Chapter 274: A Flock of Snow Chickens, Fattened Pigeons?

Ning Fei reeled in the fishing line at a steady pace.

Because there was no reel pulley, he had to stand up and walk backward.

He had let out a lot of line. Since he chose to fish at the deepest part of the lake, it took a long time to drop the hook.

"This fish is quite strong," Ning Fei said as he backed up.

Soon, he finally pulled the fish up from the bottom of the lake and broke the surface.

"It's out!"

The viewers' eyes lit up when they saw there really was a fish.

"What kind of fish is it?"

Ning Fei stepped up to the hole and smiled at the catch.

"This is a Ya fish, also known as a Schizothorax."

"They only live in high-altitude freshwater areas. They have a high economic value and taste pretty good."

After Ning Fei spoke, someone asked:

"How much is this fish worth?"

"In our local seafood markets, wild Schizothorax sells for over 300 yuan a jin. The farm-raised ones go for about 180 yuan."

"If you eat it at a restaurant, it's even more expensive. A single fish can cost up to a thousand yuan."

"It's something rich people eat."

"A thousand yuan is enough for eight or nine of us to order a whole table of food."

While everyone marveled at the price of the catch, Ning Fei unhooked the fish and tossed it directly to the little falcon.

"Here, little falcon, you eat first."

The little falcon had followed him all the way here and probably hadn't eaten all day. Since hunting wasn't easy in this snowy region, Ning Fei gave it his first catch.

Receiving the command, the little falcon happily dug in.

Ning Fei had noticed long ago that the little falcon preferred fish over rabbits or mice.

Then, Ning Fei repeated the process and resumed fishing.

Before long, he pulled up another fish covered in spots.

Ning Fei introduced it:

"This one is commonly known as the snow mountain leopard fish, another type of Schizothorax."

"In these low-temperature plateau freshwaters, only unique species like the Schizothorax can survive."

Ning Fei set the fish aside. In the freezing snow, it flopped a few times before stopping completely.

He went back to fishing.

Soon, the hook moved again.

Watching this, the fishing enthusiasts in the chat were itching to cast a line themselves, completely green with envy.

"Where is this snowfield? I want to go ice fishing there too!" one avid angler exclaimed.

"It's easy to find. First, walk into the Kunlun Mountains Valley of Death. Then look for the highest snowy peak, climb it for two days, and you'll just about be there," someone helpfully explained.

"Never mind," the angler replied, shrugging helplessly.

While die-hard anglers would brave any hardship to fish, there was a difference between overcoming difficulties and seeking a death wish.

At this time, Ning Fei pulled up the hook. This time, it was a smaller fish.

"This is a plateau loach, another of the few freshwater fish up here," Ning Fei explained.

After catching one more fish, Ning Fei decided he had enough and returned to the shore.

"Now that we have fish, the next step is making a fire."

"Fire is an absolute necessity for wilderness survival."

"In Robinson Crusoe, he got his fire from a lightning strike hitting a tree. But such accidental help from nature is rare, so you have to rely on yourself."

"In a snowy region like this, one way to start a fire is to take a piece of ice from the lake and carve it into a convex lens with a knife."

"The lens focuses sunlight onto a single point, which can ignite dry grass, tinder, or other flammables."

Hearing his explanation, the viewers felt they had learned something new.

"You can start a fire like that?"

"Temple Master Ning's methods are truly impressive."

"So, is Temple Master Ning going to make an ice lens to start the fire now?"

Faced with their questions, Ning Fei laughed.

"I was just explaining how one could start a fire under these conditions."

"I'm going to use a windproof lighter."

Viewers: "..."

When exploring outdoors, you don't just pack things in your backpack; you also carry essential gear on your person.

Ning Fei had tools like a lighter and a switchblade right in his pockets, so starting a fire didn't need to be so complicated.

"Next up is finding firewood."

"Look over there. There's a snow forest!" Ning Fei said from the frozen lake, looking toward a distant peak.

