Sanchakou Village currently has 46 households and more than 200 people.
Zhang Lizheng was a man in his forties. He and Tu Dachuan, a hunter from the village, led a team of more than thirty strong men from the village, aged between twenty-five and forty.
Everyone carried sharp weapons and went into the mountains after 5 PM.
However, after searching in the mountains for three hours, past midnight, they still couldn't find any trace of the big cat.
They had walked quite a distance past the small waterfall, and dared not go any deeper.
Although no big cats have appeared in the mountains in recent years, there are still wild boars and wolves. Even though there are more than thirty people together, if they go deeper into the mountains where there are a lot of big animals, they will all perish.
So, Zhang Lizheng told everyone to step back.
As Gu Shouxin emerged from the back mountain path, he spotted a figure flashing by on another path leading into the mountains not far away.
He frowned, said nothing, and continued walking back with the others.
When he got home, Gu Xin's room light was still on, so Gu Shouxin went over there.
"You're back? How did it go? Did you catch him?" Cai Xiaolian saw the figure by the window and knew it was Gu Shouxin. She put on her clothes and came out.
"No. How is Xinxin?" Gu Shouxin asked.
"You must be dreaming! One minute you're yelling for your parents and sister to leave, and the next you're shouting 'No!' Watching a big cat about to bite someone's neck at such close range is really scary," Cai Xiaolian whispered.
"I noticed you haven't slept. Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat? I'll go to the kitchen and get you something," Gu Shouxin asked.
"No need. You go to sleep. I'll check on Xinxin later. If she's still having nightmares, I'll wake her up," Cai Xiaolian said, shaking her head.
"Okay, I'm going to sleep now. Call me and Niannian if anything happens later." Gu Shouxin nodded.
Back in his room, Gu Shouxin thought of the figure he had just seen, and then he remembered Gu Xin's frightened little face in her sleep. After sitting for a while, he took the bow he had taken from the old house and went out again.
Grandma Gu was the daughter of a hunter. She had a complete collection of hunting equipment, and it was well-preserved.
One person moves quite fast, and soon Gu Shouxin reached the deepest part where the group had just gone.
He continued walking forward without hesitation.
Although he couldn't guarantee he could kill the big cat, he was absolutely certain he could keep himself safe. And if he wasn't mistaken, the figure he saw going into the mountain when he came down was Lu Zheng.
Gu Shouxin didn't know if he would run into Lu Zheng, or if the figure he saw was not Lu Zheng.
The wind in the mountains is biting in winter. Even though it doesn't snow in Sanchakou Village, it's still bitterly cold.
"Roar~"
After walking for about 15 minutes, Gu Shouxin heard a whooshing sound. They were already far from the village, and even though it was quiet at night, the village wouldn't hear it.
Gu Shouxin roused himself and walked toward the source of the sound.
Upon closer inspection, he discovered two large cats, but saw no human figures.
He hid behind a big tree, nocked his bow and arrow, twitched his ears, and drew the bow.
"Roar~"
Suddenly, a large cat roared and came toward him, while the other one remained where it was.
Not long after the fifteenth of the twelfth lunar month, under the moonlight, Gu Shouxin aimed at the tiger's head, shot an arrow, and then immediately climbed the tree.
The big cat dodged the arrow and pounced.
Meanwhile, another big cat was trying to climb a tree; it turned out that Lu Zheng was in that tree.
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