Chapter Thirty-One: Art

“What about you?” Liu Chang, hearing the words of the other two, did not argue further. He understood that, at this moment, indulging in sentimentality would be a kind of petty kindness that ignored the greater good—an absolutely unacceptable act.

“You’ll tire quickly carrying the little girl on your back, won’t you?”

“I’ll be fine. I know how to conserve my strength. Besides, I’m not a key fighter; I might not even take part in the battle.” As she spoke, Li Qingshui walked over to the fat man and picked up her share of the biscuits, which she then washed down with cold water.

Seeing that matters had reached this point, Liu Chang said no more. He walked to the bedside, took up a glass of water, and put a piece of biscuit into his mouth.

The dry, stiff biscuit swelled and spread in his mouth as it met the cold water. Instantly, a rich aroma filled his throat and nostrils. Within three seconds, Liu Chang had finished his small portion of the biscuit—a brief process as intense as a rush of carnal pleasure. In that moment, overwhelmed by satisfaction, his mind went blank and he entered a brief state of unconsciousness.

“So delicious!” A few seconds later, as his mind cleared, Liu Chang couldn’t help but exclaim, “I’ve never tasted anything so good in my life.”

After eating, Liu Chang glanced at the even smaller half of the biscuit left in his hand, then looked at the little girl. His feelings were complicated—only now, after tasting the biscuit, did he truly understand the strength of will the girl must have had to save any food at all in such circumstances.

Understanding brought appreciation. He stared at the last small piece of biscuit and then at the girl's cheeks for several long seconds before finally swallowing the piece.

“I promise I’ll get you some meat to eat today!” After finishing, Liu Chang didn’t offer any emotional words; he simply ruffled the girl’s hair.

“Mm.” The girl's response was the same as before—a smile and a nod.

“Let’s go. We’re running out of time. If we don’t succeed today, I doubt we’ll make it to tomorrow.” Seeing Liu Chang finished, Li Qingshui had already packed a backpack.

She slung the pack across her chest, then went to a corner and grabbed some wilted greens left over from yesterday, now half-rotten. Finally, she stood before the little girl and let her climb onto her back.

“Let’s go.” The little girl seemed a bit uncomfortable on Li Qingshui’s back—Liu Chang could see it. So he walked over, patted her shoulder to calm her, and then followed Li Qingshui out.

“If we’re lucky, we’ll be back before dark.” As the three of them closed the door, someone left these words behind. But as the door shut, Liu Chang’s voice squeezed out through the crack: “If not, we won’t be coming back at all!”

With this last bit of dark humor, the trio left the dormitory, passed through the gates of the military compound, and stepped once more into the world shrouded in crimson mist. The world outside was much quieter, both more desolate and more luxuriant than within—no one would come within three meters of Liu Chang now, nor would anyone see his strange attire.

“Teacher, why are you carrying those foul-smelling greens?” Now that they were outside, Liu Chang no longer had to lower his voice. Standing in the blood-red fog, he spoke openly with Li Qingshui.

“To mask your scent,” Li Qingshui replied, setting the girl down and crouching to grind the greens into a paste with a stone, which she then smeared over herself. “I could tell you used perfume before to hide your scent, but that’s still a big giveaway.”

“So you want to use these greens instead?”

“Yes. Among the five senses of animals, smell is far more acute than hearing. If a dog’s hearing is sixteen times sharper than a human’s, do you know how much more sensitive their sense of smell is?”

“No idea—a hundred times?”

“Twelve hundred times. A male dog can smell a female’s scent from fifteen hundred meters away. How far can you smell the girl’s scent?”

“If a woman doesn’t wear perfume or use shampoo, I can’t smell a thing even if she’s right in front of me.” This was the first time Liu Chang had heard that canines’ sense of smell was this powerful. Surprised, he nonetheless copied Li Qingshui, daubing the foul paste onto himself.

“Right, so use more. It’ll make it easier to approach your prey. Lions, before a hunt, roll in rhino or elephant dung to mask their own scent. This kind of strong-smelling plant, a product of nature, is the best cover—hundreds of times better than synthetic scents.”

“Understood. But aren’t canines supposed to be the best sniffers in the wild? Other animals can’t be that sensitive, can they?” Finished with the paste, Liu Chang picked up his iron spear again.

“Heh. Among wild animals, canines’ sense of smell is only middle-of-the-road. Cats are no worse, and rats are ten times more sensitive. It’s just that other animals aren’t domesticated, so people know less about them.” Ready at last, Li Qingshui hoisted the girl onto her back again. “Let’s go. We’ll talk as we walk.”

“All right.” With that, Liu Chang strode south, toward the city.

“So in hunting, the three key defenses—ranked by importance—are: smell first, hearing second, sight third. For vision, the green paste on you, the thick mist, and the grass all make good cover. Animals notice movement more than color, so if you stay still in ambush, they usually won’t spot you. You just need to be careful when you move. If an animal senses something, stop breathing and freeze immediately. Wait until it calms down before moving again.

“As for hearing, keep your breathing, heartbeat, and footsteps as quiet as you can. Only by keeping yourself calm can you control your heartbeat’s volume.” Here, Li Qingshui suddenly grinned. “Maybe this is what martial arts novels mean by ‘killing intent.’ It seems a good hunter could well be a good assassin.”

“As for scent, although I’ve covered you, you must still be extremely careful. Always check the wind direction as you approach your prey. Circle around to the downwind side before getting close, and ambush against the wind so your scent won’t give you away. Also—” She was cut off by Liu Chang.

“Teacher, after all you’ve said, I just realized something.”

“What’s that?”

“Killing a person is so much simpler than hunting!”

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