All Heavens Strategy Game

The snowflakes hit my face like fine needles, cold and painful.

Su Dashun trudged through the snow, which was up to his calves, his breath instantly ripped apart by the cold wind.

His missing ear was frozen stiff, and half of his face was also frozen, but the fire in his heart kept rising.

"That reckless brat!" he cursed inwardly for the umpteenth time. "He's only been peaceful for a few years! His wings haven't even hardened yet, and he dares to venture into these man-eating mountains! Is the heavy snow blocking the mountains a joke? It's like the gates of the King of Hell are open!"

Behind him followed three hunters from the village, all men around thirty years old, wrapped in thick, old cotton-padded coats, their faces tanned from years of wind and sun exposure, and clearly showing their impatience.

"Uncle Da Shun, it's getting dark soon!" The man at the front, Su Shunfa, was one of the few hunters in the village. He stopped, leaning on his sharpened wooden stick, and said in a low voice:

"If we go any further in, it will be dark and cold. Forget about finding anyone, it's questionable whether we can even get back safely!"

Another hunter, Su Laonian, muttered, "Exactly! This is too reckless! What does a thirteen-year-old know about hunting? He probably can't even tell which way is which in the mountains! Su Sanlang, that kid, usually seems quite clever, why did he act so foolishly this time?"

The last man to walk was a lean man with a long face and slick eyes. He was Ma Xiuying's husband, Su Dalu.

Su Dalu rubbed his hands together, breathing out warm air, his voice low, but his words pierced the heart:

"If you ask me, Uncle Dashun, don't get too worked up."

"That kid asked for it, he has no one to blame but himself!"

"Which young man in our village, before learning to hunt, doesn't first follow an experienced hunter for a year or two, familiarize himself with the area, learn how to set traps, and observe footprints and droppings, before daring to venture deeper into the wilderness alone?"

"That Su Sanlang is something else. He's been practicing some nonsensical 'martial arts' for years, and now he thinks he's some kind of mountain god? He dares to choose this time for his first trip into the mountains, all by himself... Hey, I think it's risky."

Su Dashun's face darkened even more.

He knew that Su Dalu's words were laced with barbs, half of which were directed at Su Ming, and the other half were probably aimed at him, the village chief who had stood against the majority and vouched for Su Ming.

Ma Xiuying and Widow Liu had a significant conflict, arguing frequently. Ma Xiuying often complained in the village about "wasting money and food to support outsiders," which caused Su Dalu to also dislike Widow Liu's family. He also felt sorry for the few copper coins and handfuls of rice he spent each month, so it was normal for him to have resentment.

But what could he do? Su Dashun knew perfectly well what was going on:

—If Su Ming really dies in these mountains, then Su Dashun's place in Sishui Village will be completely over!

Over the past few years, despite the pressure, he managed to keep the "entire village supporting Su Ming" afloat by relying on the prestige and connections accumulated by his ancestors.

To this end, he spoke highly of the clan elders, patted his chest in front of the hesitant villagers, and even shared his own meager grain as an example.

Su Ming was the only thing he had bet his entire fortune on; it was the biggest and only gamble he had ever made in his life.

If he wins the bet, Su Dashun might really rise to prominence along with his family, ensuring his wife and children have enough to eat and sending his youngest son to school.

Even... move out of this poor mountain village!

Lost the bet?

Su Dashun dared not think about it.

The elder's accusations...

The villagers' curses...

The sarcastic remarks from Ma Xiuying and Su Dalu, who were dissatisfied with supporting those who practiced martial arts, along with the "village rules" signed in black and white... were enough to make his family have no place to stand in Sishui Village anymore.

At that time, let alone the position of village chief, he might not even be able to keep his ancestral home and would really have to leave his hometown to make a living.

Wang Cuihua, the old man's wife, said it so lightly, "What's there to be afraid of about leaving your hometown?" But when it really comes to that...

"Find it!" Su Dashun squeezed out a word through gritted teeth, interrupting Su Dalu's mutterings, as if giving an order to himself.

He wrapped his worn-out cotton-padded coat tighter around his ears, and the cold wind seemed even more biting.

"We need to find him alive or dead... we have to get his body back! Otherwise, all the money and food we've spent these past few years will have been wasted, feeding the wild dogs in the mountains!"

