Rebirth 78: Hunting for Treasure in the Mountains, Spoiling My Wife and Daughter to the Heavens

"That lynx is unusual."

Just as Lu Weiguo was bragging...

Zhou Guomin said quietly.

"Um?"

"That lynx is no worse than your Wangcai, and it's covered in scars. Otherwise, my dogs wouldn't have been played like this."

Zhou Guomin personally placed the dead three-headed hunting dog into the pit.

Silently, they covered it with soil.

Then he continued, "Wangcai is that lynx down the mountain, right? I've seen it before, when it was a cub. Do you know why its territory is down the mountain?"

Lu Weiguo was startled upon hearing this, as lynxes have an extremely strong sense of territory.

He always thought that this was the only lynx in the mountains.

Could it be?

"You're right." Seeing Lu Weiguo's expression, Zhou Guomin nodded.

"I know this mountain very well. In the 1960s, I lost my family and hid in the mountain. Actually, it was for refuge at that time."

Having lived in the mountains for over ten years, there's no place in this area I don't know well.

Zhou Guomin roughly drew the shape of a mountain on the snow with a stick.

It was only then that Lu Weiguo realized how little he knew about this forest.

Lynxes are generally solitary animals, only meeting briefly at the end of winter when they are preparing to breed.

One year, when a lynx was one year old and had stayed with its mother, it had to go out and explore its own territory.

The key point is that the territories of the same sex will never overlap.

The victors will hold onto the territory they occupy, while the losers will be wounded and forced to leave.

"When I saw it back then, it was thin and weak, covered in injuries. I guess it had been dealt with."

After Zhou Guomin finished speaking, he had regained most of his strength.

He took out the half-pack of cigarettes that Lu Weiguo had given him, which he hadn't been willing to smoke.

Three were pulled out from inside.

Light it and stick it into the snow.

To Lu Weiguo's and the other man's astonishment, they knelt down in front of the earthen bed and kowtowed three times!

This is something only the purest hunter would do.

He remembered, and only he would remember, that these were not ordinary dogs.

Instead, they were the three companions who saved his life and whom he cherished most.

After finishing everything, Zhou Guomin held the remaining two injured dogs.

Leaning against the tree, his gaze was serious and flawless.

"Brother, do me one last favor."

His words were earnest, then his eyes flashed with murderous intent: "Take me with you, and kill that lynx!"

Lu Weiguo nodded firmly.

He had this idea ever since Zhou Guomin said it.

Lynxes are mountain spirits, and two lynxes fighting for territory would probably roam all over the mountains.

Without the help of hunting dogs to chase him, he wouldn't be able to catch up on his own two legs.

I can't find it no matter how hard I look!

"Brother, I've had this idea for a while now. I'll have to rely on you to offer incense. But don't worry, leave the rest to me. I have a gun, so I won't use it."

"I owe you a favor," Zhou Guomin said, shaking his head. "Give me the basket, I'll carry my dog, and let Hei Zi lead the way."

The two exchanged a glance.

He then fell silent.

Caught up in the emotions, Yu Hong also felt angry and followed closely behind the two.

The heavy snow continued to fall, quickly soaking their clothes.

With a visible distance of less than three meters, every step they took was fraught with uncertainty.

The lynx's footprints were quickly covered up.

The group spent the entire afternoon chasing after the lynx, circling the woods countless times, but found no trace of it.

During this time, no matter how much Lu Weiguo called out to Wangcai, Wangcai never returned.

"Brother Zhou, let's rest here for a while. There's a cave over there."

That cave was where Lu Weiguo buried many people, so he was very familiar with it.

"Oh? I know that too. I went there a while ago and chased away the wolves there."

Zhou Guomin nodded in reply.

They all understood that when animals fight for territory, especially those of the same species, it's not a fight to the death.

So there was no rush.

But no one gave up.

Upon entering the cave, the air inside was incredibly stuffy.

With Zhou Guomin and Yu Hong present, Lu Weiguo did not delve deeper.

After lighting the campfire, Lu Weiguo took out the deer leg meat from the sack.

The moose meat belonging to Zhou Guomin was hidden somewhere.

Right now, the only edible part of my body is the thigh meat.

Fortunately, the thigh meat was still relatively fresh.

In this environment, people don't have to be so particular about what they eat.

Cut the venison into slices, skewer them on sticks, and roast them over an open fire until cooked.

Zhou Guomin then chose to clean a few stones.

A large fire heats the stones, and the residual heat is used to cook the venison.

Next, the venison was minced and fed to the two injured dogs.

He only started eating meat after the dog had eaten its fill.

Actually, Zhou Guomin's method is better; the meat is tender and there is no burnt taste at all.

However, Lu Weiguo felt it was rather troublesome, as the burnt bitterness could actually make the bland venison more flavorful.

After finishing the meal.

Zhou Guomin sat down to rest, holding his dog.

Yu Hong was perhaps hungry, or perhaps this method was more novel.

We ate until the very end before leaving the campfire.

She sat next to Lu Weiguo, leaning close to him.

Seeing that Lu Weiguo was oblivious to romance, she raised his arm and put it around her shoulder.

"Weiguo, why isn't Brother Zhou resting? I think he's quite badly injured."

Yu Hong's voice carried a hint of pity, but the alluring scent emanating from her body went straight to Lu Weiguo's head.

"Brother Zhou... I guess he'll never hunt again." Lu Weiguo sighed. "This time, he's completely lost his spirit."

This was probably his final act; he wanted to watch the lynx die, and then live out his days alone with his dog.

Upon hearing this, Yu Hong's eyes began to redden again.

"Women are such a hassle, they shed so many tears. We don't have water, so when we're thirsty we can only eat snow."

Lu Weiguo tapped Yu Hong's nose.

The pain made her tears stream down her face.

"Ugh, so annoying!"

Yu Hong pinched Lu Weiguo's thigh hard.

Startled, Lu Weiguo quickly squeezed his thighs together.

Yu Hong felt the temperature here, but she didn't pull her hand away. Instead, she snuggled closer to Lu Weiguo.

midnight.

Yu Hong was exhausted and fell into a deep sleep.

Zhou Guomin suddenly opened his eyes, as if he had been startled awake from a nightmare.

Until he touched the black cat sleeping on his lap.

He then lit a cigarette and took a puff.

"Not asleep yet?"

"Okay, you can have this. I have other cigarettes." He saw Zhou Guomin's gesture of offering a cigarette.

Lu Weiguo shook his head and refused.

"Is this your wife? She's quite determined and can endure hardship with you. She's pretty good."

"It's not Brother Zhou, it's my boss. It's her first time up the mountain. Look, her feet are all blistered. I didn't expect she could keep going until now."

"Ohhhhhh"

Zhou Guomin smiled and uttered a sound only a man could understand.

"Brother Zhou, stop fooling around, it's really okay. You... are you still planning to stay on the mountain? If you want to come down, you can come find me."