Chapter 280: Da Huang: What a Coincidence

At this moment, the local time was just after eleven a.m.; from noon to three p.m., the Serengeti was at its hottest, with temperatures holding steady around 36 degrees.

From hearing the hyena pack begin to sprint to hunting the gazelle, though the time wasn’t long, the energy expenditure was the greatest he’d faced since arriving here; had his recovery ability not been strong, he would have been completely drained.

Now, he desperately needed food to restore his strength; otherwise, if he encountered another danger, his margin for error would shrink.

With his legendary wilderness hunter skills, following animal tracks, he quickly found a dry riverbed. The edges were lined with green vegetation and acacia trees; Qin Yun walked along the riverbed for a while, finally spotting water.

“Too bad—it’s stagnant water, all stinking. Even if you dig outside the perimeter, the water you extract won’t be usable; no matter how much you filter it, some bacteria can’t be removed.”

Qin Yun sighed, feeling disappointed.

He continued forward, and not far ahead, a tree dense with palm fronds caught his attention.

“No way, there’s actually one of these here.”

Qin Yun exclaimed in surprise, quickened his pace, and arrived at the tree.

“Look, there’s a wild date palm—luck is really on our side.”

Viewers in the livestream watched the massive tree on camera—it looked like a coconut tree, its branches heavy with dense clusters of fruit, appearing abundant.

Qin Yun reached out, plucked one fruit, roughly the size of a jujube, rubbed it on his clothes, and tossed it straight into his mouth. He chewed twice and gave his evaluation.

“Hmm, fairly sweet, decent taste—but the wild date palm fruit this season is half-dried from the sun, low in moisture; still, it can replenish some sugar.”

He patted the wild date palm, then continued:

“Wild date palms are one of the main sources of water for the Maasai and Samburu tribes in the wild. Just carve a V-shaped notch into the trunk to form a channel, and the sap will flow out—during the dry season, you can collect 300 ml per hour. It’s sweet, refreshing, and delicious.”

“I’ll gather some fruit first, then keep searching for water. If I can’t find any, I’ll have to sacrifice this wild date palm.”

Saying this, Qin Yun plucked two large bunches of fruit and continued along the riverbed.

After walking for over ten minutes, he suddenly spotted several footprints along the riverbed—clearly visible.

“Lion!”

The livestream viewers instantly perked up.

Qin Yun looked ahead—the footprints extended along the riverbed, meaning this lion had also come seeking water; by animal instinct, the water source was likely just ahead.

After a while, viewers in the livestream heard the sound of rushing water: “whoosh, whoosh.”

Qin Yun quickened his steps, passed through several clumps of grass, and finally saw flowing water—a tributary, a branch of the riverbed.

The main channel he was on was nearly dead, but this branch still flowed, forming a small stream.

Qin Yun didn’t act rashly; he observed carefully and soon spotted footprints along the stream.

“Look—these prints are from lions, wildebeests, and buffaloes. Clearly, animals frequent this spot. I need to hurry—finish processing the gazelle and leave quickly, so I don’t run into wild animals coming to drink.”

Saying this, Qin Yun reached the stream, drank the remaining water in his canteen, then refilled it. He laid the gazelle down, pulled out his dagger, and began working.

In no time, the gazelle was gutted, its blood scent inevitably spreading. But he didn’t care—he stayed alert, scanning the surroundings, and cleaned swiftly.

Less than ten minutes later, he successfully dismantled the gazelle.

Ribs went to ribs, meat to meat, organs to organs, limbs to limbs, bones to bones; after sorting and packing everything, he slung it onto his back—then froze, slowly turning his head.

The drone followed his movement, slowly pivoting—everyone saw a lion, its body scarred, emerging halfway from the grass, staring fixedly at him.

This sight terrified some viewers.

But viewers with memory instantly recognized it.

“Da Huang—I can’t believe it’s Da Huang.”

“Master Qin, your Da Huang came to find you.”

“Da Huang’s face shows no triumph over prey—only fear.”

“Da Huang: What a coincidence, Master Qin!”

