On snowy days, the grassland was a vast expanse of white. In the north, there was talk of snow disasters because, during winter, the heavy accumulated snow could crush houses, and livestock would freeze to death. Nomadic peoples feared snow the most. Once it snowed, lambs were the first to die, followed by larger cattle and sheep.
For herders, their wealth was in their cattle and sheep. Even though an ordinary household might have hundreds of sheep, what were hundreds of sheep when it snowed? They would all freeze to death, and frozen cattle and sheep could no longer reproduce.
During these few days, Shen Feng was training the white foxes in shifts, wanting them to successfully pull carts. Essential training was indispensable. Fortunately, the white foxes were intelligent, and after a few days of training, they indeed learned to pull sleds, and at this time, the snow in the sky also stopped.
Shen Feng immediately set off again. First, all the supplies in the cave were transferred to the sleds. Then, he called out to the Arctic foxes, and they set off from the ice surface of Lake Baikal, heading towards a river that flowed into Lake Baikal, advancing westward.
It was only after Shen Feng personally arrived in the north that he understood why the mutated birds had migrated south. They simply couldn't find food. The world was all white, and "clad in silver" was a fitting description. In such conditions, even Arctic foxes couldn't find food, so they could only choose to steal food from carts in the middle of the night. The mutated birds couldn't find anything to eat either. If they didn't migrate south, they wouldn't survive. As a result, those in North China and Northeast China suffered.
"If this continues, mutated birds will harass the autumn harvest every year. Although it won't have much impact on Yuzhou, the situation in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River will be dire," Shen Feng muttered to himself.
"City Lord, don't worry too much. As the saying goes, when the sky falls, the tallest will bear it. Even if there are problems with mutated birds, the headquarters is there to deal with it. You're worrying for nothing," Lu Xian couldn't help but say to Shen Feng.
Shen Feng gave a wry smile. He didn't want to explain too much at this moment. Others didn't know his thoughts; only Shen Feng himself knew what he should do. Professor Chu had once taught Shen Feng, saying, "Take responsibility for the world; such people will surely be remembered by history. Therefore, embrace the world and save the suffering common people."
However, such a mission might never be completed for Shen Feng, because Yuzhou was sealed off. To save the people, they would have to wait until the blockade was lifted.
"City Lord, look, there's a Siberian tiger in the woods!" At this moment, Xu Xing saw an animal by the lake. Its fur was light yellow with patterns. If it wasn't a Siberian tiger, what else could it be?
"I guess, what the Siberian tiger is thinking is, 'Look, lunch on the lake'," Shen Feng said with a smile.
This was a scene that could be explained by a poem: You stand by the window looking at the scenery, and others stand below looking at you. Others decorate your scenery, and you decorate others' dreams.
Xu Xing found the Siberian tiger in the woods novel, unaware that the Siberian tiger also found the few people riding sleds on the ice novel, in the literal sense of the word "novel."
Ultimately, the Siberian tiger did not attack Shen Feng and his group because it sensed danger, and walking on the smooth ice was not its forte. The Siberian tiger eventually disappeared into the jungle, and Shen Feng and his companions continued their journey.
In fact, for Shen Feng, after assembling the glider, flying directly over would have been the most suitable method. There were no mutated birds in the north now, and it would take at most two days to reach Qiuming. However, Shen Feng regarded the glider as a life-saving item and would not use it lightly.
However, with the Arctic foxes diligently pulling the sleds, Shen Feng's speed was not slow at all. The friction on the ice was very low, and the four Arctic foxes were running side by side. Although they were not as fast as snowmobiles, this speed was already quite good.
Hot air continuously puffed out from the nostrils of the Arctic foxes. Shen Feng and the other three people looked at the surrounding scenery. The sled had two rows of seats. Besides the people sitting there, it also carried food and the glider. Fortunately, they were mutated Arctic foxes, capable of pulling such a heavy sled.
Xu Xing became excited and couldn't help but hum, "Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way..."
Xu Xing had never ridden in a sled before. After all, she was from the south and basically had no opportunity to ride in one. Moreover, even if it snowed in the south, it would melt as soon as the sun came out, making skiing impossible. Skiers in the Winter Olympics were basically from the north because skiing was mostly possible in the Northeast.
Now, Xu Xing, riding in the sled, found it very novel. If she had bells, it would be best to hang them on the necks of the Arctic foxes. That way, as the Arctic foxes ran, they would emit clear and cheerful bell sounds.
Just then, Shen Feng in front handed her a pair of sunglasses and said, "Put them on."
"I'm not a foreigner, why would I wear sunglasses?" Xu Xing instinctively began to refuse the sunglasses Shen Feng handed her.
