"Hey Shanzi, I've been holding back for so long!"

Wang Tieniu quickly jumped off the truck, tied the tattered hemp rope he had brought to the wheel, and carefully hid the small cloth bag that Ayiguli had given him in the haystack in the truck bed.

Du Jianshan held the homemade gun in his hand.

This thing is filled with gunpowder and iron shot. Its power is limited. It's not good for long-range attacks and it's difficult to hit large objects, but it's more than enough to deal with pheasants and rabbits.

He then took out a small ox horn containing gunpowder and an iron can containing iron shot from his cloth bag, skillfully poured in the gunpowder, filled it with sand, compacted it, and finally stuffed a small wad of hemp paper as a "seal".

The whole process was so smooth and seamless that Wang Tieniu's eyes lit up.

"Brother Shanzi, your technique is amazing!" Wang Tieniu also took out his homemade gun and tried to use it. Although his movements were a bit slow, he still looked quite professional.

"Stop flattering me and watch your step." Du Jianshan lowered his voice, held his gun, crouched down, and took the lead in entering the edge of the pine forest.

The light in the woods suddenly dimmed, and the ground was covered with pine needles that felt soft underfoot. The only sounds were their careful footsteps and the occasional fluttering of startled birds.

He hadn't gone far when Du Jianshan suddenly stopped, putting his index finger to his lips.

A dozen meters ahead, under some low bushes, two plump pheasants were leisurely scratching at the ground, their glossy feathers shimmering in the sunlight filtering through the trees.

Du Jianshan held his breath and quietly raised his gun.

Wang Tieniu also nervously raised his own gun and aimed at the other one.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Almost simultaneously, two muffled gunshots rang out in the forest, causing pine needles to fall in a rustling sound.

Smoke filled the air, carrying the pungent smell of sulfur.

"You got it! Brother Shanzi!"

Wang Tieniu let out an excited roar and was the first to rush forward.

The pheasant he had aimed at flapped its wings twice and then collapsed to the ground.

The one that Du Jianshan shot at plunged headfirst into the bushes, still flapping its wings.

Wang Tieniu happily picked up his own, weighing it in his hand; it must have weighed four or five pounds. "This thing, when roasted, tsk tsk, it's so fragrant it'll make your teeth ache!"

The two tied the pheasant with a straw rope and hung it around their waists before continuing their search.

Sure enough, there were quite a few small creatures at the edge of this forest.

After walking for another half an hour, Du Jianshan, with his sharp eyes, spotted movement at the edge of a small clearing in the woods.

"Rabbit!" Du Jianshan whispered.

A grayish-brown hare is alertly pricking up its ears, preparing to dart into the nearby bushes.

This time, Du Jianshan didn't rush to fire. He signaled Wang Tieniu not to move, while he himself, like a cat, silently circled around to the downwind side and chose a closer, more concealed angle.

"Bang!" Another shot.

The rabbit sprang up, somersaulted in the air, landed, kicked its legs a few times, and then lay still.

"Great!" Wang Tieniu ran over to pick up the rabbit; it was even fatter than a pheasant. "Brother Shanzi, your marksmanship is amazing! You hit exactly where you aim!"

Du Jianshan smiled and slung the gun over his shoulder: "Good luck. Let's go to the stream to clean up and roast a pheasant to start."

The two deftly prepared a pheasant by the clear stream.

Wang Tieniu was in charge of starting the fire, while Du Jianshan used a dagger to cut a tree branch, skewered the pheasant, and roasted it over the fire.

Soon, the oil dripped into the fire and sizzled, filling the air with a rich aroma of meat, making Wang Tieniu's stomach rumble.

"It smells so good! The naan bread that Ayiguli gave me will come in handy!" Wang Tieniu couldn't wait to break off a piece of naan bread and then took out some pickled vegetables.

The pheasant meat is firm and roasted until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

Although it wasn't seasoned with salt, the original aroma of meat, combined with the wheat fragrance of naan and the salty and savory flavor of pickled vegetables, was simply a delicacy for the two who had been eating cornbread for half a month.

"Delicious!" Wang Tieniu exclaimed indistinctly as he tore into the chicken leg, his mouth dripping with oil.

Du Jianshan also ate with relish, but his eyes were always scanning the dense forest around him warily.

