Hunting Wilderness: Starting with the Butcher

Chapter 10 Hunting in the Mountains and Cassava

As the shelter began to take shape, Yuan Linghan also planned to bring water over. Although the shelter was close to the stream, the lack of water storage equipment meant that they had to walk to the stream to fetch water or use water every time they cooked porridge or washed dishes.

Having some free time, Yuan Linghan also planned to check the upper reaches of the stream. If he could hunt some wild game, it would be good to improve their meals. Now that the shelter was only in the final stages of construction, it was time to find a way to stockpile more supplies.

After hearing Yuan Linghan's plan, Chen Duling seemed somewhat tempted and asked, "Brother Yuan, can I go into the mountains with you?"

"Of course! But this trip into the mountains might be quite strenuous."

"It's okay! I believe I can do it!"

"Let's go together! We'll change into breathable long-sleeved shirts and trousers later, it'll be quite stuffy in the woods."

"good!"

Upon learning that Yuan Linghan was willing to take her into the mountains, Chen Duling was naturally overjoyed. She changed into a breathable long-sleeved shirt and trousers and continued to follow behind Yuan Linghan to explore the mountains behind the shelter.

Before heading into the mountains, Yuan Linghan specifically checked the stream and told Chen Duling that they planned to bring the water to the shelter. After hearing the plan, she was equally happy and said, "If we can bring the water to the shelter, it will be much more convenient for us to fetch and use water in the future."

"Indeed! It's just a temporary water supply system, so it's prone to problems."

"A problem? What problem?"

"When there is heavy rain, the stream suddenly swells, and the inlet can easily be washed away or blocked."

"That's alright! If it rains, we should be able to get water at the shelter, right?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Linghan thought it made sense. However, to ensure the shelter always had water available, it would be necessary to build a water storage device. But these things could be implemented upon their return.

As Yuan Linghan continued along the slightly rugged mountain path, he made a new discovery not long after he started walking. Chen Duling, who was wondering why Yuan Linghan had stopped, saw Yuan Linghan turn his head and make a shushing gesture before she could ask.

Chen Duling fell silent instantly. Following the direction Yuan Linghan pointed, she quickly saw a brightly colored chicken foraging for food in an open space ahead. Remembering what the production team had told her, this was likely a free-range chicken, not a wild one.

At Yuan Linghan's signal, Chen Duling obediently squatted down in place, while Yuan Linghan, who had his bow nocked, cautiously moved forward, crouching low. Once he was within a safe shooting range, Yuan Linghan finally fired his first arrow.

Completely unaware of the impending danger, the free-range chicken, engrossed in foraging for food, was also unexpectedly pierced by a sharp arrow. After a mournful cry, the chicken began its death throes, struggling until it breathed its last before Yuan Linghan scooped it up.

Chen Duling, who was peeking out from behind, witnessed the archery and the chicken being hit. When she saw the chicken get hit, she jumped up excitedly and shouted, "Wow, he hit it! Brother Yuan, you're awesome!"

Since arriving on the island, apart from a seafood feast last night, she and Yuan Linghan have been subsisting on rice porridge and bamboo shoots. Even though Chen Duling doesn't eat much, after several meals of vegetarian porridge, she is extremely craving meat.

With this chicken, the two of them should be able to have a good meal that night. When Yuan Linghan walked over carrying the chicken that had completely died, Chen Duling said excitedly, "Brother Yuan, you're really amazing! This chicken wasn't a wild chicken, was it?"

"No! This must be a free-range chicken that the production team put in the mountains beforehand. With this chicken, we can improve our meals."

"Hmm! This chicken must weigh four or five pounds, right?"

"Almost! Once we get back and finish processing, we'll make a pot of chicken soup and a stew of bamboo shoots and chicken pieces."

"Okay, Brother Yuan, I'll carry this chicken! You still have to continue hunting later!"

"Alright! You can carry this chicken then."

