Early the next morning, Zhong Lin and his brother ate until they were full, placed their luggage on a wheelbarrow, strapped hunting knives to their waists, slung bows and arrows on their backs, and strode out of Lower River Village toward the rising sun.
In truth, they didn't have much luggage—just an iron pot, a few tattered clothes, and some smoked meat, which summed up their entire belongings.
Zhong Lin, having transmigrated here, felt no attachment to Lower River Village apart from the memories left by his predecessor.
Little Stone, just a child, was enveloped in the excitement of traveling afar, unaware that they might never return.
Under the large locust tree at the village entrance, Uncle Taro watched the backs of Zhong Lin and his brother as they left, sighing deeply.
The weather was clear, with blue skies and white clouds stretching infinitely.
Little Stone, with his short legs, would sometimes run to the roadside to pick a flower, or crawl into the grass to catch insects, bursting with excitement.
Zhong Lin pushed the wheelbarrow while pondering the future, heading south all the way.
"Black Mountain County is directly south of Lower River Village, eighty miles away with four mountain heads. Of course, that's the straight-line distance; when measured by foot, it may well be two to three hundred miles. Truly a remote and barren place!" Zhong Lin thought with a sigh.
This world is different from the previous one; it's an era where travel relies entirely on walking, and communication depends on shouting. A distance of two to three hundred miles could take several days to cover.
The small and large pair, along with the wheelbarrow, gradually moved far away, with Lower River Village slowly receding into the horizon.
The two followed the river path without pausing; whenever Little Stone got tired, he'd sit on the wheelbarrow, and Zhong Lin would continue pushing. By noon, they had walked a solid forty miles.
By midday, they stopped to start a fire and cook. They fetched water from the river, chopped wood from dead trees, foraged for some wild vegetables, and added some smoked meat. Though the taste wasn't great, it was enough to satiate them.
After resting for an hour, they resumed their journey.
In the afternoon, they walked for another two hours until a small hill appeared ahead, not very high, just over two hundred meters.
"Stone, don't sleep; observe the surroundings carefully, and inform me immediately if there's any situation," Zhong Lin instructed.
The mountain harbored many fierce animals, and although the hill ahead wasn't tall, one never knew what dangers they might encounter. Being cautious was the safest bet.
Stone, like a little adult, nodded heavily, straightened his body, and began scanning the surroundings with sharp eyes like a radar.
Zhong Lin placed the bow from his back onto the wheelbarrow for easy access, maintaining constant vigilance.
They ascended and then descended the mountain.
All was safe and sound.
Zhong Lin breathed a sigh of relief—it was best if nothing happened.
After descending, a fork in the road, shaped like a "Y," appeared in front of them, one veering left, the other right.
"Second Brother, which way should we go?"
Zhong Shi bit his nail and turned to look at Zhong Lin.
Zhong Lin slightly adjusted the wheelbarrow and headed directly toward the right fork.
Though the predecessor had never been to Black Mountain County, he had learned the route from his father and brothers, so they would likely not go the wrong way.
Without pausing, the two continued along the mountain road as the sun began to set.
They did not find a place to camp, but it wasn't worrisome. This road was frequently traveled, unlike other places full of wild animals at night. As long as they were cautious, formidable problems were unlikely at night.
Of course, spending the night outdoors was a last resort. Besides nighttime predators, wind, rain, dew, or frost could be a serious concern, as this era lacked effective medicine. Often, a cold could be life-threatening.
Fortunately, tonight's moon was bright with few stars, eliminating concerns about extreme weather.
They gathered a pile of dry wood and lit a bonfire, then rested closely by each other.
Little Stone quickly fell asleep, but Zhong Lin dared not sleep—this was the wilderness, after all, and even with two guts, he wouldn't dare sleep soundly.
He had no intention of sleeping at night and planned to take a nap only after dawn.
Finding an old piece of clothing, he covered Little Stone with it, and then rose, collected a pile of small stones at his feet, and tossed them toward a eucalyptus tree about ten meters away.
At first, due to the angle and strength, none hit their mark. However, after continuous adjustments, three or four out of ten eventually hit.
While throwing stones, Zhong Lin occasionally glanced at the System Panel.
At this time, the skill bar on the System Panel still had only one lonely skill—"Bow Technique." In the absence of any possibility of learning new skills, Zhong Lin could only rely on other methods to see if he could develop new skills.
Such as the "Stone-Throwing" skill he was currently practicing.
"In Water Margin, there was a hero nicknamed 'No Wing Arrow' who used stone-throwing as a technique, endlessly defeating the heroes of Liangshan with his Flying Stone technique. I have the help of a System Panel; as long as I form this skill, I can use Skill Points to max it out. I wonder if this will work."
Whether it worked or not, without other methods to learn skills, he could only use this clumsy approach.
Zhong Lin kept throwing stones; when he ran out, he would pick them up, and after collecting them, continue throwing. When his right hand tired, he used his left hand.
By the end of the night, Zhong Lin's eyes were bloodshot, and dark circles were nearly panda-like, but he couldn't suppress a smile on his face.
Skills: Bow Technique (Full Level), Flying Locust Stone (Beginner)
Indeed, the night's hard work had formed a skill.
"Flying Stone, or Flying Locust Stone, calling it that makes it sound so much cooler," Zhong Lin inwardly grumbled.
Despite his grumbling, Zhong Lin knew it was called Flying Locust Stone because the stones in flight resembled locusts, hence the name.
The Flying Locust Stone, as a hidden weapon, is arguably one of the most convenient and economical; available everywhere, costing nothing to acquire, taking no time to refine, and endlessly usable—picked up and used at will, extremely handy.
With a thought, the "∞" symbol in the skill points section flickered, and the word "Beginner" in parentheses after Flying Locust Stone instantly changed to "Full Level."
Before Zhong Lin could react, a wave of illusory memories surged in his mind—a recollection of himself picking up different stones every day to practice throwing.
First, throwing at a tree trunk from a distance of three meters, then four meters, five meters... ten meters...
After mastering ten meters and still easily hitting the trunk, he switched to smaller targets in his memory.
Decades later, his memory self was able to easily pick up a stone off the ground and, from dozens of meters away, hit and knock down a bird mid-flight.
Zhong Lin slowly opened his eyes, his expression filled with emotion: "The System is indeed extraordinary. I now feel like I've practiced Flying Locust Stone for decades, hitting any target effortlessly."