"puff--"
The red powder instantly covered the wild boar's face, especially its nostrils and eyes.
"Awoooooo!!!"
The wild boar let out a bloodcurdling scream.
The irritation from the chili powder instantly disoriented it, its eyes burned, and its nose was stinging unbearably.
It shook its head frantically, spinning in place, pawing the ground wildly with its hooves, and whimpering in pain; it had no time to think about attacking people.
"Take advantage of the fact that it can't see now and use stones to knock it away!" Xie Huaiye said calmly.
He picked up a few more stones and threw them at the wild boar, making even more noise.
Su Muyao mustered her courage and, imitating Xie Huaiye, picked up small stones and threw them around the wild boar, shouting in a trembling voice:
"Get away! Get away now!"
Others, panting heavily, joined in the noise attack.
The power of the chili powder, combined with the loud noise and flying stones created by the group.
This completely stunned the ferocious wild boar.
It howled in agony, unable to endure the torture any longer. It suddenly turned around and plunged headlong into the depths of the dense forest in a panic.
The dense forest fell silent instantly, leaving only the rapid heartbeats and heavy breathing of a few people.
The campfire was completely shattered, with only a few sparks still flickering.
The pot overturned on the ground, the remnants of snake soup mixed with dirt.
The map had several muddy footprints on it.
The air was filled with a pungent smell of chili peppers.
Sun Wuji slumped to the ground, his back covered in cold sweat.
"My god, that wild boar almost gave me a bloody butt!"
Qi Minghao also slid down against the tree, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and was still shaken.
"That was close! Thank goodness for Yan Ning's packet of chili powder!"
Yan Ning pondered for a moment, picked up the map, and decisively said:
"Everyone, hurry up and get ready. The smell of blood can attract things. We don't want to attract wolves or other big creatures."
"Alright, alright, hurry up and pack your things!"
Upon hearing Yan Ning's words, everyone forgot about their infighting and immediately began packing their bags and extinguishing the campfire.
Yan Ning pointed to a relatively clear route on the map and said:
"Let's not go into the heart of the dense forest. Let's take a longer route and find a path with signs of human habitation. Safety first."
So, the group set off on their trek along the mountain path, bathed in the glow of the setting sun.
The sun, like a giant duck egg yolk, slowly sank behind the distant mountains, leaving only a faint orange-red hue on the horizon.
The mountain breeze gradually brought a chill, raising goosebumps on people's arms.
Just as everyone's legs were aching from walking and they were starting to wonder where they would sleep that night, Qi Minghao suddenly pointed to the valley and shouted:
"Look! There's a house!"
It was a lonely little stone house.
The door was tightly shut, and a dim yellow light shone through the window.
Sun Wuji, the team's diplomat, quickly jogged forward, knocked on the sturdy wooden door, and shouted in a loud voice:
"Fellow villager! Is anyone home? We're hiking and it's getting dark. We'd like to ask if we could stay here for the night. Could you do us a favor?"
There was a rustling sound coming from inside the house. After a while, the door creaked open a crack.
A middle-aged woman's face was visible through the crack in the door; her brow was furrowed, and her eyes held a mixture of wariness and impatience.
"What are you doing?"
Sun Wuji quickly put on a smile, trying his best to appear harmless:
"Hello, ma'am! Excuse me, we're here to film a variety show, an outdoor adventure program."
"Look, it's getting dark, and the mountain road is difficult to travel. Could we... squeeze into your house for the night? We promise not to cause any trouble!"
As he spoke, he gestured to the seven or eight people behind him.
The woman's gaze swept across Sun Wuji's face, then passed over him, carefully examining the group of people behind him carrying large and small bags.
Her brows furrowed even more deeply, as if tied in a knot.
"What kind of variety show is this? A farming show? With so many people, my tiny place can barely fit one of you all! It's too small!"
Before she finished speaking, she slammed the door shut.
Outside the door, a group of people looked at each other, their smiles frozen on their faces.
Qi Minghao muttered under his breath, "Well, we got turned away. This older sister has quite a temper."
Disappointment and a touch of awkwardness filled the air.
Yan Ning sighed and waved his hand: "Let's go, let's keep looking ahead, we need to find the place before it gets completely dark."
With even heavier steps, they continued their journey on the increasingly dark mountain path.
The night slowly spread like ink, and from the distant mountains and forests came the strange cries of night birds, which made one feel a little uneasy.
Suddenly, a flickering light appeared ahead.
It was another, simpler wooden house.
In the open space in front of the house, a man with a full beard was fiddling with some tools by the light of the lantern hanging at the door.
There was also a double-barreled shotgun leaning against the wall next to him.
Sun Wuji took a deep breath, mustered his courage again, and stepped forward, this time speaking in a more polite and cautious tone:
"Brother! Sorry to bother you! Hello!"
The hunter suddenly raised his head, his eyes sharp as an eagle's, like two hooks piercing straight at him.
He instinctively took a half step back, his rough, large hand quickly pressing against the barrel of the hunting rifle behind him, his body tense and full of vigilance.
"Where...did you come from?"
His voice was deep and hoarse, with a heavy accent.
"we are……"
Just as Sun Wuji opened his mouth to explain, a slight buzzing sound suddenly came from above his head.
The drone, flashing red and green indicator lights, hovered steadily above everyone's heads like a giant firefly.
The camera was pointed directly at them and the hunter.
We made it! They walked so fast!
[What's going on? The atmosphere seems a bit tense!]
[Frog Fun, is that a hunting rifle behind that person? It's a bit scary!]
The buzzing iron bird clearly caught the hunter's attention.
He squinted, eyeing the drone warily for a few seconds, then glanced at the group of people carrying large and small bags.
Sun Wuji immediately explained, "We're filming a variety show, an outdoor adventure. We came from the entrance of the Uninhabited Valley and walked all day to get here."
The hunter's tense muscles seemed to relax slightly, and his hand, which had been resting on the gun barrel, moved to his belt.
His tone softened a bit: "Oh, it's something for making TV shows. I was wondering why it looked unfamiliar."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the large group of people, his brow still furrowed as usual:
"However, there are far too many of you. My room is just a tiny kang (heated brick bed), there's really no room for all of you."
Just as everyone's hearts were in their throats, he abruptly changed the subject, pointing to the relatively tidy yard in front of the house:
"But my yard is spacious enough. If you bring a tent, you can camp here if you don't mind."
Halfway through his sentence, the hunter suddenly lowered his voice, his gaze drifting towards the dark mountains in the distance, a hint of deeper meaning in his eyes:
“My fence is quite sturdy. I can build a fire at night, which is much safer than you wandering around in the woods.”
"It's not safe in these mountains at night..."
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