Chapter 5

This type of walnut belongs to the wild walnut category, also known as the mountain walnut.

As a member of the Forestry Bureau, Lin Bei naturally had a deep understanding of this plant. In modern times, mountain walnuts are highly nutritious and very expensive. However, most of the mountain walnuts available are not from the wild but are artificially cultivated. The true mountain walnut should look like the one in front of him.

This mountain walnut tree was already over five meters tall. The trunk was not particularly large, but the tree was not young, as walnut trees grow relatively slowly. From Lin Bei's perspective, this mountain walnut tree was at least fifty years old. Below the tree was a stone mound, which was higher than the forest floor, making the surrounding trees appear shorter. This is why the mountain walnut tree had survived.

One cannot expect these unmanaged mountain walnuts to bear abundant fruit. In fact, there were only about twenty fruits on the tree. The green color on the surface of the walnuts had faded, and some were dry, indicating that the walnuts had been ripe for quite some time. This allowed Lin Bei to roughly estimate the current season, which should be around September to October, or perhaps even earlier. There is a saying in the folk: "Walnuts in July, pears in August." However, due to the differences between the north and south of China, Lin Bei could not be certain, but the time should not be too far off. It should be autumn, a season of harvest. The forest would not lack for fruits. If Lin Bei wanted to eat fruit, he wouldn't have to worry about not finding any.

So, Lin Bei looked at the walnut tree with disappointment and decided to put the idea of eating walnuts out of his mind. Lin Bei did not have venomous fangs.

To confirm whether he was mistaken, Lin Bei opened his mouth wide, clicked his tongue a few times, and swept his tongue with his tail. Finally, he confirmed and was certain of this fact: Lin Bei was not a venomous snake. Since venomous fangs, the hallmark of venomous snakes, had not grown, eating walnuts would be quite difficult.

Lin Bei observed the surrounding environment.

This place was not too far from the edge of the forest, only about ten miles away. However, it must be said that the ancient forest's terrain was well-preserved. Even though there were hunters living near this mountain, it was clear that they had hardly ever come here to hunt. Of course, it was also possible that the area Lin Bei was in was not part of their hunting grounds. In any case, this place was uninhabited.

Because humans had hardly ever come here, the flora and fauna were well-preserved. There were countless animals, and under Lin Bei's current observation, he had already seen at least a dozen living creatures in the vicinity, ranging from small ones like termites to larger ones like wild chickens. He had not encountered any fierce beasts yet.

On the way, Lin Bei had encountered several snakes, but at this moment, there were no snakes within his sensing range. They had probably been scared away by Lin Bei's powerful aura. This was not surprising, as animals that could survive in the forest had various abilities. With Lin Bei's current size, he was undoubtedly the king of snakes. If the other snakes did not want to submit, they would naturally have to flee.

After one last look at the walnut tree, Lin Bei continued forward.

His snake tongue continuously flicked, collecting information from the surroundings. The use of his eyes and tongue allowed Lin Bei to see more clearly than other snakes, a powerful ability for humans. Although the light in the forest was somewhat dim, it had no effect on Lin Bei. As he passed, almost all the animals were scared away by him. Of course, smaller animals were not too afraid of Lin Bei, such as birds, which would land on branches and attentively observe this powerful intruder.

"Hmm? There seems to be moisture to the right. Could it be a water source?"

Lin Bei was not sure how he got this information, but he was certain that the air ahead was much more humid. He changed direction and headed toward the target.

The closer he got, the clearer his senses became. When he got even closer, the slight vibrations under his belly told him that there was indeed a small river ahead, which should be the water source of the forest.

The forest never lacked for rain, regardless of how dry it was outside. As Lin Bei approached the water source, a sense of danger rose in his mind, and he stopped, looking in a certain direction.

Under the dense branches and vines of a large tree, an animal was quietly lying there, watching Lin Bei. It was a leopard.

This was not the first time Lin Bei had seen a leopard; there were such animals in the Shuangya Mountain Nature Reserve. However, this was the first time he was observing a leopard from the perspective of an animal.

A very powerful creature, the leopard is much larger than a cat, generally not exceeding 100 pounds in weight, but with a long, perfectly streamlined body. The patterns on its skin could almost perfectly blend into the shadows. If Lin Bei's senses were not much stronger than a human's, he would not have noticed it.

The leopard opened its mouth, and its tongue, which had slight barbs, licked its lips. It then shifted its gaze from Lin Bei, indicating that it had no intention of attacking him. It was a very smart creature.

Both the python and the leopard were top predators in the forest, but their interactions were quite rare. The leopard usually hid in trees, while the python stayed on the ground. Their prey was also different. The leopard would not provoke the python, which appeared to be a powerful predator, unless the leopard was tired of living.

Lin Bei was once again grateful for his snake body, which gave him the confidence to face such fierce beasts. He could charge through the forest with his current massive body. If Lin Bei were only a few meters long, he would not be in this position.

Because he encountered a leopard, Lin Bei did not rashly proceed. He knew that the area around the water source in the forest was usually a paradise for predators. Herbivores would come to drink water and then be killed by predators. The leopard was not the only predator.

However, Lin Bei was already somewhat surprised. It was less than twenty miles from the edge of the forest, yet he had already encountered a fierce beast. He could already foresee that there would not be too few fierce beasts here.

Following the water source, Lin Bei circled around and then climbed up a large tree. This tree was quite tall, and it took two or three people to encircle it. As soon as he climbed up, Lin Bei encountered his first competitor, and it was one of his own kind—a snake.

It was a two-meter-long cobra, its tail wrapped around a branch, its head raised, and its neck flattened, staring at Lin Bei with a fierce gaze. Its tongue flicked rapidly, making a slight hissing sound in the air because Lin Bei had invaded the cobra's territory.

The cobra was also a top predator in the forest. Even tigers often dared not provoke them due to their extreme toxicity and lack of meat. Looking at the cobra in an attack posture, Lin Bei felt a bit uneasy. Humans instinctively dislike these wriggling creatures. Then Lin Bei felt a bit angry. How could a small snake be so arrogant? Can't it see the difference in strength between them?