68: Wild horse herd discovered

Lu Fan skillfully drew his dagger and began processing the Rock Sheep.

His technique was practiced; clearly, this wasn't his first time doing such work.

As he worked, he spoke to Dahei beside him: "Dahei, when we get back today, I'll make you some fragrant roasted mutton. You'd better eat your fill."

Dahei seemed to understand; his eyes sparkled with excitement, and his tail wagged like a rattle.

On the way back, Lu Fan carried the Rock Sheep on his shoulders, his steps steady and powerful.

Dahei ran happily alongside him, jumping up from time to time and affectionately rubbing his head against Lu Fan's arm, as if reminding him: "Don't forget my contribution!"

When they passed a stream, Lu Fan stopped to submerge the Rock Sheep in the water, carefully washing away the bloodstains.

Once finished, he said to Dahei again: "Dahei, come and have some water."

Hearing this, Dahei immediately stuck his head into the stream and drank in large gulps. After drinking, he shook his head vigorously, spraying droplets of water all over Lu Fan's face.

"Hey, you silly dog!" Lu Fan laughed and patted Dahei's head. Dahei happily circled around him, wagging his tail even more enthusiastically.

Suddenly, Lu Fan noticed some strange footprints by the stream.

[Discovered Wild Horse Footprints]

He crouched down to observe them closely, surprised: "Wild Horses?"

He quickly stood up and searched the surroundings, trying to find more clues about the horses.

Dahei also sensed his master's focus. He stopped playing and followed closely behind Lu Fan, his nose constantly sniffing the ground as if he wanted to help.

"Dahei, let's look around and see if we can find that herd of Wild Horses."

As Lu Fan spoke, he hunched over, his eyes scanning every suspicious spot.

In the wild, horses were excellent means of transportation. What boy hasn't dreamed of riding across the land?

Lu Fan imagined himself holding a spear, sitting atop a tall horse and annihilating all incoming enemies; the thought made his blood boil with excitement.

They followed the direction of the footprints, but before they had gone far, the tracks disappeared into a stretch of hard, rocky terrain.

Lu Fan frowned, standing in place to think.

Suddenly, he looked up and saw a high mountain not far away. He thought that if the Wild Horses were looking for water and food, they would likely pass by the mountain; he might find more clues there.

"Dahei, come on, let's climb the mountain!" Lu Fan said, pointing toward the peak. Dahei gave an excited bark and bolted toward the mountain.

The mountain didn't look high, but climbing it was exceptionally difficult.

The mountain path was rugged and steep. Lu Fan gripped the Rock Sheep with one hand and grabbed nearby branches with the other, struggling upward.

Every step required caution; a slight slip could lead to a fall.

Dahei, however, was agile. He hopped and skipped ahead as if on level ground, occasionally looking back at Lu Fan as if urging him: "Hurry up, hurry up!"

"Hey, you silly dog, it's easy for you! I'm still carrying this thing!" Lu Fan said grumpily.

After climbing for a while, Lu Fan felt like his arms no longer belonged to him. He was just about to find a place to rest—

—when he suddenly heard Dahei barking loudly up ahead. He quickly quickened his pace to reach Dahei's side.

He saw Dahei standing on a small hillock, wagging his tail excitedly and barking incessantly toward the front.

Lu Fan looked in the direction Dahei was pointing, and the sight before him stunned him.

On the other side of the mountain was a massive depression, like a basin meticulously carved by nature.

The depression was filled with lush green grass, and a clear stream meandered through it, sparkling with ripples under the sunlight.

And on this grassland, a herd of Wild Horses was leisurely grazing.

Those horses were robust with glossy coats that shimmered with an enchanting luster in the sun.

Some lowered their heads to eat grass, some flicked their tails to drive away insects, and several foals ran and played happily on the grass, letting out crisp neighs from time to time.

In the middle of the herd, several mares were leading their foals to graze.

The foals ate grass while playfully frolicking with one another.

One of the foals accidentally tripped. It struggled to stand up, shook off the grass clippings on its body, and continued chasing its companions.

That charmingly naive appearance made one unable to help but smile.

At this moment, barrage comments flooded the livestream room.

"Wow, such beautiful scenery."

"Nature's craftsmanship is truly magnificent."

"I've only seen scenes like this in documentaries. It's too spectacular."

"Does Great God Lu Fan want to catch a horse to ride?"

"Is the Shelter about to gain a new member?"

Watching the scene, Zhao Hangjun couldn't help but sigh: "I remember when I was a child, I followed my father to raise horses on the grasslands. I was so happy back then."

"Every morning I would wake up early to fetch water from afar, and during the day I would follow my father to herd them."

"To think it was only those few years; scenes like this can no longer be seen."

Wang Tao, who was listening intently nearby, couldn't help but speak up: "Teacher Zhao, don't worry. With the efforts of our three contestants, such scenes will reappear sooner or later. Even if we don't see it, the next generation surely will."

Lu Fan was mesmerized, completely immersed in this world of Wild Horses full of life and vitality.

It took a while before he remembered his current situation.

They were too far from the herd. To observe and study these Wild Horses more closely, they still needed to do a lot of preparation.

"Dahei, we can only take a look this time. We'll come back to explore this place properly next time," Lu Fan said with some regret.

Dahei seemed to understand his master's words and gave a soft bark as if in agreement.

Although Lu Fan was only separated from the depression by a single mountain, as the old saying goes, 'looking at the mountain kills the horse.' From here to the depression, it was at least several dozen kilometers.

Having no choice, Lu Fan regretfully led Dahei back to the Shelter.

As the saying goes, 'going up is easy, going down is hard.' Returning the way they came took quite a bit of effort.

Back at the Shelter, the viewers in the livestream room became lively when they saw the Rock Sheep Lu Fan and Dahei brought back.

"Wow, Great God Lu and Dahei are amazing! This Rock Sheep looks so fat!"

"Dahei is simply a little hunting expert. So cool!"

"Great God Lu is in for a treat again. Just thinking about roasted mutton makes me drool."

"Dahei has done a great job. He must be given a chicken leg!"

"Haha, I think it should be a sheep leg."

Next, Lu Fan began preparing the roasted mutton.

He first cut the Rock Sheep into uniform chunks of meat, skewered them with bamboo, and then set up a rack over the fire to place the mutton skewers on.

As they roasted over the flames, the mutton gradually turned golden. Fat continuously dripped onto the fire with a sizzling sound, and the aroma filled the entire Shelter.

"Dahei, wait a bit longer. It'll be ready soon."

Seeing Dahei's greedy look, Lu Fan couldn't help but laugh.

Dahei crouched nearby, his eyes fixed intently on the mutton skewers. Saliva kept flowing from his mouth, and his tail wagged like a rattle.

In a short while, the roasted mutton was ready.

Lu Fan sprinkled on some salt and handed a skewer to Dahei.

Dahei impatiently took the mutton skewer and devoured it ravenously, his mouth becoming covered in grease.

After eating the roasted mutton, Lu Fan began organizing the remaining meat.

He sliced a portion of the mutton into thin strips and hung them in a ventilated area to dry, intending to make jerky for long-term preservation.

The other portion was wrapped in leaves and placed into the storage room he had built previously.