The Entire Mountain Is My Hunting Ground

Xu Changlin’s intentions were clear: he just wanted to kill the Lynx and avenge his three dogs.

He didn’t care if its corpse was left whole or torn to shreds.

He didn’t care if the Lynx Fur could be sold. He just wanted the Lynx dead.

The old man’s affection for his dogs was admirable, but Zhao Jun couldn’t agree to it.

Why would he risk his own dogs to help avenge someone else’s, all for nothing? What if his dogs were the ones to get hurt?

Despite Zhao Jun’s refusal, Xu Changlin wasn’t anxious. He just said, "Young man, hear me out. I won’t have you doing this for free. Avenge my dogs for me, and when it’s over, you come home with me. I have a Lynx pelt, and I’ll give it to you."

The moment Xu Changlin spoke, Zhao Jun felt something was off. He believed that Xu Changlin loved his dogs enough to chase a Black Bear for them.

But he wouldn’t believe for a second that the man would give up a Lynx Fur just for revenge.

That was worth over a thousand yuan!

Seeing Zhao Jun’s silence, Xu Changlin added, "Young man, if you don’t believe me, how about this? Before you head up the mountain tomorrow morning, come to my house first. I’ll give you the pelt to hold onto. If we get the Lynx, the pelt is yours. But if we don’t even run into it, you give the pelt back to me."

"And what if we run into it, fail to corner it, and my dogs end up dead?" Since they’d gotten this far, Zhao Jun dropped the pleasantries.

Xu Changlin had only mentioned the scenario where they didn’t find the Lynx. But what if they did, and his four dogs got hurt? Would he still get the Lynx Fur?

"It’s yours!" Xu Changlin’s reply was so prompt that Zhao Jun found it hard to believe.

Xu Changlin chuckled. "Come with me tomorrow, and you’ll see. I guarantee it won’t hurt your dogs."

Despite Xu Changlin’s guarantee, Zhao Jun said, "Master Xu, let’s get this straight. If we get there and I don’t like the look of things, I’m taking my dogs and leaving."

"No problem," Xu Changlin agreed, then added with a playful tone, "If you really decide to take your dogs and leave, it’s not like this old man can stop you."

Zhao Jun smiled at that. "Alright, Master Xu. I’ve still got work to do at home, so I’ll be heading back now."

"Right, right. You go on back." The old man waved a hand at Zhao Jun, urging him to go home.

Zhao Jun had just turned and taken a couple of steps when he heard Xu Changlin call out, "Young man, tell your parents we’ll have to spend tomorrow night on the mountain."

"Spend the night on the mountain?" Zhao Jun’s brow furrowed. He immediately thought of that early morning and the four figures of Black Impermanence outside Yong’an Village.

The old man nodded. "Tomorrow, we’ll go up to scout the area and let you see if it’s feasible. If you say no, you can take your dogs and go home. If it looks good, we’ll spend a night in the mountains and hunt it first thing the next morning."

Zhao Jun thought Xu Changlin’s proposal sounded reasonable. When they got there tomorrow, if he felt it was too dangerous, he would just take his dogs and come back. He wouldn’t take any unnecessary risks.

Besides, the way the old man spoke, he must have a place for them to stay. They wouldn’t just be roughing it for a night in the ice and snow.

With that in mind, Zhao Jun asked, "Master Xu, where will we be staying?"

Xu Changlin replied, "There’s a man named Xing San. You probably haven’t heard of him, but ask your father, he’ll definitely know. The old fella has a dugout in the mountains. We’re on good terms, so we can crash at his place for the night."

Zhao Jun blurted out, "Xing Zhuyong’s uncle?"

"Who?" Now it was Xu Changlin’s turn to be puzzled.

"Nothing, never mind." Zhao Jun smiled. "I’ll come find you tomorrow morning, then."

"Sounds good. I’m heading back."

"Master Xu, want me to get you some Black Bear meat?"

"No need. We’ve got plenty to eat at home."

