"Bang bang bang..."
"Woo, woo, woo..."
In the Primitive Forest, Jiang Xuan and the others walked while striking trees with bamboo, occasionally letting out howls from their mouths.
They had left the bamboo forest two days ago, and Jiang Xuan's injuries had mostly healed, walking was no longer a problem.
Ahead of them was a forest that even the Deer Tribe's Hunting Team had never ventured into, with no traces of human activity.
In such a place, the need for caution was not against humans, but rather against those terrifying beasts.
When leaving the bamboo forest, each person brought a small bamboo stick about two fingers thick. This bamboo, unlike giant bamboo, was not very tall but very tough.
Striking trees with bamboo produced a loud, crisp sound to deter Fierce Birds and beasts; usually, normal beasts would leave on their own upon hearing such a loud noise.
Chi Shao suddenly stopped ahead, turning her ear to listen.
Jiang Xuan nervously asked, "What is it?"
Gou Teng and others were also nervous; in such an unfamiliar place, there were too many deadly dangers, impossible to predict when they might encounter one.
Chi Shao closed her eyes and listened carefully for a moment, "It seems like there's the sound of flowing water up ahead."
Jiang Xuan listened carefully and nodded, "Indeed, there's the sound of flowing water."
Gou Teng asked, "Should we go over there?"
Jiang Xuan pondered for a while, "Let's go and take a look. I hope to find a place with a river and flat land to live."
The Southern Wilderness's water resources are very rich; mountain springs and streams are everywhere, so there isn't a situation where beasts gather by the water. As long as they don't go into the water, it's relatively safe.
"Then let's go."
Chi Shao valued her brother's opinion greatly because he was her only relative. As long as Jiang Xuan's ideas weren't too absurd, she wouldn't argue.
The group walked in the direction of the water sound; the untraveled path was difficult to walk. After about an hour, they finally found the source of the flowing water.
"Splashing..."
It was a river, about twenty meters wide, not very fast in flow. The water was very clear, and there were many fish swimming in it.
Along the riverbank grew large expanses of reeds, about three to four meters tall, very lush.
Jiang Xuan stood on a huge rock, looking at the gently flowing river in front, and exclaimed excitedly, "This is the river I've been looking for!"
Ten-year-old Nan Xing curiously asked, "Xuan, why are you looking for a river?"
Jiang Xuan gave a mysterious smile, "You'll know in the future."
Nan Xing felt a little perplexed, but since Jiang Xuan didn't explain, there was nothing he could do.
Chi Shao stood beside Jiang Xuan and asked, "Xuan, do we want to live here?"
For Chi Shao, where they lived wasn't important, as long as Jiang Xuan was happy. After all, he was her only brother.
Jiang Xuan looked around from the big rock, shaking his head, "There's not much flat land here; we can't live here. Let's follow the riverbank and keep looking."
Chi Shao didn't know why Jiang Xuan insisted on finding large expanses of flat land, but she respected his choice.
"Alright, let's walk a bit further ahead."
The five didn't approach the riverbank because the reeds were too tall and dense, making it difficult to walk, and there might be fearsome predators hidden inside. They couldn't take that risk.
They continued walking in the forest, with Jiang Xuan occasionally climbing a tree or standing on a high place to look around, searching for a suitable living place.
They walked for another half a day, and it was now afternoon. If they didn't find a suitable place by then, they would have to find a place to spend the night.
When they crossed a hillside, the scene suddenly opened up before them.
A vast open area lay ahead, where the river took a turn and continued rushing forward.
Jiang Xuan glanced around and his eyes lit up instantly; this was a good place!
Gou Teng, observing his surroundings, suddenly saw something and exclaimed while pointing in one direction, "Look over there!"
Jiang Xuan followed Gou Teng's direction and saw something unforgettable!
At the end of the open space stood a Stone Mountain, hundreds of meters high, with steep slopes and cliffs on all sides.
