Chapter 14 Spring Equinox

  In the mountain valley below the western foot of Taijin Mountain, more than ten miles away, there is a clear and cold stream that winds its way through a dense bamboo forest. From the edge of the mountain road, two tightly adjacent red rocks at the foot of the mountain flow down with a gurgling sound, producing a pleasant tinkling sound. The warm sunlight from the west shines through the gaps in the bamboo tips, casting dappled golden light into the rippling stream, reflecting shimmering ripples.

  Weary Wu Ming squatted by the stream, scooping up a handful of fine sand to wash away the mud and sticky bloodstains from his hands. He cupped several handfuls of water to clean his face, which was covered in dirt and sweat stains. Lifting his head, he gazed up at the azure sky and let out a long, satisfying sigh.

  The five-day hunting trip ultimately took eight days, and no wolves were caught, but two large wild boars and five small wild boars were caught. Wu Ming and Tian Zhenggang carried the prey on their backs for a day and a half, making six trips back and forth, covering over 200 miles of mountain roads, before finally bringing it here. It can be said that this trip was not in vain, with a bountiful harvest. As Tian Zhenggang, an excellent hunter, proudly put it: "In the past, even if ten good hunters went out for half a month, they wouldn't have achieved what we two did on this trip."

  Wu Ming learned a lot in eight days, and his understanding of perseverance and persistence deepened. He fired more than 80 shots, testing his marksmanship while also gaining valuable wilderness survival experience and hunting knowledge.

  Two men traversed mountains and ridges in search of wild beasts' tracks and lairs, walking until they were drenched in sweat and exhausted every day. At night, they would casually find a cave to start a bonfire for the night. When hungry, they would pick some wild vegetables and mushrooms, use bamboo tubes to boil a soup, and fill their stomachs with dry rations. The next morning, they would eat some dry rations and continue on their way.

  The first three days yielded nothing, but Wu Ming's marksmanship training consumed one-third of the ammunition, making the entire process not dull at all. Along the way, they occasionally encountered small game such as pangolins, wild rabbits, and mountain birds. Following Tian Zhenggang, Wu Ming got to know many animals and plants, understood the habits of various beasts and birds, knew which wild mushrooms and vegetables were edible and which were poisonous, learned to identify different types of vines and leaves, and knew how to dig up large mountain yams from the roots of the vines.

  By the fourth day, Wu Ming found that his physical strength had decreased a lot, and he also began to feel anxious in his heart. He thought that Tian Zhenggang, who was equally young and energetic, would not be able to hold on either, but unexpectedly, Tian did not show any signs of impatience at all, still full of energy and walking briskly. Wu Ming could only grit his teeth and follow him, finding it very difficult to keep up.

  Fortunately, Tian Zhenggang stopped every time he encountered animal feces, footprints and fallen vegetation, patiently telling Wu Ming what kind of animal left the mark, how long it had been left, which direction to go next, and how to dig traps and set up ambushes if there was no gun. Several times, Tian Zhenggang even picked up wolf dung and sniffed it, making more accurate judgments based on this.

  Seeing Tian Zhenggang so calm and dedicated, Wu Ming felt ashamed of himself, and he admired Tian Zhenggang's rich outdoor survival knowledge and super strong tenacity.

  On the fourth evening, Tian Zhengang finally found the wild boar's lair. Wu Ming, who was exhausted, suddenly regained his energy. Under Tian Zhengang's command, the two of them quietly circled around from downwind and occupied the two high points opposite the wild boar's den, firing a barrage at the startled wild boars.

  Lao Lian's Tian Zhengang picked up his own Hanyang rifle and killed a ferocious wild boar with just two shots. Wu Ming, holding a Mauser pistol, was excited but missed all three of his initial shots, provoking the enraged wild boar to charge towards him.

  Before Wu Mingduan aimed his gun, Tian Zhenggang fired a shot and hit the running wild boar's forehead, splashing blood and falling to the ground. The pig herd panicked and fled in all directions, wailing and screaming. Only then did Tian Zhenggang load the second bullet, and the whole process was done with ease and composure.

