Chapter 6: Hunting Bears

  The snow in the mountains has just begun to melt, and after the white snow melts, it is immediately frozen again by the icy cold weather, forming a layer of ice on the ground. When the sun shines, it's as if countless light bulbs suddenly appeared on the ground, dazzling people's eyes. However, this adds a touch of brilliance to the already beautiful snowy forest.

  However, if you walk in the mountains, you will feel that such a place is really terrible. In some places, the ice crust is not very solid, and one foot down, the ice surface shatters, and the accumulated snow below immediately reaches your knees. If it were on flat ground, it wouldn't be a big deal, but in such a mountain, it's very dangerous. Who knows what's under the snow? If it's stones or something, you might just sprain your ankle, but if there are pits or broken branches underneath, it can be fatal.

  Zhao Shi was quietly crouching on a tree stump, his eyebrows and eyes already covered with a lot of frost, it could be seen that the time had not been short, in fact, he had been in the mountain for four days now. The ice and snow in the forest had begun to melt, and the wild beasts that had hidden due to the heavy snow also began to come out to forage. Speaking of which, he had already shot three wild rabbits and got a few ground mice, but this was not enough to make him leave the mountain. In his opinion, at least one relatively larger prey should be caught before leaving.

  His body couldn't help but start shivering, the biting cold making his legs and feet numb, followed by a deep-seated ache. Zhao Shi estimated how much longer he could endure, having an unimaginable tolerance and nerves of steel, but his current physical condition was far from sufficient.

  Here, he found the footprints of a large animal. He was not very good at hunting and could not tell what kind of animal it was, maybe a tiger or a bear, who knows? But tracking based on the marks left behind was his strong point. He had only heard that animals generally do not wander aimlessly in the jungle, just like humans, they all have their own range and route, and generally do not make big changes. So he stayed here to try his luck. He did not lack patience, nor did he lack time. He had already waited for a day here, and he would continue to wait.

  He slowly got up, slightly moved his limbs, took out the leather pouch from his bosom, tilted his head and drank two mouthfuls of the contents, which was a mixture of wine and blood. The pungent smell of alcohol and the stench of blood filled his mouth, stimulating his taste buds and reaching his intestines. A warm current rose from the bottom of his heart, slightly dispelling the chill in his body. This was something that normal people would never do, as the smell alone could make most people vomit on the spot. But in this snowy mountain, what could be more effective at increasing body heat than blood and wine?

  A faint rustling sound came over, Zhao Shi's eyes narrowed, his body slowly crouched down, carefully putting away the leather bag, he knew that maybe this long wait was not in vain.

  After a while, a huge shadow appeared in Zhao Shi's line of sight. It was an adult brown bear. The long winter had made its body much thinner than usual. The sudden heavy snowfall made the weather even colder and food even scarcer, also causing the true king of the mountain to wake up prematurely.

  It occasionally sniffs around on the ground, hoping to find some food to fill its belly, and from time to time stands up with its tall body, letting out a warning roar.

  Its nose was extremely sensitive, and a tempting aroma suddenly caught its attention. The source of the fragrance was several snowball-like objects, which it curiously poked at with some caution, circled around, and then unceremoniously devoured all of them in one swift motion. The food was extremely slippery, and before it could even chew, it had already slid into its stomach. For an animal with a voracious appetite like this, such a small amount of food was hardly satisfying. After searching around again without finding anything else, it slowly disappeared from Zhao Shi's line of sight.

  After a while, Zhao Shi slowly climbed down the tree, exercising his abnormally stiff body and limbs, rubbing his hands and feet with snow, and eating a few more bites of the hard dry rations that felt like stones. His stomach hurt with a wave of acid, and Zhao Shi furrowed his brow, lost in thought for a moment. It was a familiar feeling - not many soldiers didn't have stomach problems, especially special forces like them. Sometimes they might go ten days or half a month without eating a decent meal, and on top of that, they had to do hunger training from time to time. Not having stomach problems would be a miracle.

  Putting aside these not-so-pleasant memories, he casually grabbed a handful of snow and rubbed it on his face, feeling invigorated. He had to work hard wherever he went, after all... Moreover, he was now a family man himself, and a hint of self-mockery appeared in Zhao Shi's eyes.

  Next was a careful stalk, the deep snow providing perfect conditions, and the conspicuous tracks kept him close behind the brown bear.

  Two days later, Zhao Shi finally heard the painful roar of the brown bear not far away. Zhao Shi did not rush up immediately, he knew that at this time the beast was crazy, and with his current physical strength and body, he was not yet capable of facing a crazy beast in close combat.

  Another five or six miles away, a day passed quietly, and the distant roar of the brown bear gradually weakened. Zhao Shi cautiously approached.

  The massive brown bear was now lying on the ground, with fresh blood oozing out of its mouth from time to time. Although its body was still twitching occasionally, it was clear to everyone that this robust brown bear was almost done for.

  Although Zhao Shi's footsteps were light, the beast's instincts still made the dying brown bear aware of the impending danger. It struggled to lift its head and let out a warning roar in Zhao Shi's direction, but at this point it no longer had the strength to get up again. The severe abdominal pain took away most of its strength, and the flowing blood slowly chilled its body.

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  When the figure, still far from being robust, appeared in the line of sight of a family of three who had been waiting at the village entrance, tears instantly blurred their eyes. Their bodies, which had frozen stiff, suddenly seemed to be filled with vitality. The three people stumbled forward to greet him.

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  "Have you heard? The second son of the Wan family has returned from hunting with a bear."

  "This is something everyone knows, I just saw it with my own eyes a moment ago. That bear must weigh at least a thousand catties, and even lying there, it's still frightening. Since our ancestors' time in the Tang Dynasty, no one has ever heard of anyone hunting bears or tigers..."

  "It's said that after Wangshan family's Xiao Er fell into the well that time, he became stupid and dull, who would have thought he had such great abilities..."

  "As I see it, the mountains in heaven are protecting their own children. Otherwise, you say our Zhao family village has been around for so many generations, how many hunters have we had? But no one has ever heard of anyone hunting a bear before. He's just a child from a ordinary family, how could he possibly do that? Besides, that huge bear, how could a kid possibly get it down the mountain?"

  It's also a reason why, the other day I went to the town and heard that Shi Tou's uncle has become a big shot at the saltworks.

  "Are you talking about Zhang Jia's young son who often comes here? The tax collector Zhang?"

  "Is it him or someone else? Am I the one you're talking to, or can you also call out to Zhang's kid? If this were in the city, you'd probably be pinned to the ground and given a good scolding..."

  "What a big official he must be?"

  "I heard from the townspeople that it's an official of the same size as the county magistrate, and when they see the county magistrate, they don't even need to bow. The Zhang family and the Wanshan family are indeed relatives, you say if there is no ancestral blessing, how can the Wanshan family climb up to such a relative? Although Wanshan has passed away now, with this relative still around, their family's future will not go wrong..."

  "Reasonable to say, reasonable to say.........."

  Rural people are best at gossiping about trivial matters. Before Zhao Shi returned to the village, it didn't take half a day for everyone in the village to know the news. After marveling at it, they couldn't believe that a teenager could fight against tigers and bears, so they all attributed it to supernatural powers.

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  Zhao Shi didn't know all this, but after many days of living in the mountains, his still somewhat childish face had gained a few more marks of wind and frost. Although his soul was that of a modern warrior as hard as steel, his body was still that of a child, unpolished and unrefined. After this trial, he immediately gained a few more sharp edges, and was already greatly different from before.

  The house was very lively, and everyone in the village who heard the news came to see the brown bear's body. Especially the children, they surrounded it and couldn't be driven away. The brown bear's body had frozen stiff as iron, but as the saying goes, "a tiger's power remains even after its death". Although the king of this mountain was dead, its appearance still frightened people. From time to time, a child would cautiously approach and touch it, then shout and run away, proudly showing off to their companions, making the small courtyard noisy like during Chinese New Year.

  Zhao Dogzi and the two hunters also heard the news. They were familiar with the ferocious beasts in the mountains, but when they saw the brown bear's corpse, they were still shocked. They knew that although everyone said the king of the mountain was the tiger, in reality, a grown brown bear was a ferocious beast that even tigers feared.

