When Nash appeared in the dining area carrying a glass jar.

The visitors from China immediately understood why everyone had such a strong reaction.

It was medicinal wine.

"Brother Feng, this is the good stuff." Feng Yang’s eyes lit up, and he chuckled as he proactively picked up a glass.

He was a middle-aged man, after all!

They have a strange fondness for this kind of thing. If you know, you know.

And the stuff steeping in the glass jar was all top-shelf. That thing was huge—definitely wild-harvested. Highly restorative.

"Drink it sparingly. I added a bit too much honey." Feng Mountain accepted the jar with a smile, then opened the lid and placed it on the table.

His approach was simple: let everyone pour their own drinks without any pressure.

"You youngsters shouldn’t drink this. It’s too potent!" Feng Yang cheerfully poured himself a glass, then poured one for Zhang Kai before putting the lid back on.

"Is it only medicinal wine? I’m not used to this stuff!" Su Ziweng said with a pout.

"There’s also beer!" Feng Mountain said, seeing Yves walk in from outside carrying a case of room-temperature beer.

"Come on, welcome to the Crown Territory. Everyone, eat and drink your fill."

Feng Mountain raised a can of beer.

Everyone raised their drinks, their faces beaming with happy smiles. Xiaohua picked up a glass of honey water and gently clinked it against Feng Mountain’s.

...

「The next morning.」

A thin layer of mist shrouded the snow-covered river beach, draping the land in a veil of mystery.

The river gurgled, making a pleasant sound as small ripples occasionally disturbed its sparkling surface.

Wisps of smoke rose from the chimney, the column slowly drifting in the gentle breeze, heralding the start of a new day.

Inside the wooden cabin, the warmth of the stove chased away the morning chill.

The three little ones were fast asleep by the fireplace, snoring softly.

Feng Mountain put on his animal hide coat and prepared the supplies for their departure. They wouldn’t have to go too far today, just a short trip around the nearby Tundra to let Zhang Kai, Black Hide, and the others get a feel for the environment. They would undertake a long-distance hunt once they were acclimatized.

"Brother Feng, we’re here!"

As the voice rang out, Zhang Kai, Su Ziweng, and He Jia walked into the cabin, just as Black Hide and Hu Zi appeared on the stairs.

"Brother, when are we leaving?"

"Where’s Xiaohua?" Feng Mountain asked, looking at his two brothers.

"She’s still sleeping," Hu Zi said, scratching his head.

"It’s easy to get sleepy when you’re pregnant. Remember to have Xiaohua keep that Wolf Fang Necklace I gave her last night with her at all times." Feng Mountain nodded, giving another reminder just to be safe.

Hu Zi laughed. "Don’t worry, Hua’Er even keeps it on when she’s sleeping!"

"That’s good." Feng Mountain relaxed.

At dinner last night, for Xiaohua’s safety, he had given her the Wolf Fang Necklace he had prepared in advance. The wolf fang was infused with Witchcraft Soul Power; it was something the ancestral tribe specifically prepared for pregnant women and possessed protective and calming effects.

"How did you all sleep last night?" Feng Mountain asked Zhang Kai’s group.

Su Ziweng gave a thumbs-up.

"Brother Feng, this place of yours is amazing! I usually can’t fall asleep until I’ve messed around past midnight, but last night, I went back after dinner and passed out. I slept straight through till morning. It was awesome!!"

"It’s true. With all the social engagements I have, I haven’t slept this soundly in a long time," Feng Yang agreed with a nod.

"I’m a light sleeper and usually wake up at the slightest noise, but I slept comfortably last night," He Jia replied as well.

Feng Mountain showed a proud smile.

’Of course they did. Under the aegis of the tribe’s Fire Seed, all negative physical sensations disappear. Bathed in its light over a long period, not only does one’s body improve, but the soul is also cleansed.’

"Let’s have breakfast first, then we’ll head out. We’ll go near the Tundra first to look for reindeer."

"Why are we still eating then? Let’s go now!" Su Ziweng’s eyes lit up instantly.

...

A team of snowmobiles drove out of the camp.

Zhang Kai’s group of four rode on two, Nash and Yves each carried Black Hide and Hu Zi, and Feng Mountain rode alone with Prince and Princess on the lead snowmobile.