An Ancient Vine, its age unknown, with a notably thick trunk, climbed along the mountain and wrapped around the entire Stone Mountain like a dragon coiling a pillar!
"Oh my god, it's enormous!"
Everyone was shocked; the ancient vine was larger than any they had ever seen before.
While in shock, Jiang Xuan carefully surveyed the surroundings.
He found that not only was there a river bay and forest here, but at the foot of the Stone Mountain, there was also a bamboo forest.
A small stream flowed out from within the bamboo forest, winding its way through a large flat area and finally converging into the river.
This was simply the perfect dwelling place!
Jiang Xuan excitedly exclaimed, "This is the place I've been looking for!"
Chi Shao came to her senses and asked, "Xuan, do you want to live here?"
Jiang Xuan nodded and pointed to the bamboo forest at the foot of the Stone Mountain, "Let's settle by the stream at the edge of that bamboo forest!"
"Then let's go, let's move quickly; it's getting late."
Chi Shao took the lead, Jiang Xuan immediately followed, and Gou Teng, Shi Qiu, and Nan Xing followed closely behind.
The ancient vine was too awe-inspiring, much like a deity.
Living at the foot of the Stone Mountain should surely receive protection from the gods, right?
The tribe people revered deities and believed that sincere faith would grant them their protection.
There was no path on the ground; the five of them pushed through thorns and undergrowth, and after more than an hour, they finally reached the bamboo forest at the foot of the Stone Mountain.
The lush bamboo blocked the sunlight, and underneath the bamboo forest, there were few brambles and weeds, making it visually pleasant.
Jiang Xuan found the little stream by the sound of the water.
He chose a relatively flat area beside the stream and said to Chi Shao, "Let's live here!"
Chi Shao looked at him and said, "You like it here, so we'll live here. But for now, with nightfall approaching, let's set up a temporary shelter and make a fire; otherwise, it'll be troublesome if beasts come at night."
"Alright!"
Jiang Xuan said to the three youths, "Let's gather some bamboo to make a temporary bamboo shelter, and let my sister start a fire."
Chi Shao had no objections, and the three youths had no complaints either, immediately starting to work.
There were plenty of dry bamboos in the bamboo forest. Once bamboo dried out, insects quickly infested it, causing it to decay and fall over.
Jiang Xuan, Gou Teng, and Shi Qiu pulled the fallen bamboos one by one to the selected spot near the stream.
Fresh bamboos were tough; without a machete, it would take a lot of effort and a long time to cut them down.
Collecting the fallen dry bamboo was much easier.
After pulling the dry bamboo to the designated location, Jiang Xuan found some sturdy vines and began constructing the bamboo shelter.
He chose living bamboo for support, horizontal tied a relatively intact bamboo between two poles at person height as a beam.
Then he propped other dried bamboo on the beam, tying them with vines, and broke off extra branches to form a simple sloped bamboo shelter.
They covered the top of the bamboo shelter with lots of moss, dry grass, and bamboo leaves to guard against the night rain.
Jiang Xuan, along with the three youths, spent about an hour in constructing the bamboo shelter.
By then, the sun had set, and Chi Shao had found a dry pine tree and a relatively hard deadwood and used the Fire Plow Method to start a bonfire.
She then cleared away the dead leaves and branches around the bonfire to prevent the fire from spreading and accidentally setting the bamboo forest on fire.
Finally, she moved many stones from the streamside to encircle the fire pit, making it much safer.
As for firewood, there was no need to worry about it in the bamboo forest full of dry bamboo, the best firewood.
Night finally fell, and the five of them sat in their simple bamboo shelter, watching the flickering bonfire, eating wild fruits they had picked on the way; their hearts were slightly settled.
At least they wouldn't have to keep running around tomorrow.
"Crack!"
After being burned, the bamboo inside the fire pit, expanded quickly due to the air inside its joints, causing it to explode with a loud noise.
This sound frightened away wildlife and birds nearby.
It was the most primal firecracker and a tribal method to fend off beast attacks during the night.