He squatted beside the wild boar carcass, his movements swift and efficient. First, he cut open the abdomen, took out the internal organs, and placed the pig's liver and intestines in a small porcelain basin he carried with him. Then, he peeled off the skin from the neck down.
The firelight on Lanzi's side was bright, making her already thin face appear even more angular. She would occasionally look back at her surroundings, but her ears were always perked up.
Before long, Du Jianshan peeled off most of the pigskin, shook the blood off his hands, and said while wiping them, "Cut off the leg meat first, and we'll deal with it more carefully when we set off tomorrow."
"Can this fire be used for cooking?" Lanzi tried placing the porcelain basin next to the fire.
Is there enough water?
"There's still half a pot left."
"Okay, wash the liver and cook it, but don't overcook it, it's good for replenishing blood."
Lanzi took the pig liver to the stream to wash it. When she returned, a cold wind hit her face, and her fingers, which had been soaked in cold water, turned red from the cold. As she sliced the liver, she asked, "Did you often do this before, hunting and cooking for yourself all by yourself?"
Du Jianshan grunted in agreement, tore off a few pieces of lean meat from the pig's leg, sprinkled some salt on it, and hung it by the fire to dry.
"Is anyone home?"
He paused, didn't answer, and after a long while said indifferently, "It's long gone."
Lanzi lowered her head and didn't ask any more questions. She just added a few more pieces of firewood to the side of the fire closest to her. "Eat something if you're hungry. I'll keep an eye on things."
"I can't eat anything too hot." Du Jianshan wiped his face, sat down by the fire, leaned against a piece of dry firewood, but kept his eyes fixed on the direction of the woods.
"You don't trust that Cai Changgui will go far?"
“He’s not so easy to deal with.” Du Jianshan sneered. “That guy is cunning; he might still be hiding in the shadows watching us right now.”
Lanzi gripped the stick in her hand tightly: "Should we go somewhere else?"
"Let's eat before we leave. Traveling at night is not good, but sleeping here is even more dangerous."
Lanzi nodded, then suddenly whispered, "When I was little, I heard people say that there is a 'Returning Soul Ridge' in the mountains. If you hear someone calling your name on the road at night, you must not answer."
Du Jianshan remained unmoved: "You still believe in these things?"
“...Even if you don’t believe it, you’re still afraid.” She gave a wry smile. “Especially in the mountains, it’s dark and cold, and when the wind blows, it feels like someone is breathing behind you.”
Du Jianshan remained calm: "Don't believe everything you hear. If anything happens, I'll cover for you."
Lanzi's heart skipped a beat. She didn't say anything more, just gave a soft "hmm" and handed over the cooked pork liver soup. "You drink it first."
He took the bowl, held it in his palm for a few seconds to warm it, then took a sip and said softly, "Not bad."
"Just a little salt." Lanzi smiled. "I'm fine as long as you don't mind it being bland."
After a simple meal, the two cleaned up the meat, extinguished the fire, covered up any traces with dry grass, and quickly packed their backpacks.
Du Jianshan picked up his knife and said in a low voice, "Let's go."
Lanzi carried the basket on her back, holding a short stick in one hand, and followed closely behind him.
As the moonlight deepened, the mountain path leading to the lime kiln became damp and slippery, forcing the two to hunch over and proceed with utmost care. Halfway there, a gust of wind arose, and a strange, inhuman "whooshing" sound echoed through the forest.
Lanzi jerked violently and nearly lost her footing, but Du Jianshan reacted quickly and pulled her back.
"Don't panic, it's just the wind blowing through the valley." He frowned and said, "There's a cave on the other side of the mountain pass. When the wind enters the cave, it makes a sound."
"I'm not afraid," Lanzi said through gritted teeth.
"Well, if you're really not afraid, I'll take you to hunt weasels when we come down the mountain."
"real?"
Why would I lie to you?
The two continued on their way and finally arrived at the abandoned lime kiln before dawn.
Du Jianshan pushed open the half-collapsed wooden door, and a cold wind rushed in, along with a musty smell.
"Go inside and rest for a while, I'll keep watch," he said.
"No need, I'll keep watch for a while, you take a rest." Lanzi turned to look at him, "You've been up all night."
"I'm a man, I can endure it." He said in a low voice, then moved a few stones by the door to block the gap, and then picked up the bamboo basket and spread out the dried meat.
"Didn't you say we needed to change our accommodations? How many days are we planning to stay?"
"Two nights at most." Du Jianshan looked up at the sky. "Tomorrow we have to avoid the wild dog den on the other side of the mountain and go south again, and try to reach Huangmaoling the day after tomorrow."
Lanzi nodded, then suddenly lowered her voice: "Do you... know that someone is following us?"
Du Jianshan's eyes flashed, and he looked in the direction she was pointing—more than ten steps away from the campfire, two rows of thin footprints were clearly visible on the snow.
"It's not our shoe print." Lanzi's voice trembled.
"Okay." Du Jianshan extinguished half of the fire and said in a low voice, "You stay by the wall, I'll go outside and take a look."
"You...be careful on your own."
"Don't worry." He drew his knife, put on his old cotton-padded coat, and quietly left the lime kiln.
Lanzi sat in the corner, clutching the charred firewood tightly, her heart pounding like a drum.
The snow outside was getting thicker, and the footprints were blurred by the wind. Du Jianshan searched halfway around the edge of the woods when suddenly a low growl came from behind him—
"Don't move!"
It's Cai Changgui's voice!
"You dare to scare people after peeping out?" Du Jianshan said coldly, turning around and sweeping his sword horizontally—
But there was no one behind him, only a stone with a tattered cloth tied to it rolled out from behind the tree and hit him right on the shoulder!
"Damn it!" He gritted his teeth, stumbled back half a step, and in the cold wind, a dark figure suddenly rushed out!
"You were lying in ambush!" Du Jianshan roared and pounced on the dark figure. The two grappled, their blades flashing, and the trees in the forest rattled as they were struck.
Inside the lime kiln, Lanzi heard the commotion and rushed out with her stick, shouting, "Du Jianshan! Where are you!"
"Don't come any closer!" His shout came from afar.
Lanzi, however, had already rushed into the forest, torch held high, her steps faltering, yet she refused to retreat.
"You dare to fight me to the death!" Cai Changgui panted heavily, slashing his knife across Du Jianshan's arm and tearing a gash in it.
Du Jianshan sneered, "You're not worthy."
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