After all, this was my first time in Tianshan, and I didn't know how dangerous it was inside.

Whether now or in future generations, this place is a paradise on earth, teeming with wild creatures.

After eating and drinking their fill, the two hung the other pheasant and rabbit back on their waists, tidied up the fire, and decided to venture deeper into the forest to try their luck and see if they could find any larger prey such as roe deer.

As they ventured deeper, the forest grew darker and denser, with towering pines and spruces blocking out the sun, and the ground covered with a thick layer of moss and humus, making each step silent.

Occasionally, you can hear the calls of some unknown birds and the sound of a stream in the distance. The air is filled with the unique scent of a primeval forest, a scent that is both decaying and full of life.

Wang Tieniu, carrying the wild rabbit, followed behind Du Jianshan, excitedly looking around.

Suddenly, the boy slipped and stumbled, losing his grip on the rabbit in his hand, and fell with a "thud" onto a moss-covered rock.

The blood that hadn't completely congealed in the rabbit's abdominal cavity splattered out, and a few drops landed on Wang Tieniu's buttocks, staining his worn-out blue work pants red.

"Ugh! What bad luck!"

Wang Tieniu grumbled as he steadied the rabbit, not paying much attention. He casually wiped his buttocks, leaving a few blurry bloodstains.

Du Jianshan glanced back and said, "Be careful, this forest is slippery."

The two walked for about half an hour when Du Jianshan suddenly stopped, his brows furrowed and his ears twitching slightly.

An extremely strong sense of unease instantly gripped him.

The birdsong around us had disappeared at some point, leaving only a deathly silence.

Even the wind seemed to have stopped flowing, and a suffocating oppressive atmosphere permeated the woods.

"Tie Niu, don't make a sound!"

Du Jianshan's voice was extremely low, filled with an unprecedented solemnity. His keen hunter's intuition told him that something extremely dangerous was approaching.

The moment he finished speaking.

"roar!"

A deafening, furious, and terrifying roar, like a thunderclap, echoed through the dense forest on the left!

The enormous sound wave made the leaves tremble!

Immediately afterwards, an enormous figure crashed through the dense bushes, bringing with it a foul, pungent gust of wind, and charged out like a runaway tank!

That was a fully grown brown bear!

Its shoulder height is over two meters, and its massive body weighs no less than four hundred pounds!

Its dark brown fur stood on end, its huge head was ferocious and terrifying, and thick saliva flowed from its open mouth, revealing sharp, white fangs.

Its crimson eyes were fixed intently on Wang Tieniu.

To be precise, it was the fresh and pungent smell of rabbit blood on Wang Tieniu's buttocks that pinpointed the source!

"My God!"

Wang Tieniu was terrified; his legs cramped instantly, and he was so frightened that he almost collapsed to the ground.

"Run! Split up and run! Get into areas with lots of trees!"

Du Jianshan almost roared out, and at the same time, he suddenly raised the homemade gun in his hand!

"You beast! Die!"

"Boom!" A loud explosion echoed through the valley.

The homemade gun spewed out a thick plume of white smoke, which made his hand go numb and almost slip from his grasp.

But the brown bear was too fast; the bullet didn't hit it head-on, it just grazed its shoulder!

"Ouch—!" Du Jianshan felt dizzy as the brown bear pounced on him with the force of a mountain wind, about to knock him over!

"Uncle Du, watch out!" Zhao Sangen shouted from behind, and then a sharpened wooden spear flew past with a "whoosh" and pierced straight into the brown bear's thigh.

"Ouch—!" The brown bear roared in pain, took a half step back, and then pounced on Zhao Sangen!

"Run!" Du Jianshan roared through gritted teeth, drew his cleaver from his waist, shifted his stance, and charged forward, slashing fiercely at the bear's leg!

"Crack—!" The cleaver slashed into the bear's leg, but instead of breaking the bone, it made his wrist go numb.

The brown bear turned around and roared, its paw lashing out with a gust of wind!

Du Jianshan was a little too slow to dodge and was swept away, crashing into an old tree behind him with a thud, spitting out a mouthful of blood!

"Uncle Du!" Zhao Sangen was horrified. He drew his curved knife and rushed over, nimbly circling behind the brown bear and slashing twice at its hind legs.

