Chapter 175: Chinese Magic — The Fire Taper

Hansen is a farmer in England; his family has operated the farm for over two hundred years.

He inherited the farm from his father, but most other farmers his age are elderly, as their descendants no longer wish to take over.

Hansen chose this life because he loves it—he enjoys the fields and grasslands, spending his free time hunting and camping outdoors. Over time, he grew deeply familiar with the wilderness. With the rise of self-media, he started an account to share farm life, and his viewership has been decent.

He signed up for this wilderness survival show to gain more traffic, hoping it might help transform his farm.

His spawn point is a relatively flat area, just a few hundred meters from Atlin Lake. His check-in point is also along the lakeshore, so he only needs to walk forward—no real risk of getting lost.

Britain is an island nation surrounded by sea, so Hansen is no stranger to water; he has extensive fishing experience.

His three pieces of gear are an axe, a box of matches, and a fishing line.

As soon as he landed, he didn't rush into action. Instead, he walked two or three kilometers before setting up camp.

He used matches to light a fire, a natural concave stone trough by the lake as his pot, and ice he chipped off to get water. While others were still trekking, he was already sipping steaming hot water.

After drinking, he entered the forest, dug up a pile of earthworms from the ground, tied them to his fishing line, and immediately began fishing through the broken ice.

Indeed, the burbot beneath Atlin Lake bit the earthworms easily; though they slipped off a few times, he still managed to reel in several.

"Hahaha, this is too easy—this championship is mine for sure."

Hansen, in his thirties, is muscular with a thick beard, looking very pleased with himself.

After eating the fish soup, he felt fully satisfied and brimming with energy.

Hansen walked into the forest. The lakeshore was bitterly cold, the wind biting hard—he chose the forest to build his shelter.

With his axe, Hansen built his shelter easily. Before nightfall, he hollowed out the inside of a fallen dead tree, packed it with leaves and moss at both ends, and soon felt warmth radiating inside as he curled up.

British viewers admired Hansen's shelter and flooded other livestreams with comments.

"Go check out Hansen from Britain—his shelter is huge and warm."

"Hansen had a huge haul today—far better than others."

"I just left Hansen's livestream—he's got a very high chance of success."

But… "Ahhhh!"

Hansen stepped out of his shelter to urinate, and a piercing scream echoed through the livestream.

…

As darkness gradually fell, Qin Yun completed his shelter.

Though small, it offered good protection. To avoid being attacked by wild animals at night, he dug a trench around the entire shelter and piled burning branches along the edge. Even if the flames faded quickly, the residual heat remained for a while, providing some deterrent effect.

"Now I'll process my spruce grouse."

Qin Yun carried the grouse's corpse to the stream. At his appearance, several small animals instantly bolted away.

He ignored them, set up his camera, and began eviscerating, plucking, and cleaning the internal organs.

After finishing, he dug a pit nearby, kicked the organs and feathers inside, and packed the earth tightly over them.

"This way, the smell will disappear quickly—I won't have to worry about blood attracting carnivores."

More importantly, this stream is flowing water—the odor will be washed away and purified rapidly.

After cleaning the grouse, he began washing the lichen, slicing it into pieces with his dagger.

"I plan to boil this lichen in the grouse broth. Once cooled, I'll mix it with cloud berry juice—it'll make a great snack on the go."

"Watching Qin Ye's wilderness survival feels so relaxed and effortless."

"Haha, because he's Qin Ye."

"Guys, have you checked out other livestreams?"

"Just got back—nothing obvious yet, but several others look very professional. A guy named Tang Mu from the U. . killed a lynx right away—damn, he's fierce."

After finishing all preparations, Qin Yun returned to his shelter.

With fire here, most animals dare not approach—even large ones like grizzly bears.

So in the wilderness, fire isn't just a source of food—it's also the best weapon for self-protection.

He made two trips, splitting the fire into two parts: one for smoking the grouse, the other for boiling the broth.

"Look here—these are young branches of saltbush. Their bark has a natural salt crust. Scrape it off—it's a natural seasoning. Sprinkle it in soup or on grilled meat to enhance flavor and replenish lost salt. In extreme cold, salt depletes fast—this is invaluable."

He'd collected many of these saltbush branches along the way, because Qin Yun knew this survival challenge differed from his usual livestreams.

First, the duration will exceed a month—if others last longer, it could stretch even further.

So he must consider intake of various trace elements in his food.

Without salt, most people won't last long—this was covered in the training camp.

"And this—this is rock lichen. Crushed and added to food, it enhances umami. I'll use it like MSG. And this—looks rotten, but it's not; it's frozen cloudberries. Tart and sweet, perfect for replenishing vitamins."

Qin Yun placed each item he'd gathered before the camera and explained them one by one, as if they were treasured possessions.

It felt as though he hadn't entered the wilderness, but a food warehouse—everything he needed was within easy reach.

When he finally sat down to eat, the aroma had already spread, making his mouth water uncontrollably.

He glanced at the broth in the stone trough, sprinkled in some cloud berries and salt crust, stirred gently, and the fragrance intensified. Right before the camera, he eagerly took a sip—the sour, salty, savory flavor exploded in his mouth.

