Chapter 53: Crafting a Bow and Arrow

Three hours later, Qin Yun woke up, replaced the battery, and started the livestream on time.

As soon as the livestream began, countless viewers flooded in, comments flooded the chat, hearts flew across the screen, and within moments, the viewer count surged to two thousand.

At this moment, someone in the comments was talking about what happened at 3 a.m. yesterday, leaving new viewers utterly confused.

“What’s going on? Did the streamer go live last night?”

“What wild boar?”

“Did the streamer encounter a wild boar? Damn, I missed the action.”

“Why isn’t there a replay? I want to see the streamer battle Second Master.”

“What a shame.”

Qin Yun turned the camera toward himself and smiled: “Good morning, everyone. Yesterday I luckily survived from Second Master’s mouth. Many of you didn’t see it—no worries, I’ll re-edit and upload the video after this livestream ends.”

He pointed to the puddle on the ground: “This is what I dug yesterday—using temperature differences to condense moisture. There’s quite a bit of water here. I can use it to brush my teeth and wash my face, replenish fluids, and even take some away. If I manage to hunt an animal later, I can cook a nice meal.”

Saying this, he pulled out a small boat folded from leaves, drank a mouthful, then washed his face and brushed his teeth, did a quick cleanup, and packed the leftover water to carry with him.

After finishing, he faced the camera and said: “There are new friends here and old friends too—hello everyone. I’m Qin Yun, currently conducting an outdoor wilderness livestream. This time, my challenge is to enter the primeval forest of Daxinganling alone, venture deep into its heartland, and show you the process of survival.”

“I didn’t eat anything last night, so when I woke up this morning, I was hungry. I need to replenish some food. Since the area I’m in is full of flammable terrain, I can’t make an open flame. Without the ability to cook food, my only options are plants and insects.”

“I get plants, but insects?”

“Overseas, Bear Grylls eats maggots like steak.”

“Awesome, is the streamer really going to eat bugs? Looking forward to it…”

“I’m feeling a bit nauseous…”

Qin Yun slung his backpack, turned on his action camera, and the drone followed beside him as he walked forward.

He reached a cluster of shrubs and pointed to the brown tender buds on the branches: “These prickly buds are edible, but best blanched first. Since I can’t make fire now, I’ll just eat them raw.”

Saying this, he plucked a few tender buds and popped them into his mouth, chewing slowly. “Hmm, bitter and astringent—not great.”

“Damn! He really ate them?”

“Streamers are insane—aren’t you afraid of poison?”

“Impressive. Streamer knows his stuff. These tender buds, when blanched and tossed in salad or soup, are crisp and tender, rich in vitamins—but raw, they’re very astringent, bitter, and even irritating.”

“You wrote a lot, I’ll trust you.”

Qin Yun picked more and ate them too. Though the taste was bad, at least his stomach had something in it.

“Haha, look what I found!” Qin Yun’s face broke into a smile.

The camera instantly shifted under his direction to a low shrub, where a dense cluster of blue-purple berries, dusted with a white frost, grew.

Someone in the livestream immediately recognized them.

“Hey, aren’t those blueberries?”

“They really are blueberries—streamer’s got luck.”

“Wild berries are everywhere in the mountains—it’s just a matter of whether you recognize them and dare to eat them. Eat something poisonous, and vomiting and diarrhea are the least of your worries.”

Qin Yun buzzed around like a bee, picking berries. He’d only intended to pick fully ripe ones, but found too few—so he settled for a pile that were nearly ripe.

He treated them as snacks, tossing them one by one into his mouth while walking and talking.

“In the wild, if you’re unsure whether something’s edible, don’t eat it—being hungry is far better than being poisoned.”

“Today I must find a clear, open area with bare ground suitable for making fire. Otherwise, if I encounter another large predator, I won’t be safe. After all, apart from humans, all wild animals have a natural fear of fire.”

As he walked, viewers suddenly saw the streamer approach a tree, then hear him exclaim in delight: “Friends, look what I found!”

The camera zoomed in on the tree bark, revealing a cluster of large black ants.

Qin Yun plucked one ant from the tree and held it toward the camera: “This is a black ant—a type of edible insect.”

The livestream remained calm—eating ants wasn’t anything new.

“But we can only eat the abdomen—never the head or pincer-like mouthparts; both contain toxins.” Qin Yun twisted off the head and mouthparts and tossed them into his mouth, chewed twice, then shook his head. “Taste is average—slightly sour with a hint of salt. By the way, this provides amino acids, but absolutely avoid red and yellow ants—those contain formic acid that corrodes tissue; eating them will burn your mouth.”

On camera, Qin Yun ate ant after ant, working hard—but still felt no real fullness.

“My appetite—eating these ants won’t fill me up. I need something with more energy… like…”

Qin Yun took two steps to the side and pointed to a creature on the tree trunk, its body covered in dense legs.

“See that? High protein, excellent nutrition. Looks disgusting, but it’s perfectly safe to eat raw.”

The livestream exploded.

“Damn, that’s disgusting—what even is that?”

“Streamers, move the camera away—I’m having a panic attack from arachnophobia.”

“Is this poisonous? Looks like a centipede.”

“I think I’ve seen one like this at home.”

“Man, my skin is crawling—streamer’s nuts.”

“…”

Comments flooded in. Qin Yun found it amusing, then pinched the creature between his fingers and said: “This insect’s scientific name is millipede. You might not know millipede, but you’ve heard of ‘thousand-legger,’ right?”

