Chapter 88: The more critical the moment, the greater the need for patience.
"I'm so hungry!"
Meng Bai stirred from a pile of dark stones beside a haystack, roused from his slumber by the gnawing pangs of hunger.
After two days of arduous travel, the students from various departments finally arrived at the Half-Snowy Plain alongside the Department of Peacekeeping.
Upon reaching this desolate expanse, Meng Bai finally grasped what Lin Xi meant when he said that during their usual courses in the Department of Peacekeeping, encounters among peers were exceedingly rare.
The Half-Snowy Plain resembled a semi-circular harbor; as explained by the academy's lecturer, the area between the main ridge of the Ascending Heaven Mountain Range to the northwest and the ridge nearest to them was all part of the Half-Snowy Plain, where they could roam freely. However, the distance to the main ridge in the northwest was so great that the towering peaks appeared merely as a faint black line against the horizon.
This vast expanse was half cloaked in snow, dotted with snowdrifts and coniferous forests, while the other half lay below the snowline, filled with frozen grasslands, rugged valleys, and seemingly endless thickets.
Had he not come with Lin Xi, Meng Bai might have wept upon witnessing the barren, desolate landscape, devoid of human presence, upon their arrival yesterday.
The campsite was chosen by Lin Xi, situated far from the snowline, with a grove of pine trees to the northwest shielding them from the mountain winds. Nearby, a stream flowed, which, although it contained hardly any fish after yesterday's exploration, at least provided them with drinking water. The dry, withered grass combined with moss served to retain body heat during the night, and under Lin Xi's guidance, Meng Bai and the others buried some red-hot charcoal and stones in the earth beneath them before lying down, ensuring that the ground remained warm throughout the first half of the night.
Yet, despite Lin Xi's extensive experience and guidance, the academy's rules dictated that any food must be foraged or hunted by oneself. Naturally, timid and cautious Meng Bai dared not defy the authority of the academy's instructors by cheating.
Awakened by hunger, Meng Bai glanced around and noticed that daylight had fully arrived, and the area where Lin Xi and the others had previously rested was now empty, clearly indicating they had set out in search of sustenance.
It had been five hours since Meng Bai last ate; his previous find—a tortoise the size of two palms—had provided a decent meal. Nevertheless, after two days of subsisting on little more than various larvae and roots, combined with the substantial appetite of cultivators, he felt a distinct abnormality in his body. A chill coursed through him, accompanied by trembling and an inexplicable sense of anxiety.
"I'm so hungry! I'm truly starving!" The gnawing pain and thunderous growl from his stomach incessantly reminded Meng Bai of his need for food. He felt an overwhelming urge to pluck some nearby wildflowers and grasses to stuff into his mouth, yet a flicker of rationality warned him that consuming such things would only lead to further misery.
His gaze fell upon the two cracked tortoise shells beside the campfire.
The flesh had long been devoured, leaving only some tough remnants on the shells. Nevertheless, after swallowing hard, Meng Bai placed the hardened outer skin and shells onto the glowing embers... Then, using his teeth to tear and a sharp stone to slice, he consumed every last bit of the charred, leather-like skin.
With something finally in his stomach, the unsettling sense of anxiety subsided slightly. Meng Bai picked up a spear he had carved from hardwood and headed towards a wetland downstream, recalling Lin Xi's suggestion from the previous day that the area might harbor some birds.
…
Gao Yanan crouched quietly, scrutinizing the seemingly lifeless, pale white grass that was, in fact, a resilient species.
Typically, the plains and forests below the snowline are abundant with edible resources, yet this Half-Snowy Plain appeared to have been deliberately selected by the academy's instructors, as most of the moist areas were strewn with rocks and frozen ground. The surrounding regions of the Ascending Heaven Mountain Range should boast rich vegetation and water, making this area rather barren for those seeking sustenance.
Amidst the clusters of pale grass, Gao Yanan easily identified a cluster of large insect droppings, which led her to discover several plump white grubs, each the size of her thumb.
"How disgusting," she murmured, her delicate brow furrowing in distaste. However, after rubbing her flat stomach, the tall girl resolved to skewer the grubs with a blade of grass, preparing to roast them later.
