46: Green apple tree, wolf tracks

Lu Fan walked comfortably into the pool, the cool water submerging his body and washing away the fatigue accumulated over several days.

He cupped the water mixed with the honey locust cleaning paste, carefully washing his body and hair, feeling its gentle cleansing power.

Ripples spread across the water's surface, shimmering with fragmented light under the reflection of the sun.

In the livestream room.

"Ah, fan service!"

"I definitely tuned into the right livestream today."

"Hehe, I've already started screen recording."

"Sister upstairs, send me a copy!"

Just as Lu Fan was immersed in this rare moment of relaxation, the heavenly dao prompt sound suddenly rang out.

[A Five-Pace Snake is attacking you]

From the corner of his eye, Lu Fan caught a glimpse of a long, slender black shadow swimming rapidly through the water.

His heart tightened as he focused his gaze; the Five-Pace Snake was covered in patterns and flicking its tongue, charging toward him with clear intent at an extremely high speed.

Although startled, Lu Fan's body reacted instinctively and swiftly.

Without time to think, he lunged his hand out, grabbing the snake by its vital spot—seven inches below the head—with lightning speed.

The snake twisted its body frantically, its sharp fangs snapping repeatedly in an attempt to bite Lu Fan.

Lu Fan's arm muscles tensed as he exerted all his strength, hurling the uninvited guest violently toward the shore.

The Five-Pace Snake was tossed into the bushes on the bank.

Big Horn had been grazing quietly nearby, but upon hearing the commotion, he raised his head alertly.

By then, he had also noticed the snake that Lu Fan had thrown ashore.

The snake struggled in the grass, trying to flee, but Big Horn gave it no such chance.

Big Horn reared his front hooves high and stomped down heavily on the snake's body.

One stomp, two stomps... each strike carried immense force, and under Big Horn's assault, the snake soon stopped moving.

Lu Fan quickly swam to the edge and climbed onto the bank.

He walked over to Big Horn, reached out to pat his neck, and said while panting, "Good job, Big Horn! If it weren't for you, today would have been quite troublesome."

Big Horn seemed to understand the praise, shaking his head proudly and letting out a loud deer call.

The livestream room was now in a complete frenzy.

"My god, that scene just now was so thrilling!"

"Great God Lu Fan is so incredible, catching a snake with his bare hands. If it were me, I'd probably have fainted from fear long ago."

"Big Horn is such a divine assist; he saved his master at the critical moment!"

"The wilderness is truly full of danger everywhere. Great God Lu Fan manages to turn peril into safety every time; he's amazing."

After the thrilling struggle with the Five-Pace Snake by the pool, Lu Fan set off on his return journey with Big Horn.

The warm sunlight caressed his weather-beaten face. Though his Goatskin clothes were coarse, they were filled with the rustic charm of the wilderness.

"Today was truly exciting. I need to have a good rest when I get back."

Lu Fan patted Big Horn's neck; the deer wagged his tail obediently, his pace light.

Before they had gone far, the heavenly dao prompt sound provided another reminder.

[Apple tree discovered]

Lu Fan chopped down the weeds, and a lush, leafy tree came into view ahead, laden with green apples.

Lu Fan's eyes lit up as he rushed excitedly toward the tree.

This Green apple tree was like a generous giant, its low-hanging branches heavy with fruit.

[Wilderness Survival Announcement]

[Chinese contestant Lu Fan has triggered the ten thousand times rebate]

[Fresh Green Apples * 10,000]

"An apple tree! Great God's luck is truly amazing."

"Green apples! My grandmother had a tree in her yard when I was a kid; they were sour enough to make your teeth fall out."

"I'm tired of saying how envious I am."

"I hope I can get some in the next draw; I love sour things."

Using both hands and feet, Lu Fan nimbly climbed the tree, and apples fell into his arms one after another.

"These green apples... if I make a sweet and sour jam to go with roasted rabbit meat, it'll be perfect!" he thought happily, his hands never stopping.

Before long, his pockets were full of apples.

He jumped down from the tree and was just about to leave when he received another reminder.

[Wolf footprints discovered]

Lu Fan looked down and indeed found a string of strange marks in the grass beneath his feet.

He squatted down to examine them closely, his expression turning serious. "It seems a pack of wolves passed through here."

The audience in the livestream room also heard Lu Fan's words.

"There are wolves?"

"Run, quickly! Wolves usually hunt in packs; Great God won't be able to handle them alone."

"The wilderness is truly too dangerous. Just out of the snake's mouth and into the wolf's den."

Lu Fan quickly scanned his surroundings, tightening his grip on his homemade axe.

"Big Horn, we need to be careful," he whispered. Big Horn seemed to understand and leaned toward him nervously.

Lu Fan began to study the footprints, his brow furrowing deeper.

"Judging by the depth and spacing of the prints, this wolf is quite large, and it just left recently."

Lu Fan was startled, recalling the hair-raising wolf howls from a few nights ago. "Maybe it's that fellow."

In the livestream room, Zhao Hangjun also began explaining to the audience: "In the wild, wolves are even more dangerous than tigers or lions because they are social animals that hunt in groups.

Furthermore, under good weather conditions, a wolf can smell prey from about 2.8 kilometers away."

Meanwhile, Lu Fan also frowned; this place was no more than 20 kilometers away from his Shelter.

As canines, wolves have an extremely keen sense of smell.

Since Lu Fan frequently moved around this area, it was highly likely his tracks were already exposed to the wolf's nose.

Lu Fan squatted down, attempting to gather more information from the footprints.

"Strange, why are these footprints so messy?" He noticed some overlapping prints, as if a wolf had lingered here.

"Did it find some prey, or did it sense danger?"

Lu Fan fell into deep thought. Wolves in the wild usually don't act alone. Could there be a pack nearby?

He didn't dare let his guard down and decided to track the footprints for a while to see if he could figure out the situation.

"Big Horn, stay close to me," he commanded softly, and Big Horn followed closely.

The man and the deer moved cautiously along the tracks, every step taken with extreme care.

As the tracking deepened, the footprints became clearer, and Lu Fan's heart rose into his throat.

Suddenly, he noticed some trampled grass beside the footprints ahead, as if an animal had struggled violently there.

"What's going on here?" He squatted down and looked closely, finding a few tufts of gray fur in the grass.

"It's wolf fur!"

He continued forward and found the footprints extending toward a thicket of shrubs.

Lu Fan knew that danger might be right before his eyes.

He gripped his axe tightly, ready to respond to any sudden situation.

Everyone in the livestream room also held their breath.

"What should he do? What should he do? This is so nerve-wracking."

"Can Great God Lu Fan beat a wolf?"

"The wolf won't suddenly jump out, will it?"

Suddenly!!

*Flap flap flap!*

[A Grouse discovered]

The sudden commotion gave Lu Fan a huge fright.

Seeing it was just a Grouse, Lu Fan couldn't help but swear, "Motherf*cker..."