Lu Fan gently spurred the horse's flanks, carefully guiding Lightning toward the source of the sound.
The dense foliage acted as a natural barrier. Lu Fan crouched down, trying not to make a sound, and through the gaps in the foliage, he finally saw a scene that made his heart race.
A flock of blue sheep were grazing contentedly on a sloping rock face.
These blue sheep are lithe and agile, with muscle lines that shimmer in the sunlight, making it clear that their meat is delicious.
Lu Fan thought to himself that if he could hunt one, it would be enough for him and An Lan to eat for several days. This was a rare and delicious supply.
Lu Fan's palms were slightly sweaty with excitement. He slowly tightened his grip on the bow and arrow, his movements as gentle as if afraid of disturbing the tranquility of the mountains and forests.
He crouched down, knees slightly bent, slowly drew back the bowstring, squinted one eye, and aimed at a rather thin ibex.
The ibex seemed to sense something, its ears twitched slightly, but it did not stop grazing.
Just as Lu Fan was about to release the arrow, a dark figure darted out from the bushes like lightning, its speed creating a gust of wind.
"A cheetah!!"
Lu Fan exclaimed inwardly, but before he could react, the cheetah had already charged toward the herd of blue sheep at an incredible speed.
The argali sheep were instantly thrown into panic, shattering the peaceful scene. They scattered in all directions, their hooves pounding the ground.
One of the large ibex was instantly pounced on by the cheetah. The cheetah's sharp claws dug deep into the ibex's body, and its throat was firmly bitten. After struggling for a few moments, the ibex became still.
Then, the cheetah dragged the ibex and quickly disappeared into the depths of the jungle, leaving only a cloud of dust.
"Damn it, that cheetah really knows how to steal business. The mutton I was about to get just flew away." Lu Fan slapped his thigh in frustration, his face full of resentment, and looked helplessly in the direction where the cheetah disappeared.
The herd of argali sheep were also quite frightened and ran wildly into the distance, quickly disappearing from Lu Fan's sight, leaving Lu Fan standing there staring blankly.
The live stream chat exploded instantly:
"Holy crap, what was that just now?"
"It looks like a leopard, it's incredibly fast."
"The sheep were scared away; that leopard is so wicked."
"But this jungle is really dangerous."
"It's okay if the sheep run away, as long as people are safe."
Seeing that the cheetah had long since disappeared, Lu Fan sighed and comforted himself, "Oh well, it seems we won't be able to eat the argali today. Let's look for other prey."
He patted Lightning's neck, as if to encourage himself or to comfort Lightning, and continued riding Lightning through the mountains and forests.
Around noon, the sun was high in the sky, and the scorching sunlight almost baked the earth.
Lu Fan felt as if he were in a giant steamer, sweat pouring down his forehead and down his cheeks, soaking his clothes.
He found a tree, sat down wearily, and took out the dried meat he had prepared from his backpack to eat.
The jerky was dry and hard, and each bite was quite a struggle, but Lu Fan still ate it with relish. After all, in this wilderness, it was already very rare to have such food.
Lightning grazed leisurely nearby, occasionally flicking its tail to shoo away mosquitoes.
After resting for a while, Lu Fan regained some strength and continued to ride Lightning through the mountains and forests.
Sunlight filters through the gaps in the leaves, creating patches of light that dance and shimmer on the ground, like a beautiful painting.
Lu Fan had no interest in appreciating the beautiful scenery; his mind was completely focused on finding prey. "God, give me a big catch! I'm practically roasted to a crisp by this sun. I'm just hoping to have a good haul to show off to An Lan when I get back."
As Lu Fan muttered to himself, he wiped the sweat from his face with his hand. The sweat evaporated as soon as it appeared in the scorching air, leaving behind a layer of white salt stains.
Perhaps heaven heard his prayers, for just when Lu Fan was parched and almost gave up, a familiar voice rang in his ears.
[Sika deer spotted ahead]
Lu Fan instantly perked up, his eyes widening like copper bells, and he urged the lightning bolt to approach cautiously.
Through the layers of branches and leaves, he saw a sika deer leisurely drinking water by the stream.
The deer was agile and its spots shimmered with a captivating luster in the sunlight, making it look like a forest sprite.
