132 Wilderness Survival
◎They will eventually become the kings of this area.◎
Ye Zhizhi and a group of animals walked onto the wooden bridge again. This time the wooden bridge no longer shook. There were solid stones underneath. When they walked and ran back and forth, they felt as steady as if they were walking on the ground.
If the rocks on this road are not washed away, it can last for a very long time.
The squirrels didn't know why they had made such a path, but they were instinctively happy. The wolves, Little Flower, and Big Bear knew full well that with this path, they could come and go normally when the next flood came.
But what puzzled them was that Ye Zhizhi seemed to want to stay here for a long time.
If this place was originally just a temporary place to stay, they would have left in the early spring of this year. It would not have affected them whether this place was flooded or not.
Now it seems that what Ye Zhizhi meant by staying here is not temporary, but long-term?
The wolves knew that the caves here were much better than those in their territory. Prey was plentiful here, the caves were spacious, and there was ample water. However, despite this, they had no intention of branching out and living here permanently. They were content with using them as a temporary lair.
Subconsciously, they will eventually leave here and return to their territory.
The wolves looked at Yin Yi and Ye Zhizhi, with deep thought flashing in their eyes.
Yin Yi didn't react much, as if he was just helping to complete a trivial task and had no idea what Ye Zhizhi was planning.
The project, which took half a year, was officially completed.
Although Ye Zhizhi still wanted to stabilize it a little, there was no rush. They had been busy for so long and it was time to take a good rest.
Even though the friends had good stamina, it was now completely depleted. Ye Zhizhi was also exhausted, so they all went back to their nest to rest.
Ye Zhizhi has been participating in this project. Now that he has relaxed, he feels like his whole body is not his own, and he feels sore, weak, and uncomfortable all over.
She snuggled up next to Yin Yi and slept soundly for five days, waking up to eat and sleeping again. Gradually, she felt like she was coming back to life.
Ye Zhizhi had been staying in bed for a long time. She seemed to have rested enough and was full of energy. She couldn't sleep anymore, so she got up.
Yinyi raised his eyelids, closed them and continued to rest.
Ye Zhizhi went out for a walk, and his friends were still lazily lying in their nests.
She went to the spring cave to wash up, fill her stomach, and stretch her arms and legs. Her bones creaked after lying down for a few days. After her whole body started to move, Ye Zhizhi broke out in a light sweat and felt much more comfortable.
She rested for a while and took a cold shower, feeling that all the fatigue and laziness in her body had been washed away.
At this time, sunlight shines in through the gap, making it warm.
When Ye Zhizhi was lying motionless, she would occasionally think about something. She had already thought of how to use the existing resources to reinforce the stone road.
Now that she had a solution, she was not so anxious for a moment. Instead, she looked up at the dazzling light, then climbed up the crack and stuck her head out to look at the terrain outside.
The world outside the crack in the ground is an empty canyon. This canyon is not a crack in a mountain, but a valley formed between two mountains.
Both mountains are extremely steep and far away, and you can vaguely see the clouds and mist.
She looked down and saw that the steep slope below the crack was not vertical, but tilted at an arc, covered with plants and vines, and there were many cracks between the rocks.
Ye Zhizhi turned over and climbed out of the crack, looking around for a while. She wanted to see if this inclined slope could become a natural road.
The vegetation was very dense, and Ye Zhizhi was buried as soon as she stepped on it. The branches hit her face, and she had to block them from time to time. It was a bit troublesome, so she simply took out a piece of snakeskin from the snakeskin bag and wrapped it around her face, leaving only a pair of lively big eyes exposed.
Ye Zhizhi walked forward for a while and found that the slope was only about twenty meters. Further down was a vertical cliff. He could vaguely see a canyon river below.
There was no way forward in this direction, so Ye Zhizhi went back. She continued to climb up, holding a dagger and a wooden stick in her hands to clear the way.
Even animals rarely pass through the forests here, and the plants grow wildly and unrestrainedly. Ye Zhizhi directly hid in the vegetation, her vision was blocked in front, behind, and on all sides. If there was an animal lying in ambush here, it would be difficult for her to detect it in time.
You can keep walking upwards in this direction. Ye Zhizhi groped his way for a long time and found that he had reached the top of a mountain. This mountain top was quite special. There was still a steep cliff on the left, the same as the cliff on one side of the canyon.
The left side facing the cliff should be the direction of the canyon.
She climbed for a long time and found that this was actually the top of the cave, a jungle that seemed isolated from the world.
There are some small animals here, but no particularly large animals. For large animals, the area here is still too small, but for small animals, this is a paradise.
Ye Zhizhi saw many small holes on the cliff walls, which were dug by small animals.
She could feel the presence of many small animals. She carefully restrained her own breath, and these mountain elves did not notice Ye Zhizhi's existence.
Ye Zhizhi walked to the right. She didn't know what was behind the cave.
The golden sunlight ahead shone through the gaps between the branches and leaves. Ye Zhizhi walked towards the sunlight.
