Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Oh Mother, It’s a Bear!

“Fire, fire!”

Suddenly, a sharp scream erupted from the back of the procession.

Everyone was startled, especially Qi Quanjin, who frowned. After asking Qi Quanli to come help with the handcart, he walked towards the back of the group.

Just as he was about to ask what had happened, he saw billowing smoke emerging from the forest they had just passed.

Could it be… the fire from the village has reached the mountain?

This thought flashed through his mind only to be immediately dismissed by Qi Quanjin.

The village was quite a distance from the foot of the mountain. Even if there were wild grasses in between, Yongping Village had been doing well these past few years, especially this year, with abundant rain, making the wild grasses grow particularly well.

Not to mention using fire, even if oil was poured to ignite it, it would still take a long time to reach the mountain’s base.

But now they were already halfway up the mountain, no matter how fast the fire was, it couldn’t have happened so suddenly.

There’s only one possibility.

The rebels set the mountain on fire.

“Damn it, they’ve gone mad!”

Qi Quanjin shivered with rage, but there was nothing else he could do. He could only tell everyone to hurry up and head further up the mountain.

Yi Meng, realizing that the rebels might have set the mountain on fire, felt her heart sink. She quickly called her family to stop and, using the cover of Qi Manman’s backpack, pulled out a piece of coarse cloth.

The coarse cloth was folded up and had been stored in her space.

Now she took it out, unfolded it, and tore it into strips: “Quick, wet the cloth strips, cover your mouth and nose, don’t let the smoke choke you!”

The Qi Family knew that Yi Meng was educated, so they readily followed her instructions.

And Yin Cheng, who was with the Qi Family, nodded in satisfaction, took the already soaked cloth strip, and covered his own mouth and nose.

Seeing that there were some leftover fabric scraps from the Qi Family’s cloth, he said, “Can that cloth be sent over to Qin Minglang’s group?”

Qin Minglang’s group was simple: besides himself, there was just one attendant, an apprentice he had taken on.

Without a word, Yi Meng tore the cloth strip, wetted it, and handed it to Qi Silang to give to Qin Minglang and his apprentice in the back.

The village chief’s family, following behind the Qi Family, imitated them, starting to tear cloth and wet it to cover their mouths and noses.

The villagers following the village chief’s family watched, and although they didn’t understand why, they also followed suit.

Soon, the villagers were either tearing cloth or ripping their clothes; regardless of appearance, everyone’s mouth and nose were covered.

Though damp and making breathing a little difficult, as the smoke from below wafted upward, they felt somewhat less uncomfortable.

Yi Meng said to Qi Zheng, “Father, it can’t go on like this, we need to find a ventilated place quickly, otherwise everyone will end up suffocating from the thick smoke sooner or later.”

Qi Zheng understood this, but he couldn’t think of a way out on the spot.

It was Qi Quanjin who stood up and said, “There’s another path with a water source, and there’s a cave nearby. If we go a bit further, we’ll reach the mountain top. There’s usually a strong breeze there, but there are also many wild animals around, so we might encounter some.”

This news made everyone both happy and tense.

What would they do if they encountered wild animals?

The village chief, who had just walked over, said, “Quanjin, you lead the way, we’ll head that direction. If we really encounter wild animals, our village has enough men to fight them off!”

Compared to choking to death on smoke, wild animals seemed less frightening.

At worst, it would mean death, but if they managed to kill the wild animals, they could not only survive but also get some meat.

Qi Quanjin didn’t waste any time and took the lead.

The handcart was entrusted to Qi Quanli and Mr. Qi Sr. to push together, while he led the way with a machete in hand.

At this altitude, the mountain path had long disappeared, requiring them to clear the wild grass ahead to proceed.

After walking for nearly two tea sessions, they finally heard the faint sound of flowing water.

Meanwhile, coughing erupted throughout the group.

Everyone was already nervous and scared, added to the strain of rushing, making it difficult to breathe.

Now with the smoke chasing from behind, many felt they couldn’t catch their breath.

Removing the damp cloth covering their mouths and noses to take a breath meant inhaling smoke, which immediately caused a coughing fit.

But no one stopped.

They knew if they stopped, death would surely follow.

So, everyone kept going, gritting their teeth.

Finally, they reached a brook about two meters wide.

The terrain here was relatively flat but equally teeming with animals.

Hearing the numerous footsteps, the animals drinking from the brook scattered in all directions, leaving only chaotic footprints on the ground.

“Just a bit more, ahead, there’s a cave,”

Qi Quanjin was also panting heavily from exhaustion.

Not only did he have to walk, but he also had to chop wild grass in front and stay alert for any sudden animal attack, which was particularly tiring.

After another tea session, they finally saw the forest ahead thinning out slightly, though the light remained dim, not much better than their current visibility.

Qi Quanjin at the forefront cut away the last patch of obstructive wild grass, tossed it aside, and hastened a few steps ahead, gesturing to those behind him: “We’ve reached it! Keep it up, everyone!”

Just as Qi Quanjin’s voice rang out, a chorus of gasps and eyes widened with fear throughout the family.

“Brother Jin, watch out!”

Yi Meng screamed with a voice-cracking intensity.

Qi Quanjin sensed something was amiss; danger was lurking!

Instinctively dodging to the side, he saw the large paw of a black bear swipe through the spot where he had just stood.

“Oh my god, a bear!”

The villagers shouted in panic.

The Qi Brothers simultaneously dropped what they were holding, grabbing sickles, hoes, and other makeshift weapons to rush up the mountain.

But the gap between them and Qi Quanjin was quite large, and the rough terrain, with uneven footing, caused them all to stumble after a few steps.

“Oh my fourth child!”

Mrs. Qi was so tense and frightened that she fainted.

The black bear, missing its target, howled twice, stood up, and swung its two paws, ready to pounce on Qi Quanjin again.

Crack!

Suddenly, a thunderous sound echoed as a bolt of lightning slashed through the sky.

In the next moment, everyone was stunned.

The lightning didn’t miss, striking directly on the black bear’s head.

The bear, with its front paws raised, stood frozen in place, and after a moment, it collapsed backward.

Thud!

The massive body fell with a deafening crash, and everyone felt the ground beneath them tremble.

The scene fell into silence, not a sound was heard.

Suddenly, a childish voice piped up with laughter, “Meat! Meat!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep