1940s: I supported my wife and sister-in-law by hunting.

The group of people stared at the footprints on the ground and the head of the green shrew on the tree for a long time, racking their brains, but they still couldn't figure out what kind of wild animal had done it.

By then the sun was already setting in the west, and it was past three in the afternoon.

The group went into the mountains at dawn to chase wild boars and hunt. They drank a lot of water from morning till night and didn't eat a proper meal. Their stomachs were growling with hunger.

No one bothered with the footprints anymore; they carried the wild boar and walked a short distance forward.

Find a sheltered, flat spot, put down the prey, and prepare to start a fire to cook.

After gathering a pile of dry branches to build a fire, Ma Wanzhong took out the wild rabbit he had caught, skinned it in a few quick movements, took the branch from Shanzi, threaded it through the fire, and roasted it directly next to the fire.

Chen Gaoshan took out a pre-prepared seasoning packet from his basket, which contained fine salt, thirteen-spice powder, and dried chili powder.

He reached out and handed over the seasoning packet. "Uncle Wanzhong, spread this seasoning evenly on your rabbit. It will mask the earthy smell of the rabbit. Once it's thoroughly roasted, sprinkle on some chili powder. It'll be incredibly fragrant."

Ma Wanzhong took the seasoning packet and started applying it while speaking.

"You really know how to eat, kid. While others come into the mountains and just eat dry food and drink cold water, you've gone and made your own special barbecue."

"Uncle Wanzhong, isn't the most important thing in life to eat? If you don't think about eating, what else can you think about?"

He nodded, continuing his work.

"That makes sense. All we men do is eat and look after women."

Before long, the aroma of meat filled the air, making everyone's mouths water.

Chen Gaoshan grabbed a handful of chili powder and sprinkled it on the rabbit meat. It was a pity that this was wild rabbit; if it were sizzling lamb skewers, it would be absolutely amazing.

"Uncle Wanzhong, have you ever seen a blue sheep in our Black Tiger Mountain? When I went into the mountain just now, I saw some sheep droppings in the grass."

Ma Wanzhong took a knife and made several slits in the half-cooked rabbit meat to help it absorb the flavor.

"What, craving some lamb?"

"We can just go to town tomorrow and exchange some. There are some blue sheep in the mountains, but they're hard to find. If you're really craving one, there are families in Jiapigou who raise sheep. We can exchange some wild boar meat for one and stew it with lamb when we get home."

Chen Gaoshan shook his head and pointed his head towards the dense forest in the north.

"Did you hear that? I think I just heard sheep bleating from the north."

Ma Wanzhong immediately stopped what he was doing.

"What the hell? I didn't hear a single sheep bleating!"

He turned to look at Qian Zhuizi, who was on guard duty.

"Pendant, did you hear that?"

Everyone pricked up their ears and listened carefully.

Qian Zhuizi shook her head.

"I didn't hear anything, just the cawing of crows, but there was no sound of sheep moving."

Several people waved their hands one by one, saying they hadn't heard anything.

Chen Gaoshan smiled and guessed that he was just too hungry for lamb skewers and was hallucinating, hearing the bleating of sheep out of thin air.

No one thought much of it anymore. They sat around the fire, took coarse grain flatbreads, tore off some roasted rabbit meat with each hand, and ate some cold boiled water from the kettle to fill their stomachs.

After a long day, a bite of hot meat instantly makes you feel much better.

But just as everyone was enjoying their meal...

The ten hunting dogs, which had been lying quietly resting around, all stood up.

Its fur bristled, and it let out a low growl. Without saying a word, it darted off towards the North Mountain forest.

Chen Gaoshan reacted the fastest, stuffing the remaining flatbread into his mouth in a few bites, swallowing it without even chewing it properly, and then grabbing the submachine gun next to him.

"Little Button, you take the copper lock and are safe. Stay where you are and keep an eye on all the prey. Uncle Wan Zhong, Qian Zhuizi, come with me and take a look."

He had already strode off in the direction the hunting dogs had charged off to.

The hunting dogs ran too fast. By the time Chen Gaoshan and his two companions had chased after them for about a hundred meters, the pack had already rushed into the woods.

I could vaguely see a dark brown thing lying in front of me. It didn't look very big. It kicked its body a couple of times, and it seemed to be injured.

Ten hunting dogs formed a circle, trapping another wild animal whose nature was unknown.

