Chapter 285: Chapter 240: The Man Fell Before the Bear
As the lead dogs, Hua Xiao’Er and Daqing both took off, following the Black Bear’s tracks, while Zhao Jun followed behind with Da Huang and White Dragon.
After about half a mile, Daqing came ambling back. Zhao Jun sighed. ’Ah, Daqing. When it comes to hunting, all it has going for it is its size and strength.’
As a lead dog, it was good at picking up a scent, but its range was too short. It couldn’t track very far before needing to return to its master’s side. And when it came to biting prey, its grip wasn’t fierce. It had even lost its hold on a wild boar in the past.
The short range was an innate trait, so there was nothing to be done about it. The weak bite, on the other hand, could be trained. But Daqing was already fully grown; it would be difficult to change its ways now.
Zhao Jun waved his arm, and Daqing turned and ran forward again.
Zhao Jun walked for another half a mile. This time, Daqing didn’t return, but Da Huang and White Dragon, who had been by his side, both bolted ahead.
Although Zhao Jun couldn’t hear any barking, the moment he saw them take off, he gripped his rifle and broke into a run. He knew the lead dogs must have started baying up ahead. He couldn’t hear them from behind the ridge, but the other dogs could.
Yet, as he ran further, he still heard no barking.
Something was wrong.
’Could all four dogs have been seriously injured?’
Although the possibility was slim, Zhao Jun kept running forward at top speed.
He hadn’t run far, however, when he saw his four dogs surrounding an old man with a rifle slung over his back. The old man was squatting, breaking off pieces of a large flatbread and feeding them to the dogs.
Zhao Jun’s dogs weren’t like Huang Gui’s, which refused food from strangers, but they wouldn’t just take handouts from anyone either.
Zhao Jun took a closer look and thought, ’What’s he doing here?’ He hurried forward and asked, "Elder, what are you doing out here?"
This old man was none other than Xing San, whom Zhao Jun had met before.
Xing San didn’t answer his question, saying only, "I saw this Hua Gou and Qing Gou and knew it had to be you."
"Ah, haha." Zhao Jun could only manage a laugh at his words.
Xing San stuffed the last of the flatbread into Hua Xiao’Er’s mouth, then stood up and asked Zhao Jun, "Are you out here with your dogs chasing a Black Bear?"
"I am," Zhao Jun said, then asked, "Elder, are you after the Black Bear, too?"
"Mhm." Xing San nodded. "I went up to Eight Ridge yesterday to have Elder Wang prepare a couple of explosive charges for me. On the way back, I saw the Black Bear’s prints. I didn’t have my gear with me then, so I didn’t follow. I came back with my rifle today, and what do you know, I run into you."
"Heh." Zhao Jun didn’t quite know how to respond. While it was true that Li Yuan and Li Wei had flushed this Black Bear out specifically for him to hunt, the rule was that the wealth of the mountains couldn’t be monopolized. In hunting, you couldn’t just claim every black bear or wild boar as your own and tell another hunter to back off.
But he’d already brought his dogs all this way; he couldn’t just give up.
Just then, Xing San spoke. "Look, my boy, since we’ve run into each other, let’s just follow the rules of the hunt. No need to go easy on an old man like me."
"Elder," Zhao Jun didn’t bother being polite. "A few workers from the Logging Camp down the way flushed this Black Bear out while felling trees. They sent for me, and that’s why I’m here with my dogs.
"When I get back, I have to give those men a cut anyway. So how about this: when the dogs track down the Black Bear, you take the first shot. If you get it, I’ll take one-third of the Bear Gall. If you miss, I’ll take my shot, and if I get it, I’ll give you one-third of the Bear Gall."
"Deal! We’ll do it your way." Xing San, realizing he came out ahead no matter what, agreed on the spot.
Now that they had an agreement, Zhao Jun whistled, sending Hua Xiao’Er forward to continue the pursuit.
Hua Xiao’Er and Daqing set off again, following the Black Bear’s tracks. Zhao Jun and Xing San walked behind them, chatting as they went.
Xing San said, "Hey, my boy, next time you’re heading into the mountains and it’s not too much trouble, could you bring me a cask of liquor? I’ll pay you for it, of course."
"No problem," Zhao Jun agreed with a smile. "That’s easy. Next time I’m passing your way, I’ll be sure to bring it."
As the two men were talking, Da Huang and White Dragon, who had been trotting alongside them, suddenly dashed off. A moment later, a cold gust of wind carried the distant sound of barking to them.
"After ’em!" Xing San yelled to Zhao Jun before breaking into a run. Zhao Jun had noticed it the last time they’d hunted a wild boar together: for an old man, he was in excellent shape, fast on his feet.
Not to be outdone, Zhao Jun took off right after him.
On a slope up ahead, a Black Bear lay slumped before a fallen log.
This Black Bear was the unluckiest of its kind. It had spent the entire winter hibernating peacefully in its tree den. Just as it was about to emerge, someone had set the den on fire.
A black bear’s fur is long and shaggy. After a long winter hibernation, its fat and nutrient reserves were depleted, and its coat had become dry and brittle.
The moment it touched fire, it went up in flames.
One could say the bear had literally been burned out of its deep slumber. Waking to find flames licking at its rear, it had scrambled frantically up the hollow trunk, desperately rubbing its body against the wood until it managed to extinguish the fire.
Even so, its body was covered in extensive burns. Once the fire had consumed its fur, it began to burn its flesh.
With its long fur gone, the raw skin of its rump and belly was exposed, covered in blisters. When it rubbed against anything, the blisters would burst, causing excruciating pain.
It was lucky that it was winter and the temperatures were low. If this had happened in the summer, its suffering would have been far worse.
Speaking of which, if the brothers Li Yuan and Li Wei had actually followed Zhang Yuanmin’s instructions and jammed a dozen or two wooden poles into the den, the Black Bear might very well have perished in the inferno.
But had that happened, it was anyone’s guess whether the Bear Gall would have been destroyed by the flames.
Having escaped the inferno, the bear, covered in burns, had fled as far as it could.
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