  Two people circled around the brown bear for several rounds, but what left them baffled was that there were no wounds on the bear's body, only some bloodstains on its mouth. Could it be that the child had punched it to death?

  Two people entered the house with this doubt.

  The house is relatively quiet, but there are many people coming in. However, Wang's family would always shoo them away with excuses like "the child has just returned and is tired, needs to rest well".

  But Zhao and Gouzi were different, they were frequent visitors to the house, and besides, they had done a great service for them by finding and burying their husband's body, and in recent days, they had helped the family a lot. As soon as they saw the two of them arrive, they immediately invited them into the house.

  Two people entered the house, and Wang Shi, who was hastily greeting them, still had some tears on her face, obviously having just cried. Zhao Shi sat on the kang, eating his meal.

  "The kid is back, now you can finally rest assured. But I'm telling you, Stone, you're still young, how could you venture into the mountains by yourself? And at a time like this! As soon as we heard that you'd gone into the mountains alone, your uncles were frightened out of their wits and rushed to find you, but unfortunately, they were one step too late. Seeing your footprints leading deeper into the mountains, your uncle was frantic. The snow is blocking the mountain paths, it's not a joke! He immediately wanted to go in and search for you, but I managed to pull him back."

  Don't blame your uncle for being heartless, in this village, four people have already died this winter, it's really can't afford to happen again. Besides, both you and I have a big family to support...

  "What I'm saying is that you're not young anymore, you should understand what's important. Your father passed away early, and the whole family is relying on you now. Don't mention anything else, just think about it, if something happens to you this time, who will your mother rely on in the future? To say something unpleasant, even if this branch of the family becomes extinct, can you be worthy of your ancestors? Can you be worthy of your father?"

  The speaker was another hunter from Zhaojia Village, named Shang Yanzu, an outsider who had married a daughter of the village. According to villagers, Shang Yanzu was a retired soldier who had fought against the Hu people in the west and was considered knowledgeable. Among the three men, he was the main one, and as soon as they entered the house, without saying two words, they started talking about Zhao Shi's shortcomings.

  Zhao Dogzi secretly pulled Shang Yanzu aside and said in his heart, "The kid just came back from the mountain, and he even hunted a bear alone. Although these words are true, can't they be said at this time?"

  "Quickly tell your uncle and the others about that bear outside, is it really the one you hunted? How come there's not a single wound on its body? Didn't you poison it? That would be a waste... But the bear skin can still be used..."

  Zhao Shi slowly swallowed the food in his mouth, and the dishes on the table were just a plate of cured meat, a plate of pickled vegetables, and a few eggs left over from home. But Zhao Shi still ate with great relish, and beads of sweat had already appeared on his forehead. Wang Shi, sitting beside him, hastily brought over a towel to wipe him down, her eyes filled with a pained expression.

  "It's not poison, just a few rice balls with some iron thorns and steel needles inside. That brown bear was starving to death on snowy days, otherwise it wouldn't have been killed." The tone seemed casual and nonchalant, but the two people beside him heard a completely different message.

  Is there a steel needle wrapped in the rice ball? This is too... poisonous, right? The two of them shuddered at the same time. They had been hunting for half their lives and never thought that hunting could be done like this. In their opinion, hunting was either setting traps or using bows and arrows, which had always been the case since ancient times. People would not use poison, as hunting was for obtaining meat and fur. Who would dare to eat prey that had been poisoned?

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  In the following days, Zhao Shi divided the bear meat into dozens of portions and had Wangshi and her two sisters deliver them to each household in the village. Although life was still manageable this year, food was not much different from money in such a remote mountain village. The villagers were simple and kind-hearted, and since the bear meat was something that someone's child had risked their life to bring back, they initially refused to accept it out of politeness. However, due to reasons such as difficulty storing food and the fact that each household needed grain supplies during the heavy snowfall, they eventually accepted the meat after some persuasion. As a result, each household was extremely grateful, and Wangshi's family seemed to have gained an even higher status in the village than Zhao Wanshan had back then. Even when Zhao Shi walked through the village, he received warm greetings with a hint of respect that never ceased, making him feel somewhat uncomfortable for days.