Bamboo baskets lay scattered around, along with ropes, pieces of cloth, water vessels, and other items. They were piled up, yet arranged neatly so that none of them overlapped or even touched.
There seemed to be plenty, but there were just as many people who had come with Jie Min.
And he thought, tapping his finger against his chin as if it were a wooden board.
He didn't think for long—what was there to think about?
Bows and arrows were useless; you couldn't harm birds with them. You could take them along and leave them by the pond in the center, then pick them up on the way back. Yes, that would work. They would leave the axes there too—they were unlikely to be of use. But shovels, cloth, ropes—those were useful, and all of them could be carried in a basket, which itself could serve as part of a trap. It was only a pity there weren't enough baskets for everyone.
At that moment, his thoughts froze, as did the finger on his chin, as if he had stepped outside of reality.
Only for a second.
Then his thoughts resumed, the tapping as well, urging him to decide faster.
There were twenty-three of them, including him. The youngest were about fourteen or fifteen, only seven of them altogether. Practically adults, but not quite—they couldn't move through the forest for long, especially while carrying anything. And it would have been fine if it were only them, but of course not—there were others.
Guys like Shushu—lazy and cunning. Just yesterday, during the first test, he had tried to claim credit for a pond that had already been dug out. But he noticed and stopped him, giving him a smack on the head with a rag.
After all, he was the only one in the village who could handle slackers like Shushu. And today, maybe… although no, most likely the slacker would try to cheat again—steal a scarf from a bird he hadn't caught. He'd have to watch out for that.
And then there was little Tin. Nearly twenty, yet acting like a child. He always had to protect her, defend her, and she was so clumsy—she could get tangled in a rope and tie herself up. You couldn't trust her with anything.
Just like the simpleton Chen. He and Tin were like brother and sister. But at least he could follow instructions. It was just a pity that he either had too small a brain or no opinion of his own. Everything had to be discussed and explained to him. And if you didn't give him orders, he might stand in the middle of the forest until someone found him—or he died of hunger. He wouldn't do anything on his own.
And why did he have to watch over all of them?
Sigh.
Maybe… maybe he should just forget them? Leave them all behind. Let them do whatever they wanted—they were trash anyway. And he, together with Tin Ze, Zhude, Zhuge, Yangzi, and the others who were actually capable, could focus on himself. Together they could join Luo He—and with him, they would be able to prove themselves there. Besides, it was unreasonable to take all the young people from the village; better to leave them in Windy—they fit there. Yes. Such a clever idea—why hadn't he thought of it earlier? And he had every right to do it. He had taken care of them for so long—now he could live his own life…
… …
No. Just no.
He drew a deep breath—so deep that his chest began to ache—and exhaled, clearing his mind of all the turmoil.
He looked at everyone again, with no hidden thoughts now. The same familiar faces, and among them, he found the one closest to him.
"Ting Ze, can you come here?"
She turned, smiling when she met his gaze.
And she approached without a word.
"These baskets. Can you put ropes, fabrics, shovels, and anything else we might need into them? Then move them over there."
He pointed to a solitary tree set apart from the others.
"If you're asking," she nodded and began working.
Jie Ming smiled, patting his hair. Duty was duty, but one had to take care of one's hairstyle. All right—time to deal with his dimwits.
Shhh.
His ears twitched at the mix of rustling grass and straw—as if a bow-legged goose had waddled across it.
Ah, here was one of them.
"What is it, Tu Heng?" He attempted a smile, but it turned out crooked; the twitching corners of his mouth betrayed him.
"Waaah… are we done?" Tu Heng asked, yawning right in his companion's face. "No more explanations? About traps, places where birds usually gather, meeting points? Is that all?"
"Yes."
Tu Heng… what had happened to him? Was this his true self? No—he might have been unsociable before, but he had behaved differently. And this… He listened through the discussions, and now… No, it started yesterday.
Had the arrival of Luo He's students affected him so much? Nonsense, and he didn't believe it. But there was no point trying to figure it out. Tu Heng was Tu Heng. And he would take care of him, just as he did the others.
"Oh, awesome!"
"What are you doing!?"
Right before his eyes, the man jumped into a ridiculous pose with his fist thrust forward, shouting something at the same time.
Then, landing, he spun like a top and sprang up again like a headless chicken.
"Wait! I didn't dismiss you!"
But Tu Heng didn't listen.
A young body truly was great. His eyesight was still perfect, he was bursting with energy, and his recovery was amazing.
Spinning his legs like windmills, he sprinted past the tree where the folded baskets lay.
And without breaking stride, he grabbed one and vanished into the maze of foliage.
"That wasn't meant for you!"
Jie Ming shouted, grabbing his hair. But Tu Heng was already gone.
Sigh.
"All right, all right, let him go to hell. I still have about twenty people left to instruct…"
"Aah!"
He didn't finish his thought before gasping so loudly that the approaching Zhu brothers flinched in fright.
"Did he have time to eat?!"
Silence hung in the air.
"Ahahahahaha!"
"Hahahahaha!"
"Hee-huff, hee-hee-hee!"
The Zhuge brothers were practically rolling on the ground, and Ting Ze, who had just approached, could barely contain herself, spitting into her palm and laughing uncontrollably.