This is the west side.
It was afternoon when Ye Zhizhi climbed out. She had been walking for quite some time, and the sun had already moved to the west, then slowly moved down among the peaks.
Ye Zhizhi looked up at the direction of the setting sun and squinted her eyes slightly. She pushed aside the branches and vines and walked forward. The setting sun in front of her slowly set, and most of it had sunk into the peaks, leaving only a small part still exposed.
Ye Zhizhi stood on a high rock, tiptoed to look, and it seemed that this direction was farther away. At this time, the setting sun had completely sunk into the distant mountain top, leaving only the red glow coloring half the sky.
The evening breeze gently caresses me, bringing a slight coolness.
Ye Zhizhi's hair, which had grown much longer, swayed restlessly on her cheeks in the wind.
She tucked the scattered hair on both sides into the snakeskin, stood and looked for a moment, and did not move forward, but turned back home.
Ye Zhizhi returned according to the route he remembered, and when he returned to the crack, it was already dark.
She climbed up the crack and when she looked up, she met Yin Yi who was sticking his head out of the crack.
Yin Yi was lying in the den. He hadn't seen the wolf sister come back for a long time, and her breath was getting weaker and weaker. He could tell from the smell that she had run off to some corner again.
At first, he could vaguely sense her location, but after she walked far away, he could no longer sense her presence. Yin Yi could no longer lie down and followed the scent.
Then I knew that the wolf girl had crawled out of the crack.
It knew that the wolf girl had planned it when she piled the stones here. She just wanted to go outside, and relying on her small size, she dared to go anywhere.
The severe cold and heavy snow in winter prevented her from moving, but now that she has some free time, she can't sit still.
Yin Yi stepped on the stone and was about to climb out when he smelled a breath getting closer and heard the sound of someone walking slowly.
It narrowed its eyes slightly, and did not go down. Instead, it restrained its breath and continued to cling to the gap.
So when Ye Zhizhi reached into the gap, he met the wolf's eyes that were glowing green in the darkness. Ye Zhizhi: "..."
Is Brother Wolf trying to scare her or is he trying to frighten her?
She wasn't scared.
Ye Zhizhi continued to crawl and squeezed in through the gap. Seeing that Yin Yi did not give her a place, she directly hugged his wolf head and slid down from his body.
A look of helplessness flashed in Yin Yi's eyes. He lowered his claws, jumped to the ground, and carried Ye Zhizhi into the cave.
“Ouch!”
Ye Zhizhi lay directly on Yin Yi's back and whimpered with joy.
She discovered a secret base!
She climbed to the top of the cave. Ye Zhizhi saw a cave with small animals in it, which meant that the rock layer was no longer there, and maybe she could find another way out there.
Ye Zhizhi rubbed Yin Yi, whimpering and sharing his discovery with it.
The next day, Ye Zhizhi not only went out by herself, but also asked Yin Yi to go with her.
Yin Yi naturally had no objection. Even if Ye Zhizhi didn't mention it, he would go out with Wolf Sister today.
It’s because Wolf Girl is so good at running.
Yin Yi had no choice but to follow.
The steep slope coming out of the crack is tilted, but it is not so steep that the wolf cannot stand steadily. As long as it pays a little attention, it can walk as if it is walking on flat ground.
Ye Zhizhi took Yin Yi and continued on the direction of yesterday, and told Yin Yi that other places were not feasible.
However, I will let Yin Yi see the specific situation with his own eyes when the time comes.
If this place becomes a territory in the future, the terrain in front, behind, left and right of the cave must be explored clearly. In the future, whether it is to defend the territory against the enemy or encounter any unexpected situation, the wolves can make the correct judgment based on the terrain in the first time.
Ye Zhizhi led the way, their feet on an uneven rocky soil layer, with vegetation growing everywhere. There weren't many ancient trees with large growth rings here, and most of them were climbing plants.
When Yin saw that the wolf girl was buried in the grass, he simply let her sit on his back, and then ran to a safe place with sparse vegetation based on his instinct and experience.
This direction can indeed go a long way.
But if you think about how deep this cave is, you can understand why. There are many branch caves and natural passages underneath.
You Yinyi walked forward quickly, and their speed was much faster.
Ye Zhizhi kept whimpering and trying to communicate with Yin Yi, telling him to find another way out and to slow down. She was worried that there was a cliff at the end. If Yin Yi ran too fast and took her over the cliff, that would be bad.
They walked for most of the day before they saw the end of the mountain top. Sure enough, there was a cliff below, which looked quite deep and bottomless.
But they had already walked around the cliff in another direction.
Ye Zhizhi thought that if a natural disaster occurred, it should be avoided by changing direction here. It would be even better if there was a road that connected to another mountain.
She changed her mind and thought that this was actually a good idea. The only entrance and exit was in the direction of the canyon. This way, the wolves only needed to be wary of threats from this side, rather than from all directions.
