mtl008 Chapter 434 Reaping the consequences
Chapter 434 Reaping the consequences
The next morning, Li Xiangyang and his group went to the mountains and forests of Yangjia Village again.
"Brother Xiangyang, are you sure there won't be any problems going today?" Chen Chen asked, holding a hunting rifle and following closely behind Li Xiangyang, his voice tinged with worry.
Li Xiangyang laughed without turning his head, "Don't worry, we're just going hunting, not stealing. It's all aboveboard."
Wang Ergou chimed in from the side, "That's right, if they dare to make a move, we have weapons too, what are we afraid of?"
Despite having already tampered with the enemy's trap, the group still proceeded cautiously forward.
Li Xiangyang walked at the front, stopping from time to time to observe the surrounding environment and make sure there were no new traps.
Just as we entered the depths of the forest, we heard a few deliberately hushed laughs coming from the bushes ahead.
"Shh—" Li Xiangyang made a shushing gesture, and the group immediately stopped.
"Over there!" Wang Ergou whispered, pointing to a thicket of bushes to the left front.
Through the gaps in the branches and leaves, the group saw several familiar figures—the tall man from yesterday and his companions.
"Judging by this, it seems they've been waiting for us for a long time," Chen Chen said in a low voice.
Li Xiangyang smiled slightly: "Let's go over and say hello."
The villagers from Yangjia Village were squatting behind the bushes whispering among themselves when they were suddenly caught off guard as Li Xiangyang and his group swaggered toward them.
"Hey, aren't these the hunters from Yangjia Village? You're up in the mountains so early?" Li Xiangyang greeted them casually.
The tall man forced a smile: "Li Xiangyang, I didn't expect you guys would dare to come today."
"Why don't you dare come? This mountain isn't yours to own," Wang Ergou said disdainfully.
The pockmarked man replied sarcastically, "Your courage is commendable, but I advise you not to be too arrogant. There are so many traps in the mountains; if you accidentally step on one, you'll be in trouble."
Li Xiangyang feigned surprise: "Oh? A trap? Who set it?"
"We don't know who set this trap, but don't blame us if you get into trouble. We were just trying to warn you," the tall man said meaningfully, waiting to see their embarrassing predicament after stepping into the trap.
Li Xiangyang said casually, "Thanks for the reminder, we'll be careful. But aren't you hunting? Just standing here?"
“We’re waiting for our prey,” the tall man replied casually.
"Oh, sorry to bother you, let's go look somewhere else." Li Xiangyang gestured and led the hunting team forward.
After walking a short distance, Li Daqiang couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Their expressions, haha, they definitely thought we were going to fall into a trap!"
"Shh, keep your voice down," Li Xiangyang warned. "They'll definitely follow us; they're just waiting to see us get into trouble."
Sure enough, not long after walking, Li Xiangyang heard rustling footsteps coming from the woods behind him.
"Don't turn around, pretend you didn't see anything," Li Xiangyang whispered, then raised his voice, "That flat area up ahead looks nice, let's go check it out!"
The group walked straight towards an open space, their steps light and quick, showing no sign of worrying about a trap.
Li Xiangyang deliberately slowed his pace, walking at the very back. After the other members of the hunting team had walked some distance, he seized the opportunity, suddenly stopped, and listened intently.
The footsteps behind them stopped, and after a moment, whispers could be heard: "How come they're completely unharmed? Where's the trap?"
"Don't rush, just keep going forward." The tall man's voice was very low, but Li Xiangyang still caught it.
A smile played on Li Xiangyang's lips as he strode to catch up with his companion.
In the afternoon, the hunting party had been wandering in the mountains for most of the day and had a good haul: two rabbits and a small wild boar.
The hunters from Yangjia Village who followed behind them found nothing and grew increasingly anxious.
"That's strange. We set so many traps yesterday, how come we didn't step on a single one?" the pockmarked man muttered in confusion.
“Something’s not right. Let’s go check it out,” the tall man said with a grim face.
"Could it be that we've been discovered?" the pockmarked man asked.
"Who would find out? We dug so well hidden." The tall man was unconvinced and continued searching nearby.
Just as the group found the original locations of the traps, the tall, thin man in the group accidentally stepped on the moved rope snare and ended up hanging upside down from the tree, looking utterly disheveled.
"Help! Help me down!" The tall, thin man struggled in mid-air.
The others rushed over, and in the chaos, two more people fell into the widened trap.
"What's going on?" the tall man exclaimed in panic. "How did a trap end up here?"
Li Xiangyang and his group, who were hiding behind the bushes, couldn't help but laugh when they saw this.
"Shh! Don't laugh out loud!" Li Xiangyang whispered, barely suppressing his laughter.
But it was too late. The hunters in Yangjia Village became alert as soon as they heard the laughter.
"Who is it? Come out!" The tall man raised his shotgun and shouted toward the source of the voice.
"Let's go, they've called us, let's go check it out, just in case something really happened." Li Xiangyang turned and walked in the direction the voice came from.
When the group arrived at the scene, they saw the tall, thin man hanging from a tree like a monkey, his face flushed red. The other two who had fallen into the pit were also badly injured, covered in mud and looking quite disheveled.
"What happened? How could you be so careless?" Li Xiangyang asked, feigning concern.
The tall man glared at Li Xiangyang through gritted teeth: "Li Xiangyang, was this your doing?"
Li Xiangyang looked completely innocent: "What are you saying? Wasn't the trap set by you?"
“Our traps don’t look like this!” the tall man roared.
Li Xiangyang scratched his head: "That's strange. Could there be other hunters in the mountains? Never mind, saving people is the priority."
He gestured for Wang Ergou and Li Daqiang to help.
"You guys dug this trap way too deep. Luckily there weren't any wooden stakes, or someone would have died!" Wang Ergou said sarcastically as he helped.
The tall man, his sore spot hit, turned pale and then flushed, but he couldn't refute it. It was indeed as Wang Ergou said; thankfully there were no wooden stakes, otherwise his own men would have been killed today.
After rescuing the three, Li Xiangyang looked at the sky and said, "The sun is about to set, let's say goodbye here."
The tall man sat on the ground, watching Li Xiangyang and his companions return laden with their spoils, and gritted his teeth in anger.
"Li Xiangyang, don't be so smug! We'll see!" he said viciously.
Li Xiangyang waved his hand without turning his head: "Like a dog biting Lü Dongbin, ungrateful for kindness. Not only do you not thank me, but you also dare to talk tough to me. Watch your step! If you fall into another trap, there will be no one to help you."
The hunting party descended the mountain amidst laughter and chatter, leaving the villagers of Yangjia Village dejected.
This time, not only did they fail to catch their prey, but they also suffered the consequences of their own actions, falling into their own trap and losing face.