Chapter 13: Skill Upgrade

–You received a bonfire frame.

Firewood *1.

Feels like a game now!

Success!

Awesome, Mr. Bi Fang (intentional tone mix-up)!

I was so scared that I hurriedly picked up a nearby lighter, lit a cigarette to calm myself, (づ￣ 3 ￣)y ~ ~.

Bi Fang: Victory!

As the flames successfully ignited, another barrage of comments and gifts flooded the screen. Bi Fang glanced at the backstage, and the number of viewers had stabilized at over 200!

Fantastic!

Bi Fang clenched his fists excitedly. Although the center of his palm was rubbed raw and painful, it was all worth it.

I have followed, the host is a treasure boy.

Fool, wouldn’t even carry a lighter. What’s the point of social progress? Just trying to show off!

Caught a silly dog.

Surviving in the wilderness, you know?

Is it you again? Still haven’t left after being scolded? Shocking, my true fan was actually beside me?

Is it that Hei Feng again?

Seeing the barrage of arguments, Bi Fang was taken aback. It seemed that this person had been badmouthing him earlier as well. Though verbally claiming not to watch, they were the most active in sending comments.

Is this what they call a “hater”? I love it.

“Thank you all for your support. The hand-drilling fire-starting method is still difficult for beginners, though. It’s hard to ignite a fire and can easily grind through the skin. Next time, I’ll teach you an easier bow drill and pump method.”

Bi Fang picked up the prepared dry twigs, broke them into small sections, and threw them into the fire. He enjoyed the warmth spreading across his body and the feeling of the cold being driven away.

“However, despite starting the fire, we haven’t prepared enough firewood yet. So, I will collect some from the nearby area later.”

Why do you need wet firewood?

“Ah, this viewer is very perceptive.” Bi Fang noticed the viewer’s question, “This is because wet firewood takes longer to burn, ensuring the fire doesn’t go out at night.”

“However, before leaving, we need to make sure that the fire is kept away from other flammable materials to prevent forest fires. That’s also a reason for digging a hole in advance.”

“Also, I would like to remind everyone that unless you’re in an area where logging is allowed, you should only pick up dead branches on the ground for fire-starting.”

“There’s no conflict between human survival and environmental protection, as long as there’s a will.”

Bi Fang stood up and gave a heartfelt but serious advice to the camera lens one last time.

A host who knows how to protect the environment is so handsome! I’m a fan.

Civilization is everyone’s responsibility; safety depends on us all!

Bi Fang is so considerate. Even while surviving in the wilderness, he still pays attention to environmental protection. A high-quality host deserves a thumbs up.

This is the first time I’ve seen such a positive host.

“Haha, you flatter me, really.”

Bi Fang, feeling embarrassed, scratched the back of his head and laughed.

“The best materials for wet firewood are fresh branches from hardwood trees like oak.”

Large wet firewood pieces are still easy to find in the forest. Bi Fang collected enough large firewood for the night without even leaving the visible range of the firelight.

“The fire pit is outside, so it can easily be affected by the wind. After adding the wet firewood, we can cover the burning charcoal with a layer of dry soil to prevent too much oxygen from entering and causing the charcoal to burn too quickly.”

“We must ensure that there are no dry leaves, grass, or other flammable materials in the soil to prevent accidents.”

After adding the wet firewood, the fire pit crackled loudly.

The warm glow of the fire drove away the cold in the mountains and made people drowsy.

Perhaps it was because he had been busy all day, but even though Bi Fang was still hungry after settling the camp, he couldn’t help but feel tired. He crawled into the shelter, used his backpack as a pillow, and prepared to rest.

Placing the drone in front of him, Bi Fang finally accepted the friend requests of several wealthy viewers, waved his hand, and signaled that he was going to end the broadcast.

“It’s getting late, and I need to rest. If my viewers like me, you can follow me, and I’ll continue the live broadcast tomorrow morning. Everyone is welcome to watch.”

But it’s only a little past eight, isn’t it still early?

Yes, keep streaming for a while longer, other hosts have just started.

“I really can’t do it anymore, I’ve been on the road all day, and I’m very tired,” Bi Fang said reluctantly.

Well, we understand, host, rest early, and I’ll definitely be here tomorrow!

Alright.

Please forgive our host.

Although many viewers were reluctant to see Bi Fang go, they could understand his situation since live streaming in the wilderness is not the same as playing games all night.

Seeing the viewers send another wave of gifts, Bi Fang thanked them and, with everyone’s reluctance, turned off the live stream.

From the backstage, he could see that his live broadcast room had already accumulated over 500 followers, and the number of viewers during the broadcast had continually risen, reaching a peak of nearly 700 people. The gifts were even more impressive, with nearly ten thousand in revenue.

One day of live streaming equalled a month’s salary of his previous job!

However, Bi Fang did not get carried away because only he knew how difficult today had been.

His basic physical fitness was so poor that even though he had gone through a week of intensive training before, his exercise effects were not good due to poverty, lack of proper diet and protein intake. Even with his rich hiking experience, he often found himself out of breath after a short walk, and his legs were now sore and weak.

But he never displayed this in front of the viewers and even pretended to be relaxed and at ease.

All this was done to create a persona. From the beginning, Bi Fang had been building his persona as a wilderness expert, from his tone to his actions, all showing an experienced demeanor.

He knew that with the wilderness live stream theme, there would inevitably be imitators, just like the endless appearances of wilderness survival variety shows in his past life.

By establishing a professional persona, when the audience watches similar shows in the future, they would instinctively think that Bi Fang is the best in the field, make comparisons, and then old fans would stay loyal while new ones would be attracted, creating a virtuous cycle.

Just like every time someone watched a new wilderness survival show, there would always be comparisons to Bear Grylls, and people would say someone was far worse than him. People enjoyed watching the strong conquer nature, not the weak struggle in it. So how could a “wilderness expert” look so weak? It wouldn’t make sense.

Bi Fang lay on the dry leaves, looking up at the stars outside the make-shift shelter, which felt unattainable. He reflected on his performance and shortcomings that day, thinking about how to do even better tomorrow. The stars were so bright. Bi Fang squinted his eyes and stretched out his entire fatigued body.

The nights in Qinling were far more beautiful than those in the city. Lying between heaven and earth, it seemed as if his breathing had taken on the rhythm of the twinkling stars, feeling both alone and free. With those thoughts, Bi Fang fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, as the sun had just risen, Bi Fang opened his eyes and stretched his body. A series of crisp sounds from his bones stretching rang out, immediately making him feel refreshed and comfortable. Perhaps it was because he had just woken up that his mind was still a little groggy, and it wasn’t until he heard the cuckoo bird’s mating call outside his shelter that he realized he was still in the wild and his pupils sharpened.

“Phew~”

He didn’t know whether it was because he had thick nerves or he was just naturally suited for the wilderness; either way, he managed to sleep so soundly all by himself.

Bi Fang rubbed his face and left the shelter. The morning in Qinling was still a bit cold, so he tightened his jacket. The fire in front of the shelter had gone out, leaving only curls of dry smoke. He picked up a stick and poked it; the burnt wood at the bottom instantly broke into two pieces, sending sparks and ash flying.

Bi Fang nodded. As long as there were still sparks, he could quickly start another fire by adding some tinder. He picked up the drone and started the live stream once again. Just as he was about to greet the viewers, an electronic sound suddenly rang out.

[Ding, congratulations] host: your hiking skill has been upgraded to Hiking Cross-Country lv4.]