Chapter 2, The First Hunt

While he was scratching his head in confusion, he noticed an inconspicuous short tree beside him. He first placed the bird egg back and then tested the tree with his other hand; it seemed quite sturdy. Thus, he performed a somersault and landed heavily on the short tree. Just as he steadied himself, Lian Junru inadvertently glanced at the ground and felt a wave of dizziness. This was, after all, the first time he had attempted such a dangerous thing. Even though his body was not unfamiliar with this kind of activity, deep down, he was still that pampered prince, not easily accustomed to such experiences. Taking a deep breath, Lian Junru's emotions gradually calmed down. This was the first thing he had done since his rebirth. If he could not accomplish it, how could he continue to live as Lian Junru?

What should we do now? Lian Yunfei had not made a firm decision, but seeing his son go hungry, he could not bring himself to do such a thing

Lian Junru finally began to understand a bit; it turned out that the items in that box were related to him and were quite valuable. Having spent many years in the palace, although he had not yet engaged in matters of love, he at least understood some things. Looking at the bare walls around him, he could not comprehend why the person who was betrothed to the Lian family would do so.

After casually moving his arms, Lian Jun jumped out of bed as if he were stepping down. He grabbed a small bow and arrow from beside him and said, "Father, Mother, I am going to the mountain to take a look. Perhaps I might catch something, so you need not worry."

In the village, there are quite a few people who, like Lian Jia, make a living by hunting. When Lian Yunfei was agile, he was one of the best hunters. However, even so, the game on the mountain sometimes could not sustain a family. In such a barren place, the available game is becoming increasingly scarce, and with animals accustomed to hiding and evading, they have become exceptionally clever. Often, a skilled hunter cannot even catch a single rabbit. As he traveled along, apart from seeing a few sparse wild fruit trees, Lian Jun did not see a single living creature, not even a mouse, which was truly bizarre. In this barren place, the available game is becoming increasingly scarce, and with animals accustomed to hiding and evading, they have become exceptionally clever. Often, a skilled hunter cannot even catch a single rabbit. As he traveled along, apart from seeing a few sparse wild fruit trees, Lian Jun did not see a single living creature, not even a mouse, which was truly bizarre.

"So many years have passed, how can our Lian family’s current state be worthy of Brother Huo’s daughter? Why are you still keeping those things?" Lian Yunfei's voice was somewhat hoarse, but more filled with helplessness, "You haven't even resolved your own issues, and you're thinking about marrying off your son? What a pipe dream!"

As soon as it entered his mouth, Lian Junru felt a taste more bitter than medicine rushing to his head, and a chill spread through his internal organs. Goodness, how could such a thing be edible? From those memories, he clearly knew that the original owner of this body had survived for several days on mouse fruit. He truly could not fathom how he managed to swallow it. With a strong desire to throw away the mouse fruit he had only taken a bite of, he hesitated for a long time, thinking of his parents at home. He steeled himself and finished off the two fruits in a few bites. Indeed, although his mouth was bitter and numb, the feeling of hunger had significantly diminished. Tightening his belt, Lian Junru, armed with a bow and arrow, continued to climb higher.

Reaching down to his waist, Lian Junru found that familiar sickle, which gave him a sense of assurance. He skillfully cut through several vines and deftly began to weave. In no time, a simple basket took shape. One, two, three, four, he carefully placed all four bird eggs into the basket, stuffing in plenty of weeds until he was certain that ordinary collisions would not break these precious foods. Only then did he reveal a satisfied smile. He tightly sealed the opening of the basket with the excess vines from earlier and securely strapped the basket to himself, finally completing all the preparations. One, two, three, four, he carefully placed all four bird eggs into the basket, stuffing in plenty of weeds until he was certain that ordinary collisions would not break these precious foods. Only then did he reveal a satisfied smile. He tightly sealed the opening of the basket with the excess vines from earlier and securely strapped the basket to himself, finally completing all the preparations

He reached out to test the clusters of wild grass on the cliff, and Lian Junru couldn't help but reveal a faint smile; they were truly resilient, and he thought that in case of an emergency, they might save his life. After climbing only two or three zhang, he felt a wave of fatigue wash over him, yet subconsciously, it seemed as if something was encouraging him to continue. The sharp rocks had already cut into his calloused hands, and his already tattered clothes were further torn with several large holes. Sweat even blurred his vision, but at this moment, Lian Junru held onto a single belief: to keep climbing upward, for otherwise, he did not know if he had the courage to persist.

