Chapter 5 - 5 4 Ambush 1

5: Chapter 4 Ambush (1) 5: Chapter 4 Ambush (1) Editor: Henyee Translations Qin Ming withdrew his gaze, slung the hide pouch over his shoulder, and began retracing his steps along the original path.

Today’s harvest had been considerable, and he was quite satisfied.

With this large bag of food, he wouldn’t go hungry for a while.

Beneath the snow lay depressions and rocks, making the path difficult, but Qin Ming was in good spirits.

With enough food in hand, he no longer had to worry.

Perhaps with extended training using those specific movements, he could make breakthroughs.

At the same time, he looked forward to early spring—the season when life would burst forth again.

Though the world was now frozen and desolate, with bare trees and lifeless silence, once the drought period passed, the Fire Springs in dangerous mountain regions would begin to surge again.

Earthglow would rise more frequently, vegetation would sprout, and all things would awaken.

It would be a whole new landscape.

As he neared the forest’s edge, Qin Ming stopped suddenly.

He dropped the hide pouch and gripped his hunting fork tightly, spinning around.

In the darkness, a pair of crimson eyes appeared, chilling and closing in rapidly.

His hair stood on end.

Though the creature was still some distance away, he could sense that its size was large and fierce.

The cold wind carried a strong stench of blood.

He drove the fork into the snow, swiftly pulled out his bow, and with his incredible strength, drew a powerful bow most people couldn’t even bend.

The bowstring twanged as a heavy iron arrow shot into the dark.

In the distance, the charging creature paused suddenly—likely hit.

Qin Ming focused, shooting arrow after arrow.

His archery skills were sharp, and the deadly iron bolts vanished into the night.

A deep, muffled growl echoed through the forest.

The crimson eyes disappeared, and a crackling of breaking branches sounded.

The creature had hidden itself behind the trees.

Qin Ming didn’t relax.

Though injured, the unknown beast wasn’t dead.

Now hiding in the forest, it could be even more dangerous.

Without hesitation, he grabbed the hide pouch and fork and rushed out of the woods into an open field of snow.

He didn’t want to linger in the dark, afraid of ambush.

He suspected it was a particularly troublesome mutated creature.

Noise erupted from the woods behind him.

The sound of snow being violently churned sounded.

The beast was charging after him aggressively.

Qin Ming fired without hesitation.

Some arrows slammed into thick tree trunks with loud thunks, causing the snow-laden branches to collapse in cascading flurries.

The creature retreated again, going silent among the trees.

If it were an ordinary beast, it would’ve either fled or become enraged and attacked.

But this mutated creature lingered, prowling in the dark, clearly seeking the right moment to strike.

Qin Ming stood ready, bow in hand, facing the forest, locked in a tense standoff with the beast.

The snow shifted, and a large, dark shadow flickered between the trees.

The crimson eyes were cold and menacing, exerting a heavy pressure in the night.

But ultimately, the creature was held back by Qin Ming’s powerful archery.

With a resentful, low-pitched growl, it retreated into the forest.

Qin Ming’s expression was serious.

Even in the darkness, he’d seen the creature standing upright.

He had no idea what kind of mutant it was.

He slowly backed away.

Though the surroundings had gone quiet, he didn’t lower his guard.

Even when the Fire Spring near the village was less than five hundred meters away, he remained vigilant.

Because there were bloody precedents—some villagers had nearly reached the village entrance, only to be ambushed and silently dragged away by unseen beasts lurking in the dark.

Outside Shuangshu Village, three young men were shivering from the cold.

They stomped their feet and rubbed their hands together, exhaling great puffs of white breath.

Ice clung to their eyebrows.

They were waiting along the snowy trail Qin Ming had carved earlier when he entered the dark region, whispering to one another.

“In this freezing weather, standing guard here is miserable.

Maybe we should give up.

I bet he’s already dead out there, no way he’s bringing back anything.”

“What’s the rush?

What if he gets lucky, like Old Li, and finds a frozen mountain beast near the edge of the forest?”

These three were slackers.Lazy and gluttonous.

They never dared venture into the dangerous mountain regions but liked to act tough in the village and freeload whenever possible.

When they learned Qin Ming had gone hunting, they hatched a plan to ambush him and steal his haul.

“That kid Qin Ming is agile and strong.

We better be careful not to get overpowered ourselves.”

“What’s there to be afraid of?

He just recovered from a serious illness, so he’s probably still weak.

In a bit, we’ll just throw the hide pouch over his head.

Be careful not to kill him.”

They didn’t have the guts to commit murder.

They just wanted to jump him and quietly take whatever he brought back.

But Qin Ming had been vigilant the entire way back, his nerves taut.

From a distance, he had already spotted three shadowy figures.

He immediately crouched down.

The snow had already reached his shoulders, and now he has vanished completely.

Moving silently along his original path through the snow, he crept forward and finally identified the three men— the village slackers.

Qin Ming stopped at a strategic spot where he could hear their conversation.

A moment later, his expression darkened.

These three planned to ambush him and steal his prey?

Though he hadn’t fought a bear, only raided a squirrel’s den—something not particularly “glorious” to talk about—he had, in truth, faced death twice.

First, the man-faced vulture, then an unknown mutant beast.

One misstep and he’d have died.

To steal the food he’d risked his life for?

That was intolerable.

Hu Yong, Ma Yang, and Wang Youping were trembling from the cold.

Together, they had dug a snow pit to block the wind—a makeshift ambush spot—where they now lay in wait.