Chapter 70

Eating dog meat is also a matter of expertise. Generally speaking, the order is: black, yellow, spotted, white, and long-haired.

Black dogs are the premium choice among dog meats. Today, Li Shuangqiang brought a large black dog. The dog meat hot pot, hand-torn dog meat, dog ribs, and dog skin dipped in salt, paired with chilled fruit salad and white wine, truly made for a great enjoyment in life.

There were seven people eating, all of whom were going into the mountains the next day. Besides Ding Ning, Chen Jintai, and Li Shuangqiang, there were four other hunters.

When Chen Jintai introduced Ding Ning as a client, these people began to respect him, as he was their breadwinner.

Ding Ning was not particularly opposed to hunting, but he didn't like it either, especially for tigers, which are on the brink of extinction and need protection.

However, some things were not suitable to discuss at the moment. Ding Ning had his own plans. Although he was young, he had the soul of a cultivator and could easily blend in with these people at the dinner table.

At first, some people underestimated Ding Ning, but after he downed three bowls of white wine in a row, they began to look at him with new respect.

These people had been drinking since they were young, but they had never seen anyone who could drink like Ding Ning. According to their thinking, people with a high alcohol tolerance were usually good men, and no one dared to look down on Ding Ning anymore.

After a few rounds of drinks, Chen Jintai said to Ding Ning, "Brother, let's go out and get some essentials. We won't be out of the mountains in just a few days. We need to prepare boots, tents, and some medicine."

Ding Ning nodded. These items were available in town, and he had taken out all his cash before coming, which amounted to over ten thousand yuan, enough for now.

The drinking session lasted for over two hours. The group then went to the hotel arranged by Li Shuangqiang, while Ding Ning went out to sell some things.

When he returned to the hotel, he saw the bald man still following him from a distance.

Ding Ning's heart stirred, but he didn't want to alert the man. The man was probably wary of the crowd, and so was Ding Ning. If the man had the nerve to follow him into the mountains, Ding Ning didn't plan to let him off alive.

At the hotel, Ding Ning took a shower and slept, practicing his cultivation for a full cycle. However, there was no spiritual energy here, and he could barely complete the cycle. Life without spiritual energy was truly unbearable.

The night passed without incident. At around three in the morning, Li Shuangqiang woke everyone up.

They ate some buns and then drove into the mountains. The road was initially easy to navigate, but after about half an hour, they arrived at a place called Zhou Village.

Here, Li Shuangqiang parked the car at a local's house, and the local used a tractor to transport the group for another ten miles.

The path ahead was overgrown with tall grass, and there was only a narrow trail. This area was already within the protected zone.

The local told them from the tractor, "Thirty miles ahead, there's a village called Majiabao. The road ends here, and you'll have to walk the rest of the way."

Li Shuangqiang nodded, indicating it was no problem. He was mainly concerned about Ding Ning, as Ding Ning was overweight and might find it difficult to walk on the mountain path.

However, Ding Ning was wearing a camouflage outfit he bought the day before, with military boots and a large backpack, and he looked nonchalant, which reassured Li Shuangqiang.

The tractor returned, and the group began their trek along the narrow trail.

At first, Ding Ning followed, but his heart couldn't handle it for long. After walking for a while, he used a speed-enhancing talisman on his leg.

These talismans were prepared in advance. During the past few days of cultivation in the spirit well, with abundant spiritual energy, Ding Ning had written many talismans, which came in handy now.

After a long trek, they reached a hill. Ding Ning looked back, and Zhou Village had become a small dot, and the distant road looked like a thin line.

"Hmm..."

Ding Ning noticed two cars returning from the direction of Zhou Village, indicating that at least two other people had entered the mountains.

Based on the distance between the cars, those two people were probably starting to climb the mountain as well.

The bald man seemed to have followed, but who was in the other car?

The others didn't notice this detail. After a while, Li Shuangqiang said to Ding Ning, "Ding Brother, we haven't seen tigers in these mountains for years. We need to go deeper. We should reach Majiabao by tonight, stay there for a night, and then enter the mountains again tomorrow. If we're lucky, we might have some success the day after tomorrow or the day after that."

