Chronicles of Primitive Civilization’s Growth

Chapter 23: Rabbit Hunting in Progress

The sun had dipped below the horizon, but there was little change in the Black Forest; it remained just as dark.

Luo Chong was eating grilled fish with the Tree Tribe. The tribe members were very hospitable, continuously offering local specialties to entertain Luo Chong.

There was a fruit that was oval-shaped, with skin like a plum, but tasted like an apple—sour yet sweet—a specialty of the Black Forest. According to Da Shu, this forest wasn’t solely inhabited by Black Iron Trees; other fruit trees also existed.

Wooden Bucket, who sported a striking hairstyle, served Luo Chong a bowl of tree sap. The bowl was made of wood, and the sap inside was red like blood.

Luo Chong hesitated for a moment, but seeing that everyone else had drunk it, he took a small sip. It was slightly salty and not particularly pleasant, but the Tree Tribe drank it happily. Da Shu pounded his bulging pectoral muscles and told Luo Chong that drinking it would make him as strong as him.

Speechless, Luo Chong thought to himself, “Isn’t this just saltwater? I have salt at home if you’re interested.” However, Luo Chong didn’t reveal this; good things shouldn’t be shown too much, lest they invite trouble.

After dinner, Da Shu arranged a tree hollow for Luo Chong to rest in and then informed him that he would be taking the clan out hunting, asking if Luo Chong wanted to join.

Luo Chong was surprised for a moment but quickly understood. Rabbits are nocturnal animals, rarely seen during the day, so night hunting was normal. He agreed to go along.

A group of eleven people, including Luo Chong, five men and six women, each member of the Tree Tribe carried a branch from a Black Iron Tree. These branches were long and large, not mere sticks, with many offshoots, resembling Ming Dynasty wolf brushes.

Luo Chong kept his own set of equipment—bow and arrow, dagger, spear. He left the backpack at the Tree Tribe’s camp, not worrying about theft. If they did steal from him, Luo Chong wouldn’t mind wiping them out.

Da Shu admired Luo Chong’s spear greatly. All the trees here were crooked, and he had never seen such a straight stick before. However, he didn’t ask for it outright, knowing as a chief that weapons generally weren’t given away—they symbolized food, and one couldn’t easily give away their means of sustenance.

Moreover, Da Shu didn’t think Luo Chong’s spear could catch rabbits.

Luo Chong didn’t participate directly; he preferred to observe quietly, wanting to see how the Tree Tribe caught rabbits.

Da Shu first led the group to collect some mushrooms. These mushrooms smelled fragrant and were the Snow Rabbit’s favorite food.

They placed the mushrooms under a Black Iron Tree and hid nearby. Not long after, a fat rabbit hopped over, cautiously looking around. Hearing no noise, it slowly approached the mushrooms.

At that moment, Da Shu and the group rushed forward. Ten branches with dense offshoots quickly formed a fence, completely surrounding the poor rabbit. Trapped, the rabbit panicked, making sounds and thumping its hind legs against the ground to warn them.

But it was futile. Da Shu swiftly tightened the circle until the rabbit was immobilized, then finished it off with a wooden spike.

“Wow, this is what encircling hunting looks like,” Luo Chong thought, and immediately considered trading with them. If they could help him catch rabbits, that would be great.

Proudly holding up the rabbit, Da Shu showed it off to Luo Chong and pointed at Luo Chong’s spear, indicating that his weapon wasn’t effective. He suggested that if Luo Chong was willing to trade, he could give him his own weapon.

Luo Chong rolled his eyes, signaling that he wasn’t interested in the exchange. Though Da Shu didn’t press the matter, he continued enthusiastically promoting his branch, claiming how effective it was for catching rabbits. This made Luo Chong laugh in frustration—if it was so good, why would Da Shu want to trade? Why not keep it for himself?

Changing locations, they set up the mushrooms again. Da Shu pulled Luo Chong to hide behind a Black Iron Tree, intending to use a comparative experiment to convince Luo Chong of the benefits of using branches.

Speechless, Luo Chong slung the spear across his back and took out the longbow, drawing an arrow. Da Shu looked on in confusion, unsure what this new thing was.

Just then, another rabbit appeared nearby, still about fifteen meters away from the mushrooms. Da Shu urgently tugged at Luo Chong, signaling that it was time to rush forward together.

Ignoring him, Luo Chong focused on the rabbit, which was about the size of a piglet, twenty meters away. With a swift motion, he drew the bowstring, and the white arrow shaft flew through the air in the dark forest like a bolt of lightning, piercing the rabbit’s neck and pinning it firmly to the ground.

Luo Chong gave a faint smile, patting the stunned Da Shu on the shoulder, and walked towards the rabbit.

The others from the Tree Tribe emerged, confused. This wasn’t how things were supposed to happen. They approached the rabbit to see what had happened. A feathered stick pierced the rabbit’s neck, identical to those Luo Chong carried. Now they knew who had altered the script, though they still didn’t understand how he had done it.

Only Da Shu had witnessed Luo Chong firing the arrow earlier. Approaching now, Da Shu no longer felt superior, nor did he show much interest in the spear. Instead, he looked longingly at Luo Chong’s bow and arrows.

Smiling, Luo Chong handed the longbow to Da Shu and gave him an arrow, teaching him how to draw it. Da Shu aimed at the rabbit on the ground and fired. With a swoosh, the arrow’s close-range power was impressive, with half of the meter-long arrow penetrating deeply into the ground.

Wow! The Tree Tribe let out a chorus of exclamations, showing great respect for this magical weapon.

Da Shu knew Luo Chong wouldn’t trade this miraculous weapon, but he was happy to have tried it once. Luo Chong also gifted him an arrow as a token of their friendship.

The subsequent hunt became a solo performance of Luo Chong’s archery skills. The group followed behind him as he continuously bent his bow and shot arrows, killing more than ten rabbits in half a night.

This number was unimaginable to them. Normally, catching three or four rabbits in a day was already cause for celebration, which made the Tree Tribe secretly speculate about the strength of Luo Chong’s tribe.

Upon returning, according to Luo Chong’s request, the spoils of the hunt were divided: rabbit skins went to Luo Chong, and the meat went to the Tree Tribe. Naturally, they had no objections.

By Luo Chong’s original purpose for this trip, he had achieved his goal. If he stayed here a bit longer, he would certainly accumulate enough animal skins for his own tribe.

However, having only been out for one day, he felt it would be a waste of all the equipment he had prepared. Since he was already out, he should venture further and explore this world thoroughly. Moreover, he was intrigued by the animals the Tree Elder had mentioned—ones as tall as humans. Capturing a few to pull carts might be interesting.

During the rest period in the early hours of the morning, Luo Chong stayed in the tree hollow, resting until dawn.

Replenishing his dried meat, fresh water, and fire source, Luo Chong found Da Shu to bid farewell.

Da Shu was reluctant for Luo Chong to leave. It was the season for storing food, and if Luo Chong stayed, he believed the winter would be easier to endure.

Luo Chong also liked this tribe and thought he could do business with them in the future when he had something valuable.

After a brief thought, Luo Chong said, “Can you catch me some live rabbits? Preferably more than ten.”

Luo Chong held up two hands to count, “When I return, I’ll trade other game for them. It won’t affect your food storage.”

Da Shu hesitated and countered, “What if the rabbits die while we wait for you to return?”

Speechless, Luo Chong instructed him to keep the live rabbits in the tree hollow, feeding them grass and mushrooms daily. He assured Da Shu that he would return soon, not needing much time. Only then did Da Shu agree.