1986: Hunting by Scent

Qin Shan returns to a small village nestled at the foot of the Qinling Mountains in 1986. Haunted by the sins of his former life, he comes back with bloodied hands, determined to make amends. He steps into a home so destitute that even a bag of salt is a luxury, shoulders his hunting rifle, and disappears into the endless wilderness. No one suspects that the village’s former ne'er-do-well has been reborn with a preternatural gift—his sense of smell has become impossibly acute, capable of tracking any prey, unearthing any medicinal herb, or sniffing out any forest treasure. Each time he emerges from the mountains, he returns with a haul that leaves jaws on the floor. Envy and sabotage trail his every step, yet none of it slows his relentless drive to build a fortune. From hunting and foraging to planting crops, raising livestock, and founding factories—every move he makes is for one purpose: to give his family a better life. But the reckoning he left behind in his past life is a boomerang already in flight, and it strikes back sooner than he ever imagined.