The matter of the Titanoboa concerned not only his own life, but also that of Ye Lin and even Han Pi.
Because of this, Qin Tian told them everything—how he encountered the Titanoboa, just how fierce and terrifying it was, and all his speculations about it.
He talked for a whole hour.
“In order to escape that herd of Wild Boar, I had no choice but to hide in a pile of manure until you found me.” When he finally got to this point, Qin Tian had finished explaining everything.
Ye Lin fell into deep thought, offering no response, and for a moment the Cave became silent. The appearance of a creature as terrifying as the Titanoboa was simply too much to accept.
“At the time, when I saw those tracks in the Bamboo Forest, I was still wondering how they were formed. Turns out, they were left by the Titanoboa as it moved.” After a while, Ye Lin snapped out of it and accepted the existence of the Titanoboa.
After all, having seen Han Pi—a creature already thought extinct—it wasn’t so hard for Ye Lin to accept yet another ancient being.
Ye Lin then smiled, “It was thanks to those tracks that I was able to find you.”
“I thought it was Han Pi who sniffed me out.” Qin Tian glanced at Han Pi. He’d been about to ask how Ye Lin had found him, but now there was no need.
“It was Han Pi who led me to the Bamboo Forest.” Ye Lin followed his gaze and then, thinking of something, her face filled with worry. “You also said that the Titanoboa is lurking in that Bamboo Forest. What will Han Pi eat from now on?”
“That’s nothing to worry about.” Qin Tian had already thought about this issue. “If I recall, I only noticed the Titanoboa’s presence after going deep into the inner Bamboo Forest. That means the Titanoboa doesn’t operate on the edges of the Bamboo Forest.”
“So, going into the Bamboo Forest to chop bamboo shouldn’t be a problem, but as for bamboo shoots, that’s out of the question.” Qin Tian shook his head as he finished.
“That’s a relief.” Ye Lin let out a breath, her main concern being whether Han Pi would have anything to eat.
“Oh, right.” Qin Tian’s tone suddenly lifted a little, and Ye Lin drew her gaze back to him.
“Thank you.” Qin Tian’s expression was sincere.
Hearing this, Ye Lin couldn’t help but pause. Although Qin Tian hadn’t explained further, anyone but a fool would know what he was referring to.
“Can you not be so serious? You look weird like that.” Ye Lin waved her hand dismissively. “Besides, what’s there to thank? On this deserted island, it’s just the two of us. Of course we have to help each other.”
It was just like seriously saying thank you to your best friend; the whole thing felt off to Ye Lin.
“You’re right.” Qin Tian readily agreed with Ye Lin’s view.
They didn’t continue on the topic. After a few more casual remarks, the two of them drifted off to sleep.
***
Counting today, by the next day Qin Tian and Ye Lin had already slept for a whole day and night. They’d finally cleared out all the exhaustion from their bodies and recovered.
Only Qin Tian’s leg still ached, so going out to look for resources was impossible. But with those four Wild Boar in camp, Qin Tian had no time to go out anyway.
Those four Wild Boar had been left for two days already. One of them had been split open, its guts spilling out because they weren’t dealt with in time, attracting plenty of flies and, with the help of microorganisms, a foul stench.
So that morning, after getting up, Qin Tian went straight into the kitchen, hoping to turn the Wild Boar meat into smoked jerky before it spoiled.
As for Ye Lin, she took Han Pi to the Bamboo Forest; Han Pi’s bamboo had long been eaten up, or else Qin Tian wouldn’t have gone to the Bamboo Forest that day.
It was impossible to deal with four Wild Boar in a single day, especially with Qin Tian’s limited mobility and lack of proper tools.
Even with Ye Lin’s help, they barely managed to process two Wild Boar before dark.
The remaining two took another full day, and by the third day, thick smoke rolled over most of the Grassland, racks of Wild Boar meat hanging everywhere.
With each Wild Boar weighing about two hundred catties, and removing the bones, there was at least five hundred catties of Wild Boar meat in the camp.
Before, when they processed one Wild Boar into smoked meat, alternating it with fish and such, it lasted nearly two months. This five hundred catties would last at least half a year.
To keep the smoked meat that long, the meat needed to be smoked for at least thirty hours—about three days if they smoked ten hours a day.
For anything that required walking around, like adding firewood while smoking the meat, Ye Lin handled it all, while the less-mobile Qin Tian focused on dealing with the Wild Boar Skin.
With four Wild Boar Skin, if handled properly, they could make two sets of clothes and still have a hide left for a blanket or mattress.
So, another busy day passed with everything moving along methodically. Once these things were finished, the quality of life for Qin Tian and Ye Lin on this deserted island would definitely rise again.
But life is never smooth sailing.