Watching Xu Changlin’s retreating figure, Zhao Jun felt a surge of delight. He had originally planned to look for Xing Zhuyong in the spring and ask for an introduction to Xing San, hoping to get something from him.

But now, it seemed he wouldn’t have to bother Xing Zhuyong after all.

When Zhao Jun got back to his family’s courtyard, Wang Meilan asked, "What did that old man want with you?"

"He asked me to go hunting with him." Zhao Jun didn’t tell the whole truth. "He said someone told him they spotted a Black Bear’s Den, so he wants me to bring the dogs and go with him."

As he spoke, Zhao Jun clapped Li Baoyu on the shoulder. "Baoyu, you’ll bring Da Huang and come with me tomorrow."

"You got it."

Then, Zhao Jun said to Wang Meilan and Jin Xiaomei, "Mom, Auntie, the place we’re going is far. The two of us will have to stay overnight in a mountain cabin."

"Where is it? Why are you going so far?" Wang Meilan asked.

"The old man didn’t say."

After the four of them finished butchering the Black Bear, Jin Xiaomei and Li Baoyu went home with half of the meat. Zhao Jun followed Wang Meilan inside and saw Zhao Youcai sitting on the heated brick bed, mending a pair of cotton-padded pants.

Zhao Jun didn’t dare ask his father directly, so he glanced at Wang Meilan, but she paid him no mind.

Wang Meilan lifted the lid of the large pot, revealing seven braised rabbits soaking in the sauce. Using a mesh strainer, she lifted them out one by one and placed them in a large basin.

Noticing Zhao Jun was still by her side, she said, "Son, you’ve been busy all day. Go on inside and rest. Mom’s going to smoke these rabbits for you."

"Okay!" Zhao Jun replied, heading to his room.

He had just stepped into his room when he heard Wang Meilan muttering proudly by the stove, "Just look at my son. He went up the mountain and came back with rabbits and a Black Bear."

SMACK!

A sharp slapping sound came from the east room, as if something had been thrown down on the heated brick bed.

Wang Meilan continued working by herself in the outer room. After taking out the rabbits, she ladled out the braising sauce, then cleaned the wok, heated some oil, and started stewing a pot of wild boar with cabbage and glass noodles.

She placed a steamer rack over the stew and set mixed-grain buns on it to steam.

The buns and the stew were cooked in one go. Wang Meilan then cleaned the wok again, spread a layer of millet on the bottom, and arranged the braised rabbits on the steamer rack.

As the wok heated up, steam rose from the millet, and a rich, smoky fragrance filled the air.

A few minutes later, Wang Meilan took the wok off the heat. She then placed the rabbits, now smoked to a beautiful date-red color, onto two separate plates.

"Son, hurry and take this to your Uncle Li’s family, then come right back for dinner."

Zhao Jun left the house carrying a plate with four smoked rabbits. Just outside, he saw Li Baoyu in the neighboring courtyard, walking from the gate toward his front door.

"Baoyu!" Zhao Jun called, passing the plate over the wall.

Li Baoyu took the plate, and his eyes lit up as he sniffed it. "Wow, that smells amazing."

"Hurry back and eat."

"Mhm, mhm." Li Baoyu was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something. "Brother, what time are we heading out tomorrow?"

"Let’s say eight." Zhao Jun glanced around, and seeing no one, lowered his voice. "Listen, and don’t tell anyone else. Tomorrow, we’re going with Elder Xu Pao to hunt a Lynx."

"A... Lynx!" Li Baoyu’s eyes grew even wider. He glanced toward Zhao Jun’s house and whispered, "What about my uncle?"

"We’re not telling him!" Zhao Jun said. "From what Elder Xu Pao said, the Lynx isn’t at Jumping Stone Pond where my dad and his group went. We’re taking a different route."

Li Baoyu asked excitedly, "Brother, is this what you’d call a smokescreen, or are we taking the secret road?"

Zhao Jun shot Li Baoyu a look and chuckled. "You’re the one who reads all those books. How could you not know? Don’t ask me."