Chapter 17

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Li Wenjun nodded and asked reluctantly, "Uncle Sun, Jianning told me that a fairy once spent fifty taels of silver to buy a herb from a herbalist. Apart from this rumor, are there any other similar rumors in Sanshan County?"

Sun Baicao replied, "As far as I know, there is one more rumor. It’s said that someone once saw someone flying over the county town of Sanshan County at midnight."

"How is that possible? Our family has lived in the county for generations, and we’ve never seen anything like that. I guess that person mistook a large bird for a person."

"Wenjun, you have the makings of a scholar. If you could focus on the imperial exams, you might become a respected scholar in the future, with status and respect. Isn’t that better than wasting your time on these illusory things?"

"I suggest you settle down and study hard. In the future, our family might need your help."

Li Wenjun knew Sun Baicao meant well. He smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Uncle Sun. I know what to do."

Sun Baicao thought Li Wenjun had taken his words to heart and smiled in relief.

In no time, Li Wenjun and the others had been wandering on the mountain for half a day. Sun Jianning’s herb basket contained only a few herbs of little value, but Sun Baicao didn’t mind. Today, he just wanted to take Li Wenjun for a walk and deepen the bond between his son and Li Wenjun.

As noon approached, Sun Jianning’s stomach growled. Sun Baicao laughed and said, "Are you both hungry? Wait a moment, let me see if I can catch a mountain chicken. We’ll have beggar’s chicken for lunch today."

"Great!" Sun Jianning exclaimed.

Sun Baicao picked up a fist-sized stone from the ground, took out a rope, and tied the two ends of the rope to the stone, quickly making a sling to catch small animals.

Sun Baicao often hunted small animals like mountain chickens and wild rabbits when he went into the mountains, and he knew how to find and catch them. Catching a mountain chicken was no big deal for him.

"Brother Wenjun, let’s go over and take a look. My father is very skilled with the sling. He never misses," Sun Jianning said.

Li Wenjun nodded and followed Sun Jianning, looking around for the mountain chicken.

Sun Baicao was very experienced. Under his guidance, Li Wenjun soon heard the clucking of mountain chickens.

Following the sound, Li Wenjun saw several mountain chickens foraging in the bushes on the hillside. One of them had colorful feathers, a bright red comb, and was much larger than the others, almost as big as a goose. It was a rooster and the leader of the group.

Sun Baicao signaled Li Wenjun and Sun Jianning to stop and be quiet. He crept forward a few steps and, before the mountain chickens noticed him, he swung the sling and released it. The sling whistled through the air.

The mountain chickens were very alert. The moment Sun Baicao appeared, they scattered with a loud clucking. However, they were fast, but Sun Baicao was even faster. As they darted into the bushes, the sling flew over and hit one of the mountain chickens on its long neck. The chicken didn’t even have time to make a sound before its neck was broken, and it died instantly.

Li Wenjun and Sun Jianning clapped and cheered.

Sun Baicao stood up and walked toward the mountain chicken. No one expected that, as he bent down to pick it up, the rooster suddenly screeched and charged out of the bushes, flapping its wings and flying toward Sun Baicao’s face.

The rooster was very fierce. If its sharp beak and claws hit Sun Baicao’s face, it would leave scars at best, and if it pecked his eyes, Sun Baicao would be blinded.

Sun Baicao instinctively put his arm in front of his face and tried to push the rooster away with his other hand.

The rooster was very strong, and it was even more enraged by the death of the hens. Under its continuous attacks, even the robust Sun Baicao had to retreat.

"Father!" Sun Jianning was frightened. He picked up the machete and ran over without hesitation.

Li Wenjun grabbed the hunting spear and followed quickly.

Before Li Wenjun and Sun Jianning could reach him, Sun Baicao, attacked by the frenzied rooster, suddenly stepped on a stone, slipped, and rolled down the hill.

Sun Jianning, in a panic, ran down the hill to catch up with Sun Baicao.

When Li Wenjun rushed over, he waved the hunting spear to drive the rooster away. He watched the rooster fly away until he was sure it wouldn’t pose a threat anymore. Then he turned and ran down the hill to find Sun Baicao and Sun Jianning.

