Chapter 3

When Qin Fengming regained consciousness, he found himself in a mountain ravine. Looking up, he saw that the cliff top was at least twenty to thirty zhang high.

Seeing this, Qin Fengming could not help but be secretly alarmed. Falling from such a height, he had not died.

Struggling to rise from the dead branches and decaying leaves, he gently moved his limbs. To his relief, although he had multiple cuts, his bones were intact.

Despite this, Qin Fengming knew that he had many wounds, and fresh blood was still seeping out. If he did not quickly find some hemostatic herbs, he would lose too much blood and be unable to move.

Fortunately, he often went hunting in the mountains with his father and knew which herbs could stop bleeding and relieve pain.

Moving with difficulty due to his injuries, just as Qin Fengming was about to exhaust his strength, he finally found a cluster of hemostatic herbs commonly used by the villagers.

Sitting beside the herbs, Qin Fengming rested for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Then, he turned his body and, using almost all his strength, pulled out the herbs. He shook off the dirt, put them in his mouth, and chewed them thoroughly.

At this moment, due to exhaustion, Qin Fengming could hardly feel the bitterness of the herbs. He applied the crushed herbs and their juice to the bleeding wounds and tore off strips of his clothes to bind them. Only then did he feel somewhat relieved.

Shortly after, a tingling sensation came from the wounds, and Qin Fengming knew the herbs were working. He stopped moving and lay down on the dead leaves, closing his eyes.

After nearly an hour, Qin Fengming opened his eyes. The pain in his wounds had greatly diminished. Looking up at the sky, he saw that it was still more than an hour before sunset.

Although young, Qin Fengming was not particularly afraid.

Despite this, he knew that spending the night in the mountains was extremely dangerous, and he must find a safe place to stay. As for how to get home, that was not something he could consider today.

Slowly searching for a suitable place to spend the night, he found many berries along the way. After half an hour, he finally found a cave about one meter above the cliff bottom. With great difficulty, he dragged a dead branch and used it to move some dead leaves and berries into the cave, then crawled in.

After eating a few berries and resting for a while, the dark night arrived. Qin Fengming curled up in the dead leaves, listening to the insects outside the cave and the distant howls of wild beasts, feeling a bit afraid.

Thinking about how his father and grandfather would fight the wild boar, and whether his mother and grandmother knew he had fallen off the cliff, he gradually fell into a deep sleep.

When he woke up again, it was already bright. After a night's rest, whether due to the strong recovery ability of children or the effectiveness of the herbs, his wounds were no longer very painful.

After eating some berries and drinking some clear spring water, Qin Fengming felt his strength returning.

At this moment, Qin Fengming still had his sharp dagger, which was over a foot long. Even after falling from the cliff yesterday, the dagger had not been lost.

Qin Fengming cut down a branch as thick as a baby's arm with the dagger and sharpened one end to use as a weapon. Looking at the sun to determine the direction, he slowly moved forward. He had to find a low place to climb out of the mountain ravine.

While moving forward, suddenly, Qin Fengming felt his feet give way, and his body fell. He fell about ten zhang before hitting the ground, but his body did not stop and rolled down a slope.

After flailing his limbs, his body finally stopped. He felt a cold wind on his face, and everything was pitch black.

After a long time, Qin Fengming slowly adapted to the darkness and saw a black cave in front of him. The cave was illuminated by weak light from several holes in the walls and ceiling. Using the weak light, Qin Fengming carefully examined the cave.

The cave was about twenty to thirty zhang long and wide, and about three to four zhang high. A small stream flowed along the side, making a gurgling sound. There were large rocks scattered on the ground, and some holes led to the upper parts of the cave walls and ceiling.

The light came from these holes.

Suppressing his fear, Qin Fengming stood up with the branch, moved a bit, and began to search the surroundings. To leave this place, he had to find an exit.

While searching, he suddenly noticed two objects about three to four zhang away, emitting a faint blue glow. At first sight, he was greatly alarmed. Based on his experience, these were likely the eyes of a wild animal watching him. Holding the dagger in his left hand and the branch in his right, Qin Fengming prepared for defense.

After a long time, the glowing objects did not move. After some thought, Qin Fengming gently put down the branch, bent down, picked up a small stone, and threw it forward, immediately picking up the branch again and getting ready.

He heard a "thud," and a "hissing" sound came from the opposite side. Qin Fengming recognized this sound very well; it was undoubtedly a snake.

The snake, attacked, immediately raised its head and slowly slithered toward Qin Fengming. When they were about ten zhang apart, Qin Fengming saw that it was a python, about as thick as a bowl and one to two zhang long. Its tongue flicked in and out, and its eyes glowed with a faint blue light.

Sensing its prey was right in front of it, the python increased its speed and quickly charged at Qin Fengming.

Seeing this, although afraid, Qin Fengming had to muster his strength and forcefully thrust the sharp branch at the python's head. With a loud "thud," the branch was deflected by the python's tough skin.

The python, enraged by the attack on its head, lashed its tail and coiled toward Qin Fengming.

Qin Fengming, having anticipated this, jumped and hid behind a large rock, narrowly avoiding the python's attack.

Thus, Qin Fengming began to dodge the python's attacks around the rock. Faced with this large python, he had no way to fight back.

At this critical moment, Qin Fengming suddenly noticed two large rocks side by side with a gap between them. Thinking quickly, he came up with a plan.

After dodging several more attacks, Qin Fengming suddenly ran toward the gap between the two rocks. The python, not to be outdone, changed direction and quickly followed.

Seeing this, Qin Fengming used all his strength to dodge to the side.

The large python, unable to react in time, had its front part, about five to six feet long, completely wedged into the gap between the two large rocks. Its head even emerged from the other side.

Seeing this, without hesitation, Qin Fengming, holding the branch, quickly ran to the python's head and thrust it with all his might.

The python, in pain, struggled fiercely. The branch broke into two pieces after a few thrusts. Without time to find another weapon, Qin Fengming held the dagger with both hands and continued to strike the python's head with all his might.

The python, suffering such heavy blows, struggled even more fiercely. The two large rocks, under the python's immense strength, began to loosen. In a final effort, the python finally broke free, opened its huge mouth, and lunged at Qin Fengming, who was striking it.

Due to the suddenness and the close distance, Qin Fengming could not avoid it. Seeing this, he was terrified.

Relying on instinct, Qin Fengming held the dagger with both hands, used all his strength, and thrust it into the python's mouth...