Chapter 726: Chapter 726

Under Tang Yuan’s reminder, they bypassed the villagers waiting at the crossroads to catch them.

Because of this detour, they walked around half the mountain before returning to the original direction.

When hungry, Baozi would climb trees to search for bird eggs and identify wild fruits he once knew.

The two children were growing thinner at a rapid pace.

Baozi and Tang Yuan, holding two sticks they had made, reacted quickly after Tang Yuan was bitten by a venomous snake. Thankfully, they had pills in their bags, and after swallowing a pill, while nothing happened to Tang Yuan, they were both frightened.

After all, they were still children, just three or four years old.

The two little brothers had no choice but to break branches to use as sticks to disturb the grass on the road, scaring away wild animals and venomous snakes.

They walked on, stopping now and then.

Tang Yuan could no longer walk; his grass-made sandals were worn out, and his toes were blistered and bloody.

Blood stained his feet.

Baozi and Tang Yuan didn’t dare to waste the pills at random, given that they didn’t have many left. If they encountered more snakes or other dangers, the pills were for life-saving.

If they consumed the pills now because of blisters, it’d be a real waste.

But Tang Yuan couldn’t move anymore.

Baozi looked at Tang Yuan’s blistered feet and removed the unwearable, tattered sandals from his feet.

The sandals and the skin stuck together.

Even with Baozi’s gentle touch, Tang Yuan sobbed in pain.

Baozi took off his own cloth shoes, now showing his exposed big toe.

Tang Yuan’s feet had deteriorated, and even with cloth shoes, the skin would still stick to them.

"How about we rest for two days?"

They didn’t know how many days they had walked, but based on the sunrise and sunset, it had been about ten days, and yet they hadn’t crossed the mountains.

This endless mountain range had an uncertain size and depth.

Due to scarce food, they drank raw water on the road, and without relying on the pills, they would have been ill long ago.

Baozi himself couldn’t endure.

Together they were barely over seven years old.

Tang Yuan nodded, exhausted; he really wanted to lie down and sleep.

It felt like he had walked all the paths in his life in these few days.

This mountain seemed infinite, never ending, impossible to cross.

Every night while asleep, he dreamt of his parents.

But waking from the dream, he returned to the current situation.

Baozi hugged Tang Yuan tightly, wiping his tears with his small, dirty hands.

"Don’t cry, Tang Yuan; we will surely get out. Think about it, together we will surely make it out. Mom and Dad are definitely searching for us. Stay here without moving around, let me find us a cave or tree hollow to stay in for two days and try to find something to eat."

Baozi felt bad; he had brought his younger brother out, but at this pace, they’d starve.

The weather was getting colder, and their clothes couldn’t withstand the night chill.

No food, no drink. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by novelꜰire.net

He knew that without the pills their mom had given, they might have been dead by now.

Not just luck, it was Tang Yuan’s eyes navigating them, which made them avoid much danger.

Otherwise, they might have faced a bear; once Tang Yuan spotted a bear behind the nearby bushes.

Without their vigilance and quick hiding, they might have fed the bear.

After that, they became even more cautious.

Tang Yuan shook his head, "Baozi brother, don’t search, I already saw a cave in the rock wall not far ahead, no people or animals in it. And I noticed a trap behind those bushes, an injured animal in it."

Tang Yuan felt his eyesight was getting stronger; he used to only see things within fifty meters, but now it seemed the range was widening.

Previously, prolonged observation caused severe headaches, but now he could watch for half an hour without issue.

Baozi was delighted; could it be a trap set by hunters nearby, hence there’s an animal inside.

With an animal, they’d have food.

Feed Tang Yuan a pill, his feet became as good as new, but without shoes, it was impossible to walk.

Baozi removed his shoes to offer to Tang Yuan.

Tang Yuan shook his head; if he wore shoes, his brother would go barefoot.

Baozi laughed, "You silly brother, I have a way, watch me."

Climbing a tree, he picked some thick leaves and wrapped his feet, using vine twines to bind them.

Though crude-looking, on the ground there was no irritation.

Tang Yuan laughed, clapping happily around his brother.

"You are so smart, Baozi brother."

"Let’s go, little fool, let’s hurry and see what animal is in that trap, maybe we’ll have food."

The thought of roast meat made them drool instantly.

It’s been ages since they ate anything filling. Bird eggs are limited, and some wild fruits are so sour that consuming them causes stomach upset.

Some even cause vomiting.

Moreover, moving further brought increased cold, reducing edible forest supplies.

If they could eat meat, it would feel like reaching heaven.

Baozi supported Tang Yuan, and per his direction, zigzagging got them to the trap on the hill slope.

Truthfully, the trap wasn’t exactly a trap.

Baozi knew at first glance; it wasn’t man-made, likely a natural pit.

Except there were some stones and branches inside the pit, and the pit was too deep.

The animal probably accidentally fell in, lacking the ability to escape.

Seeing the animal, Baozi gasped.

Inside was an injured wolf.

The wolf was unfortunate.

It likely fell from above, landing in the pit, and a nearby tree struck by lightning collapsed, its branches piercing the wolf’s leg and belly.

It lay there, bloodied.

Noticing their arrival, the wounded wolf watched them viciously, issuing threatening growls.

Recognizing it as a wolf, Baozi abandoned thoughts of eating its meat.

He didn’t know if wolf meat was edible, but facing such an aggressive beast made him reconsider.

Despite its injury, those sharp teeth could easily bite them.