"Z-Zhe Ming, since when are you Tu Heng's mommy? Pha-ha-ha!"
"Shut up. It's natural to worry about that idiot."
"Well, if that's the case…" She calmed slightly and, rummaging through the nearby items, pulled out a rice cake. "How about a snack?"
"That would be nice," he took the cake. "All right, let's hurry. We can't waste any more time. I'll divide everything up and give each person the final instructions."
***
Green hues flashed past like the lights of cars in his previous life. With each step he covered more ground. The smell was… fresh? He wasn't sure. He didn't like nature, which was why he had rarely gone outdoors. Insects, wild animals, nowhere to sit—only dirt. It was awful.
A pity he hadn't had a choice back then.
His body came to a halt. He saw it ahead. A clearing—small, impossible to measure by eye. But that didn't matter. What mattered was that he saw them. Birds.
They were green, blending into the foliage, but the fabric tied around their necks betrayed them. They were like children, hopping from branch to branch and chattering in their bird language.
And he was in no hurry to interrupt them. He was a hunter. Well… so he imagined, chuckling to himself as he lay on the ground.
He waited. And waited. And waited. Twenty minutes, maybe? By then his body had begun to stiffen, but he didn't even consider shifting from his uncomfortable position. Not until he got what he had come for.
The birds didn't prolong his torment—they flew off, giving him his chance.
A rustle.
He crawled out of the bush he had been hiding in.
On the way, he took a shovel out of the basket. Then he walked to the center of the clearing. One swing—and a clump of dirt flew upward. One, two. One, two. One, two.
The hole was ready.
At that moment, his heart pounded like a drum, and his hands trembled uncontrollably. He emptied the basket.
Then he placed the basket itself into the hole, installing a double bottom inside.
Thanks for the gift, Jie Ming, kekeke!
He threw the sapphire inside and propped the lid with a nearby branch.
Finally, he took the shovel again—his gaze fell on the clumps of earth.
One swing, another, then the last. After that, he added grass and leaves and smoothed it all out.
"Phew."
He wiped his forehead, his hand now damp. But that was fine—the most important thing was that everything was ready.
His hands trembled like a child's, the way they had before school holidays in his past life. But it was too early to celebrate. He slipped back into the bushes.
And waited again. Like a hunter. A real hunter. Ah, how cool. In his previous life, he could only have dreamed of this. Life in another world was just wonderful.
His nose twitched and his expression twisted. The sickening sweetness—the scent spread too fast.
He pressed himself closer to the ground.
One minute, two, five, ten… and then—
Sssssss…
A smile spread across half his face, his fingers digging into the earth like iron bars into the banks of the Nan River yesterday afternoon.
Excitement…
The flutter of wings drew closer: they were approaching. There they were. He could see them.
Three small ones. Probably about shoulder height—and his shoulders were small. They landed near the trap. Each had a cloth with a cross tied around its neck. The one in the center was closest.
Hopping forward, it came even nearer, almost at the entrance.
Fools! Tu Heng grinned, sticking out his tongue and licking his lips.
Just a bit more… come on. Take the last step!
Tick-tick, tick!
A ringing sound burst out above him.
Huh?
No! Get away from me! No! Aaaah!
The bushes rustled. The trio of birds immediately turned toward the noise.
A man slid out of the bushes as if sliding down a slope. He covered his face, scratched by something small and sharp. A small blue-feathered bird circled above him.
The young man didn't look up, only flailed blindly with his hand to protect his eyes.
But the bird didn't attack. It circled him, lunging falsely, then flew back, chirping occasionally at the man on the ground.
The trio watched for a short moment. Then, cawing three times, they turned and flew away—off into the distance but still below the treetops.
Tu Heng heard everything. Grinding his teeth, he shot upward like a launched shell—straight toward the bird.
But it dodged, veering aside.
Their paths crossed again—man and bird. Tiny beady eyes and large brown ones.
"You again? Haven't your previous defeats taught you anything?"
"Chick-chick-chick!"
Its tiny head jerked in anger, cheeks puffing out, the feathers on its chest bristling until the bird looked like a ball.
"Chick-chick."
It chirped coldly, turned, and flew away.
"Ha, you fool, I knew you—NO!"
His eyes bulged. His body lunged forward without thought.
The blue bird had flown into the trap. Without touching the branch and staying in the air, it seized the sapphire by a petal. And without touching anything else, flew back out.
It emerged just as Tu Heng reached the trap.
Their eyes met again.
She chirped in his face and then vanished into the dense foliage.
… …
Tu Heng opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. His hands trembled. His heart boiled in his chest like a furnace. His legs had rooted to the ground—he couldn't move.
His throat tightened with such sharp pain he couldn't breathe.
"AA-AGHRHAAUOSCHAF… AAAAAAA!"
Incoherent screams echoed across the empty clearing. For a long, long time, until they dissolved into hoarse moans—
And then fell silent.
Clumps of dirt flew upward, accompanied by rustling bushes and grass.
Then there was silence again, until a white bird with a long beak flew in, drawn by the noise.
But all it found were scattered clumps of earth and a hole in the center.