"Dad, Mom, I'm heading out."
At the door, Cheng Zongyang called out to his parents, then left the house with a basket on his back.
"Be careful out there," Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family hurried out, her face etched with worry as she called after him.
After what happened with Chen Jiang, Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family couldn't help but worry whenever her son went into the mountains.
In the courtyard, Cheng Guanghai didn't try to dissuade her. He was just as concerned but couldn't show it the way his wife did. He could only continue on to the storeroom to dig the cellar, wanting to finish it as soon as possible to be prepared.
"Mom, did Big Brother go to the mountains?" Just then, a sleepy-eyed Cheng Zongyun emerged from the inner room, her hair a mess.
"Yes, you little rascal. Hurry up and wash your face. You must be hungry, right?" Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family's attention was diverted by her daughter.
"Mhm, I'm starving," the little girl nodded.
She didn't need a wake-up call or have to get up early; she was usually woken up by her own hunger.
Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family fetched water for her daughter to wash up. Looking at her daughter's rosy, chubby-cheeked face and comparing it to the two girls from Chunhua's House she'd seen yesterday, she sighed inwardly.
'This girl of mine was born lucky,' Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family murmured.
Thanks to her eldest son, this daughter of hers had never gone hungry, and neither had their second child.
Compared to the children from other families, she truly had a good life.
At the same time, she was immensely proud to have such a sensible and capable son.
At the eastern entrance of the village, Cheng Zongyang ignored Jin Yongsheng and his cousins, whom he'd run into again, and headed straight for the mountains.
Watching Cheng Zongyang enter the mountains with a look of utter indifference, Jin Yongsheng asked his older cousin, Jin Yong'an:
"Cousin, did you guys run into that kid in the mountains yesterday?"
Jin Yong'an and his brothers were waiting for the adults and paid no mind to the lone wolf, Cheng Zongyang.
'In his opinion, trying to go it alone during a famine is a good way to die young.'
Now, hearing his younger cousin's question, he watched Cheng Zongyang's receding figure and shook his head. "No. I don't know where that kid enters the mountains from."
"I really want to beat him up!" Jin Yongsheng snorted.
"Give me a break."
Jin Yong'an shot his cousin a sideways glance and said, "Everyone knows that kid from the Cheng Family is freakishly strong. Even three grown men from the village couldn't get the upper hand when they ganged up on him. And you think you can take him?
"You should learn from your older brother and stop fooling around all the time. In times like these, if you get into trouble, just make sure you don't live to regret it."
Listening to his cousin's nagging lecture, Jin Yongsheng was speechless. He took a few steps back, his patience wearing thin.
His own older brother, Jin Yongkang, smacked him on the back of the head, displeased.
"What's with that attitude? Don't cause trouble for our family. In times like these, if we don't stick together to survive, do you want our family to end up like the village head of Hengshui Village?
"If you're not thinking about how to help the family and only thinking about causing trouble, I'd say you're too well-fed. Maybe you want to try going hungry like other families?"
At these words, Jin Yongsheng fell silent.
'The family of the Hengshui Village head…'
'I heard all their grain was stolen, and what's more, they were all killed.'
"I get it," Jin Yongsheng could only mutter in response.
Nearby, Jin Yong'an's own younger brother, Jin Yongmin, remained silent the entire time.
He was well aware of the elders' instructions for the brothers to stay united, so he wasn't foolish enough to do something that wasn't in his own best interest.
'In his view, while beating up Cheng Zongyang sounded satisfying, the higher probability was that he'd be the one getting beaten. Plus, he'd get an earful from his family. It just wasn't worth the trouble.'
Cheng Zongyang had no idea what the Jin Family brothers were thinking. He hadn't planned on bringing much game down from the mountains today anyway.
The family wasn't short on grain or meat for the time being, so there was no need to bring it home every single day.
In the coming days, aside from hunting, he planned to spend his time building a warehouse or a similar structure in the Wilderness World.
Arriving behind the giant boulder once more, he entered the Wilderness World.
Appearing in the marketplace cabin, the first thing he did was look at the cabinet.
He had bought two items yesterday, so two new ones should have spawned.
——
[Grapes]
Description: A common fruit that can replenish nutrients.
Quantity: 10 (pounds)
Points: 1
——
Seeing the first new item, Cheng Zongyang felt a little disappointed and turned to look at the second one.
——
[Guardrail]
Description: Made from a type of wood with a special scent that prevents wild animals from approaching.
Specifications: 1 x 1.5 (meters)
Quantity: 100
Points: 30
——
"Huh? This is good!"
Cheng Zongyang's eyes lit up when he saw the second item.
He had been planning to properly establish the boundaries of his territory over the next few days, and the Insect Repellent Medicine he bought yesterday was meant for the perimeter.
'Now that I have this guardrail, I can save the Insect Repellent Medicine!'
He glanced at his 37 Points and bought it without hesitation.
Compared to a Refined Long Blade, having a safe territory was more important than anything.
He bought the Grapes as well. It was only one Point; not worth being stingy over.
The next moment, ten stacks of black wooden guardrails appeared at the cabin's entrance. A basket of Kyoho grapes sat on the counter.
Cheng Zongyang set the Grapes aside and walked outside.
"Now everything's ready," Cheng Zongyang said, his face full of joy. 'Not only will this save me construction time, but it also has a special effect.'
Relieved, he went back into the cabin and looked at the quest board.
Aside from the unchanged quest for the Centennial Ginseng, the other three had refreshed.
——
②: Acquire Iron Fir Wood
Quantity: 100 logs (10 meters/log)
Points: 1 Point/log
Time Limit: 72 hours
——
③: Acquire Purple Sable Hide
Quantity: Unlimited (good condition)
Points: 5 Points/pelt
Time Limit: 72 hours
——
④: Acquire Tiger
Quantity: 1
Points: 30 Points
Time Limit: 48 hours
——
"The Points for these quests are pretty good," Cheng Zongyang said, a little surprised.
Especially the Purple Sable Hide—five Points a pelt. That showed how valuable it was.
As for the Iron Fir Wood, a ten-meter-long log sold for one Point. That was a good value, too.
After thinking for a moment, he accepted the Iron Fir Wood quest, leaving the ones for the tiger and the purple sable.
'I mainly want to see what it looks like. If I come across any, I'll cut it down. If not, so be it. I can't search the entire region for it anyway.'
He glanced at his quest log and saw that the time limit for collecting the Snake Gall was almost up. He ignored it, left the cabin, and went to hunt first.
Hunt in the morning, build the warehouse in the afternoon—that was his plan.
At the counter, Cheng Zongyang picked up the cloth strip and charcoal pencil that had been placed to the side.
He spread out the cloth. On it were lines and routes drawn with the black charcoal, as well as landmarks he had passed along the way.
'I've basically figured out the eastern area. Based on yesterday's exploration, there's a seventy percent chance this forest is at the foot of the mountain and a thirty percent chance it's on the mountainside. To the northwest, there's a cliff face and that Red Ore I found.'
Cheng Zongyang added the landmarks and routes he hadn't filled in yesterday. Finally, his gaze fell upon the Central Region.
His destination wasn't the marketplace cabin, but north—the path leading up the mountain. Since the path was on a slope, he had to see what was higher up.
'If I can actually reach the summit, things might be different.'
He placed the cloth strip and charcoal pencil in his basket, shouldered his Ironwood Bow and Arrow and other gear, and headed up the mountain.