the mountain much less strenuous than when he first arrived.

After about half an hour, the path ahead, perhaps due to infrequent use, was obstructed by some vines.

Seeing these vines, Yun Yi took out the machete he had prepared from his backpack. He swung it to cut through the vines while slowly making his way up the mountain path.

"Rustle!" As Yun Yi was vigorously swinging the machete, a figure suddenly flew up from a short distance in front of him, followed by the sound of a wild pheasant. It turned out to be a pheasant.

"Wow, there are pheasants here. There must be even more animals deeper in," Yun Yi thought, remembering his purpose for entering the mountain. He quickly dropped his backpack, took out a folding crossbow, and swiftly assembled it.

This crossbow was less than sixty centimeters long, with an effective range of about seventy meters and good penetration power, capable of piercing a one-centimeter-thick pine board at fifty meters. This crossbow was a valuable item that Yun Yi had bought from the black market for three thousand yuan before deciding to live in the mountain village.

After assembling the crossbow and loading an arrow, Yun Yi picked up his backpack again. He held the crossbow in his right hand and used his left hand to clear the path, keeping his mind focused on the surroundings, ready to shoot at any moment.

"Rustle!" As Yun Yi was paying attention to the surroundings, a pheasant in the grass was startled by the sound of him clearing the path and struggled to fly up in the heavy morning mist.

"Whoosh!" Just as the pheasant struggled to fly up to a height of less than two meters, Yun Yi dropped the machete in his left hand and quickly raised the crossbow with his right hand. He then gripped the crossbow with his left hand, locked onto the slowly flying pheasant, and decisively pulled the trigger!

The moment the trigger was pulled, the arrow, swift as lightning, shot through the air and hit the pheasant. The pheasant let out a series of mournful cries and fell straight to the ground.

As the pheasant hit the ground, Yun Yi quickly threw his backpack to the ground and, while drawing another arrow from the quiver on his waist and loading it onto the crossbow, ran quickly to where the pheasant had fallen.

"Ha, I didn't expect this pheasant to be so fat. Today is really a lucky day," Yun Yi said as he rushed through the tall grass and saw the pheasant he had shot. It was struggling to run on the ground, but the arrow, though not hitting a vital spot, had pierced its wing, making it difficult for it to run fast.

Seeing the pheasant with its colorful feathers darting around in the bushes, Yun Yi didn't want to play a game of chase. He directly shot it with the crossbow, hitting its heart and putting it to rest.

"Getting such a good catch on my first outing today is a good omen. Maybe there will be even better news today," Yun Yi said happily, picking up the pheasant, which weighed about 7.5 pounds. He returned to where he had left his backpack and machete, then found a stream and began to prepare the pheasant.

He plucked the feathers, gutted the pheasant, and cleaned out its insides. After washing the pheasant in the stream, he prepared to make it into a delicious Beggar's Chicken.

The method for making Beggar's Chicken is simple. Yun Yi had seen a TV show dedicated to the preparation of Beggar's Chicken and had been eager to try it. However, due to the environment at the time, he hadn't had the opportunity. Now, in the forest, he could finally fulfill his dream.

He picked several large leaves, placed the cleaned pheasant on them, and dug a thirty-centimeter-deep hole in the ground. He took the spices he had prepared from his backpack and evenly sprinkled them inside and outside the pheasant. He then wrapped the pheasant in the leaves and coated it with a thin layer of mud, placing it in the hole.

After covering it with a thin layer of soil, Yun Yi piled dry branches on top and used alcohol to ignite them. Soon, a fire was burning brightly by the stream.

Although he was using fire by the stream, Yun Yi didn't forget to take precautions. He had cleared the area around the fire and even wet the ground to prevent any accidents.

Seeing the fire burning, Yun Yi took out a simple fishing tool from his backpack and began to catch fish.

The water in the stream was a bit cold, and despite his efforts, Yun Yi didn't catch any fish for a while, which made him quite frustrated. The fire had already burned halfway, but he still hadn't caught any fish for his planned grilled fish.

After some thought, Yun Yi had a sudden idea. He carefully took the fishing net and squatted by the stream, then opened the spring in his space and slowly released the spring water into the stream.

Yun Yi's plan was to use the spring water to attract the fish, which would follow the water to him, making it easier for him to catch them.

Sure enough, just a short while after opening the spring, Yun Yi saw several dark backs quickly swimming towards him. Overjoyed, he carefully placed the net and waited for the fish to come.

The fish, without hesitation, followed the spring water and rushed towards the net. Yun Yi, at the moment the fish approached, quickly pulled the net, capturing several large fish.

"Ha ha, I didn't expect this method to work so well. Getting fish in the future will be much easier," Yun Yi said happily, looking at the large fish struggling in the net. The three fish together weighed over ten pounds, more than he could eat.

Looking at the fish, Yun Yi decided to put the two largest ones into his space, fulfilling their dream of entering the spring. He then took the smallest fish, which weighed about two pounds, and quickly gutted, scaled, and cleaned it. He then took out the grilling tools he had prepared in his space, skewered the fish, added some spices, and grilled it over the still-burning fire.

Fish meat, unlike chicken or pork, cooks quickly due to its texture. The fish was cooked before the fire had completely burned out.

Smelling the rich aroma of the fish, Yun Yi couldn't wait to tear off a piece and eat it, despite the high temperature. After the first bite, his mouth watered, and he ate even faster. Soon, the fragrant fish was completely devoured, and the fire had just gone out.

After eating the fish, Yun Yi's stomach was only slightly full. A fish that weighed less than a pound after cleaning and grilling was naturally not enough to satisfy his hunger.

Looking at the fire where the pheasant was buried, the flames had long since died out, leaving only the glowing embers. He estimated it would take a while longer.

Seeing that the Beggar's Chicken would take a while to cook, Yun Yi wouldn't waste time. He picked up the fishing net and used the same method to catch more fish.

This time, with experience, he released a larger stream of water, hoping to attract more fish.

After only about four or five minutes, Yun Yi noticed a large group of dark backs surging up from downstream, so dense that the stream was almost filled with fish.

Seeing the fish, Yun Yi was first surprised, then quickly prepared to use the space's ability to transfer the fish directly into his space.

The fish were getting closer, and Yun Yi opened the space, ready to transfer them all into the spring.