Chapter 3: Red-haired Squirrel!

Leaving the city, Qin Shuo hurried into the mountains.

Blackwater City lies beside mountains and water; to the west, continuous mountains abound with game, yet are also the most dangerous, often prowled by fierce beasts.

However, having grown up familiar with the western mountains, Qin Shuo knew something about the distribution of beasts there, so he wasn't worried about suddenly stumbling into a wolf's den or tiger's lair.

He carried a quiver of arrows on his back and pressed deeper into the mountains.

Based on his previous trips into the mountains, the area around Dragon Tree Gully has the most birds and even roe deer.

That was his first destination for today.

The summer heat was intense.

Even though Qin Shuo set out early, by the time he reached Dragon Tree Gully it was already mid‑morning, and he was soaked in sweat.

He set down his quiver, hid behind a large rock in the mountain ravine, and stared at the distant pool.

Last time, he had encountered a roe deer coming to drink here.

Unfortunately, his archery was still rudimentary then; he missed and could only watch helplessly as the foolish roe deer darted into the woods.

Afterward he came to wait several more times, never seeing that roe deer again, but he did notice many birds perching on the big tree beside the pool.

His goal today was to wait for that roe deer.

If he couldn't get it, he would shoot a few birds to take home.

After refining Old Man Qin's ox‑horn great bow, his archery is no longer ordinary; within fifteen zhang, whatever he sees he will surely kill.

Such archery is rare even throughout Blackwater City.

So Qin Shuo is not in a hurry; he patiently waits for game to appear.

The summer heat is scorching.

Many animals come to Dragon Tree Gully to drink and escape the heat.

And this is Qin Shuo's opportunity.

Time passed minute by minute.

Qin Shuo wore a simple hat woven from branches, hid in a rock crevice, and lay in wait patiently.

Suddenly, a squirrel‑like creature appeared in his field of view.

It resembled a squirrel because of its long tail, but its size was exaggerated—about as big as a rabbit—and it had a tuft of red fur on its head.

It was precisely that red tuft that let Qin Shuo spot it at once among the lush green grass.

"Here to drink water!"

Qin Shuo's eyes lit up; he slowly drew an arrow from his back and nocked it on the bowstring.

"Too far; wait for it to come closer."

Qin Shuo held his breath, his nerves stretched to the limit.

"Huh? Why isn't it moving?" Qin Shuo exclaimed.

The red‑haired squirrel, having approached to about fifty meters from the pool, lay motionless in a clump of grass.

"What's going on? Did it notice me?"

Qin Shuo's heart jumped.

This was the first game he had painstakingly waited for.

If it ran off like that, he would literally vomit blood.

Something strange happened.

The red‑haired squirrel seemed to have made its home in the grass, refusing to budge.

Qin Shuo felt anxious, hesitating whether to approach actively.

His hiding spot was about thirty meters from the pool—an ideal concealment and shooting range.

If he took the initiative, startling the red‑haired squirrel, given his speed and the distance between them, he would most likely come up empty.

Wait a bit longer!

Qin Shuo made up his mind.

He didn't believe the little creature had really settled there.

The sun was blazing.

Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead into his eyes, blurring Qin Shuo's vision somewhat.

Just then, there was movement on the slope across the water.

It was a gray wild rabbit.

Unlike the red‑haired squirrel.

This wild rabbit, after each advance, would look left and right; seeing no threat, it would calmly come to drink under the tree.

At this moment, Qin Shuo's raised arm was beginning to ache.

He now had two choices: either shoot the rabbit, startling the red‑haired squirrel.

or gamble that the red‑haired squirrel would come down to drink, letting the easily caught rabbit go.

An intense internal struggle ensued.

In the end,

Qin Shuo chose the latter.

His intuition told him the red‑haired squirrel was extraordinary, possessed spirit, and he wanted to take a gamble.

Most importantly, the red‑haired squirrel is a size larger than the rabbit and has more meat.

Watching the rabbit finish drinking and leave, Qin Shuo felt his heart bleed.

If the red‑haired squirrel doesn't come down the mountain, he will suffer a great loss today.

But the reality is……

He guessed right!

After the wild hare left, the red-furred squirrel poked its head out from the grass and darted straight to the water under the tree.

Qin Shuo immediately drew his bow to a full moon, ready to shoot at any moment.

Eighty meters

Sixty meters

Fifty meters

…

Whoosh!

The arrow pierced the air, hitting the target in one strike!

The red-furred squirrel was shot in the throat about five meters from the water, pinned to the ground.

