The Entire Mountain Is My Hunting Ground

Back in Zhao Jun’s grandfather’s day, hunters used Old Foreign Cannons, which were firearms similar to Bird Guns.

Because they used these Old Foreign Cannons, Northeasterners took to calling the hunters of that time "Cannon Shooters."

As a sign of respect, people would address famous local Hunters by adding "Pao" after their surname. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

For example, Zhao Jun’s grandfather, Zhao Dazhu, was respectfully known as Zhao Pao.

At the peak of his fame, if you asked around for Zhao Dazhu, even his own neighbors wouldn’t know who you meant.

But mention Zhao Pao, and villagers for miles around would know exactly who you were talking about.

The Yang Pao that Zhao Jun mentioned was an old Hunter from the same generation as his grandfather.

Hearing Zhao Jun mention this old man, Yang Yufeng said, "That’s my grand-uncle."

In Chinese, the word for one’s paternal grandfather’s older brother and one’s father’s older brother are written the same, but they have completely different meanings.

The former refers to one’s grand-uncle, while the latter refers to one’s paternal uncle.

Hearing this, a thought flashed in Zhao Jun’s mind, and he asked, "Then what about Yang Mantang..."

"That’s my grand-uncle’s grandson, my seventh brother," Yang Yufeng replied.

Zhao Jun asked again, "Does his family still hunt? They raise dogs too, right?"

"That’s right."

Just then, Zhang Yuanmin, who was standing nearby, sensed something was up. He set the little girl down and asked Zhao Jun, "Brother, what’s on your mind? You can tell your sister-in-law. It’s alright."

When Yang Yufeng heard this, she knew Zhao Jun might have something to ask. Though she didn’t know what it was, she knew Zhao Jun had done their family a tremendous favor.

So, Yang Yufeng made up her mind right then: she would agree to whatever Zhao Jun asked.

Zhao Jun smiled. "It’s nothing, really. I just heard his dogs are incredible, and I was wondering... when his female has a litter, if he might be willing to sell me a pup."

"I’ve never met him, so we’re not familiar. It’d be great if you, Sister-in-law, could help put in a good word for me."

"Ha!" Zhang Yuanmin slapped his thigh. "Is that all? Why would you buy one? When his dog has her litter, I’ll just ask for a pup for you. Simple as that!"

"Huh?" Zhao Jun looked at Zhang Yuanmin, surprised. He was worried Zhang Yuanmin was just puffing out his chest and making a promise he couldn’t keep.

"Brother, it’s no trouble at all," Yang Yufeng spoke up. "My seventh brother’s female is a lead dog. Her litters are always excellent."

"When we hear she’s had her pups, just have your big brother here take you over. You pick whichever one you like, tell him, and he’ll get it for you."

"Really?" Zhao Jun was overjoyed to hear this.

"Of course," Zhang Yuanmin said with a grand wave of his hand. "You just leave it to me. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed!"

"Okay, Brother. You boys keep chatting. I’m going to step outside for a bit." Yang Yufeng excused herself to Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu and went out. There were still many people waiting for her to divide up the meat.

"Big Brother," Zhao Jun urged Zhang Yuanmin, "you’ve got to remember this for me. If there are puppies this year, you really have to get me one."

’It wasn’t that Zhao Jun was trying to freeload just because he heard it was free.’

’The crucial thing was, if he remembered correctly, that female of Yang Mantang’s would have a litter after the New Year, come spring. And his own Black Dragon would be one of those pups.’

’In his past life, Black Dragon had first gone to Hu Mantang’s house. He was raised there for two years before Hu Mantang gave him to Zhao Jun.’

’The dog had come to him at two years old and stayed with him for a full five years, performing incredible service for the Zhao Family.’

’But in this life, Zhao Jun planned to get him from the start and raise him from a puppy.’

"Don’t you worry, Brother," Zhang Yuanmin said. "On the second or third day of the New Year, I’ll be taking your sister-in-law back to her parents’ home. Her family lives in Yongfu Village."

"I’ll go over to Mantang’s place then and settle it with him. I’ll have him save one for me."

"Alright then, Big Brother. A female would be best."

"No problem."

