Chapter 2: Destitute? The Mountain Heart Begins to Awaken!

Lu Qingshan's hoarse roar echoed in the broken house, then was swallowed by the howling north wind.

Lin Yue'e's hand gripping the knife did not loosen, her knuckles whitening.

She looked at him, her eyes filled with fear that could not be dispelled, mixed with a hint of incredulous bewilderment.

This man, just a moment ago drunk and beating people, after taking her kick, lying down then getting up, now says these things—has he truly awakened, or is he just trying some trick again?

She dare not believe it.

She simply cannot believe it.

After so many years of beatings and scolding, that tiny spark in her heart had long been completely stomped out.

She simply held her daughter in her arms tighter, that being her only reliance.

Lu Qingshan said no more.

He knew that saying anything now would be useless.

Trust shattered, trying to piece it back together is hard.

He drew a breath of ice‑cold, bone‑piercing air mixed with smoke ash and mold, suppressed the burning sensation in his stomach, and reached out to push open that rotten wooden door.

"Creak——"

The door hinge let out a groan unable to bear the weight.

As he passed through the doorway, a fiercer cold wind rushed in at once, mercilessly lashing his face.

Cold enough to pierce the heart.

He instinctively shrank his neck, pulling down his dog‑skin hat a bit; in the cold wind, that tattered cotton coat of his was utterly useless.

Outside the door, a vast expanse of white.

Thick snow covered everything—rooftops, firewood stacks, the bare tree branches.

The sky was actually bright, not a trace of cloud, the sun hung there, the cold wind whooshed, no matter how many layers one wore, no warmth could be felt, everywhere snow lay white and dazzling, making one's eyes ache and unable to stay open.

He stood at the doorway, somewhat dazed.

Where to go find food?

In this village, no household is well‑off, especially this deep winter month, every family is rationing food.

His reputation, Lu Qingshan's nickname "Lu the Leper", had long been rotten through in Shanwan Village.

Fond of eating and lazy to work, addicted to gambling, and beating his wife and children.

Whoever sees him is avoiding him.

To hope others would pity him? Impossible.

Indeed, after he had stepped into the deep snow and taken just a few steps, he felt several gazes stabbing his back.

Contempt, gawking, and barely concealed schadenfreude.

The window of Qian Guapu's house next door opened a crack, a pair of beady eyes glanced at him, let out a heavy "hum", then slammed shut with a "bang".

The few idle women by the village entrance mill also saw him, immediately stopped talking, their eyes darting yet curious as they stared at him, muttering in lowered voices.

"That good‑for‑nothing is out again; looking at him like that, who knows what mischief he's brewing?"

"Who knows, poor his beautiful wife and little daughter..."

"Keep it down, if you anger him he won't recognize anyone..."

The discussion wasn't loud, yet somehow each word drilled clearly into Lu Qingshan's ears.

His face burned hot.

It was humiliation, even more so anger.

He clenched his fists, nails digging into the frozen flesh of his palms, causing sharp pain.

Cannot retreat!

In this life I must never again be knocked down by all this pointing and gossiping!

He gritted his teeth, lowered his head, and kept walking in the snow.

Aimlessly.

The cold wind cut his skin, his stomach hungry with waves of cramping pain, his vision darkening.

He tried knocking on a few households he remembered were still on speaking terms.

No use.

Either they wouldn't open the door, or they'd coldly tell him to get lost through the panel.

Reality is just that hard, that cold.

After making a big loop around the village, the sun had climbed high, yet his hands and feet were frozen numb, almost losing sensation.

Besides a heart full of humiliation and a growing sense of helplessness, he got nothing.

Really…… just wait here to starve to death?

Watching Yue'e and Xiao Xue follow him to die together in this winter?

No!

Absolutely not!

Lu Qingshan abruptly stopped, lifted his head, and looked toward the continuous, undulating, snow‑covered mountain ridge behind the village.

Behind the mountain!

That is the old forest called the Dry Rice Basin, the main ridge of Guandong Mountain, deep and very wild.

Many beasts, many dangers.

The people of Shanwan Village, unless they are seasoned hunters or truly driven to desperation, dare not lightly venture inside.

But now, Lu Qingshan himself has been driven to the point of no recourse.

Bare walls, everyone despises him.

This dangerous forest had instead become his only hope.

Done!

Blades and fire, for Yue E and Xiao Xue, he must charge ahead!

As soon as this thought arose, a surge of strength seemed to spring up in his heart, dispelling some chill.

He no longer hesitated, turned and walked toward the rear mountain, each step uneven—deep then shallow.

The closer he got to the mountain base, the stronger the wind and the deeper the snow.

The snow piled up past his ankles, each step taking great effort.

He panted heavily, his face and hands frozen to a purplish‑red.

Suddenly, a thought popped into his head for no reason, making him pause.

