Mountain Looting: Targeted by a Leopard at the Start
Chapter 132: Thunderstruck Wood and the Panicked Little Squirrel!

Chapter 132: Chapter 132: Thunderstruck Wood and the Panicked Little Squirrel!

They had only just entered the mountain, and the bamboo basket was already full.

A whole basket of Round dates.

All of them had just ripened, real treasures.

Tasting similar to kiwifruit, they were refreshing and hydrating.

They had only used the Treasure Compass once, and there were still four unused attempts left.

After all, it was autumn, and the mountain was abundant with wild fruits.

Xu Yang planned to save the remaining uses of the Treasure Compass.

There was no helping it; if they encountered another jujube vine, they truly wouldn’t be able to pick anymore.

Or if they stumbled upon a patch of Mountain Walnuts, they also wouldn’t be able to carry them away.

"I’ve only picked this little amount, and the bamboo basket is already full."

"If several people entered the mountain together and found such a tree, there would be no need to go any further."

"One tree would keep you busy for a whole day."

Xu Yang told the audience.

Unexpectedly, the Mountain Rushing had ended just a short while after they entered the mountain.

That’s how it was for most mountain runners; once the bamboo basket was full, they would head back.

"I’ll walk around a bit more; heading back now just doesn’t feel satisfying."

"Or maybe I’ll come again tomorrow."

Xu Yang left the bamboo basket on the ground, planning to roam around nearby.

It was still early, and the mountain goods market wouldn’t be lively with people yet.

He would play with Little Leopard a bit longer.

[Old Xu, can those Round date kiwifruits be bought? I want to buy from you!]

Every now and then someone online would suggest the idea of buying them.

Xu Yang would laugh and respond, "These mountain goods aren’t worth much; to be honest, their price might even be lower than the unit cost of the shipping fee."

"Moreover, there are vendors online who specialize in cultivating and selling these products, and their Round dates are fuller and selected."

"Just recognize a good seller, and you can place your order directly online."

Hearing his words, quite a few people really did go off to search in online stores.

The sales of Northeast Round dates thus increased by quite a bit.

In this way, Xu Yang also made a contribution to the Northeast.

Walking through the forest with Little Leopard, he felt extremely relaxed.

At this moment, a large grassland appeared in front of them, where the grass was not too high.

It was rare to find such flat ground in the mountains.

It looked so even that it hardly seemed part of the mountain.

It seemed to be about 150 meters in length.

Xu Yang suddenly took an interest; he stood at the edge of the flat ground, carefully checking the area to make sure there was no danger, and then got an idea.

Men are full of harebrained schemes, and get even more when gathered together.

And Xu Yang really had one.

"As everyone knows, cheetahs are the fastest runners, and Leopards are also not slow."

"Everyone, do you think I can outrun a Leopard?"

Xu Yang said to the audience with a smile.

When they heard his words, everyone was slightly stunned.

[Old Xu, what crazy plan are you hatching now?]

They only saw Xu Yang standing still, looking at Xiao Hua, "Xiao Hua, run with me and let’s see who is faster."

Little Leopard blinked, its face full of innocent confusion.

Xu Yang patted its head and then shouted:

"On your marks, get set, go!"

The next second, Xu Yang sprinted forward, and Little Leopard immediately accelerated to keep up.

It ran swiftly, obviously understanding what Xu Yang meant.

But Xu Yang was even faster, even glancing back to check and slowing down a bit.

Seeing this scene, the audience in the livestream couldn’t help but laugh.

[Old Xu, what’s the achievement in bullying a kid?]

[Hahaha, see if you dare when the Leopard grows up!]

[You’re going too far!]

[Xiao Hua: Wait till I call my mom over!]

The live chat also became lively.

Xu Yang’s running had another purpose; it was to give Little Leopard some physical training.

After all, it was already half a year old and nearing adulthood.

Leopards and tigers typically leave their mother to live independently by the age of one, or two at the latest. Any later than that, and they’re the type to cling on and not leave.

They won’t learn to hunt on their own; they just wait to be fed.

Xu Yang ran 100 meters, stopped, and turned back to look.

Little Leopard immediately rushed over, following hot on his heels.

"You’re quite fast; soon, I indeed won’t be able to outrun you."

Xu Yang remarked.

In nature, humans are not particularly fast runners; tigers, Leopards, and bears can all outrun people at full sprint.

In other words, if one were truly chased by a fierce animal at full speed, not even Bolt could escape.

Xu Yang glanced at the live chat and saw everyone joking about him picking on kids.

The atmosphere was very joyous.

Xu Yang crouched down and petted Little Leopard on the head; the little guy was growing cuter by the day.

It’s hard not to fall for the charm of feline animals.

After running a short distance, Little Leopard simply caught its breath for a couple of moments before regulating its breathing.

It was still full of energy.

Xu Yang spent some time playing with it and then looked around before deciding to use the Treasure Compass once more.

He’d use it one more time, keeping the rest for trading in tasks.

He was pretty flush with funds at the moment and didn’t really need to Rush the Mountain to supplement his household income. In reality, those who Rushed the Mountain were doing so to make a living, without any extra source of income, and thus had to toil in the mountain.

Purely delighting in going into the mountains was not common.

Xu Yang did it because he liked the animals in the mountains and enjoyed the vibrant life within.

The Treasure Compass quickly marked a location.

Xu Yang walked leisurely with Little Leopard toward it, and what he discovered this time was indeed beyond his expectation.

This was a real jujube wood, but it had been struck by lightning; the tree had already died, leaving only an empty shell behind.

"Look here, I’ve made another discovery, a piece of Thunderstruck Wood. However, it didn’t withstand the disaster, so it doesn’t count as a real piece of Thunderstruck Wood,"

Xu Yang began to speak.

