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

The black bear rolled on the ground in pain, its howls shaking the heavens and the earth.

Li Mu took the opportunity to run even further until he was sure the black bear could no longer catch him. Then he leaned against a big tree and gasped for breath.

He looked back and, after confirming that the black bear had not caught up, breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Turning my head, I met the eyes of three people.

"Aaaaaaah! Holy crap!"

Li Mu was so startled he almost jumped up. Upon closer inspection, he saw three shirtless Oroqen men standing not far away, looking at him with curiosity.

They had dark skin, were burly, and exuded a wild aura.

Li Mu was startled, unsure whether the three Oroqen men were friends or foes.

He suppressed his panic and asked calmly, "Brothers, what's going on here...?"

One of the Oroqen men laughed and said in broken Chinese, "What, it's you again?"

Upon hearing this, Li Mu was stunned. He carefully examined the Oroqen man in front of him, feeling that he looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him before.

The Oroqen man saw that Li Mu looked completely bewildered.

“A few days ago, you brought a few people into our territory and were discovered by our people. We originally wanted to teach you a lesson, but since you are a young man, we didn’t bother with you. I didn’t expect to run into you here again today.”

Another Oroqen man looked Li Mu up and down: "Did you bring that bear here?"

Li Mu's heart tightened, and he quickly waved his hand to explain, "No, no, I just happened to encounter this bear, it has nothing to do with me."

"You think it's okay just because you say so? This back mountain is our territory. You trespassed and even encountered a bear. Who would believe that if word got out?"

The Oroqen man who had spoken earlier drew his hunting knife from his waist and made a slashing motion in the air, producing a whooshing sound that made Li Mu tremble.

Li Mu inwardly groaned. He knew that these Oroqen men were fierce and unpredictable, and if he couldn't explain himself clearly, he might get into trouble.

After thinking it over, he decided to keep the other party calm for now before figuring out how to get away.

He said with a forced smile, "Brothers, you all know that this back mountain is fraught with danger. I only wandered in by accident. How about this, I'll treat you to a drink as an apology? What do you think?"

"Wine? What kind of wine?"

Li Mu patted the cloth bag on his back and said with a smile, "I have a pot of fine deer blood wine here, brewed from the blood of sika deer. It's a very nourishing drink, and I guarantee you'll rave about it after you drink it."

Upon hearing this, the three Oroqen men's eyes immediately lit up with interest.

They lived deep in the mountains year-round, making a living by hunting. They had eaten all kinds of wild game and herbs, so there was nothing that could make them feel new or curious.

They had never heard of this deer blood wine before, so they all crowded around, curiously looking at the cloth bag on Li Mu's back.

Seeing this, Li Mu was overjoyed, knowing that there was hope.

He carefully took the small jar containing deer blood wine from the cloth bag and handed it to one of the Oroqen men.

The Oroqen man took the small jar, uncorked it, and a rich aroma of wine mixed with the scent of herbs wafted out. He leaned close to the jar and took a deep breath.

"This is...this is fine wine! There must be a lot of precious medicinal herbs added to it, right?"

After the Oroqen man finished speaking, he couldn't wait to pick up the jar and take a big gulp.

As the wine entered his throat, he felt a warm current rise from his dantian, instantly spreading throughout his body. It was as if every part of his body had been cleansed, and he felt indescribably comfortable.

He put down the jar, exhaled a breath of wine, and couldn't resist taking a second sip, but was stopped.

The Oroqen man next to him snatched it away, saying, "Hey, don't just drink it all yourself, give us a taste too!"

As he spoke, he picked up the jar, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp, a look of ecstasy immediately appearing on his face.

Seeing this, the last Oroqen man stamped his feet in frustration: "You two are going too far! How could you leave me all alone!"

As he spoke, he snatched the jar and began drinking eagerly.

Before long, the three of them finished off a small jar of deer blood wine.

They wiped their mouths and exclaimed in unison, "Excellent wine! Is there any more?"

“Brothers, this deer blood wine took me a lot of effort to brew, and this small jar has already been finished by you. But if you like, I can bring you more.”

"Really? That's wonderful! Young man, your skills are amazing! If you could brew more and sell it in our village, you'd definitely make a fortune!" One of the Oroqen men patted Li Mu on the shoulder and said with a big laugh.

This pot of wine instantly brought the group closer together.

"But I was lucky to run into a deer, and that was the only time."

"It will be difficult to find such an opportunity again. The ingredients for brewing wine are hard to come by." Li Mu deliberately feigned a troubled expression.

Upon hearing this, the Oroqen man laughed heartily: "What's so difficult about that, young brother? Come with us. Our village may not have much else, but it's full of wild animals. What kind of deer do you want? We'll hunt it for you!"

Li Mu's heart skipped a beat, but he deliberately feigned hesitation: "But isn't this back mountain your territory? I trespassed, aren't you angry?"

"Hey, that's nothing. We Oroqen people value friendship the most. Since you're willing to share such good wine with us, you're our friend. When a friend comes, how can we not treat them well?"

The Oroqen man patted his chest, and his two brothers grabbed his shoulders, laughing heartily as they walked into the forest.

"Come on, young man, let's go back to the village and have a good drink, and let our wives and children taste your fine wine!"

Li Mu was half-pushed and half-pulled forward by the two men, but he was secretly pleased.

He really made a profit!

Not only did they get a free meal of fine wine and meat, but they also unexpectedly made friends with Oroqen people and had the opportunity to enter the legendary back mountain to find the best ingredients for brewing wine.

This trip was totally worth it!

Li Mu followed the Oroqen men, step by step, deeper into the forest.

After passing through a dense forest, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a village built of wood.

At the entrance of the village, several Oroqen women were busy drying their game when they saw several men returning.

"Who is this?" Judging from his attire, he is a Han Chinese.

"Auntie, where's my brother? I'm taking some men to meet the best hunter in our village!"

An Oroqen woman looked up, recognized the Oroqen man leading the group, and smiled, "Oh, isn't this Ali? You're back! Your older brother went hunting in the mountains and hasn't returned yet. And who is this?"

Ali patted Li Mu on the shoulder and laughed heartily, "This is Brother Li Mu. He brews excellent wine. I just ran into him on the back mountain and brought him back. Auntie, you must treat him well."