Mountain Wild Heart?

What is this feeling?

What thing is this?

An indescribable feeling suddenly welled up.

Very strange.

It seemed as if everything around had instantly changed.

The wind was no longer a chaotic mess.

He could clearly hear the "swish‑swish" of wind through pine needles, and the "whoo‑whoo" of wind over bare branches.

In the distance, a few bird calls rang out, exceptionally clear; he could even roughly tell where the birds were and what kind they were.

The snow beneath his feet also seemed to convey information.

He could "feel" where the snow was thick, where it was thin, where there might be a pit underneath, or where stones might be hidden.

Even…… he seemed to be able to faintly "smell" an extremely faint scent?

Not a smell detected by the nose, but a more mysterious perception.

Is he light‑headed from hunger? Is he hallucinating?

He couldn't worry about that anymore; his stomach kept growling.

Lu Qingshan shook his heavy head and licked his dry, cracked lips.

But that feeling did not fade.

As he walked deeper into the forest, it became even clearer.

His eyes seemed sharper, his ears more sensitive, and he became especially attuned to every change in the surrounding grass and trees.

This…… could it be a chance given by heaven?

He couldn't afford to think further; starving to the point of unbearable, he urged himself to quickly find something to eat.

He widened his eyes, carefully scanning the snow, hoping to find any trace left by wild game.

Suddenly, a strong intuition surged in his heart.

No reason, just a feeling.

The feeling guided him to look toward the left front, where a small pile of unremarkable snow lay.

It looked no different from elsewhere.

But that intuition was very strong, urging him to go over and have a look.

Lu Qingshan hesitated a moment, but ultimately followed the feeling and went over.

He crouched down, using his hands that were almost numb from the cold, and began to dig vigorously into the snow.

The snow was thick and hard.

Soon, the snow packed cold and icy under his fingernails.

All ten fingers turned red and swollen, with waves of piercing pain.

But he didn't stop; instead, he dug even faster.

Finally, after digging away a layer of thick snow, a few gray‑brown feathers appeared!

Lu Qingshan's heart gave a sudden jerk!

He dug even harder into the snow.

Soon, several birds frozen stiff appeared before his eyes!

Like a clutch of titmice or similar small creatures, not large in size, but at that moment, to him, they were more precious than any mountain delicacy or seafood!

"Really! Found it!"

A huge surge of joy instantly swept away the cold and fatigue!

He could hardly believe it was real!

Could it really be that strange feeling from earlier that helped him?

He carefully picked up the few frozen little birds and tucked them into his bosom.

The cold, hard lumps pressed against his chest, yet his heart instantly ignited a blazing hope.

But this is not enough!

Just these few sparrows are nowhere near enough for three people to eat.

Yue E and Xiao Xue have been starving for too long; they need real meat.

He must find more, larger prey.

Having tucked away the frozen birds, Lu Qingshan rose to his feet and once again turned his gaze toward the deeper forest.

The bitter wind remained biting, but his inner resolve grew stronger.

He tried to focus his spirit, to sense that strange intuition, to discern the subtle scents on the wind, and to read the traces in the snow.

Although still vague and rough, he could feel that his senses had become much sharper than before.

He began consciously avoiding places that felt 'off', such as possible pits hidden under the snow or especially steep, slippery slopes.

After walking for about ten minutes, he stopped again at the edge of a relatively wind‑sheltered thicket of small trees.

This time it wasn't just a feeling out of nowhere.

On the snow, there were several clear footprints.

They were hoofprints.

Not large, but much deeper than the tiny bird claw prints from before.

Judging by the shape, they looked like… rabbit tracks?

Lu Qingshan's heart beat a little faster.

Rabbit!

This is great! A fat rabbit would be enough for the three of them to enjoy a good meal!

He crouched down and examined the footprints closely.

They were fresh, with clear edges, not too covered by wind and snow.

That meant the rabbit had just passed through here not long ago!

Following the direction of the prints, the trail twisted and turned toward a denser thicket.

Chase!

Lu Qingshan immediately made up his mind.

Although he had been a good-for-nothing in his past life, he had spent six or seven years in Shanwan Village after being sent to the countryside, and during idle times he'd chased rabbits with the village lads, knowing how cunning and fast they were.

But now he couldn't worry about that.

He crouched low, tried to keep his steps light, and followed the hoofprints carefully.

His eyes locked straight ahead, his ears pricked, catching any slight sound.

That strange sense also seemed to help, letting him vaguely 'feel' where the rabbit might hide and even anticipate its next escape route.

It was a very mysterious experience, hard to put into words, yet real.

He passed through a thicket of thorns, his hand‑back getting a few cuts that burned, but he didn't care.

Ahead, at the edge of the thicket, the snow twitched slightly.

A gray, furry shadow flashed by!

It was it!

Lu Qingshan's heart leapt into his throat!