"I was thinking of sharing my accumulated experience with you as well."

Shen Mu Ning really couldn't understand Uncle Cao's unpredictable thoughts; he changed his mind every minute.

Why are you entrusting me with something so important?

Not only her, but the other four people standing nearby were also baffled by Cao Ding's perplexing actions.

"Hey, if we don't rely on it for food, it's not important anymore."

"I'm giving it to you because you have the skills to move freely in the deep mountains."

"Another thing is that I want you to join the winter hunting team."

When Gu Chengde heard Cao Ding say that he wanted Shen Mu Ning to join the winter hunting team, he finally understood what Cao Ding was planning.

In principle, winter hunting teams are formed voluntarily, not by force.

Besides, Xiao Shen is a female educated youth; he should have stopped Cao Ding.

However, in recent years, due to Cao Ding's injury, he has been unable to lead the winter hunting team.

The group didn't catch much prey during their winter hunt and often encountered danger.

If Shen Mu Ning joins the winter hunting team, not only will everyone's safety be guaranteed, but the harvest should also be quite good.

Considering all this, Gu Chengde opened his mouth, but couldn't bring himself to say anything to stop Cao Ding.

"I..." Before Shen Mu Ning could ask why, Chu Ming Xu spoke first.

"Uncle Cao, if I want to gain your experience, do I have to join the winter hunting team?"

Shen Mu Ning was unaware of the previous situation, but Chu Ming Xu, who had spent three years in the Johor Brigade, knew very well.

During the three years he was there, those who went winter hunting each time did not reap much, but suffered many injuries.

Cao Ding's idea was simply to get Shen Mu Ning involved so that everyone's safety could be guaranteed.

After all, his son, as the organizer of the annual winter hunt, could not back down.

However, Cao Qi broke his hand last year while saving someone during a winter hunt, and he probably fears that Cao Qi will end up like him.

Now that there's someone with good skills, he naturally had his eye on him.

Although Cao Ding knew that Chu Mingxu had served in the army, he had never considered including educated youth in his apprenticeship program in previous years.

Therefore, he never seriously considered his abilities.

Now, he has his own reasons for wanting Shen Mu Ning to join the Winter Hunting Team, and he doesn't want any complications.

"Chu Zhiqing, I have my eye on Xiao Shen, you..." Cao Ding was interrupted by Shen Mu Ning before he could finish speaking.

"Hey, Uncle Cao, since Chu Zhiqing has said so, why don't you teach him?"

"You know, as a girl, I really don't want to go out in this freezing weather."

"Besides, I'm not interested in your experiences."

Although Shen Mu Ning didn't know what the old man was thinking, she didn't miss the guilt in the captain's eyes just now.

Moreover, Chu Mingxu is not one to meddle in other people's business.

Either he genuinely wanted that experience, or he reminded himself that something was amiss.

Judging from the captain's reaction, there's probably something fishy going on.

Although she wasn't completely uninterested in winter hunting as she claimed, she was actually quite curious about what winter hunting in Lingbei was like.

But there's a big difference between wanting to go on your own and being tricked into going.

Cao Ding was speechless at what Shen Mu Ning said. It was indeed his oversight that he had tried to lure her with something she had no interest in at all.

When I first said I wanted to take on a disciple, she didn't want one; let alone now, with additional conditions attached.

Seeing this, Cao Ding had no choice but to tell the truth.

"Actually, I did this so that you could join this year's winter hunting team and protect those who go into the mountains to hunt."

Shen Mu Ning and Chu Ming Xu were puzzled. They felt that although there were dangers during the winter hunt, it shouldn't be something that made him so worried.

Gu Chengde had some guesses in his mind, but without confirmation, he dared not be sure.

At this point, only Cao Ding could answer their questions.

Cao Ding glanced at the crowd watching the pig slaughter in the distance, and seeing that no one was coming towards them, he then explained the reason in detail.

“In previous years, I often went into the deep mountains to hunt. Animals would migrate to the deep mountains based on their instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm.”

Therefore, at that time, venturing into the deep mountains was not too dangerous.

However, after Cao Ding was injured, no one ventured into the deep mountains on ordinary days, except during winter hunts.

However, their limited abilities do not deter the animals, so they will continue to spread outwards.

Last year, Qi'er and his friends saw traces of wolves not long after entering the mountains. Although they didn't encounter them, they did run into a large, aggressive herd of wild boars.

If they hadn't been lucky enough to spot the wild boar herd from afar and retreat, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Cao Ding recounted with a look of relief that they hadn't been discovered by ferocious animals deep in the mountains, but this year might be completely different.

"The fact that traces of wolves were found last year proves that their range of activity has gradually expanded."

Shen Mu Ning didn't know what Cao Ding's definition of the deep mountains was.

Based on her two experiences in the mountains, there was no danger when she first entered the deep mountains.

She's been wandering around inside all afternoon, and there's nothing there except for small animals.

"Uncle Cao, I feel that after I went into the deep mountains, it wasn't as dangerous as you said."

Cao Ding shook his head, pointing out their different understandings of the deep mountains.

"The deep mountains I'm referring to aren't the ones everyone generally agrees on, but rather the distance between two more mountains further in."

"But why do people have different understandings?" The boundaries of the deep mountains that Shen Mu Ning knew were those of the older educated youth.

She also discovered that there was indeed a clear dividing line in the deep mountains, meaning that people usually wouldn't go there.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!