  The two big pigs that fell to the ground in the pig group were all knocked down by Tian Zhenggang, more than 40 meters away, and were in a favorable terrain where wild boars could not use instant impact to form a threat. For Tian Zhenggang, who held a military rifle, it was really too simple to shoot down the prey.

  As the mad wild boar was hunted down by Tian Zhenggang, Wu Ming also calmed down, took aim with his gun and fired, hitting two small pigs that were running slowly more than 40 meters away. Another adult male pig was hit and turned around to escape wildly, the crisp sound of the gunshot shook the valley, the echo lingering on, everywhere reverberating with the wild boar's mournful cries.

  Four days of arduous trekking and camping in the wind and dew, in exchange for a brief few minutes of hunting, yielded a bountiful harvest. Wu Ming's heart was filled with emotion, and he gained a deeper understanding of hunting.

  Wu Ming, who was good at summarizing, finally adapted to this point. In the next two nights and one day, the two experienced another failed ambush: using a mountain vine to tie a wounded small pig under a small tree in an open area, trying to use the small pig's cry and the bloody smell of several dead wild boars to lure the wolf, but unfortunately, it did not work out as expected, and they didn't even see the shadow of a wolf.

  Tian Zhenggang said that wolves are cunning, and the sound of gunfire has probably startled them away. When wolves sense danger, they will flee far away. With the weather warming up, small animals have come out to forage, so wolves won't be short on food. Even if they hear the cries of a wild boar, they won't come. To deal with the wolves, we can only wait until next time. Anyway, with the powerful Hanyang rifle in hand, we're not worried about not being able to hit them. Besides, wolf hides are best during the early winter season.

  The two men gave up the ambush of the wild wolf, and worked together to bring the two big wild boars and five small wild boars to the west foot of Taijin Mountain, which took another day and a half.

  Wu Ming was exhausted, before that he had always thought himself to be diligent and hardworking with superhuman endurance, and had been secretly practicing martial arts in the Taoist temple for half a year. He didn't dare say he was exceptional, but at least his physical strength and endurance were much stronger than before. However, compared to Tian Zhenggang who could walk on mountain roads as if they were flat ground due to his extraordinary physical abilities, Wu Ming found that he was far from being comparable.

  At the foot of the mountain, it was just a mountain road that had walked out of the mountains and forests, more than four miles away from Tianjia Village. Wu Ming, who had packed everything up, felt his legs fluttering, sat down and couldn't take another step, and could only repeatedly remind Tian Zhenggang to remember that if someone asked, he would say "the gun was borrowed by Wu Daozhang and has been returned", let him hide the gun and go back to the village to call a few trustworthy brothers, divide the pig and send it back to the village. It is estimated that the villagers will not pursue the origin of the gun, no matter what, they can get back thousands of catties of meat, give each household one or two pieces, let the elderly and children improve their lives, which is also good, throwing them away would be sinful, even if Wu Ming could bear to do so, Tian Zhenggang was unwilling.

  What made Lian Zhenggang feel extremely disappointed was that after Wu Ming finished reminding him, he didn't wait for Lian Zhenggang to return to the village and call someone, but instead left alone. Lian Zhenggang knew that Wu Ming's personality was gentle and kind, without any airs or distinction between high and low, noble and humble. The reason why he didn't want to show his face was completely because he didn't want people to discover the secret of the rifle.

  That night, Tianjia Village was filled with the fragrance of wine and a joyful atmosphere. The villagers, who had already remembered Wu Daolang's kindness, were even more grateful.

  The next day, before dawn, Tian Zheng brought gifts and climbed Taijin Mountain. When he arrived, he saw Wu Ming practicing boxing. Under the itchy hands, he actually practiced with Wu Ming. After a dozen rounds, neither of them dared to use their full strength, and in the end, they fought to a draw, but there were several more footprints on Wu Ming's body.

  Wu Ming walked into the house with a huff, and Le Hehe's Tian Zhenggang had already brought in a wooden tray of creek water and towels: "Big brother, wash your face."

