The tiger roared and turned to pounce again. Just then, Xiao Weizi suddenly got up, covered in blood, and raised the half-burnt wooden stick to smash it down on the tiger's head.
"Get the hell out of here!" he roared.
"Bang—" Sparks flew everywhere. The tiger was furious and swung its head and slapped down with its paw, knocking Xiao Weizi over. But in that instant, Du Jianshan pulled the trigger on his gun again.
"Bang!"
This time, the bullet hit the tiger's eye!
The tiger let out a bloodcurdling howl that tore through the forest, its massive body thrashed about for a few steps, and finally crashed to the ground, breaking several small trees.
The forest fell silent again.
The wind carried the stench of blood, causing the firelight to flicker.
Du Jianshan lay on the ground, covered in sweat, his hand still tightly gripping the old gun.
Xiao Weizi lay on the ground, panting, his face covered in mud and blood.
"Are you...alive?" Du Jianshan asked with difficulty.
"Still...still breathing." Xiao Wei coughed twice, wincing in pain.
Du Jianshan laughed, his voice hoarse: "Well done, kid. We really fought for our lives today."
He dragged himself over and looked at the giant beast. The tiger's chest heaved a few times, then finally stopped. The firelight shone on its stripes, making them appear as if they were cast in black gold.
“That’s good,” Xiao Weizi said with a wry smile, “Now the whole village will have to admire you, Brother Du.”
Du Jianshan was silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "Hunting is not about showing off. It's also about making a living. If we win a game against it, we should also respect its life."
As he spoke, he drew his knife and carved a line of words on the ground:
"The spirit of the black-spotted tiger returns to the mountains and forests."
Du Jianshan rubbed his sore shoulders, stood up, and stretched. The battle last night was extremely dangerous, and he still felt some lingering fear.
Nearby, Xiao Weizi was still huddled in the haystack, clutching his gun, snoring loudly.
Du Jianshan kicked him: "Get up, the sun's already high in the sky."
Xiao Weizi groggily opened his eyes, and upon seeing Du Jianshan's dark face, immediately jumped up: "What's wrong? Is there something else?"
"Nonsense," Du Jianshan laughed and scolded, "Look at you, you coward. You took down Tiger last night, are you afraid this mountain won't recognize us?"
Xiao Wei scratched his head and chuckled, "That wasn't an ordinary night; I'll never forget it."
The two men quickly tidied up, skinned the tiger, and tied it with a tree branch. Once dried in the sun, the skin shone brightly and was as thick and heavy as a layer of iron.
Xiao Wei clicked his tongue in amazement: "If we take this thing back, we could probably exchange it for ten bags of grain, right?"
Du Jianshan said calmly, "If a hunter only cares about food, he will forever remain at the foot of the mountain. To observe animals on the mountain, one must respect them in one's heart; only then can one truly understand the way."
"Yes, yes, Brother Du is right." Xiao Weizi replied, but his eyes couldn't help but glance at the tiger skin again.
After eating some dry rations, the two continued their journey towards Dongling. The area there was dense forest and steep slopes, known as the legendary "Leopard's Den Ridge."
At noon, sunlight filtered through the trees, casting dappled patterns on the ground. Sparrows chirped incessantly, and the wind rustled through the grass.
"Brother, this forest is strangely quiet," Xiao Wei said in a low voice.
Du Jianshan stopped and squinted, surveying his surroundings. Though birds sang frequently, there wasn't a single animal sound from the depths of the forest. The silence was unusual; it was as if something unseen was lurking beneath the surface.
“There’s some noise,” he said.
What's that noise?
"The leopard."
Xiao Wei shuddered: "Another leopard? Last night it was a tiger, and today there's a leopard? How can this mountain be so unreasonable?"
Du Jianshan laughed: "There's no reasoning in the mountains. We've stepped into their territory, so naturally we have to follow the rules."
Just then, they heard several startled bird cries coming from not far ahead, followed by...
A soft sound, as if some ferocious creature was moving through the forest.
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