Chapter 74: Pine Trees and Bamboo
There were plenty of edible goodies in the mountains during this season.
But to Huai Yu, all she saw everywhere was green, green, and more green!
If she kept eating like this, her face would probably turn green too. It was all just so vegetarian!
The more she ate, the more hollow she felt inside, and the more she craved something hearty.
So this time, she climbed the mountain with a clear goal, trekking upwards along a barely visible tourist trail, ignoring all the tempting greenery along the way.
Whether it was the tender toon shoots, the sour Japanese knotweed perfect for sour soup, or the already budding water fern…
“Don’t want it, don’t want any of it…”
Huai Yu chanted to herself as she walked, reinforcing her determination. Because if she so much as bent down to gather wild greens, she’d easily waste another entire day wandering the mountains.
She was determined to eat meat today. Absolutely!
When she passed the big pine tree and saw all the pine pollen still unharvested on its many offspring, she even paused to chat for a bit:
“Big Pine Tree, I’ll come back to collect the pollen later, okay…”
“Do you know where I could find some rabbits or wild chickens?” she hugged the thick branch of the big tree, whining pitifully:
“I really wanna eat meat…”
The pine needles rustled, releasing that signature fresh scent. Then suddenly, a branch shook—
Squeak squeak squeak!
Thud—a squirrel fell from above, only to be swiftly caught by Huai Yu by the tail.
The two stared at each other. The squirrel’s big, glossy eyes locked on hers, its fur puffed up in panic.
Huai Yu froze too.
No way… This polite!?
The big pine tree swayed in the wind, making Huai Yu blush.
“I do want meat, but not that badly yet… You’ve been neighbors for years, it’s really not necessary…”
Besides, the dried nuts she’d found earlier were probably hidden by this squirrel too.
If the little guy worked hard again this year, maybe she’d score another stash in the winter.
She gently placed the squirrel back on the tree. But just as it was about to scurry away, she seemed to hear the big pine say something again. So she snatched the squirrel’s tail once more and scolded:
“Hey! Little Squirrel!”
“Big Pine Tree says stop digging holes in him to stash your nuts! You’ve already made two or three, and you can’t even remember where they are. What’s the point?”
The squirrel squeaked furiously, either in protest or defense, and then vanished in a flash.
Thanks to the big pine tree’s “squirrel consolation,” Huai Yu’s mood improved quite a bit.
Ah yes, truly amazing!
—The big pine tree was even willing to sacrifice its neighbor for her!
Feeling pleased and confident, she finally reached a deserted area around 3 p.m.
There seemed to be an old trail here, now completely overrun with branches and vines. But faint outlines of the anti-corrosion wooden path could still be seen, likely remnants of a scenic walkway.
Looking down, there was a low cave surrounded by rocky walls. It was spacious, deep, windproof, and rainproof—a perfect shelter.
Huai Yu looked around, marked the spot visibly, and decided to search the nearby area.
That way, whether she found food or not, she could make a campfire here tonight and rest.
The ground and walls were solid rock, so there was no worry about accidental fires.
Up ahead stood a massive, bizarrely shaped stone, like a slender, upright finger.
Huai Yu stared at it curiously, then looked at the wide expanse of decking nearby—must’ve been a scenic viewing platform in the past!
Strange. It all felt unfamiliar. But… why had she woken up on this mountain?
She couldn’t figure it out.
But for now, meat was more important than memory.
She looked around, trying to see if there were any flatter spots beyond the jagged rocks and cliffs where she could search for food.
She couldn’t eat squirrels. Snakes were a no-go. Hedgehogs were too small. Wild boars? Definitely run the other way…
But rabbits or wild chickens? Why hadn’t any shown up yet?!
She kept thinking, moving cautiously with her shovel toward a gentle slope.
As she walked, the path widened.
Then—lo and behold—a small bamboo grove appeared!
It looked like it had only been growing for a few years, so the bamboo wasn’t too dense, and sunlight still shone through. There weren’t many other plants on the forest floor either, which caught Huai Yu’s attention.
Where there’s bamboo, there are bamboo shoots.
And where there are bamboo shoots, there might be bamboo rats!
If she could catch a fat one…
She immediately perked up and grabbed her multi-tool shovel, ready to go!
The grove looked open and harmless from a distance. Nothing threatening.
But just as that thought crossed her mind—
Thousands of bamboo leaves suddenly stood upright, then whoosh!
They shot out like flying knives in all directions!
This style of attack—reminded her of the Rose Corridor!
Though she hadn’t seen anything like it before, it looked vicious.
Thunk-thunk-thunk!
Leaves pinned themselves into nearby tree trunks like throwing daggers.
Huai Yu: …!!!
She silently backed up, realizing she was still at a safe distance, and breathed a quiet sigh of relief as she shrank into the shadows.
Was this bamboo really that sensitive?
She hadn’t even stepped into the grove yet—just thought about it—and it went on the attack…
Was its mutation psychic?!
Did it sense she wanted to dig bamboo shoots?
Surely it wasn’t protecting some unseen bamboo rats too?
Still pondering this, Huai Yu noticed the ring of trees surrounding the grove suddenly start to move.
No! The trees weren’t moving—the ground was!
She clung tightly to a nearby trunk as her multi-tool fell to the ground.
In the distance, the trees already struck by the bamboo grove swayed dangerously.
Cracks split the earth, and massive roots burst from underground!
Those roots slithered forward at lightning speed—heading straight for the small bamboo grove.
Soil heaved and fell. The whole mountain forest echoed with ominous, thunderous sounds.
The ground quaked like a natural disaster.
Even the tree Huai Yu clung to started to stir. She wrapped herself around it with all four limbs, afraid of getting tossed into the dirt.
Then—CRACK!
A long, continuous ripping sound rang out. The soil under the bamboo grove split open completely, revealing a crisscrossed network of enormous bamboo roots!
The moment those roots were exposed, the attacking tree roots instantly buried themselves into the ground—as if scared the bamboo might recover and take over again.
The forest floor was now a mess of broken branches, fresh, damp soil scattered everywhere.
A faint smell of mud and dust filled the air.
The once tall and vibrant bamboo grove had been uprooted and thrown to the ground.
—No chance of surviving now!