There's a reason this canyon cave has been so isolated for so long: the canyon is the only entrance and exit, and during the rainy season, the only exit is flooded. That's why it's survived this long without being invaded by predators.
From a certain perspective, this is a terrain that is easy to defend but difficult to attack.
Ye Zhizhi asked Yin Yi to go back and run forward directly, as this was the direction of the canyon.
Sure enough, after running and walking for nearly two hours, they saw the winding canyon. When they reached the end, they saw the crowns of two ancient trees below, which were lush and green and blocked the entrance to the cave.
The treetops were about thirty or forty meters above where they were.
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, Ye Zhizhi and the others would never have imagined that there was an entrance to a huge cave under the tree canopy.
After looking at this side, Ye Zhizhi asked Yin Yi to look in the other two directions. The direction of the canyon was also full of cliffs, and there was no way to go after walking for a while.
Ye Zhizhi thought that this place should also be considered a refuge. Although there is no second way out, it should still be able to play some role?
Ye Zhizhi asked Yin Yi to remember the location and route here. Not only Yin Yi, but also other wolves, should come up and take a look next time.
Whether it can be effective at that time depends on the judgment of the wolf pack.
Ye Zhizhi and Yin Yi spent three days exploring the environment outside the crack, and then she ran out to the bank of the canyon river.
When the other animals saw Ye Zhizhi running out with full energy, they followed him after they had rested enough.
They had not eaten during these days of rest, so it was a good opportunity for them to go hunting first. After filling their stomachs, they followed Ye Zhizhi around.
Ye Zhizhi has already figured out how to solidify those stones, and it is always a matter of adapting to local conditions.
She thought of vines, or rather, not just vines, but other plants as well.
The vines that Ye Zhizhi pulled off and tied to the tree branches were dead and would rot over time, thus losing their function. But what if they were alive?
She recalled that areas along riverbanks experiencing severe soil erosion often pay special attention to afforestation to prevent soil erosion. One important reason for this is that plant roots can be used to anchor the soil. A well-developed root system forms a network structure that firmly locks the soil in place.
Similarly, if she planted plants with well-developed root systems along the edges and sides of the stone path, they would also be able to hold the stones firmly in place.
Given that this side of the stacked stones floods during the rainy season and winter, she needs to find plants that not only have well-developed root systems, but also root-like plants that can grow in water without being eroded.
Ye Zhizhi specifically went to the edge of the river bank to look for those climbing plants that grew very fast.
Hard work pays off, and Ye Zhizhi finally found suitable plants, and more than one variety.
Ye Zhizhi didn't know which ones would work, but it would be best if they could all be kept alive.
There is not much soil between the stones, but these stones have not been specially cleaned, and many of them have a layer of humus. Ye Zhizhi believes in the survival ability of plants. If planted in the cracks of the stones, the plants will instinctively move towards where they can grow.
So Ye Zhizhi just put a little mud in the gaps between the stones, and then stuffed the roots of the plants into the stones.
Three types of plants were planted in each area. She saw that their root systems were very dense and long. The roots were very tough and thick, and even she could not tear them apart easily.
And she doesn't need to plant them all the way. If these plants can survive, they will automatically spread in all directions between the rocks and occupy their living space.
In addition to planting plants in the cracks of the rocks, the road surface is also not spared. Vines pulled down from the rock wall, or vines pulled out from nearby forests are planted in the cracks between the rock wall and the stone. They take root between the cracks of the stone and the rock wall, and then the vines with roots will grow and spread to the ground, growing all the way down.
This also prevents the raft on the ground from rolling out one day.
According to Ye Zhizhi's imagination, after these woods rotted for several years, they would become soil that nurtured plants. Slowly, dead branches and leaves would accumulate, and animals would trample on them. Over the years, this path would become a real road.
And even if the ground is covered with plants, it will not affect the wolves' movement.
In this way, the stone road surrounded by plants seems to be integrated with the rock wall.
No matter how big the flood is, even if it submerges this road, the developed root systems of different plants are connected in the cracks between the rocks, forming a whole, and no matter how big the flood is, it cannot wash them away.
Ye Zhizhi thought about it and felt that this method was very feasible.
So after planting the plants in the cracks of the rocks, I planted vines and manually adjusted their growth direction.
Although spring has passed, it is still the season when plants grow vigorously.
Moreover, these plants remain green even in winter.
Because of this path, Ye Zhizhi didn't plan to return to the territory this year, choosing instead to continue living here. She wanted to see for herself how effective this path was, and whether it was as she imagined.
For this reason, she suppressed her strong longing and continued to familiarize herself with this area with her friends.
It won't be easy for this place to become a hunting territory for wolves in the future, as there are many powerful predators living in this area.
It can be said that only the area from the canyon to the cave is the real territory, and in the mountains and forests, one still needs to compete with other predators.
But it doesn’t matter anymore. To a certain extent, those predators will also become prey of wolves.
Ye Zhizhi believes that if the wolves survive and develop here, the population will be very large and they will eventually become the king of this area.
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