The viewers looked in the direction he pointed. High on the snowy mountain sat a pine forest blanketed in pure white snow, resembling a massive grove of undecorated Christmas trees.

Ning Fei was no longer at a very high altitude. He had descended from the glacier to the middle of the snow mountain, transitioning from the plateau desert to a meadow zone.

Grabbing his snowboards and ski poles, he carried the fish and headed toward the woods.

Filling his stomach was the first priority.

Once inside the forest, the temperature immediately felt a bit warmer.

After all, the trees acted as a natural windbreak.

Ning Fei gathered some firewood, found a flat spot, and cleared away the snow to reveal the dark gray bedrock.

He piled the wood together and gathered some dead leaves.

With his extensive outdoor experience, lighting a campfire was no difficult task. He carefully coaxed the sparks, and before long, a fire was blazing.

He had already cleaned the fish back at the lake, so he quickly skewered them and set them over the fire to roast.

Just then, Ning Fei heard the sound of flapping wings echoing through the dense woods.

The little falcon was right beside him and was about to move, but Ning Fei stopped it.

"There's actually a flock of snow chickens in this forest," Ning Fei said, looking toward the source of the noise.

The drone panned over, allowing the viewers to see over a dozen grayish-white birds scurrying across the forest floor, seemingly searching for food.

Although they were called snow chickens, they looked more like plump, overgrown pigeons.

"There are chickens in the snow?"

"Why eat fish when there's chicken? Isn't chicken better than fish?"

"Snow chickens are a Second-Class Protected Animal. Let's see you try eating one."

"I always thought there were no animals deep in the snowy regions. Watching Temple Master Ning's stream, I can't believe there's so much wildlife out here."

"The depths of the snowfields are a no man's land. It just means there are no humans; the animals are still there."

Ning Fei roasted the fish while watching the flock.

He said casually, "Actually, the law states that eating protected animals in a life-threatening crisis is not a crime."

"Whether it's a first-class or a Second-Class Protected Animal, if a person has no food and is on the verge of starvation, they can eat it."

"It's just that the state of being 'on the verge of starvation' is very hard to prove, and generally, very few people ever encounter such a situation."

"Of course, my current situation isn't an emergency, so I definitely won't touch these snow chickens."

Hearing Ning Fei's words, the viewers nodded in agreement.

One viewer even joked:

"I feel like Temple Master Ning isn't in a crisis at all—he's practically on vacation."

"Exactly. To be so calm in the desolate, unpopulated plateau of the Kunlun Mountains without any luggage... I'm completely convinced."

"If it were me, I would have called the police and begged for a rescue team ages ago."

Before long, the pink fish meat gradually turned a charred brown, indicating it was cooked through.

Earlier, back at the Tianchi lake, Ning Fei had made sure to scrape some white, crystalline flakes off the rocks by the shore.

That was natural salt.

This part of Tianchi wasn't a completely freshwater lake. Most plateau lakes were saltwater, providing plenty of salt.

Ning Fei rubbed the gathered salt over the fish and continued to rotate it over the fire, letting the salty oil seep deep into the meat.

Then, he watched the snow chickens scratching and playing in the snow while enjoying his roasted fish. It was quite a comfortable moment.

After finishing his meal, warmth spread through his body. He extinguished the fire, burying the embers under the snow, and looked toward the horizon.

It was already around four in the afternoon.

In winter, the sky grew dark very quickly.

"I need to find a place to stay."

"The temperature drops too low at night. It'll be quite dangerous without shelter."

Ning Fei pulled out his mobile phone, zoomed in on the map, and studied it.

He had an excellent sense of direction and was highly skilled at reading maps.

"I went up the mountain here, came down here after the avalanche, and Da Long's location is right here."

Ning Fei gestured at the map.

"It's not too far. If I hurry, I can get there in about three or four hours."

"Looks like I really will have to crash at Da Long's den for the night."