"Sizzle!" Blood spurted out, but the brown bear became more and more frenzied as it fought. With a swing of its hind legs and a flick of its tail, it managed to knock Zhao Sangen to the ground!

"Ah—my arm!" Zhao Sangen screamed in agony, his arm a bloody mess.

"Get out of the way!" A sudden roar rang out, and a figure burst out from the ravine—it was Liu Ping!

He held a long gun in his hand, a modified three-barreled musket, its black muzzle pointed directly at the brown bear's head!

"roar--!"

The bear seemed to sense the danger as well, its eyes turned red, and it paused, about to pounce.

"Open!" Liu Ping roared.

"boom--!"

The musket suddenly exploded, the brown bear's head swung violently, blood and bone fragments flew everywhere, and its massive body finally trembled before collapsing to the ground with a thud!

The surroundings were quiet for a few moments.

The wind rustled through the mountains and forests, and fallen leaves fluttered in the air.

Du Jianshan, leaning against an old tree, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, gasped as he looked at the fallen bear: "Dead...dead?"

Liu Ping put away his musket and nodded: "They're dead."

Zhao Sangen lay on the ground, gritting his teeth, and said, "Damn it, that scared me to death... My arm is still here, thank God!"

Du Jianshan struggled to his feet, blood still spitting from his mouth, and walked to the brown bear carcass, kicking it hard in the head: "You beast, you almost ate me!"

Liu Ping tucked the musket behind his back and sighed, "You shouldn't have come alone."

Du Jianshan, panting, said, "I didn't expect it to be lying in ambush in this mountain hollow... The shot wasn't even fired correctly."

Zhao Sangen endured the pain, "That's because he's tough. If it were anyone else, they would probably be bear food by now."

Du Jianshan glared at him. "You're no better than me. Go back and rest for a couple of days. Don't be as impulsive as I was."

"I'm impulsive? You're practically riding on its neck. If I don't rush in, do you think I'll wait until you're inside its belly before I make my move?"

"Alright, alright, stop arguing." Liu Ping frowned, squatted down to examine the brown bear carcass, "An adult male bear, weighing at least 600 jin. Thick skin, strong flesh, even the bones are thicker than a human's."

As Zhao Sangen pulled out bandages from his pocket to bandage the bear, he asked, "Should we take this bear back to divide the meat, or deal with it on the spot?"

Du Jianshan frowned: "It gets hot quickly in this weather, so the meat won't keep for long. We have to skin and gut it on the spot, and then set up a shed to dry the rest. We'll go back to the village and find someone to carry it."

Liu Ping looked around. "This place is sheltered from the wind, but a bit damp. I think the high hill at the corner of the valley ahead is a good spot; it would be convenient to set up a shed there."

Du Jianshan nodded, "Okay, we'll do it your way."

The three of them took turns cleaning up the brown bear. Zhao Sangen couldn't move his arms, so Liu Ping and Du Jianshan were the main caregivers.

The bear skin was heavy, and the smell of blood was pungent. The two men cursed as they skinned the bear.

"Why does this bear insist on squatting in such a place? There are rabbit burrows and fox dens right next to it. Why does it have to block my way?"

"It's after your old face," Liu Ping sneered. "Didn't you say you wanted to catch someone alive? Well, look what happened, you almost got your head off the hook."

As Du Jianshan gritted his teeth and dissected the bear's belly, he cursed, "I've been fighting it for three days, checking every single one of its front and back paw prints, and who knew it would not run away but instead attack... Damn it, bears have become sentient beings."

After skinning the animals, they gathered firewood to build a shed, dug a pit to put the entrails in, and covered them with grass, planning to bring their hunting dogs back to deal with them later.

Liu Ping glanced at the sun. "It's almost noon. Go back to the village, call everyone over, and bring the cart with you."

Zhao Sangen lay on the grass, panting. "I can't go back. You two go first. I'm lucky to be alive. I'd be letting this battle down if I don't lie down today."

Du Jianshan glanced at him and said, "Stop pretending to be dead, hang in there, you'll have a good rest later."

...

In the afternoon, after Zhao Sangen's wounds were bandaged, Liu Ping returned with five or six able-bodied men, along with livestock and a cart.

