Endless mountain ranges, a boundless sea of forest.
Beneath the azure sky, two figures walked through the dark green pine forest.
Lian Youming wore a Type 65 white shirt paired with green military trousers, a brown belt cinched around his waist, and a pair of Liberation shoes on his feet.
This entire outfit had been given to him by Qin Yuhu. He had no other choice; his physique had changed drastically over this period. The clothes he had brought earlier were all far too small, and with his strength surging, the seams would rip at the armpits or tear across his back at the slightest motion. Lian Youming could tolerate that, but his real dread was blowing out his crotch in front of a crowd.
As for Yan Lingyun beside him, only one word could describe her: beautiful.
She had been somewhat thin before. Tall and slender, when she stood there, she had possessed striking looks and an extraordinary bearing, but overall she was built like a bamboo pole. Now, however, after being steadily fed by Lian Youming, her figure had filled out considerably, and her complexion had greatly improved. With snowy skin, peach-blossom cheeks, and more flesh on her face, she looked far healthier.
Lian Youming walked in front, his gaze focused and steady as his eyes swept ceaselessly across their surroundings. He had come thoroughly prepared for this journey: a slingshot tucked into his waist, a homemade shotgun held in his hand, several coils of hemp rope slung over his shoulder, and a cloth bag at his hip packed with fresh water and emergency rations.
In addition, he had specially procured a thick-spined ox-butchering knife three to four chi long. It had a dark body, a gleaming white edge, and a hilt curved like a dog's leg, wrapped in animal hide and slung diagonally across his back.
The depths of the Greater Khingan Range were perilous. The further inward one went, the more wild beasts prowled, and getting lost was frighteningly easy. Moreover, as far as the eye could see lay an endless virgin forest, lush and towering toward the sky. Going further, even the trails vanished entirely, leaving only faint natural signs to gauge one's direction; one careless slip, and a person might walk in and never return.
Yan Lingyun walked behind him, her long, glossy black hair tied into a braid, dressed in a simple shirt and cotton trousers. With a small satchel over her shoulder and her hand-drawn map in her grasp, she looked completely at ease.
After all, everything heavy was on Lian Youming.
Yet as she walked, her eyes constantly stole glances ahead, drifting toward that broad, imposing back.
She was hardly the only one who stole glances at his back. In ordinary times, whenever the workday ended, any female educated youth with an ounce of nerve would sneak an extra look or two.
He was outrageously strong and lean, seeming to have boundless strength when working. On top of that, he had a good temperament—upbeat and optimistic, never complaining or whining about exhaustion, diligent and steady. Most crucially, he was exceptionally handsome...
Without anyone realizing it, he had practically become the hamlet's most sought-after bachelor.
In this era, although people's thinking remained conservative overall, these educated youths were caught in the tides of ideological liberation. Influenced by literary works and films, some young people had cast aside traditional reserve when it came to romance, becoming bold and impassioned.
Yan Lingyun huffed inwardly. Just a few days ago, she had caught Lian Youming helping another female educated youth carry her things—truly having more muscle than he knew what to do with.
"Hmph!"
Without realizing it, caught up in her thoughts, she actually let the snort escape out loud.
Lian Youming's nerves were taut, advancing on high alert. The sudden noise behind him gave him a start. Whipping his head around, he saw Yan Lingyun looking completely unharmed, and snapped irritably, "What are you huffing about in broad daylight?"
"Nothing's wrong with me."
Her eyes darted away, guilty and evasive, as she quickly looked to the side. A rosy flush surged up from her neck to her cheeks in an instant, turning even her ears red.
Lian Youming raised an eyebrow. "Who asked if anything was wrong with you? Just show the way!"
At that, Yan Lingyun hastily glanced down at her crookedly drawn map, looked left and right, and pointed toward a pile of stones. "Keep going forward."
Lian Youming drew closer to her. "Stay close. Leopards and lynxes move without a sound—fast and vicious. If you lag behind, one might carry you off before I even notice."
To his surprise, Yan Lingyun pulled a small medicine vial from her satchel. "This is a powder I mixed using tiger bone. Sprinkle some on yourself too; it keeps wild beasts away."
Lian Youming rolled his eyes. "Couldn't have taken that out earlier?"
After pausing midway to eat something and recover their strength, before they knew it, the sun was already slanting westward.
Glancing at the sky, Lian Youming quickened his pace. The forest grew increasingly dense, but maddeningly, as they walked on, Yan Lingyun suddenly lost her bearings.
After all, when she had come the previous year, winter snow covered the ground and obscured much of the terrain. Seeing it now beneath towering trees and thick underbrush, the landscape looked completely transformed.
