“Possibly,” Du Jianshan said coldly. “But whoever it is, if they dare to cause trouble in these mountains, we have to be careful. Tie Niu, remember, follow me and don’t fall behind.”
The two continued trekking along the forest path, a cold wind blowing through the woods, carrying the smell of decaying leaves. Suddenly, Tie Niu stopped and pointed ahead: "Brother Du, look...there's green light over there again!"
Du Jianshan squatted down, examined it carefully, and his face instantly darkened: "Tie Niu, do you remember what we talked about, the bloodstains and the green light? Those things can't be made by ordinary people. We need to speed things up and go up the mountain to the open space near the tiger's den. I want to observe the situation there."
While panting, Tie Niu nodded: "Okay, Brother Du, you lead the way, I'll follow you closely."
Under the moonlight, the two cast long shadows, their shadows intertwining in the woods, making it seem as if a thousand eyes were watching them.
After walking for a while, Tie Niu couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Brother Du, do you think... we'll really run into that kind of person? Or... is it just a fox spirit from the mountains?"
Du Jianshan glared at him: "A fox spirit? Tie Niu, you're trying to scare me to death! Besides wild animals, there are people from our village on the mountain, no other monsters. Calm down!"
Tie Niu swallowed hard: "Yes...yes, but...I've never seen that kind of blood and green light before."
Du Jianshan sighed: "That thing is strange, but we just need to get out of here alive. Remember, hunting is a business, and life is more important than prey."
The two slowly made their way up the rugged mountain path. Suddenly, Tie Niu tripped and nearly fell, his musket slipping from his hand and rolling to the side.
"Tie Niu!" Du Jianshan shouted sharply, grabbing him. "Are you stupid?! Be careful!"
Tie Niu clutched his knee, his heart pounding: "I'm sorry, Brother Du, I...I'm nervous..."
Du Jianshan patted him on the shoulder: "It's normal to be nervous, but you have to learn to control yourself. Remember, this is not our backyard; anything can happen at any time."
After walking for half an hour, the mountain path became slightly flatter, and a clearing appeared ahead, near the tiger's den. Du Jianshan squatted down, signaling Tie Niu to stop.
"Observe the situation first, don't move around," Du Jianshan said in a low voice. He gently peeked out and scanned the surrounding woods.
"Brother Du, tell me... what was that green light just now?" Tie Niu asked in a low voice, his eyes fixed on the woods ahead.
"Tie Niu, don't overthink it. Let's finish today's work first," Du Jianshan said in a low voice, his eyes scanning the surroundings of the open space. "Make sure you understand the situation before you act."
Tie Niu gritted his teeth and nodded. He was very nervous, but he still followed Du Jianshan's example, squatting down and trying not to make a sound.
Du Jianshan took out a few small wooden stakes from his basket and gently placed them at the edge of the open space. He whispered to Tie Niu, "Put these stakes near the tree roots, not too far apart, the closer the better. Once I've set up the rope and bait, I can set up a trap."
"Brother Du, won't this rope... be easy to spot?" Tie Niu asked with some concern.
Du Jianshan shook his head: "No, we have to hide cleverly so the prey won't notice. Things in the mountains have sharper eyes than people, but they can't understand what we're making."
The two began carefully setting up the trap along the path of the woods. Du Jianshan was in charge of placing the main rope and bait—several dried fish tied to pine branches and gently hung near the tree roots. Tie Niu was responsible for securing the stakes, reporting quietly as each stake was placed: "Alright, Brother Du, one's in."
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