The sight of the brown bear immediately caused an uproar among the crowd.

"Oh my! Isn't that the legendary Great Wild Bear?"

"Uncle Jianshan, are you really going to have a one-on-one fight?"

"Nonsense! If it weren't for the two of us helping out, he would have been flattened into a pancake by the bear."

"Quickly, someone come here, take a picture... no, draw it! This scene needs to be drawn and posted at the team headquarters!"

Surrounded by the crowd, Du Jianshan grinned arrogantly and said, "Although my shot didn't hit a vital spot, it still terrified it. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to touch a hair on its head!"

Liu Ping patted him on the shoulder and said, "Alright, stop bragging. Chop off the bear's head and hand it over to the county for a reward. Keep the bear's bile too; it'll fetch a good price."

The brown bear was lifted onto the vehicle by five or six people, with its skin, which had been peeled off and was spread out behind the vehicle, larger than a curtain.

"This leather would make such a warm mattress!"

"Make it into a mattress? That's a waste of resources. Trade it for satin, and every girl in our village could get a new pair of cotton trousers!"

"Hahaha!"

"Uncle Jianshan, we'll still follow you when we go hunting from now on!"

Du Jianshan grinned, "You can slack off, but you'll have to count both of our work points!"

"Hey, you've already killed the bear, and you're still trying to steal work points!"

"Then try hitting me!"

"Go to hell, you beast!"

"Bang--!"

The flint struck the gunpowder, and the homemade gun emitted a deafening thud. A flash of light appeared at the muzzle, and the lead bullet, burning with scorching fury, hurtled straight at the brown bear's face!

The brown bear practically pounced into the gun barrel, a piece of fur was ripped off its forehead by the lead bullet, and blood gushed out immediately. It staggered, its head snapped to one side, and its body, which had been lunging forward, also veered off course, crashing into a small tree with a thud!

"Well done!" Wang Tieniu shouted from behind, his voice hoarse. "Brother Shanzi, retreat quickly, retreat quickly—"

Du Jianshan didn't even have time to reply. As soon as the gun fired, the recoil made his arm go numb and his shoulder ache terribly. But he shifted his feet and darted sideways, avoiding the direction the brown bear would pounce.

The brown bear did not fall after landing; it was merely enraged by the lead bullet, tilting its head and letting out a low growl, its eyes bloodshot and its nostrils flaring!

"That beast is still alive after being shot!" Du Jianshan cursed, then turned and backed away.

"Catch the gun!" Wang Tieniu tossed his homemade gun aside, shouting at the top of his lungs, "I'll lure it away, Shanzi, hurry up and load the bullets!"

The homemade gun drew an arc in the air, and Du Jianshan caught it with his hand, then rolled into a half-collapsed thicket.

"Hey, you stinky bear! Your grandpa's here!" Wang Tieniu shouted, waving his charred wolf bone club at the brown bear, deliberately jumping up and down and yelling, "You think you're so tough? Come on, bite me!"

The brown bear, which was panting heavily as it turned around, heard the roar, its eyes widened, and it pounced towards Wang Tieniu.

"Run, Tie Niu!" Du Jianshan yelled as he rummaged through the ammunition pouches and stuffed powder packets into his homemade gun. "Hold on a little longer—"

Wang Tieniu ran like a madman, shouting, "My life is worthless! My life is worthless! I'm just waiting for you to avenge me, Brother Shanzi!"

The brown bear chased after them, each step shaking the snow beneath its feet and causing it to crack and break.

Du Jianshan gritted his teeth, tearing open the paper package with them. His fingers trembled, but he still steadily loaded the lead bullet into the chamber, then stuffed in some medicine paper, and tamped it down firmly with a cleaning rod. He had nothing else in his eyes but the enormous machine chasing Wang Tieniu in circles, his heart burning with anxiety.

"Tie Niu! Move to the left!" he roared.

Wang Tieniu suddenly changed direction and lunged towards a crooked old elm tree. There was a pit there, a trap they had dug the night before, originally intended for wild boars.

"Come on, you hairy monster!" Wang Tieniu roared like a madman, "I'll show you what a mountain man is all about!"

Just as the brown bear pounced again, Wang Tieniu slipped and fell half-heartedly in front of the pit.