"That's great."

Ding Ning smiled, thinking that once they reached Majiabao tonight, he would find the mountain villager who sold cat bones, which was the real purpose of his trip.

The mountain path was rugged and difficult to navigate. After walking for a while, Li Shuangqiang suddenly grabbed Ding Ning, "Be careful! Poisonous snake!"

In the grass, a flat, triangular head emerged, hissing and warning people not to approach its territory.

Chen Jintai, the boss, was the most unprepared among the group. He was so scared by the snake that he stepped back and almost fell.

Ding Ning quickly darted to Chen Jintai's side and stomped down with a heavy foot.

Li Shuangqiang was shocked. Chen Jintai was his long-time customer, and he relied on Chen Jintai for business. He almost pulled out his gun to protect him.

Li Shuangqiang used two guns, but not like the hero Li Xiangyang with two pistols. He had a hunting rifle and a revolver.

Just as he touched the revolver, he stopped, realizing that Ding Ning wasn't aiming at Chen Jintai but at his side.

"Thud!"

With Ding Ning's foot, the other snake that had crept up to Chen Jintai was flattened and killed on the spot.

Chen Jintai was drenched in sweat, and it took him a while to stand up. He said to Ding Ning, "Brother, you're amazing. If it weren't for your quick action, I would have been in big trouble, and I wouldn't have been able to hunt tigers this time."

They had antidotes, but they were just herbal medicines, not real antivenom. If bitten by a snake, it would be a significant problem, and the hunting trip would likely be a failure.

Li Shuangqiang was even more impressed, "Little Brother, I only saw one snake, but you spotted the other one too. Your eyesight is incredible. And I never knew you were so skilled. You stomped on the snake so accurately. I've seen many people catch snakes, but none of them did it as directly as you did."

Ding Ning chuckled, but in fact, he had first shot the snake with a coin, and then stomped on it. However, he didn't want to reveal this to them, as it was better to be cautious in the mountains.

After killing so many snakes in the snake den at the land temple, Ding Ning was no longer afraid of them. He even remembered that burning the snakes smelled quite good.

He picked up the dead snake, put it in a bag, and then approached the other snake, blocking the others' view with his body. He threw a coin, hitting the snake's head, and then quickly punched it, flattening its head.

This move left the others speechless. This fat man was too fierce. Compared to him, the so-called snake experts were nothing.

"Two, we'll grill them tonight."

Ding Ning proudly put the snakes in his backpack, thinking about the delicious meal he would have tonight.

Li Shuangqiang and the others looked at Ding Ning differently. Chen Jintai even gave him a thumbs up, "Brother, I'm impressed. At first, I thought you were just a young man with guts to come to Shuizhuan Town, but now I realize you're not just a novice. I underestimated you!"

"You're too kind, Brother. Snakes are only dangerous when they bite. With preparation, anyone can handle them. It's not that special."

The others were silent, but they were deeply impressed by Ding Ning's quick actions.

After walking for a while, Li Shuangqiang also showed off his marksmanship, shooting two pheasants and a wild rabbit.

The others weren't idle either. The mountains were full of treasures, and they collected mushrooms, wild vegetables, and medicinal herbs along the way.

Ding Ning was also paying attention, but he was looking for spiritual herbs.

He had almost finished researching the ingredients for the Spirit Gathering Pill, but that was a low-level version. There were also higher-level versions and body-strengthening pills, and as his cultivation advanced, he needed to prepare in advance.

However, he was disappointed. He didn't find any spiritual herbs, not even wild herbs over ten years old.

After walking for a while, a gunshot suddenly rang out from a distance behind them.

The group stopped in unison.

Chen Jintai said, "Are there other hunters?"

"No!" Li Shuangqiang shook his head, "That was the sound of a pistol. No one in the mountains has a pistol except for me. Be careful, there are outsiders!"

The relaxed atmosphere suddenly became tense.