While Yan Zheng was cooking porridge, Jiang Xi went to pick some more red dates.

The jujube tree was too tall for her to reach, and Jiang Xi thought the fallen jujubes on the ground were unclean.

So she spread her cloak on the snow, then used a long pole to knock the dates down, put them in a clean earthenware jar in the cloak, and if she passed by here in the afternoon, she would take them back with her.

Jujube and sweet potato cakes would be delicious; add some honey, and maybe even the deer would like them.

Breakfast consisted of freshly cooked red date and yam porridge and leftover salted chicken from yesterday. Because it was cooked long enough, the red dates had broken open, and the delicate date flesh melted in my mouth with a slight touch. The powdery and glutinous texture of the yam perfectly balanced the sweetness of the dates.

After finishing a bowl, my stomach felt soothed, and so did my mood.

After a satisfying meal, Yan Jing'an leaned against his backpack, having slept soundly through the night. His complexion was much better than yesterday. He shifted his position and lazily asked, "What are your plans for today?"

"Let's head south," Yan Zheng and Jiang Xi replied in unison.

Jiang Xi asked sternly, "You noticed too?"

Yan Zheng smiled: "Yes, the growth of that forest in the south is obviously different from other places. It cannot be ruled out that it is caused by human factors."

Well, that mountain faces south, so the vegetation shouldn't be so sparse.

Jiang Xi smiled broadly: "Great minds think alike, and the vegetation in that forest is clearly more monotonous, consisting mainly of elm and camphor trees."

"

Yan Jing'an rolled his eyes as he watched the two of them talking back and forth, and said irritably, "My two heroes, let me warn you, this forest is not so peaceful."

Yan Zheng didn't speak, and Jiang Xi looked at him questioningly, as if to ask for an explanation.

Yan Jing'an coughed twice and said, "Don't you think it's too quiet here?"

"Ask Yan Zheng, he definitely didn't hunt that pheasant in this forest yesterday."

Yan Zheng hummed in agreement and nodded, saying, "At the foot of the mountain."

Jiang Xi was stunned and looked at Yan Jing'an, gesturing for him to speak quickly.

Yan Jing'an continued, "We often encounter small animals in this forest, not to mention raccoons, field mice, and the like."

"But look, there's nothing here. It's so quiet it truly deserves the name 'deserted village.' There isn't even a single animal footprint in the snow."

When he said that, Jiang Xi really started to have doubts. Logically speaking, there should be no shortage of small animals here, given that there is a jujube tree.

"you mean,"

Yan Jing'an said, "This means there must be a creature at the top of the food chain nearby that scared these little creatures away."

When he said that, Jiang Xi got goosebumps and felt a chill run down her spine. She didn't know what it was.

At this moment, Yan Zheng, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.

"It looks like a bear."

Jiang Xi asked incredulously, "You've seen it, and you know about it?"

Yan Zheng nodded: "Yesterday I deliberately buried the pheasant's internal organs a hundred meters away. When I went there this morning, they were dug up. I recognize the animal's footprints."

As she spoke, she glanced at Yan Jing'an, who was now at a loss for where to look.

Why am I familiar with it? Because I did it myself, leading Yan Zheng through a terrible mess.

Another speechless person was Jiang Xi. She was dumbfounded. She had been living too comfortably. They had all discovered such an important thing, while she was still foolishly thinking about what to eat tomorrow.

She had lived in this forest for three or four months and still lacked this level of sensitivity; she was starting to despise herself.

After getting ready, the three discussed their next move.

Yan Zheng said, "This village is surrounded by mountains on two sides. I have been to the foot of the mountains but did not find anything. At present, only this forest on the south side is a blind spot. It may be the mountain path that the villagers used to walk on. Who knows what we might have found there."

Yan Jing'an guessed that it was most likely another settlement, and the cemetery might even be deep in this forest.

Jiang Xi said, "Then let's go, we're already here."

These words made Yan Zheng smile.

It feels a bit like celebrating the Lunar New Year in the past. Since we've come all this way, we should at least have no regrets.

They can only feel at ease living in their new home if all potential dangers are eliminated.

So, as usual, Yan Zheng led the way, Jiang Xi walked in the middle, and Yan Jing'an brought up the rear.

On the way there, the atmosphere wasn't too oppressive. The trees were covered in silver flowers, and the frost looked even more crystal clear under the sunlight.

Jiang Xi, however, had no time to appreciate the scenery. Her attention was focused on the details of the forest. Just as the two had suspected, the area had indeed been artificially mined.

Many trees have saw marks at their roots. Then new trunks sprout from below the cut, and eventually grow into towering trees again.

Winter was bleak, and there were no dense leaves. Looking around, Jiang Xi saw that nearly half of the trees had grown like this.

Most of them are elm and camphor wood. Sometimes you can see wood scattered on the ground, covered by snow, with the core of the wood corroded and leaving only an empty shell.

Yan Jing'an's muffled voice came from behind: "This place used to have a diverse range of species, and the types of vegetation should have been even more varied than they are now. With the global cold wave, it has started snowing in these mountains in recent years."

The path through the forest was difficult to walk on, and coupled with the fact that his body had not fully recovered, his voice was somewhat breathless.

"If this cold wave doesn't recede, a batch of plants will die every winter. If we wait another ten years or so, this place might end up like the Northwest, with only cold-resistant species like fir and pine remaining."

Jiang Xi walked ahead, listening silently. Upon hearing this, she suddenly remembered that she hadn't seen any banana trees since July. She was afraid it was related to the cold wave. Plants that were not cold-resistant to begin with gradually stopped bearing fruit and reproducing, and gradually disappeared from this area.

She forced a smile and said, "So we need to cultivate more seeds and plant more plants in the next few years."

Although their abilities are also limited.

Then he added, "Once the cold wave passes, we can plant them in the mountains and forests. In a hundred, five hundred, or even several thousand years, the forests may recover on their own. Don't underestimate the power of nature."

Yan Zheng chuckled. These words sounded a bit utopian, but they suited Jiang Xi's style perfectly.

She always has a way of saying encouraging things, even if they aren't very direct, but they make you feel like things aren't so bad after all.

The group walked for about a kilometer while talking and chatting, and at the end of the road they found three or four houses surrounded by a brick and mud wall, most of which had collapsed.

Yan Zheng gripped his sword tightly, braced himself against the waist-high courtyard wall with one hand, and flipped over into the courtyard. He then broke open the gate to let the two of them in.

It was now quite certain that this was a carpentry workshop; even with the thick snow covering it, the piles of wood in the yard were still visible. A wood cart was parked in the far corner.