"Thump!" The brown bear landed heavily, its front paws already on Wang Tieniu's body, its sharp claws tearing through his cotton-padded coat, and a spurt of blood seeped out!

"Ah—!" Wang Tieniu roared in pain.

"Wang Tieniu!!!" Du Jianshan's eyes were bloodshot. He straightened up from the snowdrift and slung the homemade gun over his shoulder.

"Die—!"

"Bang!!!"

This shot was even more powerful than the previous one, almost stuffing in half a tube of gunpowder. As soon as it was fired, the flame shot up half a meter high!

The lead bullet struck the brown bear on the back of the head with a loud bang. The bear's head snapped to the side, half of its face was smashed off, and two teeth flew out!

Its massive body suddenly went limp and crashed onto Wang Tieniu, pressing him down so hard he could barely breathe.

"Ouch, my goodness—" Wang Tieniu cried out as he struggled, "Brother Shanzi! Hurry up and get this bear off me! I'm about to be crushed into a bear pancake!"

Du Jianshan rushed forward, kicked aside the brown bear's carcass, and hurriedly dragged Wang Tieniu out.

"Where are you hurt?!"

"My shoulder, my left shoulder, got scratched by its claws." Wang Tieniu grimaced in pain. "But it's not deep, just a superficial wound. Brother Shanzi, you're amazing! You took down such a big beast with just two shots!"

Du Jianshan's face was covered in snow water, and his sweat had frozen into frost, but his eyes revealed a coldness and excitement.

"If it had been a second faster, it wouldn't have scratched you with its claws, it would have bitten your neck with its teeth." He gasped for breath. "We're lucky to be alive this time, we're both tough!"

The two collapsed onto the snow, panting heavily.

"This bear is no small thing," Wang Tieniu grinned. "It must weigh at least 500 jin (250 kg)."

"At least six hundred." Du Jianshan patted its head. "This skin can fetch a good price, keep a pair of bear paws, and the bones can be used to make soup."

"Hehe, the villagers will be green with envy when they see this." Wang Tieniu grinned. "When we get back, we'll have to throw a big feast and invite all those guys who used to laugh at us mountain folk. Let them see that we mountain folk can not only chop wood, but also take down wild beasts!"

Du Jianshan laughed, "You still have the energy to make sarcastic remarks? Hurry up and bandage your wound."

He tore off a corner of his cotton-padded coat and wrapped it around Wang Tieniu's shoulders, then tied the bear's limbs with rope.

“Let’s go back to the village.” He stood up. “Otherwise, if we can’t get back before dark, we’ll have to sleep in the snow with this dead bear.”

"Alright, let's go!" Wang Tieniu struggled to his feet and leaned on Du Jianshan's shoulder. "Brother, you gave me this life. From now on, I, Wang Tieniu, will acknowledge you as my elder brother!"

...

The two of them gritted their teeth and dragged the bear carcass back along the way. It got darker and darker, and the cold air was biting, but their eyes shone with excitement.

At the village entrance, Old Zhao was the first to see them. He excitedly leaned on his cane and shouted, "They're here! Jianshan is back—and dragging a bear with him! It's a bear!"

The village was in an uproar.

"It really is a bear!"

"Oh my god, how big is that bear paw?"

"Tie Niu has blood on his face, is he injured?"

Du Jianshan stopped, exhaled a long breath, and shouted, "I'm injured, but I'm still alive! The bear is dead too!"

"Tonight, we're having bear meat!"

"Tomorrow, let's air out the bear skin!"

"Someone come here! Carry this bear inside! Prepare food and wine!"

Cheers, footsteps, and the clamor of the crowd blended into a wave of heat in the cold night.

Du Jianshan stood aside, quietly watching everyone busy around the bear, while Wang Tieniu leaned against a rock, snoring and looking proud.

The thick smoke from the gunpowder exploded violently, causing Wang Tieniu to lean back. The recoil from the homemade gun was considerable, almost knocking the gun out of his hand.

The brown bear stiffened, and a roar burst from deep within its throat, its voice rough and hoarse like a stone roller crushing a tile, "Awooo—!"

But the roar did not make it back down; instead, it aroused its even more frenzied rage!

"It...it didn't fall!" Wang Tieniu's face was deathly pale, his lips were trembling, and his voice was broken. "Why...why can't I break it..."

