Chapter 9

Chapter 6: Bear Hunting

As the snow in the mountains began to melt, the white snow, once melted, was immediately frozen again by the bone-chilling weather, forming a layer of ice on the ground. When the sun shone, it was as if countless light bulbs had suddenly appeared on the ground, dazzling to the eyes. However, this added a touch of brilliance to the already picturesque snow-covered mountain forest.

Despite the extraordinary scenery, walking in the mountains was a nightmare. In some places, the ice shell was not very sturdy, and a single step could cause it to shatter, with the snow below immediately reaching your knees. This wouldn't be a problem on flat ground, but in the mountains, it was extremely dangerous. Who knew what lay beneath the snow? If it was a stone, you might just sprain your ankle, but if there was a pit or a broken branch, it could be fatal.

Zhao Shi quietly squatted on a tree branch, his eyebrows and eyes already covered with frost, indicating he had been there for quite some time. In fact, he had been in the mountains for four days. The snow in the forest had started to melt, and the wild animals that had hidden due to the heavy snow had begun to come out to search for food. He had already caught three wild rabbits and a few field mice, but this was not enough to make him leave the mountains. He believed he needed to catch at least one larger animal.

His body began to shiver uncontrollably, the bone-chilling cold making his legs and feet numb, followed by a deep, bone-piercing pain. Zhao Shi estimated how long he could endure this. He had an unimaginable level of endurance and a steel-like nerve, but his current body was far from that.

Here, he had discovered the tracks of a large animal. He was not very skilled at hunting and could not identify what kind of animal it was—perhaps a tiger, perhaps a bear, who knew? But tracking based on the tracks was his strong point. He had heard that animals generally did not wander randomly in the forest; like humans, they had their own territories and routes, which rarely changed. So he stayed here to try his luck. He was not short of patience or time. He had already waited for a day and would continue to wait.

He slowly stood up, slightly moved his limbs, and took out a leather pouch from his chest, tilting his head to drink a few mouthfuls of the liquid inside. The spicy smell of alcohol and the metallic taste of blood spread in his mouth, stimulating his taste buds and reaching his stomach. A warm current rose from his heart, slightly dispelling the cold in his body. This was a mixture of a small amount of watered-down alcohol and roughly filtered blood. Normal people would never do this; the smell alone would make most people vomit. But in the snow-covered mountains, what could be better than blood and alcohol to increase body heat?

A slight sound came, and Zhao Shi's eyes narrowed. He slowly squatted down, carefully putting the leather pouch away. He knew that perhaps all this time had not been in vain.

After a while, a massive figure 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 snow made the weather even colder and food even scarcer, causing the true king of the mountains to wake up early.

It sniffed the ground from time to time, hoping to find some food to fill its stomach, and occasionally stood up, issuing a warning roar.

Its nose was very sensitive. Suddenly, a tempting smell caught its attention. The source of the smell was a few snowball-like objects. It poked them curiously, cautiously looking around, and then, without hesitation, ate the snowballs. The food was very slippery and, before it could chew, had already entered its stomach. For an animal with a huge appetite, this was nothing. After searching around again and finding nothing, it slowly disappeared from Zhao Shi's sight.

After a while, Zhao Shi slowly climbed down the tree, moving his stiff body and limbs. He rubbed his hands and feet with snow and ate a few bites of the hard, rock-like dry food. His stomach ached, and he frowned. The familiar feeling made him lose himself for a moment. Most soldiers had stomach problems, especially special forces soldiers. Sometimes they might go ten to fifteen days without a proper meal and had to undergo hunger training from time to time. Not having a stomach problem would be a miracle.

Putting aside these unpleasant memories, he grabbed a handful of snow and rubbed it on his face, feeling a surge of energy. No matter where he was, he had to strive to live, especially now that he had a family. A hint of self-mockery appeared in Zhao Shi's eyes.

Next, he carefully followed the tracks. The snow provided the best environment for tracking, and the obvious footprints allowed him to follow the brown bear without getting too close.

Two days later, Zhao Shi finally heard the painful roar of the brown bear not far away. He did not immediately rush over, knowing that a wild animal in pain was unpredictable. With his current physical condition, he did not have the strength to face a frenzied wild animal.

He followed for about five or six miles, and as the day quietly passed, the distant roars of the brown bear gradually weakened. Zhao Shi then cautiously approached.

The massive brown bear was now lying on the ground, blood seeping from its mouth. Although its body still twitched occasionally, it was clear that the strong bear was about to die.

Despite Zhao Shi's light footsteps, the dying bear's instincts made it aware of the approaching danger. It struggled to lift its head and issued a warning roar in Zhao Shi's direction, but it no longer had the strength to stand. The pain in its abdomen had drained most of its strength, and the blood loss was making its body cold.

When the not-so-strong figure appeared in the sight of the family of three waiting at the village entrance, their eyes instantly filled with tears. Their frozen, stiff bodies seemed to come alive, and they stumbled forward.

"Have you heard? Wan Shan's second son hunted a bear."

"Who doesn't know? I saw it with my own eyes. That bear must weigh a thousand pounds. Just lying there, it's quite scary. Since our ancestors came here during the Tang Dynasty, no one has ever hunted a bear or a tiger."

