The snow was quite heavy this winter, and the three brothers hadn't gone hunting in the mountains for several years. These past few years, sitting in offices and driving around, their physical strength wasn't what it used to be.
So the three of them chased after it for another seven or eight miles, until they were all panting heavily and their speed gradually slowed down.
Just then, a tiger's roar suddenly came from afar. Upon hearing this, the three brothers immediately roused themselves and continued their pursuit.
As they chased after them, they heard several more tiger roars, and the roars seemed to grow louder as they approached.
The three brothers exchanged a knowing glance, then immediately dispersed, each finding a strategic spot to conceal themselves.
The three of them were currently in a clear, lush forest on an uphill slope. There weren't many bushes or weeds obstructing their view, and they could see quite far ahead.
The three looked in the direction from which the tiger's roar came and saw wisps of white smoke rising from the hillside.
That wasn't smoke, but snow kicked up by wild beasts running at high speed across the snow.
The tiger's roar was still in the distance, but the snow smoke shot down the mountain like a sharp arrow.
This thing runs extremely fast; expecting to aim before firing is simply impossible. The three brothers relied solely on instinct and pulled the trigger one after another, three shots rang out.
It's unclear who hit it, but the leopard, which was leaping into the air, was struck in the front leg, spurting out a trail of blood.
The leopard fell to the ground, but it nimbly flipped backward and leaped eastward.
The leopard's hind leg was injured, and it had just lost another front leg, so it was not as agile as usual.
Even so, this guy ran pretty fast, disappearing in a few leaps.
Sheng Xiping and his two companions emerged from behind the tree and chased after the leopard in the direction it had fled.
The leopard was injured, and it was obviously unlikely that it could jump up the tree again, so it left footprints of varying pressure on the snow, as well as dripping blood, which came from the leopard.
The three brothers chased after it for a while when they suddenly heard a tiger's roar.
After a while, they saw Hua Hua walking towards them from a distance, something in her mouth.
Upon closer inspection, what was in Hua Hua's mouth was either the leopard that had just escaped, or something else?
When the gunshot rang out, no one knew where Hua Hua was hiding. When the leopard ran past, Hua Hua pounced on it and bit its neck, killing it instantly.
"The three of us brothers can't even compare to Hua Hua alone. This tiger is really something."
As soon as Liu Yujiang saw Hua Hua return with the leopard in her mouth, he immediately put the safety on his gun, afraid of accidentally shooting Hua Hua. The two brothers did the same, putting the safety on their guns and slinging them over their shoulders.
Hua Hua carried the leopard to the three of them, then released it, throwing it to the ground and hissing at it.
The leopard was completely dead and motionless. Only then did Hua Hua feel relieved. She walked up to Sheng Xiping and nuzzled him.
"You're really amazing. Taking you hunting is much better than taking any of our dogs at home." Sheng Xiping happily patted Hua Hua's head.
This tiger was raised from a cub and had gone hunting in the mountains with Sheng Xiping many times. It knew how to cooperate with people and had a particularly good understanding with Sheng Xiping.
As long as Hua Hua goes into the mountains with her, hunting is a piece of cake.
"Xiping, you should do it. I'm afraid your tiger won't like the two of us."
Liu Yujiang drew the knife he carried with him and handed it to Sheng Xiping, telling him to go over and gut the leopard.
There was nothing they could do. The two brothers had offended Hua Hua this morning, and right now, they really didn't dare to tease the dead leopard, for fear of upsetting Hua Hua.
Upon hearing this, Sheng Xiping laughed, took the dagger, went forward, disemboweled the leopard, removed its internal organs, and fed them to Hua Hua.
Hua Hua had eaten her fill last night and wasn't actually hungry right now, but she still took the leopard heart and went to eat it, making soft whimpering noises as she ate.
When felines eat, they make noises to warn other animals not to approach.
In the past, when Hua Hua was in the Sheng family or by Sheng Xiping's side, she usually wouldn't make such a sound.
But today, Hua Hua seemed to be venting her anger, making a whimpering sound while eating the leopard's heart.
After finishing the leopard heart, Sheng Xiping offered Hua Hua something else, but she shook her head and refused to eat it.
Seeing this, Sheng Xiping didn't insist. He simply hung the leopard's internal organs aside to cool and stuffed snow into the leopard's belly.
After the leopard carcass cooled down, they put the internal organs back in. "Let's go home."
A male leopard weighs about 90 pounds, less than 100 pounds.
There's no need for a sled for this weight; we can just tow it back.
And so, the three men and the tiger, dragging the leopard's carcass, took a shortcut and returned to the forest.
The round trip took quite a while. By the time they arrived at the forest farm, it was almost ten o'clock.
With the Lunar New Year approaching, the forestry team is on holiday. Everyone is either tidying up the yard, chopping firewood, or going out to the store to buy things, so there are quite a few people in the village.
Many people were startled when they saw Sheng Xiping and his two companions leading a tiger and dragging a wild beast covered in ring-shaped stripes.
"Xiping, what have you been doing? Why are you leading a tiger around in broad daylight? Aren't you afraid of scaring people?"
"Hey, what did you catch? A leopard? Wow, you guys are something else!"
Some people were bold enough to come closer for a closer look and chat with Sheng Xiping for a bit.
“Something came into the farm last night and killed several deer. We followed the tracks early this morning and found this guy,” Sheng Xiping explained casually.
"Oh, is that so? Well then, you guys should hurry home, especially your tiger. Go back inside and don't come out and scare people."
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