Qin Tian and Ye Lin had made twenty smoking racks for the meat. They couldn’t keep them in the kitchen, so they simply hung them out on the Grassland. Who knew trouble would strike that very night.
***
Early that morning, Qin Tian was woken by Han Pi. Deep in sleep, he only felt someone pushing him. Opening his eyes, he saw Han Pi’s furry head.
Startled, Qin Tian sat up. “Han Pi, what’s wrong?”
Being woken up left Qin Tian somewhat groggy. After asking, he sat there yawning hard until Han Pi’s message echoed in his mind.
“Something happened, outside.”
As soon as he received this information, Qin Tian was instantly awake. He hurried out of bed and followed Han Pi out of the Cave.
Yet everything outside the Cave was the same as yesterday. There was nothing unusual, except for the lonely campfires.
One smoking rack per fire, paired two by two. But now, the smoking rack paired with that fire was missing.
At first glance, Qin Tian just thought it was an extra fire, but counting them over, he realized that one meat rack was gone.
Qin Tian’s expression instantly turned grim. This wasn’t simply about losing a rack; it was a matter of life and death for him and Ye Lin.
A meat rack wouldn’t just vanish on its own; it must have been stolen by some animal. Regardless of its diet, just the fact that it could silently take away a rack was enough to make Qin Tian pay close attention.
It was like a skilled assassin snatching a general’s seal from an army of a million; naturally, such a person could infiltrate a marshal’s residence for an assassination.
The same logic applied: if the thief could steal a meat rack right under Han Pi’s nose, it could also sneak into the Cave.
You had to know, an animal like Han Pi, born for survival in the wild, remained highly alert even when asleep. The slightest disturbance would wake it.
In terms of vigilance, Qin Tian and Ye Lin couldn’t compare to Han Pi. If even Han Pi didn’t notice, then Qin Tian and Ye Lin stood no chance at all.
If the thief was a herbivore, it could be just curiosity about the smoking rack, maybe took it to play with.
But if it was a carnivore, then without a doubt, it came for the meat—meaning Qin Tian and Ye Lin were in danger.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Qin Tian and Ye Lin could die in their sleep at any moment. No wonder Qin Tian looked so grim.
“What’s wrong? Why do you look so frightened?” At this moment, Ye Lin appeared behind Qin Tian. She’d woken not long after he got up.
“One of the smoking racks was stolen.” Qin Tian didn’t turn his head.
“A smoking rack was stolen?” Ye Lin was startled. She understood what that implied. “Could it be one of those Wolves from before?”
“I’m not sure.” With that, Qin Tian started walking across the Grassland, Ye Lin following close behind.
Squatting by the campfire, Qin Tian tried to find some clue about the thief. But as he searched, goosebumps broke out all over his skin.
Over five hundred catties of meat, spread across twenty racks—that’s about twenty-five catties per rack, thirty if you include the wood.
Thirty catties isn’t light. Of course, for many fierce beasts, it’s nothing. But the key was the rack itself.
While not terribly heavy, the smoking rack was bulky. It should’ve left marks on the ground when moved.
But looking around the fire, there were no traces at all. Instead, it looked as if someone had fanned the fire hard; ash was scattered all around.
“See anything?” Ye Lin asked from behind.
“It’s as if the smoking rack just vanished into thin air.” Qin Tian stood up.
“I think we should put the bamboo door back up.” Ye Lin sounded a little worried.
“I’m going to keep watch tonight.” As if he hadn’t heard Ye Lin, Qin Tian said to himself.
“Then just like before, I’ll take the first half of the night.” Ye Lin knew Qin Tian was determined to find out who the thief was.
“No need. I’ll go to bed early tonight and pull an all-nighter, it shouldn’t be a problem.” Qin Tian rejected Ye Lin’s suggestion.
For a beast that could silently take away a smoking rack without even Han Pi noticing, how could Qin Tian let Ye Lin keep watch?
Putting the matter aside for now, Qin Tian and Ye Lin resumed yesterday’s work.
But after what happened that morning, both spent the day in a state of tension. While busy, they’d constantly glance at the surrounding forest, a little on edge.
***
Since he needed to stay up all night, Qin Tian forced himself to sleep at two in the afternoon, only waking up at eight in the evening.
“Freshly brewed Mint Tea, to wake you up.” As soon as Qin Tian got up, Ye Lin brought over the teapot she’d prepared ahead of time.
With a sip, Qin Tian’s drowsiness vanished. “Go get some sleep. Nothing will happen tonight.”
“I know.” Ye Lin smiled. “Oh, I just made some meat soup. It’ll be ready in a few minutes, don’t forget.”
“You’re pretty accurate with your timing.”
“More like you’re accurate with your waking.”
With no more chatter, Qin Tian stretched and got out of bed, while Ye Lin, on the other hand, climbed in to sleep.