In the early morning, the biting cold wind blew like a knife, bringing bone-chilling chill.
In the sky, the lead-gray clouds were very low, as if they would collapse at any time.
Lin Huowang, leading fifty members of the hunting team, had just passed through the dense forest blocking the entrance to the village.
As they were about to go up the mountainside, the snow under their feet made a "crunching" sound, which was particularly clear in the silent forest.
But at this moment, some scattered footprints appeared on the snow beside the path.
It was when he saw these footprints that Lin Huowang's eyes suddenly lit up. A light of surprise instantly ignited in his eyes, and he rushed forward with great surprise.
His figure looked particularly agile in the snow, with snowflakes splashing under his feet.
He carefully identified the marks on the snow.
I saw Lin Huowang lying in a knee-deep snowdrift. The snowdrift was icy and freezing, and the chill penetrated through his clothes and into his body.
He was completely unaware, and his fingertips gently stroked the plum-shaped pits between the pine needles.
Each footprint here is no bigger than a copper coin, with three toes extending forward with webbed marks and a stride of 20 centimeters. It belongs to an adult male hazel grouse, which hunters in Northeast China call "flying dragon."
The dragon meat in the saying “dragon meat in the sky and donkey meat on the ground” refers to the hazel grouse.
The famous Northeastern dish "Chicken Stewed with Mushrooms" that later became famous was actually made with flying dragons instead of chickens.
Just because Feilong later ate the national protected animal, this famous Northeastern dish that made countless people salivate completely disappeared into the dust of history.
Similar to this is "stewed goose in an iron pot", which is also a simplified version of "stewed wild goose in an iron pot".
That’s right!
The wild geese were later included in the list of protected animals.
Not to mention the big dishes like stewed bear paws and stewed tiger penis.
The main ingredients of all famous and delicious Northeastern dishes are protected by the state.
So that’s it!
Northeastern cuisine declined in later generations, and eventually became famous only for its "large portions". How can our Northeastern compatriots go to seek justice?
“I didn’t expect that I would have such good luck today when I went up the mountain.
I found a nest of flying dragons. So, I have to change my plan..."
Lin Huowang was very excited, and the hot air he exhaled from his mouth instantly condensed into white mist in the cold air.
He carefully analyzed a series of flying dragon footprints, his eyes focused and determined.
More importantly, there are more similar footprints near this set of footprints.
Those footprints, some deep and some shallow, were crisscrossed on the snow. It was obvious that a group of flying dragons lived nearby. For Lin Huowang, this was really a case of finding something without any effort!
"Big Bull!"
Looking at the footprints of these flying dragons, Lin Huowang's eyes turned and he immediately called Zhao Daniu over.
"Brother Awang, what's wrong?
Shall we continue to move forward?"
Zhao Daniu was also very confused as to why Lin Huowang suddenly ran into the snow on the side of the road while they were walking just fine.
His face was red from the cold wind, and a thin layer of frost formed on his eyebrows.
"Daniu, look, what are these?"
Lin Huowang wanted to test Zhao Daniu, so he asked deliberately.
"It's footprints! And they look like the footprints of something... a bird or a pheasant.
What's wrong? Brother Awang, isn't our goal today to hunt roe deer and gazelles? "
Zhao Daniu asked with some confusion.
As he spoke, he squatted down and moved closer to examine the footprints carefully.
Lin Huowang smiled and said:
"There's a change of plan. These footprints belong to a bird called Hazel Grouse, commonly known as the flying dragon.
Compared with gazelle and roe deer, it is even more rare to come across.
I have long wanted to capture some alive and raise them artificially.
Unexpectedly, as soon as I entered the mountain today, I found traces of a flying dragon.
Daniel, if you look at these footprints carefully, you can see some more information."
The reason why Lin Huowang said this is because Zhao Daniu is naturally sensitive to details, especially in this kind of wild environment, his facial senses are very sharp.
These footprints on the snow did not escape his observation at all. After taking a closer look, he made a very sure judgment and said:
"That's right!
From these footprints, there should be eight flying dragons.
According to the traces of the footprints, they should have gone to the leeward slope of the red pine forest to the north.
If nothing unexpected happens, it is very likely that their nest is over there.
Brother Awang, should we change our mission today to capturing a flying dragon alive?"
From a distance, the red pine forest appears particularly deep against the backdrop of white snow.
The branches of the pine trees were covered with snow, like huge white mushrooms.
"Yes! You can hunt gazelles and roe deer at any time, and they are also relatively large targets.
But this flying dragon is not something you can encounter often.
If we can’t catch them alive today, once we alarm them, they will immediately move to another nest.”
As he spoke, Lin Huowang looked at the fifty members of the hunting team who had followed him up the mountain.
These team members all carried hunting rifles on their backs, wore thick cotton coats, and shivered slightly in the cold wind.
Lin Huowang frowned and said,
"We have too many people, it's easy to alarm the flying dragon."
After a pause, Lin Huowang added:
“Let’s put it this way!
Daniel, choose five people to stay here and wait for the flying dragon with us today.
The others will return to the village and go up the mountain to hunt gazelles and roe deer tomorrow as planned."
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It’s even more exciting later!
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