…
Lin Xi sat in a small grove, facing several low hills overgrown with wild grasses and dotted with yellow daisies.
His last substantial meal had been in the dead of night, when he caught a handful of slender fish in a puddle using the flickering light of some twigs. However, this meager catch had done little to replenish the energy he had lost, and an hour ago, he too had begun to feel the same inexplicable tremors and weakness that Meng Bai experienced.
Yet at that moment, he was not scouring for food but patiently sharpening some sturdy twigs with a finely honed stone blade.
Beside him lay a rudimentary longbow crafted from hardwood and resilient vines.
As he meticulously sharpened the tip of one twig and split a feather from an unknown bird in half, he fitted it into a notch carved into the end of the twig, securing it with fine plant fibers. Thus, a simple arrow was born.
Lin Xi deftly picked up the arrow, drew back the bow, and released it towards the muddy ground not far ahead.
With a soft "thwip," the arrow embedded itself into the earth, sinking to a depth of about two finger widths.
A satisfied smile graced Lin Xi's face as he retrieved the arrow, wiped the mud from its tip, and placed it within easy reach before beginning to craft another.
Should anyone have been watching his every move, they would have noticed that the arrowheads bore a slight bulge, ensuring that, after being sharpened, they were heavier than the rest of the shaft, allowing for a more stable flight and greater resilience against breakage.
The academy's wilderness survival training prohibited the carrying of any weapons, yet permitted the crafting of improvised ones from local materials. Lin Xi, despite feeling fatigued and battling hunger, persevered in creating his bow and arrows because he had detected traces of rabbit droppings in the area.
In this barren land devoid of large herbivores, rabbits, badgers, foxes, and wild dogs constituted the best sources of food.
Based on his experience, larger rabbits could weigh upwards of fifteen to sixteen pounds; capturing one would provide him with a hearty meal and the energy to forage or hunt for more sustenance.
Lin Xi had prepared materials for six arrows, but as he was completing the fourth, he suddenly froze.
Before him, on a gentle slope, a moving gray shape appeared.
It was a plump gray rabbit, easily weighing over sixteen pounds—a perfect target for Lin Xi.
Yet, after that moment of stillness, his breathing steadied, and he remained silent, continuing to work on the tail feather of the arrow.
The training of the Windwalker taught Lin Xi that in critical moments, patience is paramount, and one must wait for the opportune moment.
…
Qin Xiyue slowly approached a low hill ahead.
Fortune smiled upon her; that morning, she had discovered two bird eggs the size of chicken eggs and unearthed an edible tuber. However, this was still insufficient to fully alleviate her hunger.
After two days of roughing it outdoors, her once radiant beauty was now marred with signs of exhaustion, akin to jade dusted with grime.
According to many of Yunqin's aristocrats and those born with silver spoons, a gem like her ought not to endure such hardships and should be cherished in the confines of a palace. Yet, Qin Xiyue did not share this view; she refused to be a mere ornament or a plaything for men.
Thus, she chose to endure hardship, to become strong, and to disdain those who shunned toil and lived aimlessly, devoid of ambition.
Suddenly, as she rounded the low mound, preparing to survey the landscape ahead, her body tensed, and her breath momentarily caught.
She spotted a moving gray shape... a plump wild rabbit!
Almost simultaneously, the rabbit, which had been nibbling on grass, stood upright, sensing her presence.
Without hesitation, it bolted towards the nearby woods!
A wave of disappointment washed over Qin Xiyue. Instinctively, she was about to chase after it, but reason reminded her that the rabbit was already too close to the trees; even if she sprinted with all her might, it would vanish into the woods in mere moments.
Just then, her body froze again as a soft whoosh pierced the air, and an arrow shot from the trees, striking the fleeing rabbit with pinpoint accuracy.
The crude arrow lacked the power to penetrate the rabbit, but a second arrow quickly followed, striking the already slowed creature.
Realizing it could not escape into the woods, the rabbit turned and stumbled a few steps before collapsing helplessly to the ground.
Weekly Power Status
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