"Goodness, we can't let this duck fly away again!" Lu Fan was so excited he almost shouted out loud, but quickly covered his mouth, afraid of disturbing this hard-won prey.
Although he has an affinity for animals, he has no time to cultivate a relationship with this deer right now; getting rid of it as soon as possible is the best course of action.
Lu Fan gently drew his bow and arrow, nocked it, and took a deep breath to calm his wildly beating heart.
His hands trembled slightly, not only from nervousness but also from anticipation of the delicious meal.
His eyes were fixed on the sika deer's every move, as if the whole world consisted only of him and the deer.
With a "whoosh," the first arrow shot out like a meteor, hitting the deer squarely in the neck.
The deer, in pain, suddenly raised its head, let out a mournful cry, and tried to flee.
Lu Fan wasn't about to let it escape so easily. He quickly nocked a second arrow and fired it with a "whoosh," hitting the deer squarely in the rump.
The deer, dragging its wound, took off running, but its speed was much slower than before.
"Little brat, let's see where you can run to now!" Lu Fan shouted excitedly and chased after them on his Lightning.
Although the deer was seriously injured, its will to survive caused it to unleash astonishing strength, dashing left and right through the mountains and forests, evading Lu Fan's pursuit.
Lu Fan chased after him relentlessly, encouraging himself as he ran: "Hang in there, you'll get it soon. Dinner tonight depends on you."
And so, a thrilling chase ensued between the man and the deer in the mountains and forests.
After running for a while, the deer would stop to catch its breath due to its severe injuries, and Lu Fan would take the opportunity to close the distance.
Finally, after chasing for a long time, the deer could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground.
"Haha, finally done!" Lu Fan excitedly jumped off his horse and ran over to check his spoils.
The deer had already stopped breathing, but its eyes were still wide open, as if it were still expressing its resentment.
Lu Fan patted the deer's head and said, "Brother, I'm sorry, but I have to survive in this wilderness. Just consider it a big favor to An Lan and me."
[Wilderness Survival Announcement]
Chinese contestant Lu Fan triggers a 10,000-fold return.
【Healthy Sika Deer*】
The live stream chat instantly erupted in excitement:
"I knew it! It's okay if the sheep ran away; there will be better ones later."
"As expected, the great god Lu Fan never leaves empty-handed whenever he makes a move."
"This sika deer is even tastier than mutton."
"Have you eaten upstairs?"
"No, but think about it, those rich bosses go to great lengths to eat something rare, it must taste delicious."
Lu Fan was about to tie the deer to Lightning's back when he suddenly caught a glimpse of something purple hanging on the stone wall next to him.
He leaned closer for a look and exclaimed in delight, "Wow, isn't this wild grape? What a wonderful surprise!"
The wild grapes on the rock face were densely packed, each one plump and round, shimmering with an alluring luster under the sunlight, like strings of purple gems.
Ignoring his sweat and exhaustion, Lu Fan immediately reached out to pick them. These wild grapes grew on the rock face, and some parts were quite difficult to reach, but fortunately, Lu Fan was physically strong.
He was like a nimble monkey, leaping and bounding, sometimes climbing up rocks, sometimes stretching out his arms to reach the grapes growing high up.
"This bunch is really big, Anlan will definitely like it." Lu Fan muttered to himself as he picked the bunch.
In no time, he had picked a whole bag full of wild grapes.
He put the grapes in the basket and looked at his two great harvests, feeling extremely proud.
"What a bountiful harvest today! We have enough deer to eat for a long time, and these wild grapes too. When we get back, we'll have Anlan make some wild grape jam; it'll be absolutely delicious."
As Lu Fan thought about it, his mouth almost watered. "It's truly a case of 'a loss may turn out to be a blessing in disguise'."
[Wilderness Survival Announcement]
Chinese contestant Lu Fan triggers a 10,000-fold return.
[Grapevine*]
He laboriously carried the deer onto Lightning's back, hung the wild grapes beside the saddle, and then mounted the horse.
"Let's go, Lightning, let's go home." Lu Fan patted Lightning's neck and walked happily towards the shelter.
Along the way, he hummed a little tune, though he was completely off-key, but he was oblivious to it, immersed in the joy of his achievement.
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