The Entire Mountain Is My Hunting Ground

"Son, come quick!"

Hearing Xu Changlin say he was looking for Zhao Jun, Wang Meilan turned and shouted for her son before turning back to the old man. "Uncle Xu, please come in and sit for a while. Youcai’s at home."

Xu Changlin shook his head with a smile. "No, thanks. I’m not here for him."

Just then, Zhao Jun, having heard the call, appeared at the door. When he saw it was the old man, he nodded to Xu Changlin and greeted him, "Master Xu."

Xu Changlin nodded back at Zhao Jun, then turned to Wang Meilan. "Youcai’s wife, you go on with what you were doing. I have some business with your boy."

"In that case, Uncle Xu, why don’t you two talk inside?"

"No need." The old man gave a curt reply, grabbed Zhao Jun by the arm, and started walking.

As he was being pulled along by Xu Changlin, Zhao Jun started to suspect what this was about. ’I remember in my past life, this old man also put together a hunting party, selling three of his dogs to a Korean man.’

’Later, that man, whose surname was Jin, took the dogs up the mountain to attack a Black Bear’s Den and failed. All three dogs died under the Black Bear’s claws trying to save him.’

’Afterward, Xu Changlin took his gun into the mountains and hunted for three days, relentlessly tracking the Black Bear until he finally shot it dead.’

’Today, the old man must have found out. He knows the three dogs he sold to Wang Dalong are dead. He’s come to find me because he wants revenge for his dogs.’

’After all, this Lynx isn’t a Black Bear. If you’re chasing a Black Bear, a bit of effort is usually enough to get a clear shot.’

’But a Lynx runs faster than a roe deer. How could you possibly chase it down?’

’This old man has been hunting these mountains for years; he knows how dangerous a Lynx is. He’s here looking for a partner.’

’But if he was looking for help, shouldn’t he be talking to Zhao Youcai?’

Zhao Jun thought, ’Could it be that Wang Dalong refused the old man because he didn’t want to split the spoils with another person? And now the old man wants to find someone else to go it alone?’

But Zhao Jun had his doubts. He hadn’t had a chance to speak with Zhao Youcai inside, so he didn’t know how his father had fared today.

But from the sound of it, Zhao Youcai and Wang Dalong had come up empty-handed again today.

’The only question is, what are those two thinking now? If they’ve given up, then I can go after the Lynx myself. But if they’re determined to keep trying, then I can’t possibly go after it.’

’There’s an old saying that the bounty of the mountains belongs to whoever catches it, but there’s no precedent for a son snatching prey from his own father.’

"Master Xu, Master Xu." At this thought, Zhao Jun quickly stopped and steadied the old man by the arm.

Xu Changlin stopped and turned to look at Zhao Jun. "What is it, young man?"

"Master Xu," Zhao Jun asked directly, "You came to my house to find me because of that lynx, right?"

"Ah!" The old man was stunned. He hadn’t expected Zhao Jun to guess his intentions before he’d even said a word.

Zhao Jun pressed, "You’re looking to avenge your three dogs, aren’t you?"

This time, Xu Changlin didn’t even manage an "ah." He stared at Zhao Jun in utter shock, speechless for a long moment.

Zhao Jun smiled inwardly.

’Old men are crafty, old horses are slick, and an old rabbit is hard for an eagle to catch.’

’This old man was no pushover, so Zhao Jun decided to seize the initiative.’

’It seemed to be working quite well.’

"Master Xu." While Xu Changlin was still reeling, Zhao Jun pressed his advantage. "Where did you hear about this?"

Zhao Jun had to be clear about the source of the information.

’If Zhao Youcai and Wang Dalong were the ones who told him, it would mean they’ve given up. Otherwise, they’d never have let the information get out.’

’But if Xu Changlin heard it from someone else, then the situation required more thought.’

"Li Mingliang told me," Xu Changlin said. "I went to the Wang Family’s little convenience store to get some vinegar this morning and ran into him. He’s the one who told me."