Du Jianshan had already rolled to the side, getting up from the ground covered in dust and dirt, a bloody gash on his leg. He gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain: "Its skin is thick! Tie Niu, load the second round!"

Wang Tieniu's hand trembled, almost spilling the gunpowder on the ground. He frantically tried to pry the gunpowder bag open, exclaiming, "Damn it, this thing can't keep up with a wolf!"

"Then stop dawdling!" Du Jianshan roared, gripping his short knife as he lunged at the bear. "If you can't hold on, I'll die!"

The brown bear roared and turned its head, blood gushing from behind its shoulder blade, which seemed to further arouse its ferocity.

"Awooo—!"

It suddenly shook its head and swept its hind legs, knocking Du Jianshan to the ground. He crashed into a pine tree behind him like a tattered sack, unable to even exhale.

"Brother Shanzi!" Wang Tieniu's eyes were red. He didn't even bother to seal the gunpowder, haphazardly pouring it into the chamber, his mouth trembling as he muttered, "Don't die, you mustn't die, Brother Shanzi..."

At that moment, a whooshing sound rang out.

"call out--"

An iron-tipped arrow flew out of the forest and struck the brown bear right behind its ear!

With a "bang," the arrow seemed to have carried tremendous force, and half of it was gone!

The brown bear staggered back as if struck by lightning, its head shaking violently, its front paws flailing wildly, and hot breath mixed with blood escaping its mouth.

"One more arrow!" A familiar shout rang out; it was Zhao Guanglin!

He suddenly emerged from behind the bushes, draped in camouflage cloth, holding a family heirloom horn bow, shouting as he drew the bow and nocked an arrow!

"Brother Guanglin!" Wang Tieniu exclaimed with joy, scrambling towards Du Jianshan. "Brother Shanzi is still alive! Quick, save him!"

"Protect him!" Zhao Guanglin roared. "I'll shoot that beast again!"

"call out--!"

The second arrow came whistling through the air, this time piercing the brown bear's eye socket, down to the feather!

"Awooooooo—!!!"

The brown bear let out a piercing howl and began to frantically lunge and thrash about, charging around like a madman.

"Get out of the way! It's most ferocious when it's dying!" Zhao Guanglin shouted several times.

Wang Tieniu carried Du Jianshan on his back and ran towards the back of the tree, but after only a few steps, he stepped into the root of the tree and they both fell down.

The brown bear charged wildly, crashing into a small pine tree and its massive body almost crushing it!

Just when everything seemed to be over, a figure rushed out from the side like lightning—it was Uncle Shen!

He was holding a long iron fork in his hand, and without blinking, he stabbed it into the bear's head!

"Die!"

"puff--!"

The iron fork pierced the brown bear's gaping, bloody mouth, all the way to its throat bone!

Blood splattered all over his face!

The brown bear shuddered twice before finally collapsing to the ground with a thud, landing on the thick snow in the forest, its breathing heavy and intermittent.

"Dead...dead..." Wang Tieniu almost knelt on the ground, his voice hoarse.

"He's not completely dead!" Uncle Shen gasped for breath, his eyes still filled with murderous intent. "This beast is too ferocious. We need to finish him off, in case he comes back to life!"

As he spoke, he drew his knife, rushed forward, and plunged it deep into the brown bear's chest.

"Pfft!"

Blood gushed out like a fountain, the brown bear convulsed violently, and finally breathed its last.

The forest fell silent, save for the heavy breathing of the group and the gradually thickening bloodstains on the snow.

Wang Tieniu collapsed to the ground, ignoring the blood-soaked trousers on his hands, and looked at Du Jianshan with a mournful face: "Brother Shanzi... how are you? You can't be hurt!"

Du Jianshan, pale-faced, leaned against a tree, panting, "I didn't die... but it almost tore my bones apart..."

"How's the leg?" Zhao Guanglin asked, turning back as he examined the bear carcass. "Are any bones broken?"

"A torn piece of skin, it's no big deal." Du Jianshan's lips twitched. "But my pants are ripped, and the wind is getting into my ass... I'm freezing."

"You're still being cheeky!" Wang Tieniu was both amused and exasperated. "If you really broke your leg, I couldn't carry you back!"