That evening, Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu stayed at Zhang Yuanmin’s house for dinner.

Yang Yufeng cooked up a storm: braised pork, stewed Bear’s Paw, bear leg stir-fried with scallions, scrambled eggs, stewed sauerkraut, stir-fried shredded potatoes, and badger meat stewed with daikon radish.

There was also the "jumping cat" that Zhang Yuanmin had mentioned before—in other words, wild rabbit.

The two rabbits had been stewed into a massive basinful.

Eight dishes in total. Few families would dare to feast so lavishly, even for the New Year.

But for Zhang Yuanmin and Yang Yufeng, no spread was too extravagant when hosting the man who had saved his life.

If Zhao Jun hadn’t stopped her, Yang Yufeng would have killed a chicken, too.

Zhao Jun hadn’t been a drinker in either of his lives, so it fell to Li Baoyu to trade toasts with Zhang Yuanmin.

As the two drank, they quickly got tipsy. Zhang Yuanmin became even more talkative and began boasting about his "legendary" adventures in the mountains.

Though the man could be a bit wild and unpredictable, there was no denying that Zhang Yuanmin knew his stuff.

He knew how to set deadfalls, jaw traps, and snares; how to dig out badgers; and how to use medicated bait to catch wild pheasants.

Crucially, he even knew how to bait deer.

At the dinner table, Yang Yufeng kept shooting her husband warning glances, but by then Zhang Yuanmin was far too drunk. Words just tumbled out of his mouth without a filter.

From his drunken rambling, Zhao Jun finally understood why Zhang Yuanmin was so confident that Yang Mantang would give him a dog for the asking.

The reason was that Yang Mantang had been having trouble conceiving a child. Zhang Yuanmin had managed to bait a large stag and procure a certain... "supplement" for him to soak in liquor. It was only after this that Yang Mantang was able to start a family.

A favor of that magnitude was like being given a new lease on life.

Zhao Jun was quite curious about the art of baiting deer. Even before his rebirth, he’d heard it required a tremendous amount of skill.

The Medicinal Beans couldn’t be buried too deep, but they couldn’t be too shallow either. There was a real science to it.

He tried asking Zhang Yuanmin about it at the table, but the man was so drunk he was just talking nonsense.

But Yang Yufeng, sitting nearby, saw that Zhao Jun had something on his mind. She asked, "Brother, are you also looking for that... special something from a deer?"

Zhao Jun didn’t blush at all, just let out a laugh. "Sister-in-law, I’m not even married, what would I need that for? It’s my mom. Her heart isn’t very strong. I heard that Deer Heart Blood can help with heart conditions, so I want to go bait deer with Big Brother."

"Oh, that’s no problem. If you need anything, your big brother will definitely help you." After saying this, Yang Yufeng thought for a moment and added, "It’s just that those Medicinal Beans are impossible to get nowadays."

"That’s fine," Zhao Jun said. "I can get my hands on some."

’Hearing this, Yang Yufeng suddenly recalled that Zhao Jun was no ordinary person.’

’Getting those beans was a problem for her family, but for someone like Zhao Jun, it was probably nothing at all.’

So, Yang Yufeng agreed on Zhang Yuanmin’s behalf. "Brother, don’t you worry. When it’s time to bait deer, you get the Medicinal Beans, and your big brother will go with you."

"Great! I’ll thank you in advance, Sister-in-law, and you too, Big Brother." Zhao Jun quickly expressed his thanks. For him, the most important thing right now was his mother’s health.

"Brother, what are you saying? If it weren’t for you, your big brother..."

After a few more pleasantries, Zhao Jun felt it was getting late, so he pulled Li Baoyu along and said his goodbyes to Zhang Yuanmin and Yang Yufeng before heading home.

Zhang Yuanmin and Yang Yufeng walked them all the way to the courtyard gate, watching as Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu departed.

Zhao Jun supported Li Baoyu as they walked home. Vaguely, in the moonlight, he saw three people and two dogs approaching from the opposite direction.

The entire party, man and beast alike, looked utterly dejected, with no energy about them.

Despite being drunk, Li Baoyu’s eyesight was remarkably sharp. He took one glance and hollered, "Brother Dalong, how come you’re only down to two dogs?"