Chapter 79: Four Days in the Wilderness (Part Three)
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
After the broadcast ended, Jian Ningxuan and An Bu finished the remaining half of the snake soup. The fresh garlic chives had a sour taste, the locust flowers were slightly bitter, and with no ginger slices to remove the fishy smell, plus the seasoning wine, the snake soup was full of primitive flavors. It smelled good, but eating it was quite a challenge to the taste buds. If it weren’t for Joey and the other foreigners interrupting, judging by the calm expression of the cat master, An Bu might have thought that the pot of snake soup was truly delicious.
In front of outsiders, Jian Ningxuan always appeared as stable as Mount Tai, impervious to scrutiny. No matter where he was placed, he gave people the illusion of “Ah, this person is amazing, definitely an industry elite.”
The half pot of snake soup obviously couldn’t fill the cat master’s stomach. An Bu took out a compressed food pack, heated it up, and made a simple mixed-grain porridge for him. Her seemingly unattainable cat master was actually quite easy to take care of.
At night, team leader Zhao Kaihe gathered everyone together and briefly introduced the activities for the next day. They would wake up at 6 a.m., equip themselves, and head to Strange Tooth Peak for rock climbing training. They would return by 4 p.m., and along the way, each person needed to collect their own food.
“If you find unfamiliar ingredients, show them to me first to ensure they are safe before consumption,” Zhao Kaihe reminded. “Don’t act alone, and don’t rashly venture deep into the mountains. Although the signal is clear in this area, encountering situations where communication devices are damaged or lost can’t be ruled out.”
“Brother Zhao, we know all this; you can rest assured.”
“Yes, safety knowledge has already been explained. There’s no need to repeat it. Brother Zhao, why not share your past experiences with us instead?”
“Exactly, tell us.” The crowd clamored, preferring real experiences over dry rules and regulations.
“Well then.” Zhao Kaihe didn’t refuse and began sharing his past experiences.
After listening for a while, Jian Ningxuan turned to see An Bu shaving wood. He frowned, stopped her actions, and took the twigs and dagger from her hands.
“What’s wrong?” An Bu looked at him in confusion.
Jian Ningxuan: Let me do it.
“Alright.” An Bu pointed at a wooden stick. “Just sharpen it; one end is a spear, and the other is a fork. It can be used for fishing and hunting.”
Jian Ningxuan nodded in understanding, then began to concentrate on shaving. His movements were slow but steady, his fingers gripping the knife handle were slender and powerful, clean and fair, forming a sharp contrast with the rough tree branches.
An Bu decisively took out her phone and snapped a picture, naming it “Divine Cat Claw.”
Jian Ningxuan glanced at it inadvertently, “…”
After Zhao Kaihe finished sharing his experiences, several other experienced individuals also shared their own stories.
People chatted and laughed, and it wasn’t until after 9 p.m. that the gathering dispersed.
An Bu and Jian Ningxuan shared a tent, a small space just enough for the two of them. Jian Ningxuan initially thought of buying a spacious luxury tent but changed his mind later, as a smaller space was beneficial for getting closer.
An Bu was unaware of his thoughts and had no particular requirements for the tent, as long as it was of good quality.
The cat master’s body was warm, and An Bu felt like she was soaking in a hot spring—pleasant temperature, not too high, yet very comfortable. If it were an ordinary person, enduring a small space with Jian Ningxuan, who was like a furnace, might not last even three minutes.
“Bu.” Jian Ningxuan hugged An Bu from behind.
“Hmm?” An Bu lay on the blanket, reciting herbal knowledge in her mind.
“Ten minutes,” Jian Ningxuan nibbled her ear.
After a moment of reaction, An Bu understood his meaning and whispered, “There are people around; be discreet.”
With permission granted, Jian Ningxuan leaned down, starting to explore slowly and powerfully.
Five minutes, ten minutes, twenty minutes… An Bu gained over a hundred points of vitality.
What was supposed to be ten minutes turned into thirty, and if not for considering the activities the next day, Jian Ningxuan estimated he could have endured another two hours.
The next day, everyone groggily woke up, each preparing their equipment. Half an hour later, Zhao Kaihe led the fully equipped group towards Strange Tooth Peak. As for the foreigners in the other camp, they had already set off earlier, leaving only two people to guard the camp.
Carrying their loads, the first test was the group’s physical stamina. After an hour of walking, most people’s faces showed signs of fatigue.
An Bu and Jian Ningxuan often exercised and felt no fatigue. However, Jian Ningxuan, with high body heat, had his clothes soaked with sweat. This affected the people around him, making them walk with flushed faces and shortness of breath.
When they reached their destination, everyone was drenched in sweat, looking quite disheveled, as if they had just run dozens of kilometers.
The foreigners who arrived at Strange Tooth Peak earlier couldn’t help but burst into laughter upon seeing them.
“Oh my, Z country’s stamina is too weak!”
“Do you guys not exercise normally?”
“You’re not suitable for extreme sports; go back and drink milk!”
…
Zhao Kaihe didn’t want to cause trouble and ignored them, just instructing everyone to rest in place and recover.
But he could endure it; others couldn’t.
