Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space-Chapter 241. Can’t wait

After the New Year’s celebrations, Hua Chengtian, along with everyone fully equipped, began exploring Qinggu Mountain from its eastern, western, and northern directions.

Previously, they had gone out, too. The longest they stayed away was five days and nights before returning, fully equipped, yet the weathered look on the dozen or so men was still heartbreaking to see, especially the leaders with their scruffy beards and haggard faces.

Fortunately, their spirits were still high, and their eyes were bright. They brought back plenty of game and firewood collected along the way. In short, no one returned empty-handed; they did their utmost to bring back as much as possible.

Upon returning home, the first thing Hua Chengtian and his two sons did was to soak in a hot medicinal bath in a tent to dispel the cold, followed by two full bowls of piping hot ginger soup, which revived them.

This time, they journeyed farther. While they said they went far, it wasn’t as far as imagined, considering that each day they covered only four or five hours at most, leaving a couple of hours to find a place to rest at night; otherwise, even with adequate preparation, they wouldn’t last a night.

As they ventured deeper into the mountains, the impact of the flood waned; the further in they went, the more the base of the mountains was exposed, and though there was still water, it didn’t seem as deep anymore, and even the snow had reduced. Sheltered by the mountains, the cold wind lessened the temperature, visibly warming.

Hua Chengtian and the others couldn’t help but rejoice, though they still hadn’t found suitable land for cultivation or, more importantly, a water source.

But Hua Chengtian firmly believed that such a large mountain must have a water source; otherwise, how would the animals in the mountain survive?

Then came another day of searching, and this time luck was on their side, thanks to the five big guys who made a discovery.

It was halfway up the mountain, where the five big guys were on alert leading the way, and two of them, by accident, wandered into an area rich in vegetation.

Because of this, they discovered a narrow mountain path over two zhang wide, concealed by several large trees and bushes, leading to a connected area of several mountains.

Or rather, it’s more accurate to call this a mountain valley.

A high-altitude mountain valley, seemingly no lower than their dwelling in the cave.

The interlinked mountains formed a natural barrier, particularly one rocky mountain whose top was like a mushroom umbrella extending into the valley, blocking most of the wind and cold. Entering felt like stepping into spring, with glimpses of green visible.

This was truly exciting, and more surprises lay ahead; this was a real rocky mountain, nearly devoid of vegetation, as if it were an unshakeable stone, with odd and strange rocks forming numerous caves of all sizes, enough to house the entirety of Hua Village. freewёbnoνel-com

The valley was large, estimated to be the size of a dozen Hua Villages.

They claimed their luck because in the valley, they found a lake about the size of the grain drying yard in Hua Village, and even in such freezing temperatures, only a thin layer of ice had formed on the lake.

Apart from some snow on the cliffs, there was almost none throughout the valley, filled with trees, weeds, and shrubbery, yet flat and vast enough. If managed well, it would be suitable for growing grains.

With water and space, the most significant discovery was an even safer rocky mountain; although they didn’t find a massive cave, the many smaller caves were even more convenient.

This was a perfect natural refuge, most importantly not too far or too close to the outside of the mountain, and extremely hidden, making everyone in the group excited.

By straight-line distance without delay, it would take them just over ten hours to return to their mountain dwelling; indeed, it wasn’t that far.

When they went to town, it took several days, a timeframe significantly longer than this journey.

Moreover, they hadn’t spotted any traces of large beasts, perhaps all of them had retreated deep into the forests.

This was excellent news for them; had it been the territory of large beasts, it would take considerable effort to drive them away or eliminate them.

They spent an entire day in the valley without resting, using their weapons to clear away the dried weeds and bushes; they spent the night in a nearby cave and eagerly headed home the next morning with firewood and the game they accumulated.

The journey home always seemed quick; after a night’s rest mid-way, they reached home by noon the next day, and the excitement was palpable.

The revived father and sons, along with the five big guys cleaned by Hua Jin and the old man Huang with warm water, huddled around the fire, ravenously eating.

The men and young lads in the Big Cave were like Hua Chengtian, the first thing they did was bathe and then eat, devouring food as if they hadn’t eaten in a long time.

Those with shallow tears started to weep in sorrow.

Usually, they could hardly stand staying out longer, but the men and kids were out for days, their feet covered in frostbite, breaking anyone’s heart.

After the meal, Hua Meng shared the good news from the trip with their families, and soon it spread in the Big Cave.

Soon their tent was crowded with people eager to confirm the news, each showing some excitement and thrill.

Upon learning they really found a place for cultivation and that the environment was better than theirs, everyone couldn’t help but get excited.

Everyone understood that with such a great disaster, it would take years to truly get past it.

Floods could breed diseases, and going down the mountain was not necessarily safer than staying on it, plus there was nothing left of their home down below.

Knowing they found a good place suitable for planting finally eased the tension in everyone’s hearts.

Although they were not short on food now, they could not forever rely on depleting resources without feeling anxious.

But now, there was no fear.

As for the danger in the deep mountains, if it were before they ventured up, they’d be quite scared, but now they truly were not.

Their village was one of the largest around Shanggu Town, nearly two hundred households with no fewer than ten members in each, and several hundred strong laborers.

Hiding in the cave for months, none sat idle, continuously practicing, and their combat power didn’t weaken but grew stronger; previously, a party of ten or twenty might not bring back a single game, now they had daily successes.

With so many people, even wild beasts would retreat, let alone the formidable weapons in the village chief’s house.

If it weren’t so cold now, making long journeys impractical, they would have moved right away.

They said it was warm as spring inside, making it perfect to move there early, prepare the terraces, and plan to plant crops when spring came.

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