He said that last sentence while staring at Su Dalv.

Su Dalu felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, pursed his lips, and didn't say anything more, but everyone could see the reluctance on his face.

Su Shunfa sighed, "Uncle Da Shun, it's not that we didn't want to look. It's just that the snow was too heavy, and the footprints were covered up long ago."

"It's so dark. Even if that kid left some kind of mark, we won't be able to see it. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack. If we keep going, we'll all get caught too."

Su Laonian nodded in agreement, his eyes full of concern.

They were all native mountain people, and they knew all too well how terrifying the forests were at night.

They could endure the cold, but the dangers lurking in the darkness—a fall, getting lost, or a hungry beast—any one of them could be fatal.

Just as the atmosphere was tense, Su Dashun clenched his fists, unable to suppress his anger, when a slight "crunching" sound came from the woods not far ahead, the sound of footsteps on the snow.

The four immediately fell silent. Su Shunfa subconsciously picked up the wooden stick in his hand, Su Laonian drew his bow closer, and even Su Dalu nervously shrank his neck and stared wide-eyed at the source of the sound.

In the dim light, a figure wrapped up tightly emerged slowly from behind a shrub covered with icicles.

The man wasn't very tall, but his steps were unusually steady, as if the bitter cold that could crack rocks and the difficult snow underfoot had no effect on him.

"Who?!" Su Dashun shouted in a low voice, his tone tense.

The figure stopped, raised his hand as if to pull down the tattered cloth covering his mouth and nose, revealing a still somewhat immature, yet unusually calm face. In the dim light, his eyes shone exceptionally bright.

"Uncle Shunfa, Uncle Laonian, Uncle Big Donkey."

Su Ming's voice wasn't loud, possessing the clear tone unique to young people, but it lacked variation.

"And...Grandpa Da Shun, why did you all go into the mountains?"

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

Su Dashun stared with his mouth agape at Su Ming, who was standing perfectly fine a dozen steps away, and for a moment he forgot to breathe.

Ecstasy, fear, anger, relief... a flood of emotions rushed into his mind like a burst dam, making him dizzy.

He wanted to rush up and grab the kid's ear to give him a good scolding, and he also wanted to pounce on him to see if he was hurt, but in the end his legs went weak and he almost collapsed in the snow.

Su Shunfa and Su Laonian were also stunned. The tools in their hands slowly fell to their sides, their faces filled with disbelief.

They had considered finding a frozen corpse, or perhaps nothing at all, but they never imagined they would encounter Su Ming so "easily," completely unharmed and seemingly without any injury.

This kid is like he's taking a stroll in the deep mountains and forests!

Su Dalv reacted the most directly. He chuckled, the tension on his face quickly fading, replaced by his usual ambiguous smile, and spoke first:

"Hey! Su Sanlang? It really is you! We've been looking everywhere for you! In this freezing weather, you must be quite something, not staying home and keeping warm, but going out hunting in the mountains all by yourself? Look, you've wasted a whole day and haven't caught anything, leaving us elders to search for you in the freezing cold!"

"With your skinny arms and legs, we thought you were..."

He paused, not uttering the unlucky second half of his sentence, but everyone understood the meaning.

Ignoring the barb in Su Dalu's words, Su Ming's gaze fell on Su Dashun, whose expression was constantly changing. He nodded slightly and said, "I'm sorry to have worried Grandpa Dashun. I'm going into the mountains to take a look and see what I can do."

"Want to test your skills?" Su Shunfa snapped out of his daze, frowning as he looked Su Ming up and down. "Just you alone? In this snowy weather? Are you kidding me! Did you run into anything? Are you hurt?"

Although he was also dissatisfied earlier, he was, after all, an elder who had watched Su Ming grow up, and after confirming that Su Ming was alright, concern prevailed.

"We ran into them." Su Ming nodded, his tone as casual as if he were talking about what he had eaten that day. "We caught some small animals and also hunted a wild boar."

"Huh?" Old Su thought he had misheard.

"A wild boar?!" Su Shunfa's voice rose. "You were alone? You encountered a wild boar? You were alright?"

Su Dalu scoffed, "Su Sanlang, you're really exaggerating. Wild boar? I think you've frozen yourself silly! You probably just found a lost, frozen piglet and got incredibly lucky! Aren't you afraid of losing your teeth by talking such big talk?"

