RPS – Chapter 23 Going Hunting

Ever since Mo started living with Li Feng’s family, it was like they had gained a little helper—or rather, it might be more accurate to say a little housekeeper. Mo now took care of the baby almost full-time, which made things so much easier for Li Feng, who still had a mountain of tasks to deal with every day.

Before, although Li Feng could manage working while keeping an eye on the baby, it always held him back. He had to constantly stop and check on the child, which seriously affected his efficiency. But now it was different—Mo genuinely enjoyed looking after the baby, and the baby had gotten used to being with Mo.

Li Feng’s health had improved significantly, and Nuo had even started going hunting with the tribe. After all, he was a man and part of the tribe’s core strength. It was already late autumn, with winter just around the corner. There was still a long way to go in terms of preparing enough food to last through the cold months. They had to take full advantage of the fall season, when animals were fat and fruits were abundant, to store up supplies.

Salt was no longer a concern—just looking at the towering salt mountain was enough to reassure anyone that it would never run out. The tribe had now formed a routine of going out to collect salt on fixed days. With fruit ripening, everyone had been going out frequently to gather it, almost every two or three days.

Li Feng was constantly busy. Even though the baby was now mostly in Mo’s care, he’d recently dug up a lot of sweet potatoes and taro, which he planned to store for the winter. He also set aside a portion to be used as seeds for next year’s planting. Many people in the tribe had followed Li Feng’s lead and dug up quite a bit themselves. Li Feng had told them how to cook and eat them, and also warned everyone to save some for the winter, so that even if they couldn’t hunt anything, they wouldn’t go hungry.

However, Li Feng was growing increasingly dissatisfied. He had already scoured the entire area around the safe zone, and he couldn’t find any more edible plants. The sweet potatoes and taro he’d found weren’t in large supply either. Although everyone in the tribe had managed to dig some up, the total amount wasn’t much. Li Feng estimated that his household’s supply might barely last them through the winter, but others in the tribe definitely wouldn’t have enough.

So, Li Feng decided to go hunting with Li and the others. That way, they could expand their range and hopefully find more food. When he mentioned this idea to the hunting group, he didn’t expect them to unanimously oppose it. They said his body was still too weak, and without any hunting experience, it would be too dangerous for him to join them.

Li Feng thought to himself, I’m not actually planning to hunt. I just want to find more edible resources to help everyone survive the winter. Of course, he didn’t say this out loud. Instead, he tried hard to convince them: “Hey, I’m a man too, okay? Winter’s almost here, and the baby is being taken care of by Mo. If I go with you, maybe I can actually help. Don’t forget, a lot of the food we’ve found recently—wasn’t it all because of me?”

That left Li and the others silent for a moment. What Li Feng said was true. Although the animals were fat during the fall, they were also fiercer. Hunting had become more dangerous, and they weren’t catching as much as they hoped. The surplus they brought back each day was barely enough. Just relying on meat wasn’t sustainable—every winter, people starved to death. So, if they could find alternative sources of food as Li Feng suggested, that would be a great help.

“You can come, but you’re not allowed to wander off on your own. You have to stay close to me,” Li finally said after thinking it through. Although Li Feng’s health had improved a lot, he was still much smaller and slimmer than the seasoned hunters. He didn’t have the muscle strength either. But Li figured as long as Li Feng stuck close, he’d be okay. After all, wasn’t Nuo also paired up with Bu?

Li Feng weighed the pros and cons quickly and nodded. “Alright, I won’t run off.” Even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t dare. This wasn’t some modern-day forest park—it was wild and dangerous, full of untamed beasts. Wandering off would be suicide.

The next morning, Li Feng woke up early, ready to head into the mountains with the hunting party. As for Mo and the baby, he had already made all the arrangements. He told Mo to cook or roast some sweet potatoes and taro, and explained how to prepare the fruit and taro powder for the baby. Mo had already learned how to cook from him before, so it should be fine—especially since the meals were simple.

Li Feng was now fully geared up. He had wrapped his feet with animal hides. Normally, everyone in the tribe went barefoot, but when hunting, they would wrap their feet to avoid injuries or attracting predators with the scent of blood.

He also carried stone shovels and knives, and wore a basket on his back. One special thing worth mentioning was that he had sharpened some river mussel shells to a fine edge and embedded them into smooth wooden handles. The seams were sealed with fur or a tree resin similar to peach sap. This made the shovels and axes much sturdier and less likely to loosen.

These knives and tools had now become popular in the tribe—lightweight, sharp, and easy to use. The only downside was they were brittle and could break if used with too much force. Still, some of the shells were very sturdy, and Li Feng had made many of them. Since they weren’t heavy, he brought several different types—knives, shovels, axes, etc. They weren’t made of metal, but they were already much sharper than stone tools.

Hunting required venturing deep into the mountains. The outer areas had already been cleared, and most of the animals had been driven deeper inside. Li Feng curled his toes inside the hide wraps—it was really uncomfortable. He regretted not having real shoes, but going barefoot wasn’t an option either. He had insisted on coming, so he couldn’t complain.

The hide wraps were stifling, and every time he stepped on a sharp stone or a protruding root, the pain made him wince. The wraps weren’t breathable either, and his feet were sweating. He kept curling and flexing his toes secretly as he walked to ease the discomfort.

Li might have noticed Li Feng’s struggle. He slowed his pace slightly and walked over to Li Feng, then motioned for him to sit on a fallen tree. Squatting down, he gently held Li Feng’s foot and began to massage it.

Li Feng instinctively tried to pull his foot back the moment it was lifted, but Li’s grip was too strong. After struggling a few times without success, he had no choice but to let him continue. At that moment, Li Feng felt the warmth from Li’s hands seep through the animal hide and travel from his foot to his heart—and then to his cheeks.

