Reaching down to pick up a stone from the ground, unlike before, he could easily feel the weight, hardness, and moisture of the stone, even how to exert force to make it fly the furthest, and what angle would cause the most damage.
Aiming at a turtledove twenty meters away on a tree, he adjusted the angle.
Swoosh!
The stone flew over the turtledove's head, the sound of it cutting through the air startling it, making it stagger and quickly flap its wings to disappear into the forest.
Zhong Lin's face turned dark: "I knew it."
Picking up another stone, this time he aimed at a blue stone about fifteen meters away.
Swoosh!
The stone hit the target, right at the left corner that Zhong Lin was aiming for.
"Experience is experience; the Zhong Lin in memory practiced Flying Locust Stone for decades, with great arm strength, naturally able to hit wherever he pointed, while I'm just a weakling with arms as thin as straw. Whether it's speed, power, or accuracy, there's no comparison. However, I can still easily hit targets about ten meters away." Zhong Lin thought to himself.
Yawned, a wave of drowsiness hit him, making Zhong Lin feel like he couldn't open his eyes.
He woke up the sleeping Little Stone, instructed him not to run around, and then lay down to sleep.
Over three hours later, Zhong Lin woke up from his slumber. Although still very sleepy, it was much better than before.
He cooked a meal, still wild vegetables with smoked meat. After eating and drinking their fill, the two of them set off again.
Yawning constantly along the way, they crossed the second hill, but fortunately, all was calm and peaceful.
After descending the mountain and walking another fifty to sixty miles, they finally saw a village ahead on the road.
"Second brother, second brother, look."
Little Stone shouted loudly, pointing at the houses in the distant village. Zhong Lin also smiled. After traveling for so long without seeing a soul, he had been worried, fearing he had taken the wrong path. After all, he had never been to Black Mountain County, and the route was all hearsay.
This world doesn't even have a map or navigation system. If we really took the wrong path, who knows where we would end up.
"This should be Fu Niu Village, let's go in and take a look," Zhong Lin said with a smile.
Little Stone jumped off the wheelbarrow and hopped alongside Zhong Lin towards Fu Niu Village.
"Wow! What a big cow!"
Little Stone exclaimed loudly, pointing at a huge blue stone at the village entrance.
Zhong Lin also smiled. This blue stone was a natural rock, resembling a reclining blue cow, which is how Fu Niu Village got its name.
Seeing this blue stone confirmed to Zhong Lin that he had not taken the wrong path.
Little Stone ran around the Fu Niu Stone for a bit, exclaiming non-stop, until Zhong Lin urged him to reluctantly head towards Fu Niu Village.
"Stop."
Zhong Lin suddenly stopped and called for Little Stone to halt as well.
"What's wrong, second brother?"
"Something's not right."
Zhong Lin reached for the bow on his back, nocking an arrow and ready to release at any moment.
Having crossed the mountain and traveled such a long way, it was now evening, and based on normal life habits they should have been starting fires to cook. Yet, all was silent in Fu Niu Village, with no signs of life. Only a flock of crows circled above, cawing loudly.
Zhong Lin's face grew serious. With the setting sun, the entire Fu Niu Village was bathed in a red hue, which for some reason felt like a bloodstained scene.
"Let's go, back on the cart, let's get out of here."
A sense of urgency surged in Zhong Lin's heart as he grabbed Little Stone and tossed him onto the wheelbarrow, then turned to leave.
Wise men avoid standing under a dangerous wall.
This world is not the same as the legally governed Huaxia of the past life. In the memories of his past life, stories of mountain bandits killing and robbing were common occurrences.
Even though Zhong Lin had the System's Full Level archery assistance, with his straw-like build, he'd run out of energy after shooting a few arrows. In such an uncertain and possibly dangerous situation, leaving was the best choice.
Despite his young age, Little Stone was sensible enough not to question and just followed along.
The two continued on their journey, distancing themselves from Fu Niu Village until the sun completely set and they could barely see the road ahead.
Looking back at the now invisible Fu Niu Village, Zhong Lin breathed a sigh of relief.
"Looks like we'll be camping out again tonight. Stone, go gather some dry wood nearby, but don't wander off."
"Okay."
Little Stone toddled off to gather firewood, while Zhong Lin searched for dry leaves to start a fire.
The water in the water bag wasn't sufficient, so they didn't cook a meal, sustaining themselves with jerky given by Uncle Taro.
Zhong Lin remained awake the entire night, more cautious than the previous night, not even practicing the Flying Locust Stone for fear of any unforeseen incidents.
The night passed without a word and without incident.
"Seems I was just overthinking."
Zhong Lin sighed in relief, yawning as he woke Little Stone and then lay down to sleep until the sun was high, and then he reluctantly got up, face full of drowsiness.
"Let's go! Hopefully, we can reach our destination today."
"Okay!"
Using cold water to wash down some jerky, they once again set off on their journey.
As they continued forward, Zhong Lin noticed the road becoming wider, even seeing tracks on the path. When they crossed another mountain hill, a wide avenue came into view, wide enough for a carriage.
"Second brother, second brother, look, there are people."
After three days of not seeing anyone, even Little Stone felt weary, and upon suddenly seeing figures ahead, he was filled with excitement and shouted loudly, pointing into the distance.
"I see them, let's catch up."
Zhong Lin nodded, lifted Little Stone back onto the wheelbarrow, and turned it onto the avenue.
As they got closer, Zhong Lin was able to make out the features of these people, frowning deeply.
The first group was a family of four, a man and a woman with two children. The man walked ahead carrying a yoke, while the woman trailed behind, holding a child in each hand.
All four were disheveled, emaciated, with sallow skin and deeply sunken eyes.
Zhong Lin looked further ahead; most of the other travelers had similar appearances. Some even had no belongings at all, barefoot, leaning on makeshift wooden sticks, all appearing woefully thin and haggard.
"Refugees?"
Zhong Lin sighed internally, immediately understanding their situation, and developing a deeper awareness of the severity of the drought.
Lower River Village hadn't seen rain for three months, the land parched, crops failed, but at least it had a river flowing through and was close to a branch of Black Mountain, allowing for hunting.
But it's hard to say for other places. The Black Mountain Range is vast, with many other settlements, villages, and towns, and not every one has a river like Lower River Village. Seeing it this way, Lower River Village isn't the worst off, and it's no wonder Uncle Taro discouraged them from leaving. Now it seems that things outside might be worse than at home.