The netizens watched the jujube wood on the screen.

The jujube wood was bare, only the trunk remained, the bark on one side was very well preserved, while the other side was completely charred black, and the middle was hollow.

This strange shape piqued people’s interest.

Many people had heard of the reputation of Thunderstruck Wood, which seemed to be a kind of precious ornamental wood.

Thunderstruck Wood was considered the best when made from jujube wood, followed by peach wood.

But there were certain requirements.

Xu Yang explained to everyone:

"Under normal circumstances, when a tree is struck by lightning, it will directly explode."

"Sometimes, when the lightning hits one side, it instantly causes a big fire, then the rain comes and extinguishes it."

"Take a look at this side of the tree, completely charred black, these are the marks left by the lightning."

"Then, the fire will burn inside the tree, cleaning out the inside."

"The bark on the other side is unscathed. If it were an open fire, a wildfire, this would not happen. The bark would not be left intact; it can only be Thunderstruck Wood."

"However, the real treasure of Thunderstruck Wood refers to a tree that has been struck by lightning, burned by fire, and is still alive afterwards."

"It’s a bit like passing through a lightning tribulation. If it’s successful, it turns into a treasure."

"If it fails, it turns to dust."

"This tree is also somewhat valuable, making it into prayer beads or a wooden plaque would be fine."

"Thunderstruck Jujube Wood is the best thing to ward off evil spirits."

While speaking, Xu Yang bent down to pick up an irregular wooden plank from the ground.

This was what remained from the jujube wood that had been struck by lightning.

The wood was very thick and tough; with just a little cutting and some words carved on it, it could become a decorative item.

As for cutting down the tree, that was out of the question. On one hand, there were no tools for it, and on the other, forest regulations didn’t allow cutting down trees, even dead ones.

This was to prevent people from intentionally killing trees to then cut them down, given the inherent evil in human nature.

But picking up wood scraps was no problem.

"It rained recently, with lots of thunder and lightning; it was quite dangerous,"

"With the rain frequent now, everyone should be more cautious."

Xu Yang picked up the wooden plank and started heading back. This trip could be considered profitable.

The netizens were fervently discussing the topic of Thunderstruck Wood.

[So Thunderstruck Wood is from a tree that has successfully passed through a tribulation, how rare!]

[Can you buy it online?]

[Let me put it this way, all Thunderstruck Wood sold online is fake, without exception, all fake!]

[It might be better to contact private sellers, some people can still pick up remnants of Thunderstruck Wood in the mountains!]

[Is it valuable?]

[It’s average, but the piece Old Xu has is Thunderstruck Jujube Wood, which Taoists really like, so it should be worth some money!]

After making a round and no major discoveries, Xu Yang decided to head down the mountain with the round dates.

He hoisted the bamboo basket onto his back, feeling its hefty weight.

Making money was truly not easy.

Mountain runners seemed to rely on the mountains for a living, but in reality, they also paid the price of the hard labor of transport.

This line of work required both experience and physical strength; it was not easy.

This was still considered good, after all, the weight of round dates was just so-so. Last time, that basket full of Mountain Walnuts was really heavy, like carrying a stone on the back.

"I just casually picked some round dates today. I will take a day off tomorrow, and then enter the mountain again the day after,"

"I’ll take a trip around the deeper parts of the mountain."

Xu Yang made this announcement to his viewers.

He had three uses left on his Compass, and he would gain one more tomorrow, another the day after, just enough to make it five again.

He wasn’t interested in the ordinary mountain goods; he planned to try exchanging them for a Treasure Hunting Task.

It sounded very interesting.

The rewards for tasks completed in the mountains were incoming.

Most tasks were related to animals, which was also quite fun. He just hoped the rewards were good.

Last time, the reward was a suit of Baoxiangniao; Xu Yang hadn’t even dared to open it till now.

It was utterly useless in the village.

It was too flashy.

No dignified person would wear something like that.

Xu Yang, accompanied by Little Leopard, began the journey back home.

There were many animals in the forest.

There were roe deer running in small groups, pheasants calling out from the tall grass, and occasionally, squirrels busy collecting walnuts and pine nuts.

This season kept the squirrels very busy.

If one were to find a tree hole where squirrels lived, it would certainly be packed full of walnuts and pine nuts.

At this time, Xu Yang saw several squirrels busily working under a wild walnut tree, and he suddenly became interested.

"Does anyone know how to call a squirrel?"

Xu Yang asked with a smile.

Hearing him say this, the attention of the netizens was immediately captivated.

They only saw Xu Yang put down his backpack, hold up two walnuts, and begin knocking them together.

Tap tap tap tap tap~~~~

The crisp knocking sound traveled outwards.

The squirrels knew it was the sound of walnuts, so upon hearing it, they immediately rushed over in that direction.

Usually, the squirrels would run up to Xu Yang’s feet, but today was an exception; after all, Little Leopard was there.

As a result, just as the two squirrels had started to run toward him, they saw Little Leopard, turned tail and ran in panic, and climbed up a tree as if they were flying.

Seeing this, Xu Yang glanced at Xiao Hua and said with a smile, "Summoning failed—I forgot Xiao Hua was here."

Xiao Hua blinked her eyes, looking completely innocent.

The netizens laughed non-stop at the squirrels’ reaction.

[Hahaha, almost sent the squirrels off!]

[Squirrel: Oops, this time it’s a death knell!]

[Squirrel: Cunning two-legged beast and wicked leopard, lucky I ran fast!]

The live stream room buzzed with activity once again.

Afterward, Xu Yang cracked open a few wild walnuts to leave on the ground, then continued on his way with Little Leopard.