After running down the hill for a dozen or so yards, Li Wenjun found them and sighed in distress.

At the bottom of the hill, a few wild walnut trees grew unevenly. Sun Jianning lay on the ground, unconscious, with a large bump on his head.

Sun Baicao was still conscious but couldn’t move. His leg had hit a tree and broken. That wasn’t the worst part.

When Sun Jianning rolled down the hill, the machete in his hand flew out and, by a stroke of bad luck, landed on Sun Baicao’s other leg, cutting a large gash.

When Li Wenjun found them, Sun Baicao was in pain, gritting his teeth. He was using both hands to press on his thigh, trying to stop the bleeding.

Seeing Li Wenjun come over, Sun Baicao, who was relatively calm, said, "Wenjun, quickly check on Jianning and see how he is."

Li Wenjun bent down to check Sun Jianning’s breathing and pulse. He was still alive, so he said, "Uncle Sun, Jianning is not dead."

Sun Baicao visibly relaxed and said, "Wenjun, please go up the hill and get the herb basket. There’s some hemostatic medicine I made myself."

"Do you want me to bandage you first?" Li Wenjun asked.

"No, go get the hemostatic medicine. Be careful. Now, you’re the only one of us who is unharmed. We depend on you to get us out of here safely. You can’t get hurt," Sun Baicao warned.

Li Wenjun nodded, used the hunting spear as a crutch, and climbed back up the hill to get all the luggage, which he brought to Sun Baicao.

Sun Baicao found the hemostatic medicine and bandages, applied the medicine skillfully, and bandaged his wound. He also set the broken bone in his other leg and had Li Wenjun help him find some branches to immobilize it with bandages. These were skills passed down in Sun Baicao’s family to help them treat injuries while collecting herbs.

After doing all this, Sun Baicao looked weak. He had lost a lot of blood and had a broken leg. Even with the treatment, it would take time to recover. He had Li Wenjun drag the unconscious Sun Jianning to his side and used some simple medical techniques to check him. He confirmed that Sun Jianning was not seriously injured, just had a bump on his head, but when he would wake up was uncertain.

Sun Baicao felt both despair and relief. He was desperate because both he and his son were injured, trapped in the Five Peaks Mountain, far from civilization, with no food or water. But he was relieved that Li Wenjun was still with them.

However, it was impossible for Li Wenjun to carry both of them out of the mountain and back to the county town alone. He said, "Wenjun, why don’t you go down the mountain first, get some people, and come back to rescue us?"

Li Wenjun shook his head and said, "Uncle Sun, I won’t leave you behind."

Sun Baicao said, "Wenjun, I’m very grateful for your concern. But staying here won’t help. I can’t move, and if I do, my legs will be useless. I need to be carried down the mountain, and so does Jianning. How can you do that alone? You must go down the mountain as soon as possible. We can’t afford to wait."

Li Wenjun thought for a moment and nodded. He said, "Alright, I’ll go down. But what if you encounter wild animals while I’m gone?"

Sun Baicao pointed to the machete and said, "I have this for self-defense. It should be enough to deal with ordinary wild animals. Of course, if we encounter wild wolves before you bring help, it will be our bad luck, and we won’t blame you. Wenjun, I’m counting on you. Please come back as soon as possible."

Li Wenjun nodded solemnly and said, "I’ll do my best."

Sun Baicao took a pancake from the luggage and gave it to Li Wenjun, saying, "Take this for the road."

"I’ll be back as soon as I can." Li Wenjun took the pancake and set off down the mountain to seek help without looking back.

Li Wenjun, eager to save them, decided to take a shortcut. He thought he knew the mountain well, but he forgot that he wasn’t familiar with the Five Peaks Mountain. After several turns, he got lost. When he realized it, he didn’t know where he was.

Thinking of Sun Baicao and Sun Jianning waiting for him to bring help, Li Wenjun felt like crying. He tried to retrace his steps to the starting point of the shortcut and start over.

After a while, it got dark.

Going down the mountain at night was very dangerous, and after a day of hard work, Li Wenjun was exhausted and hungry. He found a large tree, leaned against it, and took out the pancake Sun Baicao had given him. He ate it quickly.

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