Or it could be a coniferous forest.
Because it was far away, I couldn't see very clearly.
Not far from that grove of trees, you can see many withered, bare trees, without a single leaf on them; they must be oak trees.
Oak trees are not widely distributed in the Ziwu Ridge Mountains. Apart from Mengbaling, they can only be found in Yeji Ridge further west. These two places share a common feature: they are lower than the surrounding mountains, making them very suitable for oak tree growth.
Oak trees attract weasels and wild boars.
In winter, wild boars have less to eat. After all, they are omnivores, not pure carnivorous predators like jackals, so their hunting ability is almost negligible.
To fill their stomachs, they had to find a way.
They usually eat hay, tree roots, and stalks of shrubs. When heavy snow blocks the land and food becomes scarce, they will run to the oak trees to eat acorns buried in the snow.
Although this is somewhat like stealing food from mustelids, they don't care.
Except for a few like the honey badger that still try to hunt young wild boars, most mustelids simply can't handle wild boars.
"Okay, we'll split into two groups later, each looking for any tracks the wild boar might have left behind, one person with one dog. The snow stopped this morning, so if the wild boar had been there, it should have left hoof prints. Even if the prints are unclear, it should still leave a scent that the dogs can smell."
Cui Wanshan nodded, "Okay, wild boars are rather slow-witted and generally don't think about changing routes. If they pass through certain places today, they will definitely continue to take the same route tomorrow. We just need to find a good spot and wait for them to come to us."
"Haha, that's what I think, but I don't know if I'll be that lucky. There's always an unexpected twist to everything."
"That's true."
"Look, it seems like we can go up from either side. I'll take this one, and you take the other one with Dafeng. If we encounter any accidents, don't move. Tell Xiao Liu to come find me. Be careful."
Wild boars don't like to attack people, but if you suddenly encounter them and enter their protected area, anything can happen. Like bears, they have a strong sense of territory.
"Don't worry, it's not like this is my first time in the mountains. But you should be careful on your side too. Wild boars like to go along the mountainside, so the chances of them coming from the valley floor are much lower."
Cui Wanshan also reminded Wang Tianxiao that both of them possessed strong wilderness knowledge. Of course, they knew all of this knowledge, but the reason for emphasizing it was simply out of emotional concern.
“Okay,” Wang Tianxiao glanced at his watch. “It’s 10:50 PM now. No matter how it goes, we have to get together. See that ravine over there? That’s where we’ll meet. It’ll be sheltered from the wind and the cold.”
After saying that, he thought for a moment and added, "If they haven't returned by 5 o'clock, then there's been a problem or an accident. Just follow the original route to find them. With Xiao Liu in the sky, it'll be easy to find them."
"Okay, then let's do it this way."
The two agreed to go their separate ways.
Wang Tianxiao patted Aying on the neck, signaling her to lead the way, while he followed closely behind, carrying his gun and bundle.
The golden eagle was still circling above his head.
The golden eagle was raised by him from a young age. Apart from Liu Yuan, it liked to follow him. Even if he wanted it to follow Cui Wanshan, it wouldn't go.
Song Yang did not mention this matter.
The two took two different routes: Cui Wanshan went down the valley, while Wang Tianxiao went up the mountain.
Therefore, Cui Wanshan had to continue downwards, while Wang Tianxiao needed to go diagonally upwards, which would be more tiring for him.
He was fine at first, but after walking less than a kilometer, he was exhausted.
Walking in the snow is inherently more difficult than walking on solid ground.
Low friction means that it takes more effort to maintain balance, which is even more dangerous if you encounter an uphill road.
After walking for a while, he realized there was no other way, so he put the package on Ah Ying and used the gun as a walking stick. Only then did the situation improve.
As the oak forest drew closer, and the bare branches of the trees became visible to the naked eye, Wang Tianxiao straightened up, preparing to rest for a moment before continuing on his way.
Just then, the dog suddenly let out a low whimper.
It was baring its teeth and grinning at the front.
Wang Tianxiao followed the dog's gaze and suddenly noticed something dark and wriggling gently in the snow a few dozen meters in front of them.
As you slowly approach, you can hear low growls, like "whoosh whoosh."
It turned out to be a little wild boar.
This little wild boar looked no bigger than a dog, probably only two or three months old. Perhaps sensing danger, it struggled to escape, but it seemed to have a problem with one of its hind legs. It struggled but ran very slowly and was quickly caught up by Wang Tianxiao and Aying.
As soon as Ah Ying saw the wild boar cub, she pounced on it and launched into a tirade of threats.
Although the wild boar cub was scared, its innate wildness was also aroused. When the dog barked at it, it first struggled to run a few steps, but when it realized that it could not escape, it turned around and roared at the dog.
They are by no means weak.
After observing the wild boar for a while, Wang Tianxiao noticed that its hind leg seemed to have been bitten off by something, with traces of tearing still remaining on its underside and the leg bone protruding outwards, which looked quite horrifying.
It looks like it's in a lot of pain.
Seeing this, Wang Tianxiao temporarily ignored the wild boar. Judging from its appearance, it couldn't have run far, and a roast suckling pig was inevitable.
He instructed Ah Ying to keep an eye on the little wild boar, walk around it, and look around the vicinity. Finally, he found several very small footprints near the bushes.
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