He simply couldn't believe that a thirteen-year-old boy, on his first trip into the mountains, alone in the snow, could hunt a wild boar? That was more like a dream!

Su Dashun finally calmed down, his heart still pounding. He strode up to Su Ming and examined him carefully in the last rays of daylight.

— Su Ming's complexion was normal. Although his clothes were scratched and had some stains, they were not torn or covered in blood. His breathing was steady and his eyes were clear. He did not look like he had been in a fierce battle or was injured.

It doesn't look like a wild boar has been shot at all.

Besides, he only brought a machete and a slingshot. With that kind of equipment, how could he possibly leave the wild boar behind!

"You really... encountered a wild boar?" Su Dashun's voice was a little dry, with a tremor he himself didn't even realize.

He both hoped it was true (that would mean Su Ming was indeed capable) and feared it was true (how dangerous the process must have been).

"Hmm, a sow with piglets, probably weighing around 250 or 260 pounds." Su Ming remained calm. "It's getting dark, and I can't get it back by myself, so I buried it in the snow. I'm thinking of calling someone from the village to come and get it tomorrow."

"I didn't expect you to come. It's perfect that you're here. Let's lend a hand before it gets dark, otherwise the wild animals in the mountains might eat it."

He said it so matter-of-factly, as if he were suggesting they go to the field to harvest cabbages together.

Su Shunfa and Su Laonian exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock and intense curiosity in each other's eyes.

They know best how fierce wild boars are, especially sows with piglets; they're true tyrants of the forest, and when they're enraged, they'll fight even bears! Is Su Ming really that capable?

Su Dalu's sneer froze. He stared at Su Ming, trying to find any trace of lying on that calm face, but he couldn't see anything.

"Buried...buried in the snow? Where?"

"It's not far, follow me."

Su Ming turned around, gesturing for them to follow.

He seemed to be holding something in his arms, wrapped in an old cloth, bulging out, with a familiar slingshot slung across his shoulder and a woodcutter's knife tucked behind his waist.

Su Dashun took a deep breath of the cold air, forcing himself to calm down.

He waved for Su Tiesuo and the others to follow, while he himself followed closely behind Su Ming, half a step behind, looking at the boy's composed back with a complicated expression.

Half of the weight on my heart was lifted, but the other half hung even higher—what exactly did this kid experience in the mountains?

The group silently followed Su Ming as they walked through the increasingly dark forest.

Su Ming walked slowly, but his direction was clear. When he encountered steep slopes or areas with dense bushes, he would pause slightly and choose an easier path, as if he were already somewhat familiar with the area.

This composure only fueled the suspicions and uncertainty among the veteran hunters.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they came to a sheltered depression. Su Ming stopped and pointed to a slightly raised area covered with fresh snow: "It's right down there."

Su Shunfa and Su Laonian immediately stepped forward and carefully used their sharpened wooden sticks to remove the surface layer of snow.

Soon, the grayish-yellow, stiff pig bristles, as hard as needle brushes, were revealed.

Next, there was a huge pig's head, tightly closed eyes, and... a deep, congealed, blackened gash between the eyebrows, as well as obvious wounds on both eye sockets.

"Good heavens..." Old Su gasped.

Judging from these injuries, the wild boar was clearly blinded by a slingshot; the precision is terrifying! No hunter in the entire village could achieve that!

Su Shunfa squatted down and carefully examined the marks on the wild boar's body, then looked at the messy marks and dark red spots remaining on the surrounding snow, which were covered but still discernible.

He was an experienced hunter, and he could almost instantly recreate parts of the battle scene in his mind: the wild boar had struggled and charged violently here, and after being blinded, it struggled desperately...

"Really...you did this all by yourself?" Su Shunfa looked up, his gaze towards Su Ming completely changed.

It's no longer about looking after an immature junior.

Instead, it was filled with an incredulous curiosity and a hint of awe!

He always boasted that he was the village's top hunter, but he simply couldn't kill a wild boar with just a slingshot and a machete.

Let alone Sishui Village, no one in the entire county could do that!

Su Ming nodded, offering no further explanation, only saying, "It's too heavy; we'll have to lift it together. It's getting dark; we need to hurry."

Su Dalu also came over, and the expression on his face was extremely interesting the moment he saw the wild boar carcass.