"Since he fell into the well, Wan Shan's second son has been a bit slow, but who would have thought he had such great skills..."

"From what I see, it must be Wan Shan watching over his son from heaven. Otherwise, how many generations of hunters have there been in our Zhao family village? No one has ever hunted a bear. How could a child have such skills? Besides, how could a child bring such a large bear down the mountain?"

"That's true. A few days ago, I went to town and heard that his cousin, the son of his aunt, has become a salt official..."

"You mean the Zhang family's son who often comes here? The tax collector Zhang?"

"Who else? Don't call him that. In the city, they might beat you for it..."

"How big an official is he?"

"People in town say he's as big as the county magistrate. He doesn't even have to bow to the county magistrate. The Zhang family and the Wan Shan family are close relatives. If it weren't for the ancestors' protection, how could the Wan Shan family have such a connection? Although Wan Shan is gone, with such a relative, their future will be fine."

"That's true, that's true."

Villagers love to gossip about family matters. By the time Zhao Shi returned to the village, everyone knew the news. While they marveled, they did not believe a child could fight a bear, attributing it to divine intervention.

Zhao Shi was unaware of this. The days in the mountains had added a touch of weathered appearance to his still somewhat childish face. Although his soul was that of a modern warrior, his body was still that of a child. After this experience, he had gained a sharpness that was quite different from before.

The house was bustling. Villagers who heard the news came to see the bear's body, especially the children, who gathered around and couldn't be driven away. The bear's body was frozen stiff, but as the saying goes, "A dead tiger still has its majesty." Even though the king of the mountains was dead, it was still terrifying. Children would occasionally approach to touch it, then scream and run away, proudly showing off to their friends, making the small courtyard as lively as a festival.

Two hunters, Zhao Gouzi and Shang Yanzu, also heard the news. They were familiar with the wild animals in the mountains, but they were still surprised when they saw the bear's body. They knew that although everyone said the king of the mountains was the tiger, in reality, an adult brown bear was a beast even tigers feared.

They circled the bear a few times, puzzled by the lack of visible wounds on its body, only some blood around its mouth. Could the child have killed it with his bare hands?

The two men entered the house with this question in mind.

The house was relatively quiet. Many people wanted to come in, but Wang Shi sent them away, saying the child was tired and needed to rest.

But Zhao Gouzi and Shang Yanzu were different. They were regular visitors and had helped the family in many ways, including finding and burying her husband's body. When they arrived, they were immediately invited in.

The two men entered, and Wang Shi, still with tear marks on her face, greeted them. Zhao Shi was sitting on the earthen bed, eating.

"The child is back, and now your mother can finally rest easy. But, Shi, you're still young. Why did you go into the mountains alone, especially at this time? When we heard you went into the mountains alone, we were very worried. We immediately organized a search party, but we were too late. Your footprints led deep into the mountains, and your Uncle Gouzi was very anxious. The snow-covered mountains are no joke. He wanted to go in immediately, but I had to drag him back.

Don't blame your uncles for being heartless. This winter, including your father, four people have died in the village. We can't afford any more accidents. Besides, your Uncle Gouzi and I have families to support.

I'm telling you this because you're not a child anymore. You should understand the importance of your actions. Your father passed away early, and the family depends on you. If anything happened to you, who would take care of your mother and sisters? To put it bluntly, your family line would end, and would that be fair to your ancestors or your father?"

The speaker was another hunter from Zhao family village, Shang Yanzu, an outsider who had married a local girl. According to the villagers, he was a retired soldier who had fought against the Hu people in the west. He was considered knowledgeable in the village, and among the three, he was the leader. As soon as he entered, he began to criticize Zhao Shi.

Zhao Gouzi pulled Shang Yanzu aside, thinking that the child had just returned from the mountains and had hunted a bear alone. While his words were true, they were not appropriate at this time.

So he took over, saying, "Tell us about the bear outside. Did you really hunt it? How did you do it without any visible wounds? Was it poisoned? That would be a waste. But the bear skin can still be used."

Zhao Shi slowly swallowed his food. The dishes on the table were a plate of meat, a plate of pickles, and a few eggs. Despite the simple meal, Zhao Shi ate with great relish, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Wang Shi, sitting beside him, quickly took a towel to wipe his forehead, her eyes full of concern.

"It wasn't poison. Just a few rice balls with iron spikes and steel needles inside. The brown bear was very hungry in the snow, so it couldn't resist them."

Although his tone was casual, the two men were greatly surprised. Rice balls with steel needles? That was too... too cruel. The two men shuddered. They had hunted for half their lives and never thought hunting could be done this way. In their experience, hunting involved setting traps or using bows. Poison was never used because it would contaminate the meat and skin, making them unusable.

...

In the following days, Zhao Shi divided the bear meat into dozens of portions and had Wang Shi and his two sisters deliver them to the villagers. In those times, although life was manageable, food was as valuable as money in such a remote village. The villagers were simple and knew the bear meat had been obtained at great risk. They initially refused, but given the difficulty of storing food and the need for food during the snow-covered mountains, they eventually accepted the meat. This greatly increased the family's status in the village, and even Zhao Shi received respectful greetings as he walked through the village, making him feel quite uncomfortable for a while.

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End of Chapter 6