At this, Xu Changlin added, "Wang Dalong went up the mountain with your dad today but didn’t take Li Mingliang along. He’s a bit put out about it."

"Ah." Zhao Jun understood now. Li Mingliang had been hoping to get a piece of the action through his connection to Wang Dalong, but Wang Dalong hadn’t included him.

That had clearly made Li Mingliang unhappy. On the surface, he was just telling Xu Changlin that the three dogs he’d sold to Wang Dalong were dead, but in reality, he was leaking the location of the lynx to everyone in the area.

’How could I possibly get mixed up in a situation like this?’

"Oh, Master Xu." No matter how cunning or sly the old man was, Zhao Jun had to admire the affection he had for his dogs.

So, Zhao Jun decided not to beat around the bush with Xu Changlin. "I can’t go with you," he said directly. "Of those two men, one is my father, and the other is like an older brother to me. If we go and kill that lynx, I won’t be able to face them when I get back."

Xu Changlin frowned and was about to speak, but Zhao Jun cut him off.

Zhao Jun continued, "Master Xu, if all you want is to avenge your three dogs, then you should go inside and talk to my dad. Tell them to take you along when they go up the mountain tomorrow."

At this point, Zhao Jun’s tone shifted. "But let’s be clear upfront. If you get the lynx, I can’t say what Brother Dalong will do. I have no say in it. However, I’m sure my dad would be willing to give you half of his share."

Zhao Jun didn’t spell it out, but his meaning was clear. Wang Dalong wouldn’t even tolerate Li Mingliang tagging along, which meant he clearly intended to split the Lynx Fur fifty-fifty with Zhao Youcai and no one else.

But Elder Xu could go under the pretext of avenging his dogs. He would just have to make it clear to Wang Dalong beforehand that he wasn’t after a share of the Lynx Fur.

In the end, though, his father, Zhao Youcai, wouldn’t let him go home empty-handed; he would split his own portion with him.

After Zhao Jun finished, he saw Xu Changlin shake his head. "Young man," he said, "your dad and him will never catch it."

"Huh?"

The old man continued, "Young man, if you trust me, you’ll come with me. We’ll go up the mountain, but we won’t take the same trail as your father and his partner. We won’t be poaching their hunt. That doesn’t break the code, does it?"

"That would work, but..." Zhao Jun thought for a moment before saying, "I don’t have my semi-automatic anymore. Hitting that thing with a single-shot shotgun would be a long shot."

"We won’t need one." Xu Changlin waved a dismissive hand. "We won’t use guns. We’ll take dogs." As he spoke, he stood on his tiptoes and peered toward Zhao Jun’s family home. "Those dogs of yours will be enough."

"What? Corner it with dogs?" Zhao Jun thought this was absurd. A lynx wasn’t the kind of animal you could corner with dogs.

’Between my dogs and Li Baoyu’s, we have four that are tough fighters. But Wang Dalong also took four dogs with him.’

’Wang Dalong’s four dogs were completely wiped out. What makes my pack any different?’

’Sure, Hua Xiao’er is fierce, but that Cyan Wolf was no slouch either.’

"Master Xu, if we take the dogs, aren’t we just sending them to their deaths?"

But Xu Changlin just shook his head. "I heard from Li Mingliang that my dogs cornered it in the forest. That’s the wrong way to do it. Young man, if you trust me, come with me. We’ll take the dogs up the mountain and corner it at Jumping Stone Pond. We’ll release them only when we get there. Let the pack go all at once, don’t let any get separated, and we can definitely trap it."

"Huh?" Zhao Jun blinked. He was beginning to understand the old man’s plan even less. He knew that if four dogs surrounded it like that, they would tear the lynx to pieces. It would certainly die.

But if the lynx was torn to shreds, the fur would be worthless. ’What’s he after, then?’

"Young man!" Xu Changlin said, looking Zhao Jun in the eye. "I’m not asking you to come up the mountain with me to get a pelt and sell it for cash. I just want to avenge my three dogs."

Hearing this, Zhao Jun simply said, "Master Xu, if that’s your reason, then I can’t go with you."