Chapter 636 - 82: Survival
Xue Rong still didn’t want to die, yet judging by her current reserves, it’s likely she won’t survive this unseasonable spring chill.
’Surviving in the wild is vastly different from what’s documented in books and the internet; despite all my preparations, I’m afraid it won’t even last me half a year.’
’Could it be, I will have to go back to prison?’
’No!’
’I’d rather die than go to prison!’
Shaking her head, she glanced at Fang Zheng, who lay silent in the corner, her expression slightly relaxed:
’Anyway, I’m not alone now, even if I die, there’s someone to accompany me on the road.’
Thinking for a moment, she slowly spoke:
"Do you really have a... Cave Mansion here?"
"Yes."
Fang Zheng, who had his eyes closed, opened them upon hearing her, casting his gaze towards the robust woman by the campfire:
"Are you planning to go?"
"Although life here is hard, I’m not ready to die yet." Xue Rong pursed her lips and shrugged:
"If I can survive, of course, that’s preferable."
"Count south from here, it’s the summit of the second mountain. There’s a rock like a tiger in front of the Cave Mansion." Fang Zheng nodded and spoke slowly:
"Pull aside the vines on the cliff to see the cave entrance; there’s some food inside that should help you last for a while."
"Is it really there?" Seeing that Fang Zheng didn’t seem to be lying, Xue Rong couldn’t help but press her lips together:
"Hope doesn’t kill the horse by running it..."
"It’s going to take two or three days to go there and back. I don’t mind the trip, but what about you?"
Fang Zheng was currently undergoing a physical reconstruction phase where speaking and eye movement were the limits of his abilities—doing anything else was impossible.
Otherwise,
he wouldn’t have been picked up.
"Don’t worry about me." Fang Zheng closed his eyes, his voice calm:
"I won’t die."
"Heh..."
Xue Rong shook her head.
She couldn’t understand Fang Zheng’s composure, clearly unable to move, yet remaining so nonchalant.
Was he not afraid of dying?
His mindset was impressive!
After muttering to herself, Xue Rong put on her cloak, lifted the beast hide door curtain, and looked outside.
Then without a word, she walked out of the cave.
After some time.
She returned with a water bottle filled with water and a few unidentifiable insects the size of thumbs, and began to boil water and cook.
"The last meal."
Glancing at Fang Zheng, Xue Rong said calmly:
"I’ll feed you, then go check out the place you mentioned. Hopefully, you’ll still be alive when I return."
Fang Zheng didn’t mention that he didn’t need to eat, as it’s better not to stand out too much on this ’magic-less’ Earth.
The soup was green, with things floating that resembled dragonfly wings and spider legs.
Forcing himself to swallow the soup, he commented:
"The taste isn’t great."
"Be thankful it’s keeping you alive." Xue Rong replied helplessly:
"It’s not the time to be picky."
"..." Fang Zheng sighed lightly:
"Even though mosquito meat is still meat, those insect wings offer no benefits when ingested."
"I’ll pick them out next time."
It was unknown what kind of bugs Xue Rong caught, they even carried a mild poison, though it didn’t matter to him.
If an ordinary person consumed this soup, they’d likely have a few days of stomach troubles.
"Got it."
Xue Rong snorted softly, put down the bowl, grabbed a few necessary outdoor items, and looked back:
"Wait for my return, don’t die."
Fang Zheng closed his eyes.
Her footsteps gradually faded away, eventually being completely drowned out by the howling wind.
’Interesting!’
’This woman has a killer’s aura, probably having taken lives, and not just one, but still seems soft-hearted.’
’What could have driven such a person to become a murderer?’
Though his eyes were closed, everything in the cave was clear to Fang Zheng’s ’perception’.
Including the drinking water deliberately placed by Xue Rong within reach, for when his body recovers.
And the books in the corner, power equipment, and an unconnected laptop...
It was evident.
Before coming to the deep mountains, Xue Rong had made long-term preparations, specifically researching wilderness survival techniques and recreational materials.
Unfortunately,
some things you simply cannot handle with ease just through others’ experiences; you must experience it yourself.
Wilderness survival in extreme conditions is one such example.
*
*
*
"Crunch!"
The ice axe embedded into the thick ice layer as Xue Rong exerted force with her arms, climbing upward with difficulty in her ice cleats.
Finally reaching a flat area, she curled up to avoid the cold wind, her lips trembling.
"Are you kidding me?"
"Is this really the mountain?"
Looking up at the towering mountain above, her eyes involuntarily narrowed.
This mountain was far higher and steeper than she imagined, hard to believe anyone could build a ’Cave Mansion’ on it.
"If you dared to lie to me, you’re dead!"
Gritting her teeth, Xue Rong stood up with difficulty.
The high altitude, low temperatures, and cold winds made the air she breathed feel like blades scraping her throat.
Swallowing was akin to torture.
"Crunch!"
The ice axe lodged into the ice layer.
Several hours later.
A stone resembling a sitting tiger came into view, along with sprawling greenery covering the mountainside.
"There really is one?"
With surprise, Xue Rong stepped forward.
As she approached, a wave of warmth hit her, as if transitioning from harsh winter to gentle early summer.
Huh?
What’s going on?
Curious eyes, she parted the vines per Fang Zheng’s description and indeed saw a deep cave entrance.
......
The spacious stone chamber had walls inset with nine oil lamps.
No one knew how long it had been since anyone last visited, yet the oil lamps still burned, with no sign of oil depletion.
The lamplight illuminated the stone chamber thoroughly, as Xue Rong slowly entered.
"Oil lamps, prayer mats, scriptures..."
Eyeing the items placed inside, Xue Rong’s expression was peculiar:
"Could this really be a Cultivator’s Cave Mansion?"
Of course.
The cultivator she referred to was not the mythical ones in books, but those Daoists adept at self-care.
Three stone chambers interconnected from this point.
The first housed some unknown flowers and grasses, emitting a refreshing fragrance tempting enough to linger in.
One particularly strange flower seemed to have a halo on its surface, illuminating the entire chamber.
Xue Rong didn’t dwell on it, assuming it to be a flower enthusiast’s whim, and turned to the second room.
Upon entering, her eyes lit up.
"Water!"
"Compressed food rations!"
"There’s even wine and preserved meat..."
"I was right to believe him!"
As she spoke, she took out a prepared bag and rushed over to stuff it full with compressed food rations.
As for water...
She had sufficient experience finding water, so it wasn’t immediately necessary.
Lastly,
After thinking it over, she added two bottles of wine.
As for the third stone chamber, the stone door was tightly closed. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t open it, so she simply ignored it.
With her haul secured, Xue Rong left the ’Cave Mansion’ and, before descending the mountain, cast a puzzled glance back.
’Strange?’
’How did he get so many things here?’
Unbeknownst to Xue Rong, shortly after she descended, a helicopter appeared above the mountain peak, hovered briefly, and quickly departed.