“Idiot.” Chihuahua angrily scolded in E language, “Why do you say we’re not suitable for extreme sports?”
“Your stamina is even worse than women; you dare to play extreme sports, simply seeking death.” A man with a big nose mocked.
“Who says our stamina is bad!” This time, it was a young man named “Taichu.” He had participated in similar activities before, making him a semi-experienced amateur player.
“Hahaha…” His retort was met with a wild and disrespectful laughter.
The expressions of the group turned somewhat unpleasant. They didn’t understand why their stamina was depleting so quickly, even though their physical fitness was not bad. Normally, walking over a dozen kilometers on foot was not a problem!
Jian Ningxuan silently stood ten meters away from the group, a calm and indifferent look on his face.
When they entered the mountains yesterday, Jian Ningxuan deliberately walked at the back, minimizing the impact on the group. Today, he brought them a bit closer, unintentionally releasing a debuff that accelerated everyone’s stamina consumption.
He would have to bear this blame.
So, team activities were not suitable for him.
“It’s alright,” An Bu smiled, “conflict is one way to promote bonding.”
Jian Ningxuan: …Conflict is also a way to trigger bloodshed incidents.
The Chinese and foreigners confronted each other, refusing to give in, exchanging sharp words, profanity flying. Eventually, it evolved into a bet to defend dignity and prove capability.
Each side selected three representatives for a rock climbing competition.
After comparing the strengths of both sides, honestly, the chances of the Z country winning were slim.
Most of their team were beginners, except for Zhao Kaihe, the other senior members were merely experienced amateur players. They had a natural gap compared to these foreigners who were skilled in sports.
Zhao Kaihe had a serious face. “You guys are too impulsive; competing with them will only make us look worse.”
“Brother Zhao.” Chihuahua discontentedly said, “How can you dampen other people’s spirits? We haven’t even competed yet; who knows if we’ll win or lose.”
Zhao Kaihe felt embarrassed to discourage them. Most of those people were at least semi-professional, and coming to Crow South Mountain was probably just to take a break and relax.
“Brother Zhao, if we are indifferent to their mockery, wouldn’t it be too feeble?” Zong Rui had a good attitude. “Even if we can’t win, we can’t lose morale.”
“Exactly, losing people doesn’t mean losing the battle. What’s there to be afraid of?” Taichu also echoed.
“What do the others think?” Zhao Kaihe’s gaze swept across the group.
“No objections, let’s compete.” Everyone expressed their opinions.
After contemplating for a moment, Zhao Kaihe nodded. “Alright, let’s have a competition. Remember, safety first, don’t be too rash.”
After making the decision, Zhao Kaihe exchanged opinions with those foreigners, then led the group to warm-up, getting familiar with the terrain in the process.
The Strange Tooth Peak has a unique shape, resembling a piece of cut cake, standing irregularly with steep rock walls, hard stone, and vertical heights ranging from a minimum of a dozen meters to over a hundred meters, making it ideal for beginners and intermediate climbing enthusiasts.
An Bu brought Jian Ningxuan to the base of a twelve-meter rock wall to explain climbing techniques. Both were equipped with climbing gear, secured by safety ropes, and started practicing at a height of two to three meters.
As for the ongoing competition, An Bu wasn’t interested. She came here primarily to save Zhong Rui, the guy with a mohawk, with more than a day left before his death. However, predicting his death could only be done three minutes in advance, and there wasn’t much she could do for now.
Over the years, An Bu had been tirelessly saving people, not just for the sake of saving them but also to experience different lives, learning and acquiring new skills from various unexpected events. For example, she learned rock climbing after a failed rescue attempt.
“Mr. Jian, keep your forearm close to the rock wall, grip the stone cracks with your fingers, use arm strength to lift your body upward, maintain a stable center of gravity, and always keep balance,” An Bu explained and demonstrated, showcasing a graceful curve by spreading her arms, gripping the support points, bending her right leg, straightening her left leg, resembling a nimble ape climbing.
Jian Ningxuan followed her movements closely, climbing up to a height of six meters.
Turning her head, An Bu asked, “Do you want to climb all the way up in one go?”
Jian Ningxuan looked up; there were still seven or eight meters to go. In response to An Bu’s encouraging gaze, he nodded without hesitation. Even though it was his first time rock climbing, he felt remarkably calm. As long as she was there, he had nothing to fear.
After several tens of minutes, the two successfully reached the summit.
Jian Ningxuan breathed slightly heavily, limbs a bit sore, but his mood was extremely pleasant. Looking at the distant undulating mountains, bright colors flickered in his eyes.
An Bu smiled and asked, “How does it feel?”
“Very good.” He could climb another several dozen meters.
“Hehe, as expected, members of the cat family are good at climbing. Tomorrow, let’s try swimming. Mr. Jian must be afraid of getting wet, right?”
Jian Ningxuan: …Don’t casually apply cat habits to him.
“Hehe, we’ll get wet together tomorrow.”
Jian Ningxuan: …Well, being a cat is actually not bad, who made his owner like it so much…
Want to show your support? Go donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! Want to get early access to at least 5 chapters in advance? Go to my Patreon to join now! :)
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
