Early the next morning, just after four, while the sky was still a dim gray, the door to Zhao Jun's family home was suddenly pushed open from the inside.
Zhao Jun tiptoed out of the house. He was dressed for hunting, a shotgun slung over his back.
Seeing the shotgun-toting Zhao Jun, Hua Gou, who had been lying on the ground with its ears pricked in his direction, instantly perked up.
When Hua Gou looked like it was about to bark, Zhao Jun quickly lunged, wrapping one arm around the dog's neck and clamping its muzzle shut with his other hand.
Zhao Jun unfastened the iron chain from Hua Gou's neck and led it out of the yard.
As they passed the storage shed, Qing Gou, who was inside, saw Zhao Jun and ran over, putting its front paws on the window and wagging its tail nonstop.
Over the past two days, Qing Gou and Hua Gou had gradually gotten used to each other, and it seemed they had accepted one another's presence.
Zhao Jun ignored Qing Gou, pushed open the courtyard gate, and left directly with Hua Gou.
The busiest farming season was over for the month, and even in this mountain village, it was rare for anyone to be up so early.
As a result, Zhao Jun didn't run into anyone on his way. Just as they were approaching the village entrance, Hua Gou, who was at his side, suddenly darted ahead.
Straight ahead, Li Baoyu was waiting. In one hand, he held the lead for his family's dog, Da Huang, and in the other, he dangled a hemp rope.
When Hua Gou ran up and greeted the Yellow Dog in their canine way, Li Baoyu unexpectedly grabbed it and tied the rope around its neck.
Zhao Jun walked over, took the rope tied to Hua Gou, and said to Li Baoyu, "Let's go."
Zhao Jun led the way with Li Baoyu following, each man holding a hunting dog's leash as they headed into the great mountains. Zhao Jun moved as if he knew the path by heart, much to the amazement of Li Baoyu trailing behind.
"Brother, are you sure this is the right way?"
Zhao Jun didn't answer directly, instead asking, "Didn't you hear that Elder Qin came back to the village the day before yesterday?"
"Yeah."
"Then we're on the right track," Zhao Jun said. "The old man must've set a trap and hit a Black Bear with it. If we search around his lean-to, we're bound to find it."
Li Baoyu was a little skeptical when he heard this, but when they actually found the spot where the Black Bear had bitten the trap, his earlier doubts completely transformed into admiration for Zhao Jun.
The trail of blood the Black Bear had left on the ground was now barely visible after two days.
But Hua Gou just sniffed at the spot, then lifted its head to scent the air before pulling on its rope and moving forward.
Zhao Jun quickly called for Li Baoyu to keep up. Ahead, under the branches of some low-growing shrubs, they discovered a large pool of blood.
Hua Gou lowered its head and sniffed again.
Seeing this, Zhao Jun untied the rope from Hua Gou's neck. The dog shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
"Let the dog loose!" Zhao Jun shouted to Li Baoyu. With a flick of his shoulder, he swung the shotgun from his back and caught it in his hand.
As its rope was untied, the Yellow Dog bounded forward in pursuit.
Just then, Zhao Jun pulled a shell from his pocket, loaded one into the chamber, and turned back to Li Baoyu. "Brother, a Black Bear isn't like other game. If I tell you to stay back, you stay back."
"I know."
Reassured by Li Baoyu's promise, Zhao Jun raised his gun and walked quickly ahead, with Li Baoyu following behind, carrying the Invasion Blade.
Hua Gou led the way, scrambling over ridges and across gullies. The Yellow Dog darted back and forth between Hua Gou and the two men. Zhao Jun followed them over two consecutive ridges.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew past. The Yellow Dog, which had been circling Li Baoyu, twitched its ears and took off down the slope.
Only then did the sound of barking, carried on the wind, reach Zhao Jun's and Li Baoyu's ears.
"Slow down," Zhao Jun cautioned Li Baoyu, and the two began making their way down into the gully.
Below them lay Naoxia Pond—in other words, a Chaotic Stone Pond—where rocks of all shapes and sizes were scattered about haphazardly.
"ROOOAR..."
Suddenly, a beast's roar echoed throughout the entire Chaotic Stone Pond.
Birds burst from the forest on the nearby slope, and crows cawed loudly.
A shiver ran through both Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu. A chill shot up from the small of their backs, coiled around their necks, and instantly crept into their faces.
In that instant, Zhao Jun's face felt cold and a little numb.
Looking at Li Baoyu, he was shivering uncontrollably, his scalp tingling as if zapped by electricity.
"Bro... Brother..." Li Baoyu's whole body went cold. The hairs on his arms stood on end, and his legs even felt a bit weak.
Zhao Jun held his gun in one hand and steadied Li Baoyu's arm with the other. In a gentle tone, he said, "You rest here for a bit. Be careful. If the Black Bear comes your way, just run. I'll be right behind you."
"Okay, okay."
Li Baoyu nodded twice, pushed Zhao Jun's arm away, and steadied himself against the Big Stone Cliff nearby.
It was only then that Li Baoyu vaguely recalled something his grandfather had told him when he was a child: a bear's roar is the most terrifying sound there is. Anyone who has never hunted a bear is liable to piss their pants the first time they hear one.
'Come to think of it,' Li Baoyu suddenly thought, 'I'm not doing too bad. At least I didn't piss my pants.'
With that thought, the chill in Li Baoyu's body gradually faded, and his legs felt steady again. He gripped his Invasion Blade and pressed forward once more.
At that moment, a thousand meters up from Li Baoyu's position in a straight line, two hunting dogs—one mottled, one yellow, one in front, one behind—had a Black Bear surrounded.
This was the same Black Bear from yesterday, but compared to the day before, it was now covered in wounds.
When Qin Qiang had encountered it yesterday, the Black Bear had only suffered an injury to its mouth from the trap.
But now, besides the wound on its mouth, it also had two gunshot wounds and three knife wounds on its body. On the scattered rocks around it, there were splatters of dark, sticky blood.
The two dogs strained their necks, barking furiously at the Black Bear.
As for the Black Bear, it stood on all fours, roaring angrily at what was in front of and behind it, trying to project an air of dominance.
But the Black Bear was already gravely injured. Even if Zhao Jun and the others hadn't come to hunt it today, the bear wouldn't have survived more than a few days.
When Zhao Jun arrived, he saw the Yellow Dog lunge from behind the Black Bear and bite its left hind leg. Before the bear could turn, the Yellow Dog let go and darted to the side.
Seeing this, Zhao Jun broke into a run, his gun at the ready.
The Black Bear's roars no longer sounded full-throated. It had just roared and started to turn around when Hua Gou, which was in front of it, seized the opportunity to leap forward and snap its jaws, also biting and immediately retreating.
Turning its head again, the Black Bear suddenly saw Zhao Jun running toward it.
In that split second, it was as if a new fire of energy ignited within the Black Bear. It raised its head, let out a piercing roar, and then, pushing off with all four paws, it charged straight at Zhao Jun.
The charge was relentless and unstoppable.
Seeing the Black Bear charge Zhao Jun, Hua Gou and the Yellow Dog grew frantic. The two dogs caught up from behind, one grabbing the bear's left leg, the other its right.
They pulled back with all their might, but it was useless. The Black Bear's speed didn't decrease in the slightest as it dragged the two hunting dogs along in its charge toward Zhao Jun.
At this moment, Zhao Jun stood a hundred meters away from the Black Bear. Watching it get closer and closer, he calmly pulled the trigger.
BANG!
With the crack of the gun, a spray of blood mist erupted from the back of the Black Bear's head.