Foreigners often wore sunglasses because of the difference in pupil color. People in China had black pupils and could accept strong light. Many foreigners had so-called blue eyes, which actually lacked necessary pigment. In simple terms, they couldn't withstand strong light and therefore needed to wear sunglasses.
At this moment, Xu Xing didn't want to wear sunglasses. Why wear sunglasses when she could be carefully observing the magnificent scenery?
"Put them on, otherwise, you'll get snow blindness. As the saying goes, 'He who does not listen to the elders will suffer in the end!'" Shen Feng continued.
Hearing this, although Xu Xing didn't know what snow blindness was, she saw that Shen Feng and the other two were already wearing sunglasses, so she had no choice but to put them on as well. The surroundings were all white. At first glance, it looked beautiful and vast, but after looking for a long time, the eyes couldn't withstand the strong light.
During the midday break, as soon as Shen Feng signaled to stop, the four Arctic foxes collapsed on the ground, their chests heaving. They were clearly exhausted. If they were running on their own, it would be fine; running for two days wouldn't be much. But on the sled, there were four living people and a lot of supplies. Pulling such a heavy sled was enough to break their legs.
Shen Feng also started a fire to cook. There was wolf king meat in the cart, which was given as a reward and began to be roasted. While roasting, it was brushed with honey, sizzling with oil. The Arctic foxes, smelling the aroma, immediately perked up, sitting by the fire, wagging their tails, and sticking out their tongues, looking just like dogs.
Xu Xing, while roasting the meat, said, "You all behave and pull the cart obediently. You've been eating well during this time. If it weren't for us, you four would have starved to death outside. You should be grateful. After eating our food, you should listen obediently..."
Before feeding them, Xu Xing began to lecture them. But how could the Arctic foxes understand these words? What the Arctic foxes wanted was the meat being roasted over the fire. As for what Xu Xing said, they didn't care at all.
While the meat was being roasted, a roar came from the nearby forest, and then a black bear emerged and attacked Xu Xing.
Seeing this scene, Shen Feng immediately understood. This black bear must have been attracted by the aroma of the roasted meat. Bears have a good sense of smell, and they especially like honey. Xu Xing had brushed honey on the meat while roasting it, and the aroma drifted far away. The black bear smelled it and came over.
"Be careful, prepare for battle!" Shen Feng quickly said.
Upon seeing the black bear appear, the four Arctic foxes forgot about resting and ran far away, looking back as they ran.
Xu Xing threw the meat skewer in her hand aside, drew her long saber, and rushed forward. The long saber vibrated intensely, emitting a "buzzing" sound. Then, Xu Xing, who had approached the black bear, slashed down with her saber. At the same time, the black bear swung its paw.
"Pfft," the long saber cut through the black bear's shoulder without obstruction, causing the black bear to let out a mournful cry.
As the bear paw swung past, Xu Xing dodged to the side, hiding behind a large tree. The bear paw hit the large tree, causing the entire tree to tremble. Snow from the tree fell down, and some of it landed on Xu Xing's neck, instantly making her shiver from the cold.
Seeing the enemy hiding behind the tree, the black bear circled around and rammed towards Xu Xing with its back. To Xu Xing, the black bear was too huge. Standing up, it was over four meters tall. Its heavy body pressing down was like Mount Tai pressing down. Xu Xing didn't dare to underestimate it and quickly dodged.
The black bear's huge body leaned against the tree, and the fragile branches fell. The entire tree shook. The black bear then twisted left and right, actually performing the legendary "bear rubbing tree." Later, some martial artists disliked the name and changed it to "bear collision mountain," meaning it could shake even a mountain.
Fortunately, Xu Xing was agile and reacted quickly. Otherwise, if she had been hit, her bones would have been broken.
Fortunately, Shen Feng and Qi Lingshan were not just watching. The black bear was clearly a mutated individual, and its massive size meant it could not be underestimated.
Qi Lingshan immediately used her ability to freeze the black bear's feet, while Shen Feng launched wind blade attacks at the black bear. Xu Xing also used her "shredded" saber technique, wielding the high-frequency vibrating saber, regardless of what monster was in front of her. As the long saber passed, any part it touched would be severed, and the black bear's fat and flesh also became shredded.
Finally, under the siege of the three ability users, the black bear died. Fortunately, the black bear had a lot of fat, which allowed it to last for such a long time. If it had been an ordinary black bear, Xu Xing could have dealt with it in two saber strikes.
"Hoo..." Xu Xing breathed a sigh of relief and then asked, "Didn't they say that bears in the north hibernate? Why didn't this bear hibernate?"
Shen Feng shrugged and said, "I don't know about that. Perhaps, if there isn't enough food, bears won't hibernate because they'll easily starve to death. It seems now that the black bear couldn't find food, which is why it attacked us."
Xu Xing frowned and looked at the black bear on the ground, saying, "Its fur is all tattered. It doesn't look valuable."