Chapter Two: The Hunt

“Does anyone seriously think you can hunt with just a piece of rotten wood?” Wang Wu leaned against the mud wall, sneering.

“Don’t end up dead in the mountains, carried off by wolves!” Qin Zhen couldn’t be bothered to argue, stepping past him and heading straight toward the village entrance.

On the way, he encountered Li Han from the west side of the village. This fellow was a few months older than Qin Zhen, tall and thin, with barely any flesh on his bones. In stark contrast to his emaciated frame was a slightly protruding belly, bloated from eating clay. Such a person wouldn’t live long.

During the drought years, Qin Zhen had eaten clay for a while too, and when that became impossible, he gnawed at tree bark. Luckily, the little fishing village was by the sea, so they never resorted to cannibalism. Unluckily, a dozen miles of mountain path separated the village from the shore; many died along the way, devoured by starving beasts.

“Zhen, I heard about your family’s situation. Here, take this—run away with your aunt!” Li Han pressed a bundle into Qin Zhen’s hands. It wasn’t much of a bundle really, more like a few ragged pieces of cloth sewn together with grass, bulging softly.

“There are several bundles of wild vegetables inside, and some dried fish. Enough to eat on the road,” Li Han said, his face full of concern.

Years ago, when pirates raided the village, Li Han’s family would have died if not for Qin Zhen’s older brother. Li Han had never forgotten this debt of gratitude. Though the gift seemed simple, in disaster years, wild vegetables could save lives.

“I won’t run. Running is certain death.” Qin Zhen shook his head.

The world was chaos, refugees and bandits everywhere—where could they possibly flee?

Li Han grew anxious. “It’s better than watching your aunt dragged away by those damned officials!”

Run, and there’s still a chance. If the officials came, certain death awaited.

Many peasants unable to pay the head tax were forced to flee. But escape was easier said than done.

Qin Zhen returned the bundle to Li Han, silently heading into the forest.

On the outskirts of the woods, villagers dug for food in the fields. In the beginning, the old village chief led people to clear land around the village. Though yields were low, every family could still manage a full meal from time to time. But as taxes grew year by year, the harvest was no longer enough to pay them, and eventually no one wanted to farm; the land went fallow.

Without farming, they still had to survive. The old chief led everyone to live off the mountains and sea, hunting and fishing wherever they could.

But in a world where even iron tools were strictly controlled, hunting without proper weapons was nearly impossible.

Life was harsh, people as insignificant as grass.

“Zhen, the sun’s about to set. The woods are dangerous!” Aunt Wang called out.

“I’m going hunting.” Qin Zhen’s explanation, unsurprisingly, drew laughter from the villagers.

“Hunting? You? How’s a child like you going to hunt?”

“Don’t get eaten by a bear!”

Even the best hunters in the village didn’t dare enter the forest alone at dusk—how could a child be so bold?

Qin Zhen ignored them and slipped into the woods.

The gloomy shadows quickly enveloped him.

He had accompanied the village’s only hunter into the forest several times, and he knew how to protect himself and track prey.

He carried a wooden crossbow, moving quickly and low through the dense forest, soon reaching a familiar lowland he’d visited many times.

Here, he saw several big, fluffy wild rabbits.

Qin Zhen reached for the pouch on his back, where he kept a few polished wooden bolts—his only ammunition, and his sole reliance for catching these rabbits.

Waiting by the tree for rabbits was just a story; wild animals that survived in the mountains were no fools.

Draw the bow, load the crossbow, aim, fire—all in one smooth motion.

With a sharp whistle, the wooden bolt struck a rabbit in the belly. It startled and flailed a few times, then lay still.

The success boosted Qin Zhen’s confidence. He didn’t rush forward, but kept low, readying another bolt for the other rabbits.

He fired several times in succession, and the rabbits scattered in alarm.

Qin Zhen hurried forward to check—he’d managed to catch three rabbits.

These rabbits, who knew what they’d been eating, were chubby with big heads and ears, their bellies round and full, each weighing seven or eight pounds! For a first hunt, such a haul made Qin Zhen very happy. He gathered his bolts for reuse—making them was hard work, and if they could be used again, he would.

Once he was sure he’d missed nothing, he took the rabbits and headed contentedly back toward the village.

It was deep night by then. Shadows clustered at the village gate.

Liu Juan stood at the front, tiptoeing and craning into the woods, anxious and desperate.

“Why didn’t you stop Zhen when you saw him?” The old village chief stamped his feet in anger, scolding Aunt Wang and the others: “How could you let such a young child go into the woods alone?”

Aunt Wang hung her head, too aggrieved to speak.

Wang Wu laughed maliciously. “He’s still not back—probably dead already!”

“Shut up!” Li Han glared. “Say another word and I’ll beat you!”

“Li Han, you want to try? Kneel and call me ‘father’ if you lose?” Wang Wu rolled up his sleeves, taunting.

“Let’s do it!”

“Enough!” The old chief’s authority still held in the village. When he got angry, most kept silent; Li Han’s lame father quickly pulled him away.

Wang Wu, however, kept spouting trash, not caring about the chief at all.

Wang Wu’s father, like Qin Zhen’s brother, had died protecting villagers during the pirate raid. Because of this, Wang Wu believed the whole village owed him and behaved like a tyrant, causing trouble everywhere.

Out of respect for his father, everyone tolerated Wang Wu, but this only encouraged his laziness and arrogance.

“Chen Shu, could I trouble you to go into the woods and look?” The old chief looked pleadingly at the village’s only hunter.

“Of course.” Chen Shu didn’t hesitate, slinging his bow and preparing to enter the woods.

The chief quickly called several strong young men, handing out torches for the search.

Just then, someone shouted.

“Isn’t that Zhen? Hey, the kid’s come back on his own!”

Qin Zhen strolled out of the forest, looking puzzled at the crowd gathered at the village gate. “What’s going on? Why aren’t you all asleep, watching the stars out here?” He glanced up, muttering, “There aren’t even any stars tonight.”

Before he finished, Liu Juan rushed over and hugged him, sobbing loudly.

“You heartless child, why did you go into the woods? You scared me to death! If something happened to you, how would I go on living…”

“Exactly!”

The old chief and others crowded around, scolding him.

“If anything happened to you, how could we face your late brother? Hunting, hunting! Even your Uncle Chen doesn’t dare go into the woods alone—how could you?”

Hearing his neighbors berate him, Qin Zhen felt a warm surge in his heart.

He proudly displayed his catch, waving it before the villagers.

“Who said I couldn’t hunt?”