Exhale!

Qin Shuo heavily exhaled a breath of foul air, his tense body instantly relaxed, a sore numbness spreading from his arms.

He quickly walked to the pond's edge, picked up the red-furred squirrel and put it into his carrying basket.

Flap-flap!

Qin Shuo, who had intruded into the pond, startled the mountain birds originally perched on the tree, causing them to flap their wings and fly off in all directions.

Whoosh! whoosh! whoosh!

Qin Shuo fired three arrows in succession.

Two mountain birds fell.

Another one was farther away; the arrow grazed its wing and flew past, shedding many feathers.

"We'll have meat to eat tonight!"

Qin Shuo was overjoyed.

He had been in this world for over a month, hadn't even seen oily food yet, and was already craving it badly.

Splash!

Suddenly, the sound of rocks rolling down from the diagonal rear caught Qin Shuo's attention.

He abruptly turned his head and saw a black wild boar charging down from the direction where he had previously lain in ambush.

"Wild boar!"

Qin Shuo's heart jumped; he quickly nocked an arrow.

The wild boar also spotted Qin Shuo by the pond and stopped about a hundred meters away from him.

Its two ferocious tusks were exposed, its eyes fixed on Qin Shuo, as if hesitating whether to attack.

Qin Shuo did not act rashly; he merely drew his bow fully, ready to shoot at any moment.

He was confident that if the wild boar charged, he could kill it when it came within fifty meters.

But the wild boar was very alert; after locking eyes with Qin Shuo for a few seconds, it turned and fled.

"If I had known, I would have waited longer."

Qin Shuo felt a bit regretful.

Such a big wild boar would surely fetch four or five taels of silver.

At the same time, he thought that Longshu Gou had plenty of good things—first the roe deer, now the wild boar; he could come often in the future.

Leaving Longshu Gou.

Qin Shuo headed straight for his next destination.

It was a mountain hollow.

When he previously entered the mountains, he had encountered hares and hazel grouse there.

Hard work does not betray those who put in effort.

After a period of lying low,

Qin Shuo seized the opportunity, successfully shooting a hazel grouse and a hare.

Seeing the sun already westward, Qin Shuo didn't delay, putting all his game into the carrying basket, preparing to descend the mountain.

He broke off some pine branches to cover them, to prevent the heat from affecting the meat quality.

When he rushed back to Heishui City, the sun had already begun to set.

The evening weather gradually cooled; many city residents had finished dinner and come out for a stroll.

Having learned from yesterday's lesson, Qin Shuo deliberately quickened his pace when passing the locust tree square today, not wanting to linger there.

Although he didn't return empty-handed today, he also didn't want to waste words with that bunch of idle old geezers.

However, things didn't go as wished.

When he passed the old locust tree, he was just relieved that those old geezers hadn't noticed him today,

a deep voice sounded from behind, with a teasing tone:

"Yo, isn't this Ah Shuo? Why are you in such a hurry? Did you run into thieves?"

Qin Shuo turned his head.

He saw a youth about one or two meters tall striding toward him.

His arms were thick, muscles knotted, like a humanoid brown bear, strong and powerful.

"Brother Xiong?"

Qin Shuo raised his eyebrows, recognizing the person.

It was none other than the son of the firewood-fishing butcher Zhang, Zhang Xiong.

"You brat, running so fast—did you catch something good? Are you afraid I'll steal it from you?"

Zhang Xiong laughed while joking.

"No, it's not that I'm hungry; I'm in a hurry to go home and eat."

Qin Shuo laughed while responding.

As for Zhang Xiong, Qin Shuo still feels fond of him.

He had previously heard Qin Lan say that when he was seriously ill, Zhang Xiong was one of the few who came to visit him.

Moreover, according to the previous incarnation's memory,

The relationship between Old Man Qin and Butcher Zhang is good, and most of the game they hunt is taken to Butcher Zhang to help sell.

"Uncle Zheng says you haven't been studying lately and have started learning to hunt.

I didn't believe it before. Come, let me see what good things you've caught today, you're in such a hurry walking."

Zhang Xiong laughed as he walked up close, sticking his head to look into Qin Shuo's back basket.

"What good stuff could he catch? His basket's been empty for days; we've been watching, hahaha!"

Just then, an untimely voice came from under the old pagoda tree,

The speaker was none other than

exactly the Old Man Zheng who had been mocking Qin Shuo's empty basket all along.

That is, the Zheng Bo that Zhang Xiong refers to.