Leaving the relative warmth of the River Beach Camp and entering the Tundra, the visitors from China immediately felt the full force of the Arctic Circle. The -17 degree Celsius temperature made them shrink their necks, and their breath instantly condensed into white mist in the air.

The cold was like an invisible pair of hands, wrapping tightly around their bodies, making the group, who had been in a playful mood, shiver uncontrollably.

The Tundra was a vast expanse of white, covered in snow in all directions, with an occasional clump of withered shrubs poking out solitarily from the drifts. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

If Feng Mountain hadn’t been leading the way, Zhang Kai, Hu Zi, and the others would probably have been frozen stiff in half a day if they went out alone.

They arrived at the ridge of a snowy hill.

Feng Mountain stopped his snowmobile and raised his binoculars, scanning the area for any trace of reindeer.

Since this was for them to experience the hunt, there was no need to use divination. That would take all the fun out of it.

"Brother, haven’t you found anything yet?" Black Hide huddled behind Nash. Even with a bearskin coat to block the wind, he couldn’t fend off the bone-chilling cold.

"There’s nothing nearby. Let’s go to the hunting cabin," Feng Mountain said, putting away his binoculars and informing Nash and Yves.

The hunting cabin was located on the border of the Crown Territory, near the Tundra reserve, where animals frequently appeared.

The convoy set off again.

An hour had passed by the time they reached the hunting cabin.

Feng Mountain was fine, but the others were struggling. The insulated down jackets they wore had long since frozen into icy shells from their evaporated body heat. They were so cold they curled into balls, constantly blowing warm air into their hands.

’I told them to change their clothes.’

’But none of them wanted to, insisting the clothes they bought could withstand the severe cold.’

’This is just ridiculous.’

Luckily, before they left, Feng Mountain had specially prepared a few reindeer hide blankets.

They parked the snowmobiles at the foot of the hill. He took the blankets from the sled and had everyone drape one over themselves.

He then led the team up to the hunting cabin, which was already half-buried in thick snow.

Nash and Yves used shovels to clear away the snow and covered the open roof with a waterproof tarp, creating a semi-enclosed shelter.

They gathered some dry Arctic willow branches and shrubs from under the snow and started a bonfire inside the hunting cabin.

When the others saw the fire, it was like seeing a long-lost relative. Wrapped in their animal hide blankets, they all crowded around the fire, extending their hands to feel the warmth and letting out sighs of comfort.

Seeing these wimpy humans, Prince and Princess shot them disdainful looks before joyfully frolicking in the snow.

Feng Mountain shook his head helplessly. "Haven’t you guys hunted abroad before? How come you didn’t even prepare the right gear?"

Feng Yang gave a wry smile. "Last time we went hunting in Africa, all we needed was a sun-proof shirt. Who knew the Crown Territory would be this cold? We even bought our cold-weather gear from a professional outdoor supply store."

"Damn it, I’m gonna tear that shop down when I get back! They said it could handle -40 degrees, but I can’t even stand -20. What a rip-off!" Su Ziweng said, grinding his teeth in anger.

Black Hide and Hu Zi huddled together pitifully. Zhang Kai had helped them buy their gear, and they didn’t understand a thing about "extreme cold weather."

They just knew it was fucking cold.

’I feel like my family jewels are frozen numb.’

’They’re not gonna be permanently damaged, are they?!’

"Alright, that’s enough. If the temperature suddenly dropped, your current clothes would be useless. And here I was, planning to take you all to hunt brown bear when I had the time." Feng Mountain raised a hand to stop Su Ziweng from continuing.

Hunt brown bear!

Instantly, Zhang Kai, Su Ziweng, Feng Yang, and He Jia no longer felt cold.

Who could feel cold now? Even if it were raining blades of ice, they wouldn’t feel it.

Hunting a brown bear!

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"Brother Feng, I’ll contact a friend in Fairbanks and have him send over some insulated leather coats," Zhang Kai said quickly.

"Forget it, I’ll have someone send some over." Feng Mountain waved his hand dismissively and took out a satellite phone. The signal was a bit weak inside the shelter, so he walked outside and paced around the hillside for a bit until he finally got full bars.