Fortunately, Lian Youming had hacked notches along the way, so they were in no danger of losing their way back.
Besides, for the sake of that eight-prong wild ginseng, spending a night in the mountains had already crossed their minds.
After a brief discussion, the two pressed deeper into the woods.
The forest farm where Yan Lingyun had previously headed up the mountain was located at a place called Songziling. Lian Youming had hurried there before dawn to meet her, after which they entered the mountains together, plunging into the Greater Khingan Range.
Perhaps because they had reached higher ground, looking out through gaps in the dense forest, Lian Youming saw a vast, open sky and undulating layers of peaks rolling out beneath them, as if the boundless expanse of the land lay spread before his eyes, stirring a surge of pride within his chest.
Yan Lingyun compared her hand-drawn map with their surroundings until she spotted a stand of white birches in the distance. Delighted, she called out to Lian Youming, gesturing for them to head that way.
The two hastened their steps once again.
The moment they stepped into the birch grove, the sunlight overhead seemed to dim. Straight white birch trunks, some thick and some slender, filled their vision, blotting out the sun.
Wildflowers bloomed among the green grass, and birds chattered incessantly.
Treading upon the soft earth, Lian Youming followed Yan Lingyun deeper into the grove.
Another half hour slipped by.
Suddenly, Lian Youming halted in his tracks, staring fixedly into the grass nearby.
A doe lay collapsed there, its eyes wide open, dead for some time.
In the depths of the Greater Khingan Range, where countless beasts roamed, the law of the jungle and survival of the fittest were ordinary sights.
What truly made Lian Youming's expression shift was that the doe bore no wounds across its body, yet a fist-sized bloody hole was gouged into its chest. Jagged bone fragments protruded, and the cavity inside was completely hollow—as though someone had torn open its chest with a formidable claw technique and ripped out the deer's heart.
Not only that, but the doe's neck bone was snapped.
In an instant, Lian Youming's mind reconstructed how the doe had perished: someone had likely kicked through its neck and, as the doe was thrown into the air, seized the opening to tear out its heart.
The thought flashed through his mind, and he immediately shielded Yan Lingyun behind him, scanning the perimeter with fierce vigilance.
A formidable master was lurking in these mountain depths.
The question was whether this person was still nearby or had already departed.
After brief consideration, Lian Youming checked the fading light. For the sake of that eight-prong ginseng club, he decided to press on.
As the two ventured deeper, the sun sank lower on the horizon.
Reaching the edge of the birch woods, Yan Lingyun suddenly beamed with joy. Her almond eyes widened, and pointing into the distance, she opened her mouth to speak.
Before a sound could escape, Lian Youming clamped a hand over her mouth.
They dropped flat to the ground. Looking in the direction Yan Lingyun had pointed, an ancient dead tree stood in the distance.
No one knew how many centuries the withered tree had stood. Four or five men would struggle to encircle its trunk with joined arms. Snapped midway, its dark, decaying wood was overgrown with wildflowers and grass, making it look entirely green from afar.
Yet Lian Youming was not looking at the dead tree, but at a stream not far from it.
By the edge of the water squatted three disheveled figures with matted hair and grimy faces, clad in tattered rags. Beside them lay two skinned deer legs. They were gnawing on raw venison and gulping down deer blood—a gruesome and bloody spectacle.
What truly made Lian Youming's expression turn grim, however, was that while two had Han Chinese features, the remaining one was a Russian.
Yan Lingyun saw them too and held her breath at once.
Lying flat in the tall grass, Lian Youming furrowed his brow. He was deeply astonished and began pondering their origins.
Looking at their ragged clothes, the cuts did not appear to be domestic patterns. They looked like savages; their hair was long, filthy, and matted into thick felt, their beards tangled into clumps, thoroughly revolting.
Listening closely to the jabbering sounds of their speech, they were speaking Russian. Lian Youming's heart gave a lurch. Could these three have crossed over as fugitives from the Russian side?
If so, that was no small feat.
Along the river border, there were watchtowers on duty and soldiers patrolling day and night. Furthermore, they would have had to swim across the river—hardly something ordinary people could achieve.
No, he couldn't act rashly.
Keeping Yan Lingyun shielded as they lay flat on the ground, Lian Youming quietly watched the three drink water. He intended to wait until they moved on, dig up the wild ginseng first, and then head down the mountain to summon help.
Yet just as Lian Youming was preparing to pull back for the moment, he faintly heard someone over there curse, "Damn it! If it weren't for that kid, I wouldn't be suffering like this..."
"Hm?"
Lian Youming inwardly gasped. That voice sounded oddly familiar. Thinking back, his expression instantly turned strange.
"Xie Laosan?"
Chapter 25