“It does look a bit like a centipede, but centipedes are highly venomous—this one isn’t. Not all millipedes are harmless, but rest assured, this one is definitely non-toxic. It looks gross, but even cities have them. For me, it’s a good protein source.”

“Uh… did I mishear, or did the streamer just say he’s going to eat it?”

“Channeling Bear Grylls and Deere? Go for it!”

“A bit gross—I wouldn’t even hold it in my hand, let alone eat it.”

“Streamers, if you eat this, I’ll immediately do a handstand and eat a pile of my fat dog’s poop.”

The next second, Qin Yun tossed the creature straight into his mouth and chewed loudly.

“Actually, it tastes better than ants. Once you overcome the initial psychological barrier, you get used to it.”

“Damn, I was eating noodles—I just spat them all out.”

“That guy who promised to eat dog poop—send a picture now.”

“Awesome, streamer deserves every penny.”

“Optimus Prime gifts streamer a sports car.”

“Superman gifts streamer a helicopter.”

“Andy Lau gifts streamer a…”

Qin Yun thanked them as usual, thinking: no wonder so many people choose livestreaming—money comes too fast. After experiencing this kind of income, who could sit still in an office grinding away?

After walking about half an hour, Qin Yun pointed to a flat stone ahead: “In the wild, weapons are your lifeline. Because situations like last night? You never know if they’ll happen again. If I’d had a knife then, I wouldn’t have been so helpless.”

“I’ve been searching for suitable materials all along, and now I’ve found them. See that stone? I can make a stone knife from it.”

Qin Yun picked up the flat stone and turned it in front of the camera.

“Making a stone knife is simple. Watch—use this large rock as a hammer, this straighter one as a chisel, then smash like this…”

As he spoke, he brought the hammer down with a series of sharp *thuds*. Several cracks split the flat stone along one edge, revealing sharp, jagged edges.

But it was still too large for him, so he kept striking. After a few more blows, a stone knife small enough to grip took shape.

Watching the stone knife on screen, fans erupted again.

“Streamers 666—this looks razor-sharp.”

“Amazing—you actually made it.”

“This skill level is insane—effortless.”

For Qin Yun, with his carving skill, making a stone knife was child’s play. With proper tools, crafting a beautiful, functional knife would be effortless.

“Thank you for the gifts. If you like me, hit follow—you’ll get notified the moment my next livestream starts, so you won’t miss anything, like last night.”

Qin Yun laughed, thanked everyone again, and kept walking.

The ground of Daxinganling Forest was treacherous—roots and rocks rose unevenly everywhere; one misstep could mean a fall. If not for his superior skills, he wouldn’t walk so calmly.

After another hour of walking, hunger struck again.

He was here for wilderness survival, but that didn’t mean he had to eat bugs and chew grass. If conditions allowed, he still wanted hot food.

After a moment’s thought, he surveyed his surroundings and quickly formed a plan.

“To find a place where I can make fire, I need to prepare ahead.”

“What’s the streamer planning now?”

“Looking forward…”

“The moment the streamer’s eyes twitch, I know he’s got a trick up his sleeve.”

Qin Yun walked around a large tree and came to a slender, straight sapling. It stood only one or two meters tall, with a diameter of three or four centimeters—looked no different from any ordinary sapling.

“This is purple linden wood—its branches are straight, grain dense, and elasticity excellent. I plan to make a bow and arrow from it. That way, I might catch rabbits or other animals—tonight we’ll have a feast.”

“… Did I mishear?”

“Did the streamer just say… make a bow and arrow?”

“Impossible—he has no proper tools in this environment.”

“Streamers are full of hot air—I’ll watch you try. If you actually make one, I’ll send you ten Carnivals.”

This comment immediately received many likes.

“Damn, rich guy—one Carnival is three thousand, ten is thirty thousand—that’s ten months’ salary. I’m crying.”

“666, streamer, your patron’s here—go kneel and welcome him.”

“Tycoon, I bow to you.”

Qin Yun saw the comment too and smiled: “Bo Lang, you’re a man of your word—watch closely.”

Saying this, he glanced at the purple linden sapling, shook his head, and walked to the other side.

“That one had wormholes—not suitable.”

Soon, he selected a suitable piece of purple linden wood, free of scars or insect damage, with a natural curve—a gentle arc that perfectly matched the bow’s draw curve.

He sliced it at the base with a stone knife and slung it over his back.

“The bow stave is ready, but a bow can’t consist of just the stave—it needs a bowstring. Do you know what the best bowstring in the wild is?”

Qin Yun adjusted his direction and pressed forward.

“The best bowstring is yesterday’s second senior brother’s bristles—wild boar bristles are thick and stiff, resistant to pulling, more durable than hemp rope.”

“666, host, you say the best is bristles.”

“How thick and stiff? Show us, host.”

“Bristles as bowstrings? Are you making this up?”

Qin Yun glanced at the screen and smiled: “Wild boar bristles have uniform thickness and high resilience; they resist deformation under tension, perfectly meeting the core requirements of elasticity and durability for bowstrings. Their structure also makes them immune to temperature and humidity changes, enhancing stability. In the era of cold weapons, wild boar bristles were widely used to make bowstrings and brushes—feel free to look it up.”

“Host, your knowledge is impressive—same as what I got from asking DouBao.”

“Awesome, you just spit it out.”

Qin Yun continued: “I won’t go looking for my second senior brother, but maybe I can find some fallen deer sinew in the forest. If there’s no deer sinew at all, I’ll have to gather vines.”