Especially with the grouse's texture, it rivaled dishes from civilized society, and the harsh environment made it even more delicious. Of course, his cooking skill was the main factor.

Even the most ordinary ingredients became exquisite under his hands.

"Mmm, delicious—too bad you can't taste it." Qin Yun devoured his meal greedily, making viewers' appetites surge.

"This bastard—I'm starving just watching."

"I just ordered KFC."

"I can't take it—I need to eat something."

"Qin Ye, is this really wilderness survival? You're even eating wild game."

After eating his fill, he left the smoked grouse to continue smoking, and dropped the lichen into the boiling stone trough.

"I'll keep the smoked grouse as emergency rations—this weather won't let it spoil. Now, I'll show you how to make a traditional Chinese fire-starting tool—the fire taper. It was a household essential in ancient China, designed to smolder without oxygen, then reignite instantly when blown."

Qin Yun approached a birch tree; many fallen pieces of bark lay at its base. He picked up a few, smiling: "The core of a fire taper is the wick. Make the wick well, and it burns slowly and lasts long."

Many materials can be used. Here, I'll tear the birch bark into extremely thin, fine fibers, mix it with pine resin shavings and dried moss, then roll it into a finger-thick, tightly packed stick.

For Qin Yun, making these was instinctive memory—his hands moved without hesitation.

Effortlessly, the camera captured his entire wick-making process—under ten minutes total.

"But a wick alone isn't enough—we need to house it in a tube." Qin Yun picked up a hollow, dry birch branch. "See this? Perfect. I just need to hollow it out."

Quickly, he shoved the rolled wick into the tube, leaving a small tip exposed, tied a pull-string outside, and sealed the end with moss.

He showed the finished product to the camera and laughed: "Many might wonder—is this enough? No. The most crucial step remains: ignite and smolder."

He brought one end of the wick to the fire, lit it, waited until the flame burned down, then gently blew it out, leaving only a glowing ember. Then he swiftly capped it with a birch bark lid pierced with a tiny hole.

"There. Let it smolder in oxygen-deprived silence—it'll stay glowing. When you need it, lift the cap and blow gently—it reignites instantly."

"This one I made can smolder for over six hours. Within those six hours, I can pull it out anytime. But the journey ahead is long, and suitable materials are plentiful—I'll make more."

Thus, Qin Yun crafted one fire taper after another. By the time darkness fully fell, he had stored nearly twenty in his backpack—enough to last through the first week.

According to time, it was barely past five in the afternoon—but the sky was already pitch black.

He couldn't truly rise with the sun and sleep with the moon; otherwise, the seventeen- to eighteen-hour night would leave him idle.

With fire and food secured, he returned to the forest, gathered many birch bark strips, cut them into thin lengths, and began weaving before the camera.

As a legendary wilderness hunter, his manual skills were terrifyingly sharp—he could weave a vine bag by hand with ease.

His daytime backpack was too crude. Now he had time to make a sturdier, more durable, and spacious one.

"This is a unique weaving technique from northern China. Watch—I cut the birch bark into even thicknesses." Qin Yun explained carefully. "No extra fasteners needed. Just align the ends of two strips, weave in birch fibers, then lightly roast with fire—it becomes extremely strong, rot-resistant, and moisture-proof."

"This technique is called 'opposing seam weaving,' used by China's northern ethnic group, the Evenks. It's uniquely Chinese—baskets and backpacks made this way outlast modern manufactured ones. But due to my current limitations, I've skipped many steps—in reality, it requires over a dozen procedures."

Qin Yun's hands moved swiftly, his skill so refined it made viewers dizzy.

Under his deft fingers, the outline of a full-sized backpack began to take shape.

"If I followed strict procedures, it'd take one or two days. But I don't need perfection—just durability. A rough appearance doesn't matter." Qin Yun rose again to gather more birch bark.

"By bedtime, I should finish a full-sized backpack."

Viewers seeing Qin Yun's masterful weaving for the first time were stunned.

"Damn—do you need to know all this for wilderness survival?"

"Incredible—Qin Ye is amazing. He's literally spreading our culture to the world."

"Solid. Qin Ye's got this."

Around ten at night, Qin Yun stopped. A complete, uniquely crafted shoulder backpack was finished. He slung it across his waist, showed it to the camera, and grinned: "Hahaha, not bad, right? Now I can store everything in here."

He unslung the backpack, about to shut off the camera and rest, when he suddenly remembered something.

He patted his head: "I almost forgot the fire taper—it's been about six hours since I made it. It should still work."

He pulled out the taper, removed the cap.

Sure enough, faint red embers still glowed. He blew gently—the flame instantly reignited.

But just then, a deep rumbling sound suddenly echoed from the sky, growing louder.

Qin Yun looked up. Through the dim firelight, he saw a massive shadow flash across the sky, then vanish—the sound faded until nothing remained.

"A helicopter? Did someone get eliminated?"

Qin Yun frowned.

It was only day one—someone already eliminated?

"I hope it's not Guo Yao." He shook his head silently, turned off the camera, and could only hope so.