Qin Yun himself recognized the lion—it was the unlucky lion he’d met on his first day, the lone lion he’d named Da Huang.

“Hi!”

Their eyes met; Qin Yun waved his hand.

“Pfft—!”

Netizens burst out laughing.

“Hahaha, Da Huang’s completely stunned.”

“This is hilarious.”

“Da Huang: Hi.”

Qin Yun thought for a moment, pulled a rib with meat from his pack, and tossed it casually to Da Huang.

“Meeting is fate. This is for you. Goodbye.”

Saying this, Qin Yun turned and walked away.

But after walking a hundred meters or so, he stopped—Da Huang, not far behind, was dragging the rib in his mouth, following him.

Everyone could see the lion had no intention to attack—but clearly, it was coveting the meat on Qin Yun’s person.

“Don’t be a beggar—that’s mine.”

Da Huang sat back on his haunches, staring hopefully at Qin Yun.

“Damn it, you’re a lion—go hunt your own food!”

Qin Yun was speechless.

Da Huang tilted his head and licked his tongue.

“Hahaha, Master Qin’s been stuck with a freeloader.”

“Can’t fight back, can’t find food—what else can you do but beg?”

Qin Yun shook his head and kept walking; the lion followed behind. One man, one lion walked for over an hour before Qin Yun finally stopped.

Leaning against a rock ahead, Qin Yun quickly built a fire pit, then dug a hole beside it and lined it with dry grass to burn.

“Gazelle meat is perfect for slow-cooking in the pit—far better than roasting over fire. The ribs, though, are best roasted—brushed with honey to remove the gaminess, they’re absolutely delicious.”

As Qin Yun built the fire pit, Da Huang, seven or eight meters away, gnawed on the rib with meat, eating heartily.

Soon, the sand in the pit glowed red; Qin Yun swiftly wrapped the gazelle meat in leaves, buried it, then covered it with hot soil to steam. On the fire above, the ribs had begun sizzling, fat dripping onto the flames with crackling pops.

Qin Yun’s mouth watered.

Seeing it was ready, he immediately pulled off a rib and bit into it.

“Sss… hot… so tender.”

Watching Qin Yun eat, viewers grew hungry.

“Damn, is it really that good? I don’t believe it.”

“I’m eating Shaxian snacks—you’re eating gazelle meat. Who’s really surviving?”

“Same thing—you’re surviving in the city, Master Qin’s surviving in the wild.”

After finishing one rib, Qin Yun sucked his fingers, then tossed it casually to Da Huang nearby.

Da Huang snapped his head up, caught the rib mid-air, then crunched it into fragments with a loud “crack.”

Qin Yun’s lip twitched—he thought: Jesus, that bite force is insane.

After eating three ribs, checking the time, Qin Yun dug out the pit-cooked meat. As the leaves opened, steam instantly rose.

He tugged lightly—the meat separated effortlessly, visibly tender.

“Mmm, meat’s soft, juices fully locked in—plus honey, delicious.”

After finishing the bundle of meat, Qin Yun felt satisfied. But the remaining meat had to be preserved—otherwise, in this heat, it would spoil fast. He adjusted the fire and began smoking it, which would preserve it for at least three or four days.

As for the organs!

Qin Yun glanced at the liver, kidneys, and heart, then decided to abandon them.

“No parasite risk, but the gaminess is too hard to remove—better give them to Da Huang.”

He walked over to Da Huang with the organs.

Da Huang didn’t rise or tense up—instead, he shook his head slightly, as if greeting him.

Qin Yun placed the organs before Da Huang, then picked up the liver and held it to the lion’s mouth: “Here, eat.”

Da Huang opened his jaws, seized the liver, swallowed it whole after two quick chews.

Then he buried his head into the heart and kidneys, devouring them.

Seeing this, Qin Yun patted his head, then returned to the fire to process the remaining meat.

“Da Huang: Lucky I had foresight—I knew following Master Qin meant meat.”

“Damn, is this even a lion? It acts like a dog.”

“It’s an animal with brains—it saw Qin Yun kill seven spotted hyenas. It knows exactly what kind of terrifying creature he is.”

“Saved my life.”