First came astonishment, then jealousy, and finally a complex sense of embarrassment.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his throat dry and couldn't utter a single word.

The real wild boar in front of him was a slap in the face more powerful than any words!

How did Su Ming manage to kill a wild boar without getting hurt?

Looking at the fat wild boar on the ground, enough to feed the whole village for several meals, and then at Su Ming standing calmly to the side, Su Dashun felt a surge of heat rush to his head, dispelling his previous anger and fear, leaving only an indescribable excitement and... relief.

You made the right bet!

At least, Su Dashun wasn't wrong about this step!

"What are you all standing there for!" Su Dashun's voice was hoarse with excitement, but it carried an undeniable force.

"Shunfa, Lao Nian, Dalv! Hurry up, find some sturdy vines, tie them together with sticks, and carry them back! It'll be a real problem if it gets completely dark! You don't want to die in these mountains, do you?"

The hunters suddenly realized what was happening and immediately took action.

They cut some vines and tied the wild boar's four hooves firmly to the wooden sticks.

Su Ming also stepped forward to help. He was indeed quite strong, moving the wild boar with ease, even more so than these strong men, which made Su Dashun and the others secretly marvel.

Once everything was ready, the four men, two in front and two behind, lifted the heavy wild boar with a shout.

Su Ming walked to the side, picked up the old cloth bundle he had placed there earlier, and a plump gray squirrel tied with a straw rope, and hugged it to his chest. He also picked up a small cloth bag, which seemed to contain some nuts.

"What are you holding?" Su Dashun asked.

"I raided a squirrel's nest and found some dried fruit. I also caught a squirrel." Su Ming weighed the items in his hand, his tone still calm, as if he were just saying that the weather was nice today.

Su Dashun looked at the meat and dried fruit in his arms, and then at the huge wild boar that the four of them were struggling to carry. He was at a loss for words.

This kid... he really didn't leave empty-handed after his trip into the mountains! Not only did he not leave empty-handed, but his harvest is greater than what these old hunters have gathered in dozens of trips into the mountains in the past!

The return journey was made exceptionally difficult by carrying the heavy wild boar.

The snow was deep and the sky was gradually darkening, but fortunately, the faint light reflected off the snow made it not seem too dark.

Su Shunfa and Su Laonian led the way, followed by Su Dashun and Su Dalv. The four of them gritted their teeth and persevered, panting heavily, as they moved step by step toward the outside of the mountain.

Su Ming, clutching his "odds and ends," silently followed at the back of the group.

His figure appeared somewhat thin in the darkness, but his steps remained steady, his gaze occasionally sweeping across the dark woods on both sides, alert to any possible movement.

Walking in the middle, Su Dalu felt the heavy pressure on his shoulders, listened to Su Dashun's heavy breathing beside him, and recalled the shock he felt when he saw the wild boar carcass. He couldn't suppress the awkward feeling in his heart.

He couldn't help but mutter to himself softly during a moment of pause for breath:

"Young people are just lucky... even a blind cat can stumble upon a dead mouse and get such a big bargain."

Su Shunfa, who was walking in front, frowned but didn't say anything.

Old Su was panting and didn't reply.

Su Dashun's shoulder ached from being poked by the wooden stick, but his heart was pounding with excitement. Hearing Su Dalu's sarcastic words, he was about to turn around and scold him when he heard Su Ming's calm voice behind him, clear and penetrating the cold wind, reaching everyone's ears:

"Uncle Big Donkey is right, it's all luck."

The boy's voice paused, but it sounded exceptionally clear in the silent, snowy mountain forest.

"However, I'd like to try my luck again next time I go into the mountains."

The boy's voice carried a certain carefree spirit, so cheerful it was almost unbelievable.

On the dark mountain path, only the heavy sound of footsteps on the snow and suppressed breathing could be heard.

Su Ming did not refute, nor did he respond with any impulsive sarcasm; his words were light and casual.

The words were light and airy, but something invisible and heavy had quietly weighed on Su Dalu's heart, and it was not just the weight of the wild boar on his shoulder.

My heart skipped a beat for no reason, as if something was weighing on my chest.

He... was actually a little scared!

Indeed, faced with the boy's frivolous words, he inexplicably felt a sense of fear, and he didn't even know what he was afraid of!