’That Wolf Fur Coat from Daisen Studio was really comfortable.’

’I remember seeing a lot of other animal hide coats in the shop. The quality was great. I can have Tom send some over. It’s not like I’m the one paying, anyway.’

He called Tom.

The guy had probably been drinking again, as his words were slurred, but as soon as he heard there were Franklins to be made, he immediately perked up.

Learning that tourists in the Crown Territory wanted to buy animal hide coats.

Tom thumped his chest and promised he would go to Daisen’s place right away and bring every last animal hide coat to the Crown Territory.

He hung up the phone.

Back in the shelter, Nash had already boiled a pot of hot pot soup in a stew pot, using the hot pot base Feng Mountain had stir-fried himself and adding chunks of cooked reindeer meat.

Before long, the spicy aroma filled the shelter.

The visitors from China stared with wide eyes, their mouths watering as they gulped repeatedly.

Feng Mountain looked at their greedy expressions.

"Go on, eat. Warm yourselves up. The animal hide coats will arrive this afternoon. We definitely won’t be able to hunt reindeer today, but there are plenty of Snow Rabbits around. You can hunt them for practice."

"Give me a bowl, quick." Su Ziweng pushed forward, holding out his bowl. He ladled up a serving of the hot pot reindeer stew and, ignoring how hot it was, eagerly took a big gulp.

The spicy flavor instantly exploded in his mouth. As the broth flowed down his throat, a fiery sensation washed over his entire body.

In terms of flavor, it was quite a bit worse than what you’d get back in China; after all, many seasonings were missing.

But to be able to drink a bowl of piping hot and spicy hot pot soup in this frozen wasteland was truly a God-tier enjoyment.

"Awesome!!" Su Ziweng shouted.

Seeing this, the others didn’t hold back either. They all started ladling soup, and the shelter was filled with the sound of slurping.

The chill in their bodies dissipated without them realizing it, and beads of sweat appeared on everyone’s forehead.

’Finally, these masters are satisfied!’

Feng Mountain sighed internally, mentally noting the problems that had occurred on this hunting trip so he could correct them later.

「Soon.」

After finishing the hot pot soup, they wrapped the reindeer hide blankets tightly around themselves and secured them with a few loops of rope. Feeling a bit better, the group started getting restless again, eager to hunt Snow Rabbits.

Feng Mountain took Nash, Prince, and Princess to scout for Snow Rabbit tracks first.

Besides lemmings, Snow Rabbits were the most numerous animals on the Tundra, thanks to their incredible reproductive ability, which allowed them to forage and raise their young nonstop during the long, nightless summer days.

「Soon.」

Feng Mountain found signs of Snow Rabbits on a shaded, snowy slope. There was a massive colony, several hundred by his estimate. The snow was littered with black, pellet-like rabbit droppings.

The Snow Rabbits kept their heads down, digging through the snow layer to find moss buried underneath. They weren’t afraid even when predators appeared. The worst that could happen was some unlucky one would get caught; as long as the predator filled its belly, it wouldn’t hunt them.

Seeing the prey, Prince and Princess obediently lay down in the snow, waiting for their master’s command.

"I’ll wait here. You bring the others over. Don’t hand out the bullets yet." Feng Mountain turned and whispered instructions to Nash, who nodded and retreated from the slope.

「A short while later.」

The Hunting Team, led by Nash, found Feng Mountain.

"Hunting on the Tundra is different from hunting in Africa. I’ll give you bullets in a moment. Just go by the feel of shooting yesterday, aim at a Snow Rabbit, and pull the trigger."

The last two sentences were mainly for Black Hide and Hu Zi. This was their first time hunting with guns in the wild, so there was no room for carelessness.

The men nodded.

"Everyone find a spot and get into position. Nash will hand out the bullets." Feng Mountain raised his carbine and lay prone in the snow to demonstrate.

After getting their bullets, everyone found a good spot, lay down, and aimed their guns at the colony of Snow Rabbits not far away.

"Ready... fire!" Feng Mountain pulled the trigger as he gave the command.

BANG!

BANG! BANG! BANG!!

The gunshots echoed across the Tundra.

...