Chapter 189
After Uncle Wang shouted "Climb the tree!", Fan Xiaoxiao reflexively found the nearest tree and scrambled up it. Uncle Wang followed behind her, not daring to hesitate, and immediately climbed up the tree to avoid her.
After they had both hidden themselves, Fan Xiaoxiao peeked out and looked in the direction where she had been standing.
What she saw immediately sent chills down Fan Xiaoxiao's spine—about 300 meters behind her, there was a huge brown bear pacing around.
Uncle Wang stared intently at the brown bear, then took the bamboo basket containing the pheasant from his back. This basket had been woven by Old Zhao from Guqu Town, and it had a lid that, when tightened, would prevent the contents from falling out.
"Girl, hurry up and crush some leaves and smear them on yourself! I'll tie the chicken's beak shut so it won't squawk!"
Fan Xiaoxiao nodded without hesitation. She picked a leaf from the side, crumpled it into a ball, and smeared it on herself.
The bear on the other side of the woods seemed to still be wandering around, completely unaware of the commotion on Fan Xiaoxiao's side.
But then, by sheer bad luck, the chicken in Uncle Wang's hand let out a sharp scream, and the bear moved toward Fan Xiaoxiao.
The two were startled, and cold sweat instantly broke out on their foreheads. Uncle Wang quickly tightened the chicken's beak, frowned, and patted Fan Xiaoxiao beside him.
"Girl, we need to go a little higher! The bear might be able to see us from here!"
Fan Xiaoxiao nodded without hesitation and climbed towards the top of the tree using both hands and feet.
She stopped when she felt it was about time.
"Godfather! Chicken! Throw it away!"
"No! The bear hasn't noticed us yet. If we throw the chicken down rashly, it will definitely attract its attention! Besides, this basket is too big; it won't land very far!"
As they spoke, the bear drew even closer to them.
From a distance, Fan Xiaoxiao couldn't quite see what the bear looked like. But now that she could see it clearly, she shuddered and felt a chill run down her spine.
Is that still a bear?! How can it be so big! It's about the size of four Uncle Wangs! It's more than a whole size bigger than the brown bears she'd seen at the zoo before! One swipe of those claws could kill her and Uncle Wang!
"Godfather..."
Shh! It's coming!
Fan Xiaoxiao opened her mouth, about to say something, when she heard Uncle Wang's expression turn solemn and respectful as he stared intently at the brown bear's movements, not daring to be distracted for a moment.
Fan Xiaoxiao followed the gaze and, sure enough! After sniffing the ground, the brown bear actually walked towards them!
Ten steps... eight steps... three steps... one step!
Fan Xiaoxiao looked down at the brown bear pacing back and forth under their tree and felt that her clothes were soaked with cold sweat.
Uncle Wang was right to urge them to climb higher in the tree. The brown bear seemed to have smelled something and stood up by holding onto the trunk of the tree next to them.
Sharp claws slammed into the tree trunk, which was as thick as a bowl. With a crack, Fan Xiaoxiao saw the trunk fall to the ground with a loud thud, sending up a cloud of debris.
Fan Xiaoxiao felt a chill run down her spine upon seeing this, and without making a sound, she moved even closer to the tree trunk.
But she didn't expect that it was precisely this movement that caused the problem.
They were in such a panic when they climbed the tree that they didn't realize it was a maple tree. And there were quite a few maple buds hanging from its crown.
The maple branch that Fan Xiaoxiao was sitting on was only as thick as a person's calf. When she moved, the branch swayed gently, and several maple leaves fell down from the branches.
Two of the larger ones, by sheer coincidence, landed squarely on the brown bear's head.
The slight pain made the brown bear raise its head. It seemed a little confused as to what had hit it. It threw down the tree trunk it had just broken off and walked toward the tree where Fan Xiaoxiao and the others were.
The sheer size of the tree trunk caused even the small pebbles on the ground to shift. Fan Xiaoxiao's face paled, and she subconsciously glanced at the tree trunk that had broken in two on the ground.
"Girl! Hold on tight to the tree trunk!"
Uncle Wang pressed himself tightly against the tree trunk, reminding Fan Xiaoxiao in an almost whispered voice.
"What?"
Fan Xiaoxiao didn't hear what Uncle Wang said clearly. Just as she asked in a whisper, she caught a glimpse of the brown bear under the tree suddenly straining to stand up on its hind legs. Immediately afterward, Fan Xiaoxiao felt the maple tree she was sitting on shake violently.
Caught off guard, Fan Xiaoxiao was almost thrown off by the tremor. Fortunately, she was clinging tightly to the main trunk of the tree. The moment the maple tree shook, she immediately hugged the trunk next to her. The maple leaves between the trees pelted down on them like rain.
Even so, Fan Xiaoxiao and Uncle Wang couldn't afford to cry out or groan in pain. They could only lower their heads and cling tightly to the tree trunk, barely managing to keep themselves from being shaken off the tree.
The brown bear under the tree seemed a little agitated by the falling maple leaves. It paced back and forth a couple of times and let out a low growl.
Immediately afterward, it stood up abruptly, roaring fiercely as it shoved its entire body towards the tree. Fan Xiaoxiao's heart tightened, and she clung tightly to the tree trunk, not daring to be distracted for even a moment.
After the brown bear violently crashed into the tree, many more maple leaves fell from the trunk, hitting people and causing them to sting.
Fan Xiaoxiao bit her lower lip, holding back tears. Cold sweat streamed into her eyes, but she didn't dare to wipe it away.
But the brown bear under the tree didn't seem to give up. This time, the amount of impact was much greater than the first time, and it slammed into the maple tree with significantly more force.
Fan Xiaoxiao opened her eyes with a start, knowing that if the brown bear continued to ram into the tree, the poor maple tree would likely not survive. They had to find a way to escape!
"Godfather, did you bring any poisoned arrows that can kill instantly?!"
At this moment, Fan Xiaoxiao didn't care about being exposed. The brown bear under the tree was clearly enraged by the maple tree constantly hitting it, and its roars could probably be heard all the way down the mountain.
Uncle Wang hugged the tree trunk with one hand and reached for his waist with the other.
"I brought it! What do you want to do with it?! Girl, this poison is potent, but it takes time for it to take effect!"
"Just bring it! Godfather, give me the pheasant, and when the brown bear gets tired, just listen for my signal! Trust me!"
Fan Xiaoxiao didn't have time to explain much. Taking advantage of the moment when the brown bear crashed into the tree, the two exchanged the bamboo basket containing the pheasant.
The maple tree was already leaning; if the brown bear rammed it a few more times, they would surely fall.
Fortunately, the brown bear was already exhausted after ramming around for so long. After one more ramming, it finally stopped.
Fan Xiaoxiao seized the opportunity and quietly pulled the poor wild pheasant out of her basket, while Uncle Wang, who was standing nearby, also nocked an arrow.
Fan Xiaoxiao glanced at him: "Three, two, one, release!"
"roar!!"
(End of this chapter)
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