Mountain Looting: Targeted by a Leopard at the Start
Chapter 172 - 171: Old Xu, why aren’t you treasure hunting? Don’t you like it?

Chapter 172: Chapter 171: Old Xu, why aren’t you treasure hunting? Don’t you like it?

The snow stopped after falling for two days.

By the time Xu Yang came out again, everything outside was already draped in silver, a vista of white.

Seizing the opportunity when the snow wasn’t too thick, Xu Yang called his employees out to sweep the snow.

Wielding a large bamboo broom, he swept bit by bit, clearing the snow off the main pathways.

They also had to climb onto the tops of the greenhouses to clear off the accumulated snow.

On one hand, the snow could damage the greenhouses, and on the other, it blocked sunlight, thereby reducing the temperature inside.

Xu Yang ran to the greenhouses every day, worried that his fruits would freeze.

Fortunately, with temperature control automation, the greenhouses remained warm, maintaining temperature through electrical heating even without sunlight.

The dragon fruits were nearly all sold.

What remained unsold was truly chopped and fed to the pigs.

The pigs happily ate it all, not leaving even the peels behind.

Fortunately, Xu Yang still made a profit, so it wasn’t a big concern.

"This snowfall was just right, not too heavy nor too light."

"These last few days have been quite warm, but I guess it will get cold again once the snow starts to melt."

"Once the snow melts and the temperature drops, there will be ice forming everywhere."

Xu Yang chatted with his employees.

In winter, many places here would be covered in ice.

This included lakes in the city or outskirts, and even the roads would be icy.

On a slope, many vehicles couldn’t stop as they slid down, eventually crashing into each other; a situation that couldn’t be helped.

However, for some, snowfall was quite fun.

They could "skate" on a long stretch of ice, enjoying the pleasure of gliding.

There were also those who ice-skated on lake surfaces in parks, or rode sleds, and some business owners would run a business, driving a vehicle capable of moving on ice, pulling several seats, taking people for a ride.

Like a train of caterpillars.

Each place has its own kind of fun, and that’s the fun here.

The farm slowed down too, with not much work to do, just the daily farming tasks.

Xu Yang was planning to head into the mountains again.

Due to the snowfall, he didn’t plan to go deep into the mountains for now.

It couldn’t be helped—the snow was quite thick, and mountain paths would be difficult to navigate, consuming more energy than usual.

If he went deep into the mountains, he might not make it back in a day.

"I need to check out my truffle spot, the place in the forest I marked as having truffles."

"The black truffles weren’t very good back then, but they should be ripe this season."

"I could pick some, even if it means earning a little less."

Xu Yang figured.

As a farmer, he still had to think about making money.

After all, the farm’s water, electricity, food, and employee wages were expenses.

Every morning when he opened his eyes, many costs were already incurred.

Making some money was essential to maintain balance.

The snowy scenery, a novelty for the netizens, would also seem lively to them.

Therefore, Xu Yang decided to head into the mountains the next day, to wander around them again.

Just by walking a little further inside, he could trigger a treasure hunting task.

Maybe it would activate some kind of reward.

He rested on the farm for another day.

Playing with Leopard, walking the dogs, and experimenting with some cooking, the next morning at seven o’clock, Xu Yang ate some leftover dumplings from the day before and drank a bowl of hot water before shouldering his pack and heading into the mountains.

The pack contained mountain rushing tools, two bottles of sheep’s milk, and a thermos.

The temperature was a bit low; he needed to wear more.

Xu Yang had already switched to a down jacket awarded by the system, which was all black, long, and especially good at keeping warm.

Because it wasn’t the dead of winter yet, he was only wearing a thin undershirt underneath, which was more than enough.

He even felt a bit hot.

He didn’t bring a scarf either, or it would be even hotter.

Then, Xu Yang, accompanied by little leopard, made his way towards the mountains.

Not long after entering the mountains, the live stream began.

Fans quickly swarmed into the live stream room.

[Old Xu, you’re finally live!]

As soon as they joined, they saw Xu Yang walking through a world of ice and snow.

Indeed, he was mountain rushing through all four seasons.

From summer to autumn, and now to winter, Xu Yang always went into the mountains.

"We just had a snowfall, which lasted two days, so the layers of snow have piled up quite a bit."

"Right now, it’s not too cold."

"If it gets later into the season, the snow in the mountains can stack up to more than a meter thick, to the point where it’s waist-high, and then it’ll be difficult to come in."

Xu Yang continued as he walked further in.

He was in great shape, with a rosy, lustrous complexion, not at all affected by the cold temperatures.

Little leopard next to him was even more at ease.

With a natural fur coat, its ability to withstand the cold was extremely strong, completely unafraid of such weather.

One man and one leopard left two sets of footprints on the smooth white snow.

Many who saw this scene felt a burst of envy.

[As a Southern resident, I’m officially envious. It’s been years since we had snow!]

[I’ve never even seen snow!]

[This year, I definitely want to go to the Northeast to see snow!]

[I want to roll around in the snow!]

The barrage of messages continued to surge.

Winter in the Northeast was quite interesting.

Southern people joyfully played in the snow, while Northern people joyfully watched them play in the snow.

It was fun for everyone.

Especially since many people really would roll around in the snow.

At first, the locals didn’t understand.

What are they doing?

But as they saw it more, they understood.