Taking the dead chicken from Yuan Linghan, Chen Duling felt no fear whatsoever; on the contrary, she was overjoyed. As the two continued walking, they soon made another discovery. This time, the wild rabbit they found was incredibly fast.

Before Yuan Linghan could even nock his arrow, the rabbit, sensing danger, vanished in an instant. Having already made his haul after a short time in the mountains, Yuan Linghan decided to return. He could always come back and explore again when he had more time.

Besides hunting a free-range chicken, Yuan Linghan also found a lot of edible wild vegetables during this trip into the mountains. He can pick some to improve his meals and diet, but he hasn't found any ingredients that can be used as staple foods.

Compared to the time spent going into the mountains, the time spent coming out was naturally shorter. Before returning to the shelter, Yuan Linghan said directly, "Dudu, give me the chicken. I'll process it, and we can stew it as soon as we get back to the shelter."

"good!"

Although he could boil water to scald the fur, Yuan Linghan found it too troublesome; simply removing the fur directly was just as effective. As for any remaining downy hairs, he could just burn them off with an open flame when they got back. Going back and forth was indeed too much trouble.

After removing the chicken's internal organs, Yuan Linghan only took the heart, gizzard, and liver, burying the remaining intestines and other organs directly in a pit dug by the stream. Although the intestines were edible, they were too troublesome to process, so it was better to just discard them!

Carrying the simply cleaned chicken, Yuan Linghan returned to the shelter, looked at the sky, and decided to continue improving the shelter's facilities. He found some old bamboo that had been cut down and used a straight log to poke out the bamboo nodes inside.

After confirming the internal connection was established, Yuan Linghan looked at Chen Duling, who was preparing to make chicken soup, and said, "Duling, you stay at the camp and watch the fire. I'll go chop some building materials. I'll make braised chicken pieces when I get back!"

"Okay! Brother Yuan, be careful."

"Okay, I understand!"

Carrying an axe, Yuan Linghan plunged into the nearby jungle, specifically selecting several logs with a Y-shape. When he had chopped enough logs and was about to return, a few plants on the jungle slope ahead caught his eye.

He dropped the log and jogged forward. After carefully examining it, Yuan Linghan laughed and said, "I've searched high and low without finding it, but it's right here! The ingredients for our staple food, here we are!"

Cassava is a staple food grown extensively by the local people. Although cassava is poisonous, if properly prepared, it can still serve as a staple food, providing the body with carbohydrates to replenish energy.

He dug up a cassava and found more than a dozen large cassava roots. These cassava roots would probably last him and Chen Duling for two days. Fortunately, Yuan Linghan knew that cassava shouldn't be eaten in large quantities, otherwise it might cause constipation.

"This should be enough for a few meals. We can come back and dig more when we're done. The shelter isn't far from here, so other players shouldn't be able to get to it. Let's go back and finish building the aqueduct!"

After packing up the dug-up cassava and carrying the freshly felled logs again, Yuan Linghan returned to the shelter in no time. Seeing Yuan Linghan return, Chen Duling hurriedly went forward to offer her help.

Yuan Linghan threw the log he was carrying on his shoulder to the ground and pointed to the cassava at his feet, asking, "Dudu, do you know what this is?"

When asked, Chen Duling looked at it and a thought suddenly struck her: "Is this cassava?"

"It seems you really did your homework before participating in the show. With cassava, we won't have to worry about a lack of staple food anymore."

"Really? But I've heard that cassava is poisonous and needs to be properly prepared before you can eat it. Brother Yuan, do you know how to prepare it?"

When asked the question in return, Yuan Linghan nodded and said, "If I dared to take it as my staple food, I naturally know how to handle it. I'll teach you later; it's very simple!"

"Um!"

Considering they've built a basic shelter, hunted a chicken, and now dug up cassava to replace their staple food, the two of them, who won't have to worry about food for the time being, have certainly had a very fruitful day!