It's not very big, and its size is even smaller than that of an adult mixed-breed dog.

Chen Gaoshan held his submachine gun, squinting as he aimed, but the pack of dogs darted back and forth, surrounding him in layers, making it impossible to find an opening for accurate shooting. He dared not fire, fearing he might accidentally injure his own hunting dogs.

The distance was too great and there were too many obstructions, so we couldn't see the wild animal clearly. We could only be sure of one thing: it was small and definitely not a wild boar, sika deer, or black bear, which are common large wild animals.

As he was still pondering this, he saw that small, dark thing jump up.

With its mouth wide open, revealing a set of sharp teeth, it pounced before the hunting dog could react, biting down on Big Yellow's front leg.

"Aww!!"

Big Yellow let out a scream, in so much pain that it dared not put its legs down.

This little thing, whose exact nature is unknown, is truly cunning and fierce.

Unable to gain the upper hand against ten hunting dogs by himself, he didn't linger in the fight. After biting Big Yellow Leg, he took advantage of the gap when the dogs surrounded him, shrank back, and leaped out through the gap in the dog pen.

The dark figure darted up the tree trunk in a few quick movements, nimbly leaping up the pine tree next to it, and crouched high in the branches to hide.

Chen Gaoshan immediately shouted.

"Rhubarb, bring it back."

Big Yellow was in so much pain that it kept tiptoeing. Upon hearing its owner's command, it endured the excruciating pain and retreated.

The remaining nine hunting dogs huddled under the pine tree, jumping and barking, scratching at the bark with their paws, unable to get rid of the small creatures on the tree.

At this moment, Qian Zhuizi walked over and kicked the wild animal lying on the ground.

What was lying on the ground was none other than an adult male blue sheep (a spotted serow).

It is not very big, with two small pointed horns on its head, dark brown fur on its body, and light-colored legs.

Its throat was bitten off, blood was flowing everywhere, and one of its four legs was broken. It was completely dead.

Qian Zhuizi frowned. "Damn it, could this blue sheep have been bitten to death by that little rascal earlier?"

Chen Gaoshan squatted down, reached out and touched Qingyang's wound, his eyes darkening.

This wound was from a throat lock, not something a hunting dog could have made.

Dogs tear food into pieces; they simply don't have that strong strangulation force.

Could it really have been that inconspicuous little thing that did it?

Chen Gaoshan's heart skipped a beat.

"I knew I hadn't misheard; I really did hear sheep bleating."

The hunting dogs under the tree continued their incessant barking, while the dark shadow on the tree remained motionless, refusing to come down.

Ma Wanzhong looked up and squinted for a long time, but couldn't see what the thing looked like at all, so he immediately waved his hand.

"Shanzi, stop wasting time. Carry the blue sheep and leave quickly. This thing is hiding in the tree and won't come down anytime soon. It's not worth wasting our time on it."

Chen Gaoshan also understood that continuing the stalemate would be a waste of time.

This wild animal looks small, but it's fierce and clever. However, in the end, it's just a small thing and can't cause any big trouble.

"Alright, let's get back down the mountain quickly. It's getting hotter and hotter; if we leave the wild boar outside overnight, it'll definitely stink."

"Everyone stay alert. This thing is incredibly dangerous. It can easily take down a fully grown ram and break through an encirclement of ten hunting dogs. It's too ferocious. Keep your eyes on your surroundings as you walk, don't let your guard down."

They nodded in agreement.

Qian Zhuizi carried the blue sheep on his shoulder.

Chen Gaoshan turned to look at Dahuang, and examined its wound. Fortunately, it was just a superficial injury, not as serious as Huzi's previous gash, so it didn't need stitches.

He asked Uncle Wan Zhong to take out his personal liquor and hemostatic powder, and then he disinfected and applied medicine.

Mountain dogs are tough and resilient; this little injury will heal in a couple of days.

The three of them carried their prey back to the flat ground where they were resting.

Li Wuyang, Xiao Kouzi, Wang Tongsuo, and the others were stunned when they saw them carrying Qingyang back, their mouths agape.

"My goodness, Brother Zhuizi, you've only been out for a short while, and you've brought back another wild goat. Captain, your ears are too sharp; you can really hear the sounds of mountain goods."

Chen Gaoshan didn't explain further, he just nodded.

"Stop chatting, I just happened to be there. Let's quickly put out the fire completely, pack our things and head down the mountain."