mtl008 Chapter 364 Run! Run fast!
Chapter 364 Run! Run fast!
Noticing Wang Ergou's distress, Li Xiangyang handed him the rabbit and said, "Ergou, take this rabbit back."
Upon hearing this, Wang Ergou immediately waved his hand in refusal: "How can that be? We came out hunting together, how can you give it all to me?"
Li Xiangyang smiled and said, "I know about Xiao Jin's situation at home. Although you have been working hard to train its hunting skills since it came with you, it still can't compare to wild ones. If it doesn't have enough to eat, you won't feel good about it, will you?"
“Then I won’t stand on ceremony. Seriously, Xiangyang, we need to consider going deep into the mountains,” Wang Ergou said in a low voice. “My Xiaojin, your Xiaohu, and Xuanmao are all carnivores. If they can catch their own prey, that’s fine, but if they can’t, they can’t go hungry.”
Li Xiangyang was silent for a moment, then finally nodded: "You're right. I'll go home and tell Xiaoyun, so she won't worry."
"Okay, it's settled then."
When they returned to the village, the moon was already high in the sky. The two parted ways at the village entrance and went their separate ways home.
"You're back? How was your day? What were your results?"
As Li Xiangyang entered, Li Xiaoyun asked him questions while pouring him a cup of hot water.
Li Xiangyang took the water glass, took a sip, and shook his head: "Not very successful. I only caught one wild rabbit, which I gave to Er Gou. After all, he has Xiao Jin to raise."
Li Xiangyang sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), took off his mud-covered shoes, and sighed, "Xiaoyun, the harvest is poor this year, and the game in the neighborhood has been almost completely wiped out."
He paused, carefully choosing his words: "Ergou and I both think we need to consider moving deeper into the mountains. Otherwise, if it gets any colder, not only will Xiaojin be hungry, but Xiaohu and Xuanmao at home won't be able to get enough to eat either."
Although somewhat worried, Li Xiaoyun understood the importance of the matter and immediately said, "Going into the mountains is fine, but please be careful."
"Definitely, definitely," Li Xiangyang said with a smile, putting his arm around his wife's shoulder. "This time we'll go to the Shuanglu Mountain area, which isn't too far from the village. We'll be back in three days at most."
"When are you leaving?"
"Let's do it the day after tomorrow. Let's get ready tomorrow," Li Xiangyang said.
Li Xiaoyun nodded: "Then I'll make more dry rations tomorrow, you can take them with you on the road."
"Thank you for your hard work." Li Xiangyang looked at his wife with gratitude.
The next day, Li Xiangyang got up early and began preparing his gear for the mountain trip.
He inspected the mechanical parts of the shotgun, cleaned the barrel, and prepared the equipment for the night.
Li Xiaoyun was also busy steaming buns, frying dried meat, and preparing dry food in the kitchen.
After making all the preparations, the next morning, Li Xiangyang bid farewell to his wife, took Xiaohu and Xuanmao out the door, and headed towards Wang Ergou's house.
As dawn broke, the village was quiet, broken only by the occasional crowing of a few roosters.
When Li Xiangyang arrived at Wang Ergou's house, he gently knocked on the door.
Soon, the door opened, and Wang Ergou came out fully dressed and armed.
"Good morning, Xiangyang." Wang Ergou yawned. "I just finished feeding Xiao Jin, and it seems to know we're going hunting; it's very excited."
"Keep your voice down on the road, don't disturb the villagers," Li Xiangyang said in a low voice. "Let's go."
The two, along with their respective animal companions, quietly left the village and headed towards Shuanglu Mountain.
As dawn broke, the eastern sky turned a pale white, and the fiery sunrise shone on their faces.
After walking for a while, Wang Ergou spoke up, "What are we mainly fighting this time?"
"There are deer and wild boars on the mountain; encountering a wild boar would be ideal," Li Xiangyang said. "But it mainly depends on luck. Rabbits and pheasants are also good if we can catch them."
As they talked, they arrived at the foot of the mountain.
“Let’s go up the mountain this way,” Li Xiangyang pointed to a small path. “I’ve been here before.”
Wang Ergou patted Xiao Jin's wings: "Xiao Jin, help us find prey later."
Little Gold let out a clear chirp, as if in response.
The two began climbing up the mountain along the path.
The road was not easy to walk, sometimes steep and sometimes slippery, but the two were both experienced hikers in the mountains and forests, so they handled it with ease.
Li Xiangyang walked ahead, stopping from time to time to observe the marks on the ground.
The little tiger ran ahead, occasionally turning back to make sure its owner was still following.
The black cat remained perched on Li Xiangyang's shoulder, vigilantly observing its surroundings.
The Shuanglu Mountain area is characterized by steep slopes and jagged rocks.
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou had been deep in the mountains for a whole day, and apart from a few rabbits and pheasants, they had not encountered any larger prey.
As darkness fell, the two found a sheltered mountain hollow to spend the night.
"Brother Xiangyang, why are we so unlucky?" Wang Ergou complained as he started a fire. "We usually come back from the mountains with a full load, but this time we haven't even seen a wild boar."
Li Xiangyang didn't answer, but instead carefully observed his surroundings, his brow furrowing slightly: "That's strange. Normally, there should be quite a few wild boars and deer in Shuanglu Mountain this season. Even if they were attacked, there shouldn't be no trace of them. Could something have happened in the mountains?"
"What's up?"
"I don't know, but it's definitely not a good thing," Li Xiangyang stood up and looked around. "Be careful tonight. We'll take turns keeping watch, and we absolutely cannot let our guard down."
As night fell completely, the temperature in the valley dropped sharply.
Before the campfire, Little Tiger curled up at Li Xiangyang's feet, while Black Cat cautiously scrambled up a tree, its ears twitching incessantly.
"You go to sleep first, I'll keep watch for the first half of the night," Li Xiangyang said to Wang Ergou. "I'll call you if anything happens."
Wang Ergou wrapped his cotton coat tighter around himself, nodded, leaned against a large rock, and closed his eyes.
As night deepened, one could often hear the chirping of insects and birds, and even the howling of wild animals in the distance, when spending the night in the mountains.
But tonight, apart from the rustling of the wind through the treetops, there was almost no other sound.
Li Xiangyang sat warily by the campfire, adding dry branches to the fire from time to time, his unease growing.
This situation continued until dawn, when the howling of wolves finally echoed through the mountains.
The howls of wolves came and went, but no wolf pack ever appeared in sight.
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou took turns resting, remaining highly vigilant.
In the early hours of the morning, Li Xiangyang was keeping watch when he suddenly noticed that Xuanmao and Xiaohu were both looking up at the southeast direction, their ears perked up.
Following their gaze, Li Xiangyang vaguely saw several black dots moving on the distant mountain ridge. By the moonlight, he recognized them as a group of wild boars running frantically.
"Ergou, wake up," Li Xiangyang shook Wang Ergou awake forcefully. "Look over there."
Wang Ergou rubbed his eyes and looked in the direction Li Xiangyang was pointing: "What's going on? Could it be that these wild boars have encountered some natural enemy?"
"Judging from the situation, it shouldn't be..." Li Xiangyang pondered.
No sooner had he finished speaking than another commotion arose in the distance, and a deafening cacophony erupted throughout the mountains and forests.
All sorts of animals fled frantically in different directions.
Herds of deer, badgers, foxes, hares, pheasants...
Even animals that are natural enemies are now running side by side without regard for anything else.
Upon seeing this, Li Xiangyang's expression changed drastically. "Run! Run!"