29. Exploring the Mountain Village

The man in the lead waved his hand, his tone somewhat simple and honest, "I forgot to introduce myself to you all. My name is Zhong Fasheng, and I'm the person in charge of this village."

As Zhong Fasheng introduced the place, he led the group deeper into the village. As they spoke, they arrived at a brick house. Pushing open the door, a wave of warmth washed over them.

Inside the room was a large, shared sleeping platform covered with thick animal hair. In front of the platform was a brazier, the firewood inside burning brightly, crackling and making the whole room warm and cozy.

The house looked a bit old, with most of the paint peeling off the walls, but the interior was exceptionally clean.

“Please rest here for now,” Zhong Fasheng said, rubbing his hands, which were red from the cold, his smile becoming even warmer. “The hunting team should be back today. When they bring back their game, we’ll kill a fat one tonight and treat you all to a welcome feast!”

Fu Yunong was still worried about the car parked outside, and couldn't help but ask, "Brother Zhong, our car..."

"Hey, what's there to worry about!" Zhong Fasheng laughed heartily, patting his chest to assure everyone, "I'll have someone keep an eye on things in a bit, I guarantee not a single screw will be missing! You can all relax and rest easy." After saying that, he gave a couple more instructions and left.

As soon as Zhong Fasheng left, Shi Dong immediately locked the door behind him, took out a military knife from his boot, and began to carefully inspect the room—under the bed, in the corners of the walls, on the beams, and even in the cracks of the windows. Only after confirming that there were no unusual traces did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Hua Hua nimbly jumped onto the dormitory bunk, stretched out her tail and yawned, her tail swaying slowly.

Fu Yunong looked at its round body and couldn't help but laugh.

This thing has grown quite a bit bigger. From a distance, you might mistake it for a little piglet, perhaps because it always insists on eating crystal cores.

The group had long noticed that since Hua Hua swallowed the crystal core, it had not only grown considerably larger but had also become exceptionally alert. It couldn't miss the slightest movement and was unusually sensitive to danger. With it around, they no longer needed to keep watch at night.

Since they were already there, Fu Yunong sat down next to the brazier, took out teacups for each of them from her spatial storage, bought a few bottles of purified water, and started brewing tea over the brazier.

They had barely relaxed when a series of noisy footsteps sounded outside, accompanied by men's shouts. Then, there was a knock on the door, and the chime of a clock came from outside: "Gentlemen, the hunting party is back!"

Fu Yunong and Shi Dong exchanged a glance, quickly got up, and the four of them went out together.

In the open space in the center of the village stood a dozen or so people dressed in thick animal skins, both men and women, all of them robust and tired, yet unable to hide their excitement.

There were many prey piled up around them, including deer, foxes, and even a few hedgehogs huddled together. The most eye-catching thing was a black bear being carried. Although it wasn't particularly large, it was enough to feed the villagers for several days.

A figure stood out in the crowd: a short man, barely 1.5 meters tall, who looked like a child standing among a group of tall hunters. Strangely, when people around him spoke, they would subconsciously look at him, as if he were their leader.

Fu Yunong and the others stood aside, listening to their conversation. They learned that the hunters had been out for half a month, crossing several mountains, before finally finding these hibernating animals hiding in caves. It took them a lot of effort to bring their prey back.

Zhong Fasheng patted the short man on the shoulder, laughing heartily, "Xiao Lin, we owe you a lot this time! Without you, we wouldn't have been able to find so much prey!"

Xiao Linfang, standing to the side, blinked. "How come they even have the same name?"

Xiao Lin gave Zhong Fasheng a forced smile, but it wasn't until Zhong Fasheng turned to introduce Fu Yunong and her group that he dropped his nonchalant expression and glanced at each of them. When his gaze fell on Lin Songsong, a cryptic light flashed in his eyes before he regained his composure.

"Let me introduce you all. This is Xiao Lin, a great hero of our village!" Zhong Fasheng put his arm around Xiao Lin's shoulder, his face full of pride. "He's a legendary superhuman with exceptional hearing. We were able to find hibernating animals hiding in caves all thanks to him!"

He wanted to continue, but Xiao Lin interrupted him with a frown and a hint of impatience in his voice, "It's freezing, let's go inside and talk."

Zhong Fasheng chuckled sheepishly and patted his head. "Look at me! Quick, everyone, come inside, don't catch a cold!"

On cold, freezing days, stewing is the easiest and most efficient method.

The hunters stored most of their prey away, leaving only a portion of the meat. They cut it into large chunks and threw it into a large iron pot set up under the eaves, adding some frozen tubers and then slowly stewing it over a wood fire.

As night fell, the rich aroma of meat filled the entire village. Many villagers peeked out of their houses, their eyes fixed on the large iron pot, their throats bobbing involuntarily.

After the meal was prepared, Zhong Fasheng led Fu Yunong and the other three to a separate table. On the table was a half-bowl of steaming meat, with oil floating on the surface, smelling exceptionally tempting.

As soon as they sat down, before anyone could keep an eye on her, Hua Hua quickly grabbed a piece of meat, chewed it twice, and swallowed it.

Fu Yunong and the others tensed up instantly, their eyes fixed on it. Fortunately, after it finished eating, it only licked its paws and remained obediently squatting to the side, showing no signs of distress, which relieved them.