"You're lucky if you can carry a sack of corn," Du Jianshan said, grinning.

“This bear must weigh at least eight or nine hundred pounds!” Zhao Guanglin squatted down and estimated. “We have to find a way to bring it back to the village; we can’t let the wild dogs get away with it.”

"Easy for you to say, what's the problem?" Uncle Shen frowned. "This is deep in the mountains and forests, we haven't even built a road yet. To get back, it'll be at least two miles of forest path, then three miles of slope. We might not be able to get back until tomorrow morning."

"I'll go back and get some people!" Wang Tieniu jumped up, "Bring a crowbar, a scooter, and some livestock!"

"Are you sure you can handle it?" Du Jianshan glanced at him. "Don't fall into a ditch on the way."

"I can do it!" Wang Tieniu shouted. "Even if I break a leg, I'll crawl back and call for help! This is a bear!"

“This kid really has some guts.” Zhao Guanglin grinned. “Alright, I’ll stay and watch the body. Third Uncle, you protect them both as they descend the mountain and make sure nothing else goes wrong.”

“Alright.” Uncle Shen nodded. “Come on, I’ll take you two down.”

...

On the way down the mountain, Wang Tieniu helped Du Jianshan up, muttering as they walked, "Brother Shanzi, how many meat tickets do you think we can get this time?"

“Don’t just think about the meat ration coupons,” Du Jianshan said with a smug look on his face. “If we skin this bear whole, we can get at least twenty catties of cloth coupons, not to mention we can hang it on the commune wall. We’ll have done a good job.”

"Can I write it in the notice then?" Wang Tieniu chuckled. "'Wang Tieniu, bravely rescuing his brother,' how about that?"

"Write my ass!" Du Jianshan raised his hand and slapped him on the head. "Wasn't it Zhao Guanglin who stabbed him in the vital spot with an arrow?"

"Ouch, that hurts!" Wang Tieniu cried out. "You're really strong. Didn't you just say you were about to die?"

"I was just kidding you." Du Jianshan grinned. "You're crying like a baby, have a laugh."

"Give me a break!" Wang Tieniu stomped his feet in anger. "Your head was tilted to the side and you weren't moving. I thought you'd died. I was even thinking of going back to kowtow to your mother!"

"If you're going to kowtow, you'll have to skin the bear first!" Uncle Shen coughed as he walked. "You've been hunting for years, and you still have this little bit of knowledge?"

"Yes, yes, Uncle is right!" Wang Tieniu nodded hurriedly. "When we get back this time, I'll learn how to do the fork-making technique from you again. I was completely stunned by what you did just now!"

"That's because you were a bit slow on the uptake," Uncle Shen sneered.

...

That afternoon, earth-shattering news spread throughout the village—

Wang Tieniu yelled at the top of his lungs, "The bear is down! A brown bear! It's true! Brother Zhao Guanglin got an arrow through the forehead! And Brother Shanzi almost got slapped to death!"

The whole village is in an uproar!

Several commune members put down their hoes and ran towards the edge of the woods, while Zhao Tiezhu also led the militia to the scene.

Before nightfall, the group worked together, using crowbars, logs, and livestock, to finally drag the enormous creature back to the village entrance.

Good heavens—

"It really is a bear! If this thing were alive, it could kill three pigs with one slap!"

"Zhao Guanglin, that arrow was damn accurate!"

Zhao Zhenxing also arrived and patted Zhao Guanglin on the shoulder, "This bear did a good job. I'll report to the commune tomorrow and let you guys make a good contribution!"

Wang Tieniu grinned from the side and said, "What about me? I fired a shot too!"

“Your shot,” Du Jianshan lay on the door panel, his face pale but his eyes gleaming, “only made the bear’s butt red; at most, it was a provocation tactic.”

"Get the hell out of here!" Wang Tieniu jumped up and down in anger. "I almost saved you!"

The onlookers burst into laughter.

Zhao Zhenxing said seriously, "We won't bury anyone's credit for this. Hunting the bear wasn't just about the meat, but also about the collective honor of our village. If we put this bear on the supply and marketing cooperative's display case, who wouldn't say that our Qingshan Village is tough?"

“That’s right!” Zhao Tiezhu shouted from the side. “Socialist construction needs this kind of heroic spirit!”