  Wu Ming saw Tian Zhenggang still looking energetic and lively, shook his head and started joking: "Didn't the beautiful daughter of Old Qian's family get you drunk last night?"

  Tian Zhenggang smiled and put down the wooden basin, pulling out a brand new pair of thousand-layer-soled shoes from behind his back: "Big brother, these shoes were sent by my mother, don't disdain them."

  Wu Ming glanced at the new shoes, washed his face and wrung out the towel to pour away the water. He pointed at Tian Zheng's feet, which were wearing cotton shoes with patches on them, and said: "These were made by your mother for you, right? You keep them, I have shoes."

  Tian Zhenggang patiently waited for Wu Ming to finish washing, and followed him into the small hut: "Big brother, I remember you said that nowadays foreign troops wear those sturdy rubber-soled shoes with laces, which are durable, lightweight, and non-slip when climbing mountains. They can be bought in big cities like Shanghai and Guangzhou. If you become rich one day, just send me a pair, okay?"

  Wu Ming stared into Tian Zhenggang's eyes for a while: "Alright, I remember."

  Two people were enjoying a fragrant and savory meat porridge in front of the fireplace. Wu Ming held his bowl and asked, "What day is today that you don't have to work?"

  Tian Zhenggang looked at Wu Ming in surprise: "Today is the Spring Equinox, and every year on this day, Qi Zhen Guan holds a grand ceremony to pray for blessings for all people. People from all around will come to burn incense and pray for good fortune. At this time, Qi Zhen Guan must be packed with people. Big brother, you can't really be a fake Taoist, can you? But that doesn't make sense either - if you were a fake Taoist, why would the famous Qi Zhen Daoist Master leave you behind?"

  Wu Ming smiled wryly, finished a big bowl of meat porridge, patted his warm belly and stood up: "Alright, this time entering the mountain, although we didn't catch any wild wolves, I witnessed your exceptional skills and calm temperament, I'm at ease now! As long as you have the gun in hand, I believe the wild wolf will be taken care of sooner or later. There's just not many bullets left, I reckon you can quietly find someone on the road to buy more from, or sell some goods to the merchants who collect mountain products, and use them sparingly."

  "Big brother, are you really leaving?" Tian Zhenggang hastily stood up.

  Wu Ming nodded: "The solar calendar is already in late March, I've been stuck here for almost ten months, it's time to go, you were right just now, I'm not a real Taoist, and like you, I come from a poor family, living in the Qi Zhen Temple because I was injured and needed treatment. I estimate that within these few days, Mount Longhu will send someone to deliver my travel documents. You quite liked this little house, didn't you? I've already spoken with Master Chengzhi, after I leave, if you can use it, then use it, the cave behind has a lot of wine, grain and dry goods, do as you see fit."

  "Big brother......" Tian Zhenggang was reluctant to let Wu Ming leave, but the simple and honest man didn't know how to persuade him to stay.

  "Come on, let's go to Ma'an Ridge and take out the guns and bullets. It's not safe to leave them in that small cave for a long time. After I'm done, I'll head up from the east path, you figure out how to bring the guns back and hide them in a safe place." Wu Ming said as he started walking, Tian Zhenggang had no choice but to follow quickly.

  Two men crossed the western cliff and went down to the Ma'an Ridge mountain pass, crossed a small stream from the forest cave to take out long guns and bullets. Tian Zhenggang wrapped the Hanyang-made rifle around with cloth strips, finally raised his head reluctantly looking at Wu Ming, saw Wu Ming waving his hand and walking into the uphill path, Tian Zhenggang didn't think twice and followed him.

  Wu Ming had no choice but to stop, and after another round of consolation, he agreed to stay overnight in Tianjia Village and have a few farewell drinks before leaving. Tian Zheng just walked down the mountain with three steps and two turns back.

  Wu Ming, drenched in sweat, climbed up the steep rock wall, rounded two narrow and steep mountain bends, passed through a bamboo forest under a large tree, and was surprised to find that on the bamboo pole in front of his small hut, a row of quilts and clothes were drying. The familiar figure disappeared at the door of his small hut, flashing by like a startled swan, making Wu Ming furious.