Looking down from the cliff, the area was overgrown with weeds, and not a single trace of wild animal footprints could be seen. Lian Junru concluded that very few people came here, and he himself had no recollection of this place. It was strange; he had visited this mountain forest countless times in the past, so how could he have overlooked any potential hunting grounds? After reflecting for a moment on the small path he had just taken, he realized that he seemed to have stumbled into a rarely visited area, which made him feel somewhat uneasy.

Recalling his previous obsession with cleanliness in the palace, Lian Junru couldn't help but smile to himself, realizing how much time had passed and how he was still dwelling on the past. Aside from the current hardships, what was there to complain about? As he pondered, he noticed a crooked little tree a few steps away, bearing a few unripe fruits. Although he had never tasted such peculiar things, he knew that this fruit, which the previous person had called "mouse fruit," was extremely unpalatable but could still stave off hunger temporarily. After hesitating for just a moment, Lian Junru decided to pick two to try.

"Junru, you have just recovered from your illness, and you haven't eaten anything these past few days. This is unacceptable; you absolutely cannot go up the mountain!" Jin Yang exclaimed, "As for food, your father and mother will find a way, so you need not worry about that."

The cliff rises over a hundred zhang, and that bird's nest is precisely located in the middle. Whether approaching from above or below, it requires considerable effort to reach it. After gazing up for quite a while, Lian Junru finally made up his mind. His experiences had already been extraordinary enough; adding one more incident probably wouldn't matter much. Dying of hunger and falling to his death were not so different. Moreover, whenever he thought of his parents at home, he felt he could not return empty-handed.

The bird's nest was within easy reach, and Lian Junru could even clearly see that several eggs, two to three times larger than ordinary bird eggs, were lying inside. Carefully picking one up, he suddenly found himself in a dilemma; it would likely be even more difficult to descend. Attempting to bring this smooth object down without any damage was by no means an easy task. However, he was also reluctant to give up this food that was so close at hand.

"Engaged by the finger!" Lian Jun could not help but blurt it out, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it. Why did he speak so carelessly? Those women of noble birth would never look favorably upon an ordinary man. Moreover, the current situation of his family, as his father had said, was hardly worthy of that young lady. Besides, he had just gained the love of his parents and had no interest in marriage at all. At thirteen, it was indeed too early for a boy to discuss marriage.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up; not far away on the cliff, there seemed to be a bird's nest. Through the sparse branches used for the nest, he could vaguely see several large bird eggs. Lian Jun felt a surge of joy in his heart and rushed a few steps to the foot of the cliff.

Looking at that same stubborn face, Lian Yunfei seemed to see through something. He waved his hand to stop his wife, "Let him go, our son has grown up!"

Upon ascending the mountain, Lian Junru felt the absurdity of his actions. Is it not so? Although this body was quite familiar with the activity of hunting, even with the inheritance of those experiences, he was still a novice. Moreover, having hardly eaten anything in the past two days, after just a few steps, he felt his legs weaken and had no choice but to stop. When he sought a place to rest, he found that on this mountain, aside from broken stones and rotten tree stumps, there was nowhere clean to sit.

Descending the cliff proved to be far more difficult than anticipated. With additional weight on his back, Lian Jun slipped several times; had his body not reacted faster than his mind each time, he would have fallen. Even so, one of his shoes was lost in the process, and his knees were scraped and bleeding. After a perilous journey down, he finally set foot on solid ground

"Still, Junru reads a lot of books!" Jinyang affectionately glanced at his son, "In my opinion, Brother Huo and Sister-in-law Huo are both genuine people; they would not look down on our family. Wasn't it them who first brought up the marriage proposal back then? Moreover, such betrothal gifts should never be sold; otherwise, if word gets out, how can our Lian family maintain our dignity?"

The puzzled expression on his son's face did not escape Lian Yunfei's notice. He sighed softly, "You are grown up now, so it is fine to tell you. Your father once saved a nobleman, who is your Uncle Huo. Although he is of a different status than I, he does not carry himself like a person of high standing at all. At that time, your mother was pregnant with you, and Mrs. Huo was also expecting, which is how the engagement was arranged. According to the learned scholars, it should be called, called..." Lian Yunfei scratched his head in difficulty, as he truly could not remember those convoluted terms.