"Eat up, eat up, don't be shy!" Zhong Fasheng warmly invited.

Fu Yunong and the others couldn't resist any longer and could only pick up their chopsticks and slowly begin to eat. The meat was stewed coarsely, without any spices, only a faint salty taste, and the meat was quite dry; the flavor was actually not very good.

The meal was unpleasant for the group, but thankfully it was relatively peaceful, except that Xiao Lin kept glancing in their direction.

After a long wait, the villagers rushed back to their houses along the eaves, afraid of being outside in the cold for even a second longer. Fu Yunong and her group also took advantage of the darkness to sneak back to the brick house, and the first thing they did upon entering was to stoke the fire in the brazier.

"Are you all still hungry?" Fu Yunong smiled and took out small cakes from her spatial storage, distributing them to the group.

The group took the cake and began to eat it heartily. They were indeed not full, as they were in an unfamiliar place and dared not let their guard down.

Night fell, and the village fell completely silent, save for the howling of the cold wind. The firewood in the brazier gradually died down, and the light in the house dimmed.

In the darkness, Shi Dong quietly opened her eyes, only to meet Hua Hua's incredibly bright eyes. She raised her hand to shush and gently got up.

She wanted to go out and investigate. It wasn't that she was being paranoid; in these uncertain times, she simply couldn't believe that anyone would be so open with complete strangers. Especially Xiao Lin's subtle, almost imperceptible, scrutinizing gaze, and the underlying tension in the village—all of this made her feel uneasy.

She took out a dagger and bit it in her mouth. She checked the pistol at her waist again to make sure it was loaded before slowly opening the door and silently disappearing into the darkness under the cover of night.

Hua Hua squatted at the doorway, watching her leave, her ears perked up.

The night was as dark as ink, and amidst the howling wind, only the kerosene lamp on the watchtower cast a dim yellow light.

Shi Dong pressed herself against the wooden wall, her footsteps so light they were almost inaudible. She gripped her dagger tightly, her gaze fixed on the deepest part of the village, in the direction where Xiao Lin lived.

She slipped into the shadows and approached the dimly lit room, which was Zhong Fasheng's residence. She could vaguely hear people talking inside, their voices very low and indistinct.

She didn't rush to get closer, but instead went around to a smaller house next door. This was the place Xiao Lin had entered during the day, and it was dark and deserted at the moment.

She gently pushed the door. The hinges seemed to have been greased, making only a very faint sound, almost drowned out by the wind.

The moment she entered the room, a scent mingled with the smell of animal hides, the fragrance of pine wood, and a faint warmth wafted towards her. She took out her flashlight, dimmed the beam, and slowly scanned the furnishings in the room.

This house was far more luxurious than the brick house they lived in. It had wooden floors, and several complete animal hides hung on the walls. Their fur was shiny and clearly had been carefully treated. In the corner of the room was a copper brazier, and the charcoal inside was still burning, emitting a dark red glow.

There was a large wooden bed on the inner side, covered with a thick layer of animal hair. Underneath the animal hair was another layer of something light in color with a delicate sheen, which did not look like an ordinary mattress.

Shi Dong walked over, reached out and gently touched it, finding the texture unusually soft, unlike animal fur, more like...

The thought of this possibility made her heart sink. She looked more closely at the edge of the mattress and could vaguely see some irregular stitching marks and a few dark marks.

A chill ran up Shi Dong's spine, and his eyes sharpened instantly. This was definitely not a mattress!

She stopped thinking about it and quickly withdrew her hand, turning to leave, but suddenly heard footsteps outside and a man coughing!

It's Xiao Lin!

Shi Dong quickly turned off the flashlight, hid behind the wooden cabinet, and held his breath.

The door was pushed open, and Xiao Lin's footsteps could be heard. Immediately afterwards, a beam of light appeared. He was holding a torch, and the torchlight swept across the room. Shi Dong was pressed close to the wooden cabinet and could see that Xiao Lin's feet had stopped right next to the bed.

Just then, a figure suddenly darted out from outside the door, startling Xiao Lin, who immediately chased after it.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Shi Dong held his breath and slipped out silently, quickly hiding behind a nearby pile of firewood.

Xiao Lin chased after it with a torch, but only saw a colorful fox.

Zhong Fasheng heard the commotion and came over. After taking a look, he whispered, "It looks like those women are raising them."

Hua Hua arched her body, her tail held high, staring at Xiao Lin with wary eyes, but showed no intention of attacking. Instead, she slowly retreated and soon disappeared into the night.

Xiao Lin's gaze lingered in the darkness for a few seconds, then he went back into the room with the torch and scanned the surroundings. His eyes were full of suspicion, but he found nothing unusual. The area behind the wooden cabinet was empty, and there was no one under the bed.

He stuck the torch on the wall and cursed irritably, "I'm freezing, what's the point of all this fuss!" Then he lay down on the bed and pulled the fur blanket over himself.

Zhong Fasheng quickly agreed, turned around and walked out, closing the door behind him.

Shi Dong waited for a while, and only after confirming that there was no movement around him did he come out from behind the woodpile and carefully made his way back to the brick house.

Back inside, the firewood in the brazier was still burning, making her face look particularly pale. She sat by the brazier, warming her hands, but her eyes were as cold as ice.

As she expected, things went exactly as she predicted.