Xu Yang kept walking deeper inside.

[Old Xu, coming to the mountains to rush during the winter, can you find mountain goods?]

An old fan in the live stream asked.

Xu Yang happened to glance at his phone and saw the message.

"Generally speaking, professional mountain runners work in the mountains during spring, summer, and autumn, and rest in winter by not venturing into the mountains,"

"because there’s nothing but snow in the winter, and you can’t find mountain produce."

"Moreover, winter is very dangerous. You never know what might be hidden in the snow, and it’s easy to step into a hidden hole and slide down in the deep mountains."

"I didn’t expect to find anything good when I came out today."

"Just came out for a stroll."

"And to check on my Black Truffle spot by the way."

"I’ve marked a spot, and now it’s time to harvest."

Xu Yang replied.

When they heard him say this, the viewers in the live stream all started to laugh.

[You definitely have a purpose, as clever as you are!]

[How many spots do you have? I really want to raid all your spots!]

[Black Truffle, that stuff is so expensive, Old Xu is going to make a fortune again!]

[I hope someone else has already taken the spot!]

[It would be fun if you went there and found nothing!]

The netizens teased one after another.

However, Black Truffles are not easy to find as they don’t have any distinctive features.

Abroad, there are professional "Black Truffle Hunters" who go out with "Hunting pigs" to find them.

There’s no such thing here, so Xu Yang wasn’t worried about someone discovering his spot.

"You guys remind me,"

"I’ll turn off the live stream for a while when I’m nearly at the spot,"

"and resume it later on when I’m close."

"So as not to reveal my spot’s location,"

Xu Yang added.

What?

The netizens were slightly startled.

[Hey, Old Xu, you’re actually being cautious with us? Are we that type of people?]

[You boldly live stream, I guarantee nobody will go there!]

[I guarantee it too, I’m not going anywhere!]

[Old Xu, you’re too cunning!]

[Black Truffle is indeed valuable, if its location is exposed, I bet it will be turned upside down by people the next day!]

Everyone clearly preferred watching the excitement of someone raiding the spot.

But Xu Yang was indeed shrewd, and he wouldn’t make such a mistake.

Previously, even a simple fish trap he made was stolen by someone.

After all, quite a few locals watched his live streams.

So now Xu Yang was always careful when entering the mountains.

Many times, he paid extra attention to avoid revealing his location.

Step by step on the snow, Xu Yang continued deeper in.

Xiao Hua was very happy.

Running around in the snow, occasionally leaping up.

The cold of the forest had no effect on it.

After half an hour of walking, one man and one leopard, Xu Yang said he would turn off the live stream for a while.

He wouldn’t broadcast the next part of the journey to prevent others from finding his Black Truffle spot.

Black Truffles grow every year and tend to do so in clusters, so finding one usually means finding many.

They’re truly a treasure.

Generally, the best time to harvest Black Truffles is from October to January of the next year. That’s when the ground at the growing sites is noticeably bulged.

But if they’re covered with heavy snow, it’s not easy to find them.

Just as Xu Yang had anticipated, indeed many locals were watching his live stream.

Should the location of the Black Truffles be exposed, it would undoubtedly attract people to scavenge.

But Xu Yang was smarter.

The mountain path he followed also involved climbing up a slope for a long time.

Then, he had to pass through a dense stretch of woods where the trees were almost stuck together, leaving only narrow spaces.

Xu Yang and the leopard were agile enough that this gap was enough for them to easily pass through.

Even Little Leopard enjoyed playing in there cheerfully.

With such a vast mountain, Xu Yang didn’t worry about anyone finding their way over.

Upon arrival, he didn’t rush to restart the live stream.

Instead, he sat down for a rest, ate some biscuits, and drank a few sips of hot water.

He also fed Little Leopard a raw chicken leg.

Xiao Hua had a large appetite and swallowed the chicken leg whole.

Afterward, it licked its mouth, with a dumbfounded look towards Xu Yang, seemingly to say it had vanished before it could even taste it.

"That’s it, if we don’t encounter other animals on the way back, I’ll save the milk for you,"

Xu Yang said as he munched on biscuits and patted Xiao Hua’s head.

Then, when he had rested enough, Xu Yang turned the live stream back on.

It was time again for the beloved segment of finding treasures.

The snowfield in front of him looked smooth and no different from any other, the type that one would walk over without giving a second glance.

It was hard for everyone to imagine that such treasures like Black Truffles could be buried here.

[Finally, the stream is back on, let’s see what’s special about this spot!]

[I’ve marked this location, I’ll clear it out sooner or later!]

The moment the live stream was turned on, the netizens couldn’t wait to say.

"Don’t rush, it’s right beneath here."

"Next comes the moment to witness a miracle!"

Xu Yang put on gloves, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, and then began to carefully search around the base of the trees.

The first area he searched, scraping away the snow, he found nothing.

The netizens couldn’t help but laugh.

[Where’s the miracle? Where is it?]

[Old Xu, why are you not digging for treasure? Don’t you like it?]

[I’ve been waiting to witness a miracle! How come it’s just an empty field?]

[Hahaha, you were hiding and skulking as if expecting a big find, only to pull out a big nothing!]

The comments section became instantly lively.

Luckily, after searching a bit longer, Xu Yang did indeed find Black Truffles.

The laughter died down as suddenly as it had started.