At night, a feast was set up in the village, with bear meat cooked in a pot and bear paws stewed in soup, the aroma filling the entire hilltop.

Wang Tieniu held the bowl, brought his nose close to the soup and sucked on it: "Hey, this stuff really smells delicious."

Du Jianshan sat on a bench, his legs wrapped in herbs, grinning: "This bite was earned with my life."

"Worth it!" Wang Tieniu raised his bowl. "Brother Shanzi, come on, let's drink a bowl of bear soup together, and hunt tigers again next year!"

Wang Tieniu, mouth agape, turned around and muttered, "Oh my god, it's perfectly square, two meters deep, three meters square, how many sets of condoms, condoms—" He stammered, scratching his head for a long time, "What, what are we burying here? Bears?"

“It’s not a bear.” Du Jianshan slammed his shovel into the ground and pointed to the horizontal wooden stakes at the bottom of the pit. “See those? This is a trap. It’s a pit dug down there, with wooden stakes in the middle and barbs stuck on the sides—whether it’s a wolf, a wild boar, or that old badger we’ve been chasing for three months, if it dares to come, it’ll fall right in!”

"You think you can really figure this out by yourself?" Wang Tieniu looked at the wooden stakes and the tied ropes suspiciously, squatted down and rummaged through them. "Hey? This knot is tied pretty tightly. You used hemp rope?"

"It's all handmade. I stayed up until midnight last night to make it," Du Jianshan said proudly. "I followed the method passed down from my third uncle. It's strong and not easy to break."

Wang Tieniu plopped down on the ground, panting heavily, and exclaimed, "No wonder you said you didn't need my help. Turns out you've been holding back a whole bunch of amazing skills all along. Brother Shanzi, we really need to set up a 'Mountain-Spotting Trap Shop' and open it in the county. I guarantee you'll live a life of luxury."

"Stop being so cheeky," Du Jianshan said with a laugh, then looked towards the woods in the distance. "There's a musty smell around here. I reckon some wild boars were rooting around last night, and they'll probably be back tonight."

Upon hearing this, Wang Tieniu's eyes lit up: "Really? How big is it? Is it that old black one?"

"I'm not sure yet." Du Jianshan shook his head. "This forest is next to Qinggou Ridge. There's plenty of water and dense grass, and wild boars love to root around here. I set this pit specifically for them."

"How do you plan to lure them over?" Wang Tieniu leaned closer and lowered his voice. "How about I scatter some bran tonight? I still have some pig offal left at home."

Du Jianshan thought for a moment and said, "Okay, add some old salt to the bran, stir in some fish bone dregs, and the aroma will travel for miles. Wild boars will surely come running if they smell it."

“Then I’ll go back to the village to get it, and you stay here and keep watch?” Wang Tieniu stood up, patted his pants, and said, “I’ll bring a flashlight and keep watch with you tonight.”

"No." Du Jianshan waved his hand. "Your mother just said yesterday that you were coughing badly in the middle of the night. Don't catch a cold. I'm fine on my own. If there's any commotion, I'll set a fire to lure you here."

"Okay! You have the matchlock, right? I saw you put it in your bag yesterday."

“Here it is.” Du Jianshan took out a small roll of cotton rope wrapped in wax paper from his waist bag and waved it at him. “Tap it three times tonight, and I’ll signal you to come over.”

Wang Tieniu nodded, smiling with admiration, "You really understand how to handle mountain hunting. If this were the old society, you would have been a chieftain or a hunter or something."

"Don't get carried away. This is socialism now, and everyone's labor is glorious." Du Jianshan stood up with a smile and waved his hand. "Hurry back to the village. Remember to take that broken pot with you. We need to cook something to calm our nerves tonight."

"Okay!" Wang Tieniu shouted as he walked back, "I'll ask my mother to cook some sweet potatoes and bring them with me, so I can fill my stomach and stay up all night!"

...

As darkness fell, the woods gradually quieted down, and even the wind blew cautiously.

Du Jianshan crouched behind a patch of hidden grass, holding a sharpened bamboo whistle in his hand. Every now and then, he would gently blow it into the air, imitating the squeal of a sow. The sound was short and deep, echoing through the woods.

After about half an hour, suddenly—

"rustle--"