Reborn in the Great Northern Wilderness in 1982, I farmed and hunted to support my whole family.

But Li Mu didn't take these idle gossips to heart. His most important task now was to find a way to get yeast and brew strong liquor.

Only by brewing strong liquor can one prove their strength and earn the respect of the villagers.

With that in mind, Li Mu decided to go to Huang Xiue's house again to see if there was any progress on her end.

He arrived at Huang Xiue's door and gently knocked.

A moment later, Huang Xiu'e opened the door and saw Li Mu. She smiled and said, "Mu Zi, what brings you here again? Are you missing Aunt Huang's strong liquor?"

"Aunt Huang, I came here today to ask you how the herbal wine brewing project is progressing?"

Upon hearing this, Huang Xiu'e's expression turned serious: "Mu Zi, to be honest, I used the herbs you gave me to try brewing a few jars of wine, but I wasted quite a bit. You'll see when you come in and take a look."

Li Mu's heart tightened, and he quickly followed Huang Xiu'e into the house.

Huang Xiu'e led Li Mu to the backyard and pointed to the rows of wine jars, saying, "Mu Zi, look at these wine jars. They are all made from the herbs you gave us, but strangely, the taste of these wines is all a bit odd. Some are sour, some are bitter, and none of them are normal."

Upon hearing this, Li Mu felt a pang of disappointment, but he forced himself to remain calm.

"Aunt Huang, don't worry, let's take a look at what's going on with these wines."

Huang Xiu'e nodded, opened a wine jar, and poured a cup of wine for Li Mu.

Li Mu picked up the wine glass, smelled it, and took a sip. He frowned slightly and said, "There seems to be a medicinal taste in this wine, and it seems a bit too strong."

Upon hearing this, Huang Xiue also took a sip and nodded, saying, "That's right, I think so too. But if you add too little, it won't have that strong flavor, and if you add too much, it will be too bitter to swallow. Who would want to drink such bitter wine? Mu Zi, I'm afraid your herbs won't work."

Li Mu couldn't taste the unique strong liquor he had drunk in his previous life. He remembered that in his previous life, Huang Xiu'e had indeed brewed strong liquor using this herb, and the taste was unique and unforgettable.

Having just met the headhunter who had a unique skill in remarrying, why can't we recreate that feeling in this life?

Li Mu was puzzled, so he tasted a few more sips of the wine from the other jars and found that they all tasted similar, with an overpowering medicinal flavor that made them too bitter to swallow.

He frowned, feeling somewhat unwilling: "Aunt Huang, do you think it might be that the proportions of the herbs are wrong? Or is there a problem with the brewing method?"

Huang Xiu'e shook her head: "Mu Zi, my brewing method is a family tradition, and it has never gone wrong. As for the proportion of herbs, I added them according to the amount you gave me, so there shouldn't be any problems."

Upon hearing this, Li Mu was even more puzzled: "Then what exactly happened? Aunt Huang, think again, is there anything you've overlooked?"

Upon hearing this, Huang Xiu'e thought about it carefully for a moment, then suddenly slapped her forehead: "That's right, Mu Zi, I just remembered that I've been busy brewing wine these past few days and forgot to collect mountain water! The water in my winery is used to adjust the flavor of the wine. I've been busy testing your herbs these past few days and completely forgot about this."

"I'll go. Is it over there on the west back mountain?"

Huang Xiue nodded: "That's right, it's over there in the West Back Mountain. The water there is clear and sweet, perfect for brewing wine. I'm used to going there, I can go by myself."

Li Mu insisted, "Aunt Huang, you've already worked so hard for me these past few days. I'll fetch the spring water myself. You can rest at home, and we can continue trying after I bring the water back."

Seeing that Li Mu was so insistent, Huang Xiu'e stopped refusing and said, "Alright then, Mu Zi, be careful on your journey."

Li Mu responded, picked up the wooden bucket by the door, and headed towards the west back mountain.

The back mountain of Xihou is not far from the village. After walking for about fifteen minutes and clearing away some thorns and weeds, we found the frozen spring. This spring is usually clear and sweet, but it was frozen solid at this time. It would probably take some effort to get water from it.

Looking at the frozen mountain spring in front of him, Li Mu found a sharp stone and carefully used it to tap the ice surface.

Finally, a small opening was made, and clear mountain spring water gushed out. Li Mu quickly placed the wooden bucket under the spring and caught the cool, sweet spring water.

The water flow was slow, and he figured he'd have to wait half an hour. The weather turned cold again, and the howling wind made Li Mu shiver.

When I have some free time, I'll venture deeper into the area to see if I can find some firewood to keep warm.

Thinking about it, Li Mu walked deeper into the mountains and forests.

They hadn't walked far when they found a pile of dry branches. Li Mu was overjoyed and quickly went over, picked up the branches, and piled them aside.

Just as he was about to start a fire, he suddenly heard a strange sound.

The sound seemed to come from deep within the mountains and forests, appearing and disappearing intermittently, like a ghost.

Li Mu felt a chill run down his spine, but then he thought, what is there for a grown man like me to be afraid of? So he mustered his courage and followed the sound deeper into the forest.

They hadn't gone far when they saw a wild deer with glossy fur and antlers as long as cow horns. One of its legs was caught in a hunting trap, and it was struggling in pain.

Li Mu's eyes lit up—it was a sika deer!

These sika deer are rare and precious; their antlers and blood are excellent medicinal materials, and their meat is incredibly delicious.

Li Mu had a sudden inspiration and decided to rescue the sika deer first, and then take some of its blood to brew wine. Perhaps this would make the wine even stronger!

After crouching for a while, I didn't notice any movement around me or find any trace of the hunter. It seems that the hunter has already left.

He really came out ahead this time!

Li Mu drew the dagger strapped to his waist and slashed the deer's neck, blood gushing out instantly and splattering all over his face.

The cuts are small, so the deer hide can be peeled off while maintaining its integrity, allowing it to fetch a good price. At the same time, the deer blood can be retained for brewing wine.

Thinking of this, Li Mu cut off

They removed the trap from the sika deer's feet and carefully laid it down on the ground.

He took out a cloth bag he carried with him and treated the sika deer's wounds to prevent excessive bleeding.

Then, he took out a small porcelain bottle and collected the deer blood little by little.

Looking at the bright red deer blood in the bottle, Li Mu couldn't help but feel a little excited.

This deer blood is an excellent ingredient for brewing wine. With it, I'll be more confident about my plan to make strong liquor.

After dealing with the sika deer, Li Mu grabbed its hind hooves and dragged it to a secluded spot in the forest, intending to hide it first and deal with it after fetching spring water.

After hiding the sika deer, Li Mu returned and continued to tap on the ice.