“Alright, let’s get going quickly, don’t fall behind.” Rubbing both feet, Li Feng felt much better and hurriedly urged Li to continue the journey.

Just then, Nuo and Bu caught up from behind. “Oh, I was wondering why you two were walking so fast. Turns out you’re getting cozy here, huh?” Li Feng’s foot was still held in Li’s hand.

“What nonsense are you spouting? We were just waiting for you since you weren’t catching up. How were we to know you were dawdling behind?” Li Feng set his foot down and deliberately ran his eyes up and down Nuo’s body several times, as if to say I already know what’s going on—stop pretending.

Although Nuo and Bu had done nothing inappropriate—just walking normally—Li Feng’s ambiguous and knowing glances made it feel like something really had happened between them. Nuo was about to retort when Bu spoke up, “Let’s move. This isn’t the place to stop. We need to catch up with the tribe.” Bu, who was usually quiet, rarely spoke, so when he did, even Li Feng listened. After all, it wasn’t easy to get a word out of him—you had to give him some respect.

Li Feng and the others were already moving deeper into the forest. Along the way, they encountered plenty of wild fruits, but nothing particularly special—most of them could be found in the fruit groves below. Besides, fruits can’t be stored long-term, so they weren’t considered suitable for winter provisions.

Still, Li Feng didn’t walk away empty-handed. To his surprise, he discovered a good number of natural seasonings—Sichuan peppercorn, perilla, fennel, fish mint—all trampled underfoot by Li and the others as if they were just weeds. Li Feng, however, dug up quite a bit, hoping he could grow them later. He also collected plenty of fruits, stems, and leaves in his backpack. Thankfully, these weren’t heavy. Li and the others were already used to Li Feng’s “weed-collecting” habits. He only picked what was useful—just like the sweet potatoes and taro before. Even Nuo and Bu helped him gather a lot. Nuo, claiming to be out foraging as Li Feng had said, also carried a basket. So now, they had two baskets to hold a good amount of stuff.

In deep mountains, the most edible wild animals were wild boars, bison, sheep, roe deer, deer, and even pangolins—herbivores, basically. Carnivorous beasts like tigers and leopards were only good for their skins to ward off the cold. But in the forest, who knew what they might run into? Beasts ate people too. To them, humans were just another kind of food.

As they went along, Li Feng watched Li and the others expertly track signs of various animals, while he searched for edible plants. The mountain vegetation was thick, with many types of vines. Li Feng considered making some traps—it was a lot more efficient than brute force. When he shared this idea with the others, they all gave him strange looks. Li Feng was confused. Had he said something weird?

Li and Bu were both clearly excited. They had never thought of such a thing. While they had secretly hunted animals or stabbed them with wooden spears, traps had never crossed their minds. But… how did you make one?

Li Feng grabbed a vine and tied a slipknot, then secured the other end to a nearby tree. The dense underbrush easily concealed the vine loop. Very quickly, he’d completed a simple trap. Whether it would work or not was another question—but with so many vines around, they could just make more. Li and the others said that cattle and sheep often passed through this area, so they might just catch one.

Li Feng briefly explained the principle and demonstrated: as long as an animal stepped into the vine loop and moved, the mechanism would tighten and trap it. He also instructed them to dig a deep, wide pit in areas where animals were likely to pass. Then they covered the hole with fine branches and scattered leaves over the top. Without a close look, you couldn’t tell there was a pit underneath.

The tribal chief was thrilled and impressed by the two types of traps Li Feng described. Most wild beasts couldn’t climb out of pits. As long as they were deep enough, the animals couldn’t jump or crawl out. If this really worked, future hunts wouldn’t require such risk and effort. Though still labor-intensive, it would significantly reduce danger.

The chief led the other tribesmen to set up traps where prey was abundant, while Li Feng and his group worked nearby. Li Feng considered telling the chief about lining the pit with sharp stakes, but ultimately held back—he felt it was too cruel. The pit was deep enough as is. There was no need for such a bloody method.

Li Feng marked each completed trap with something noticeable, so that people wouldn’t fall in if the trap caught nothing. While Li and the others busily set up traps, Li Feng still wanted to look around for more useful things. He wandered nearby—still within sight of the traps.

He didn’t think it would be dangerous. Li and the others were too busy and forgot to keep an eye on Li Feng, assuming he was right beside them or just a few meters away. In fact, Li Feng had already wandered 20–30 meters off. Having lived in the concrete jungle of modern cities, and not having seen any wild animals along the way, he’d unconsciously let his guard down—thinking this forest was no different from a scenic modern hill.

Just then, Li Feng suddenly spotted patches of yellow-green in the distance. Excited, he immediately ran toward them. But he had only taken a few steps before he froze—not because he didn’t want to move, but because he couldn’t.

Not far in front of him, a majestic tiger was silently approaching, its graceful steps making no sound. This tiger was nothing like the tame ones in the zoo. It was bigger than even the fiercest tigers he’d seen on documentaries. Its eyes looked lazy, but were sharp enough to make Li Feng unable to look away.

No—this was too dangerous. He had to run.

That thought repeated in Li Feng’s mind. But where could he run to? Could he outrun a tiger? Could he out-muscle one? Could he even stay on his feet when those jaws opened wide in front of him?

Clearly not. Li Feng was rooted to the spot. Hunting was never something a person like him—someone who had never seen real violence, death, or danger—could calmly face. The tiger drew closer. Its bared teeth, blood-red tongue, and open maw completely paralyzed Li Feng.

The tiger didn’t care if he was scared. It calculated the distance to its prey. Then, with a powerful leap, it sprang toward Li Feng—

What had Li Feng seen that got him so excited he wandered off alone in such a dangerous forest without warning the others?