Upon hearing the words "dried meat," Da Huang immediately stood up from his sitting position, his tail wagging like a propeller as he joyfully accepted the mission.
Qin Sang unfastened the collar, and Da Huang instantly leaped away, turning to run into the forest.
"Da Huang isn't afraid, which at least proves this nearby stretch is still safe."
Hunter Xu smiled gratifiedly.
"I've never seen such a clever dog as Da Huang. With him as an early warning system, my heart feels much more at ease."
For a moment, the atmosphere in the team relaxed. Animals are superior to humans in terms of movement, smell, and hearing; for scouting, Da Huang was indeed better than Hunter Xu.
Da Huang would run ahead for a stretch, expanding his search to both sides, then find a suitable spot to urinate while waiting for Qin Sang and the others. Once he saw Qin Sang, he would turn and dash forward again to continue scouting.
This way, Qin Sang and the others only needed to watch their footing, giving them more time to observe their surroundings.
From time to time, Qin Sang would lower her head to mark the map, estimating in her mind how many miles of mountain road they had traveled.
"Let's climb to the top of the mountain."
Qin Sang suggested.
No one had any objections. Aside from Tian Yougen, who was more experienced, and Hunter Xu, who was familiar with the forest, the others had rarely traveled far from home.
They had Da Huang change direction and head toward the summit.
Beneath their feet were layers of withered branches and vines accumulated over the years. Everyone picked up a wooden stick and began the climb.
The climb took over two hours. Finally reaching the summit, several of them climbed up trees, coming down shortly after to exchange their findings.
"I can't do it, I can't do it anymore. I can't walk another step." Zhou Lin found a tree root and sat down, leaning against the trunk while waving his hands repeatedly.
"Da Zhuangs Mother, this... it's all mountains as far as the eye can see..."
Da Huas Father lamented.
"If it weren't for someone leading the way, I'm afraid we'd never find our way back to the village."
Tian Dajiang was huffing and puffing.
"We can't see any other households anymore. Da Zhuangs Mother, is this place suitable?"
Tian Yougen asked.
Qin Sang shook her head. She had been calculating the distance in her mind; everyone felt tired only because of the climb, not because they had traveled very far.
"Although we've been walking for so long, this place is only about five miles away from the village in a straight line. It's just that the mountain range blocks our view. However, if we were to cook and send up smoke, it could be seen from the top of the mountain behind our village."
Exhausted as they were, they still agreed with Qin Sang's words.
"Then can we take a rest?"
Qin Sang nodded.
"You all rest here for a while. I'm going over there to take a look."
Tian Sangui made a move to get up as he spoke, but Qin Sang pressed him back down.
"I won't go far. You rest well, or else you'll be holding us back later."
In her past life, Qin Sang loved hiking and had a set of techniques for breathing and saving energy. Since crossing over, she was a physically strong farmwoman, so she didn't feel particularly tired.
Da Huang went without saying; being able to frolic freely in the forest was exactly what he wanted, and he showed no signs of fatigue.
Hunter Xu wanted to follow, but Qin Sang refused him too.
"Da Huang is with me. If I encounter danger, I'll call out to you."
After all, he was a widower and it wasn't appropriate to follow. Thinking that Da Zhuangs Mother might need to relieve herself and that was why she wanted to go alone, Hunter Xu didn't ask Hu Zi to follow either.
Did Qin Sang need to relieve herself? No. The water she drank had all been sweated out. She intended to use the drone camera to survey the terrain.
After walking for a good while and ensuring they hadn't followed, Qin Sang took the drone out of her space and launched it. The controller had a screen displaying the captured footage as she maneuvered it forward.
Without leaves blocking the view, where the cliffs and ravines were became clear at a glance.
The drone flew over another mountain peak, and Qin Sang's eyes lit up. She maneuvered the drone to circle that area once before bringing it down for a landing. She then put the controller back into the warehouse and headed back with Da Huang.
"Mother, why were you gone for so long?"
Halfway back, she ran into Tian Sangui and the others who had come looking for her. Qin Sang smiled.
"It wasn't that long. I just looked around nearby. Is everyone rested? Let's keep moving."
Tian Dajiang said worriedly:
"The sun is about to set. Are we really going to spend the night in the mountains today?"
Hunter Xu comforted him:
"Let's look for a cave along the way."
Qin Sang wasn't very worried. Da Huang was in an excited state, and the drone flight just now hadn't revealed any large animals.
"I know how to make a type of hammock. When you see vines later, cut some and bring them along; we'll need them once it gets dark."
Qin Sang had brought her own, tucked away in her bundle.
With those words, everyone's worries eased, and they continued forward.
Going down the mountain was much faster than climbing up. While the ascent took over two hours, the descent only took about half an hour.
The sky gradually darkened, and it grew dark even earlier in the mountain forest.
Qin Sang didn't want to take risks. She found a spot to settle and began making hammocks for everyone.
She used vines to tie them securely, then climbed up to fasten them to tree forks. With the forks for support, there was no need to worry about falling off in the middle of the night.
The trees here were massive; tying two or three hammocks to a single large tree was more than enough.
"This thing is actually quite good. In the future when I come hunting, I won't have to look for caves anymore." Hunter Xu also learned to weave one and said while testing its strength.
Qin Sang's hands didn't stop moving as she smiled.
"This is only good for a night or two in the summer. If you slept out in the open during the dead of winter, you'd freeze to death.
I brought realgar powder. Later, we'll sprinkle some under everyone's trees to prevent snakes from climbing up.
Additionally, I've brought mosquito coils. Everyone light one, and rub on some mosquito repellent so you don't end up feeding the mosquitoes.
Also, we'll take turns keeping watch tonight in pairs. Each pair will watch for two hours, and once the four groups have rotated, it will be dawn."
Hearing Qin Sang's orderly arrangements, much of the fear in everyone's hearts dissipated. After all, if Da Zhuangs Mother, a woman, wasn't afraid, it would be a laughingstock if they, grown men, were.
Hunter Xu didn't allow a campfire to be lit. Fortunately, the food everyone brought was already cooked; though cold, it was edible.
Qin Sang also generously shared a large sausage, using a dagger to cut it into eight small pieces to distribute to everyone.
Tucked into the flatbread Eldest Brothers Wife had made, one bite brought a rich, savory flavor mixed with the satisfying fattiness that filled the mouth.
The others were incredibly satisfied as they ate. They might not even get to eat such a large piece of meat during the New Year.
Qin Sang then said she was going to look ahead. Everyone understood she was going to relieve herself and only urged Da Huang, who was chewing on dried meat, to follow her.
Once she reached a secluded spot, Qin Sang again launched the drone to survey the area.
At this hour, if there were households living nearby, there would surely be cooking smoke rising.
After checking and finding none, Qin Sang maneuvered the drone further out to scan the distance. Seeing no villages or households, she returned the drone to its previous landing spot. This way, the GPS on the controller would ensure she didn't take the wrong path.
Returning to the campsite, everyone was preparing to head up the trees to rest.
Qin Sang had to find a place for Da Huang to sleep; she couldn't exactly have him sleep in a tree too.
She pulled a small hoe from her bundle and found a large rock, intending to dig a pit for him to sleep in and then build a small lean-to with branches.
There were many stones in the mountains. Qin Sang took out her small medicinal hoe to dig the pit. Just as she was about to start, she stopped when she saw a flash of golden light beneath the rock.
She knelt down and leaned over, only to discover that beneath this large rock, there was actually treasure!