Then, he set out to look for the kind of thorns that would be suitable for making a fence.
This thicket was over a dozen li wide and contained numerous small animals, including rabbits, foxes, mice, and a type of very fat cat.
There was also a creature resembling a badger that was more ferocious than a wild boar, which held a significant advantage when fighting in this environment. Ma Lin initially avoided it, but upon reaching a slightly more open area, he frightened it off with a dagger.
Now that he wasn't lacking food, there really was no need to kill it.
It took him an hour to find the type of thorn described in "The Servant's Book," which he cut off with his dagger and carried with him.
After expending much effort to get out of the thicket, he walked home in high spirits.
Thinking it over, he was glad to have a fence soon and no longer live like a primitive person.
On the way home, he saw three black bears walking shoulder to shoulder, heading somewhere with an unknown purpose. They seemed very annoyed upon seeing Ma Lin, blocking the path and roaring at him.
Ma Lin waited dozens of meters away, as they refused to leave, and he didn't dare to force his way through.
After waiting around for about an hour, Ma Lin thought to himself, "I shouldn't stoop to the level of beasts."
So, he took a slight detour.
He wasn't afraid of a single black bear, as his dagger was extremely sharp, and with his agility, he could easily deal with it. But three bears were too much for him to handle.
Finally, he arrived home, with no fierce creatures lying in ambush.
He recited the command to the door, "I am the dog servant of the master."
The door opened automatically, and he set down the spices, then studied "The Servant's Book" to learn how to plant the fence of thorns.
He discovered that it required rabbit's blood to draw the boundary lines on the ground and perform a ritual; only then would the demonic thorns grow along those lines.
Where would he find rabbit's blood?
Ma Lin went out for a look around; he hoped his courtyard could be about an acre in size, with space for firewood, water tanks, a kitchen to be built, a toilet, and an area for growing vegetables. He wanted to plant spices. He had a rough idea of the outline of the courtyard wall in his mind.
He knew of a type of rabbit here that was extremely evil, consuming small animals, including their own kind.
If it came to hunting them, he wouldn't hesitate.
Thinking it over, about three kilometers to the north, where those four demonic apes lived, there were plenty of these rabbits, but he didn't know how to catch them.
Today was out of the question.
That night, he found the method to craft magic power yarn in "The Servant's Book."
Not much wool was needed to make a meter of yarn. He plucked some from his sheepskin coat and drew a serpent in the Array, then spent ten points of contribution to create over five meters of yarn.
Then he wove it into a netting bag, which took quite some time. The mesh was quite large, but it was no issue carrying some fruit in it.
He knew the book contained much knowledge and skills that could help with his current living, but it was difficult to understand, and he felt the more he delved into this book, the more he psychologically accepted his role as a servant to a great demon, which he somewhat resisted.
He had a very good rest that night, as he was in a good mood.
Previously, he was particularly worried about security, but now he was much more relaxed.
The next morning, he still had the demonic corn with a slice of smoked meat. He thought he must find a way to improve his meals sooner rather than later.
Then he set off walking north. His pace was twice that of an ordinary person, and he didn't feel tired at all.
Soon, he arrived at the Stone Bamboo Forest and first spotted three plants with very large leaves. Using "The Servant's Book" to identify them, he discovered they were very tasty vegetables and eagerly harvested them. He noticed a large patch of them, dozens of plants, only they hadn't grown to full size yet.
Next was the search for those rabbits.
Ma Lin found a straight stick and tied his dog's tooth dagger to it, making a very sharp spear.
Before long, he saw a mound with many rabbit holes below. About twenty meters from the holes, there was a puddle; Ma Lin knew it was where the rabbits came to drink.
The water was about a foot deep.
He hid behind a large rock and waited for the rabbits to come for a drink.
As the first rabbit reached the edge of the water, he whispered, "Servant's Escape Art!"
Then his legs were filled with strength.
Clutching his spear, he ran over. Just as the rabbit started to react, Ma Lin was already upon it, skewering it with his spear.
He stuffed the rabbit into a net, hung it on a nearby tree, returned to his spot, and continued to wait.
His sprint skill could only be used once every five minutes. About every seven or eight minutes, a rabbit would come out to drink water.
So, he quickly caught five rabbits, but unfortunately, each was speared through, with some blood lost.
With five rabbits and three vegetables on his back, he began the walk back.
On the way, he followed the hints from "The Servant's Book," finding a yellow tuber field where he dug up several tens of pounds of yellow tubers, which he also carried in the net.
Fortunately, the magic power yarn was extremely elastic and his strength was great, so he hardly felt the weight.
Midway, he encountered those three black bears again; they blocked his path and refused to leave.
Moreover, they were very interested in the rabbits on his back as they were unable to catch rabbits themselves.
Ma Lin felt extremely unlucky and had to take an extra detour to return to his cave.
Immediately, he began to research how to plant the thorn bush fence.
He used rabbit blood to draw the fence line on the ground, then skinned the rabbits, chopped up the meat, organs, and bones, and sprinkled them evenly along the line.
Then he planted the thorn branch at the midpoint of the line.
Next, he chanted a very long incantation, which took about half an hour to recite.
Then the thorn bush began to grow, consuming the meat on the ground like an animal while sprouting branches and making a rustling sound.
The scene was truly magical.
After an hour, the thorn bush had enclosed his cave, but it was only twenty centimeters tall.
It stopped growing, lacking energy.
It encircled over an acre of ground within.
Ma Lin imagined what his courtyard would look like.
"The Servant's Book" stated that these thorn bushes were allies of the great demon egg, which is why Ma Lin was able to plant them as a fence. By sacrificing the servants of the great demon Aike, it could grow taller and denser, increasing its defensive strength.
The great demon Aike was known for being cruel and cunning, while the great demon's egg was known for being wildly insane. Choosing the lesser of two evils, many humans allied with the egg.
Ma Lin was also willing to hunt down those cruel creatures in the wilderness.
He knew where to find more.
Twenty li to the south, there was a group of blood-sucking creatures, each as big as a small dog, that liked to live in packs. Sometimes three or four would go hunting together; their thick skin made them difficult to kill, so they were very bold, even daring to provoke Old Hu. Sometimes they would run a few kilometers north along the north-south river.
In the past, Ma Lin had only seen them from a distance at high altitudes.
They seemed like a good target to strike first.
Sacrificing four blood-sucking creatures could make his thorn bush fence grow over a meter tall and half a meter wide, which should be enough to keep out wolves.
He might as well go this afternoon.
After a hearty meal and reworking his spear, he was ready. The best way to deal with the blood-sucking creatures was to use his speed to outmaneuver them, then take them down with his spear.
Their skin was indeed thick, but it was almost like paper to his dog-tooth dagger.
Now, with the snow in the wilderness still unmelted, he estimated that four fire-eating creatures would almost weigh two hundred pounds. Carrying them for over ten li would be heavy, so he should use a sled. He had one made naturally from a kind of wood that weighed twenty pounds.
He carried it on his back to begin with.
Heading south for less than three li, he encountered a herd of point-headed deer and after another two li, he saw yesterday's tiger.
It lay basking on a rock, showing no interest in him whatsoever.
Point-headed deer were indeed easier to catch.