Chapter 20

With the flint in hand, today's transaction was finally concluded. Lin Bei nodded to the hunters and dashed into the forest, disappearing from their sight. Then, he secretly turned a corner and returned, but this time he hid himself. Because he was wary of Cui Ailan's keen intuition, Lin Bei kept his distance. He was observing.

Lin Bei didn't know why he had returned; it was probably just a gut feeling. In his previous life, Lin Bei generally had a kind attitude towards people, but now, as a snake, he had become suspicious. Being a snake with a human heart, he was different from humans.

Lin Bei hid well, and Cui Ailan naturally couldn't detect him. The other hunters certainly couldn't either. They were working together to load the giant bear onto the ox's back.

Lin Bei's guess was correct. In this era, it was rare for hunters to catch bears because they were too fierce. Even a dozen fully armed hunters would find it difficult to kill an adult giant bear. Therefore, each bear was extremely valuable, and the hunters were elated.

"Lord Long is truly great," the hunters were discussing Lin Bei.

"This black bear must weigh at least five hundred pounds, and Lord Long actually managed to kill it. It's truly miraculous."

"Lord Long must have some magical powers. I don't think even a tiger would be a match for him."

Cui Ailan said, "We have been hunting for many years, from our ancestors to now. Have we ever heard of a snake as large as Lord Long? Lord Long must have become a mountain spirit, as those elders said."

Jiulang also said, "Ailan is right. Lord Long can even write. Could his knowledge be more profound than a scholar's?"

"Haha, even if his knowledge is more profound than a scholar's, do you really want Lord Long to become an official, Jiulang? Lord Long is not a scholar."

"So what if he's not a scholar?" Jiulang laughed. "If Lord Long wanted to become an official, would those scholars dare to stop him? They would be afraid of Lord Long killing them."

"Lord Long becoming an official? That would be truly rare."

"Alright," Cui Ailan said. "Stop gossiping about Lord Long. Dashan, Hutou, take the buckets off the ox's back and go to the river to fetch two buckets of water."

Dashan and Hutou agreed and took the buckets down, preparing to fill them with water. Dashan said, "Ailan, do we have to fetch water every time we come hunting?"

Before Cui Ailan could speak, Jiulang said, "You should be grateful. Haven't you heard what the strange man said a few days ago? There's a great drought in the Central Plains. A dou of rice costs three thousand coins and is still rising. We at least have water here."

"That's true. Three thousand coins for a dou of rice. The strange man said that many families are selling their children, and there are even reports of cannibalism. Compared to the Central Plains, our Hepu is like a paradise."

"Paradise? Hmph, why did the big barbarian from Gaoliang County kill the official and rebel, taking the county magistrate's head?"

"In my opinion, it's because these Nanyue people still have evil intentions."

"Bullshit. I've heard that the big barbarian is a generous and righteous man, and many local heroes admire him. When people mention him, they all call him a hero. It was just that the corrupt official was extorting bribes without limit. A few days ago, he encountered a beautiful woman and was blinded by lust. Little did he know that the beautiful woman had some connection to the big barbarian. In a fit of anger, the big barbarian led dozens of heroes to storm the county office and kill the corrupt official. This wasn't a rebellion but an act of justice. Even though he is a rebel, when people mention the big barbarian, they all praise him. But I wonder where the big barbarian is hiding now? Could he be in this Fushan?"

"Killing an official is still a rebellion. What kind of logic is that?" another hunter was不服气 (unconvinced).

The previous person wanted to argue, but Cui Ailan glared at him, looking quite intimidating. "We are just commoners. Why are we discussing these things? Are you planning to follow the big barbarian? Or do you want to catch him? Stop talking and fetch the water quickly. We need to leave the forest, sell the black bear, and buy some supplies for our families."

"Ailan is right," a hunter agreed.

Cui Ailan had great authority among the hunters, so they stopped talking. Some fetched water, and a few of them loaded the black bear onto the ox's back. They discussed how to dissect the bear to maximize its value. Once the water was fetched, the hunters tied the buckets to the ox's sides and drove the ox out of the forest, swaying as they went.

Lin Bei finally understood why they had an ox—it was for carrying things. Each bucket of water, when full, weighed about a hundred pounds. Although the hunters were strong, moving them was still very difficult.

Additionally, Lin Bei learned about the current situation outside. This place was not the Central Plains, which in ancient times generally referred to the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, now Henan Province. This was Nanyue, which in modern times is the Guangdong and Guangxi regions, a relatively remote area in ancient times.

The Central Plains had its prosperity, but remote areas had their advantages. During wars in the Central Plains, remote areas rarely saw battles, at most some small-scale banditry. However, these hunters were not to be underestimated; they were all skilled fighters. So even if there were bandits, the impact might not be significant. For Lin Bei, this news was quite good.

The fewer people there were, the safer Lin Bei would be. Even if everyone knew Lin Bei was a demon snake, it was unlikely that a large army would be sent to exterminate him. As long as Lin Bei didn't do anything too reckless, his safety could be guaranteed.

Following the hunters, Lin Bei watched them carefully leave Fushan. On the way, they discussed a story about how they encountered a foolish bear and killed it. They didn't plan to tell anyone else about the incident. Only then did Lin Bei return to the Dragon Pool.

Back at the Dragon Pool, Lin Bei first observed the surroundings. There was no sign of any large animals encroaching on his territory. He put the items on the ground and climbed up the locust tree. The two little ones were sound asleep, and the crab meat was a bit less. It seemed they had woken up and eaten when Lin Bei was out. Lin Bei felt relieved.

Climbing down the locust tree again, Lin Bei opened the package and picked up a piece of dried meat with his mouth. Then, he looked at the flint. He was about to start a fire.

Fire was a major distinction between humans and animals. The earliest sign of human intelligence was the ability to use fire to cook food. Lin Bei intended to do the same. He first gathered some dry branches and grass. It was autumn, and the forest was full of fallen leaves and dry branches. After a quick search, Lin Bei collected several large bundles. He then cleared a space to build a campfire.

The flint was small, but the fire striker was larger. So Lin Bei fixed the flint between two stones and used his tail to awkwardly hold the fire striker and strike the flint. It took several attempts, but after about half an hour, he managed to produce sparks. He then placed some dry grass near the flint and struck it a few more times. The dry grass caught the sparks and ignited. Lin Bei quickly gathered more dry grass and placed it on top of the burning grass. The fire grew, and it was finally lit.

Once the fire was larger, Lin Bei moved it to the cleared space and began adding more dry wood. The wood would eventually turn into charcoal, which was the easiest way to maintain the fire. When not in use, the fire could be smothered with mud. As long as there were still embers in the charcoal, the fire could be reignited by removing the mud.

The roaring fire burned brightly, and Lin Bei watched it with great joy. He was trying to live like a human, and this was another step forward.

"Things will get better, everything will get better."

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