9: Chapter 9 Hunting in the Deep Mountains

The group walked along the mountain paths of the Qinling Mountains.

The early morning mist in the mountains had not yet dissipated, and the distant peaks only revealed a blurry outline.

The path into the deep mountains was not easy to walk; weeds and shrubs grew thick along the way, and they had to constantly use hunting knives to hack through to pass.

Ye Jing walked in the back while his two sons helped clear the way for him, making it quite easy.

However, after walking for a long time without seeing any prey, everyone couldn't help but feel a bit anxious.

"Is there even any prey here? We've walked so long and haven't seen a single hair!"

Wang Laosan couldn't help but shout.

To the side, Zhang Youqiang let out a cold snort. "Do you think prey is that easy to find? That Tang Family has occupied the mountain forests with the most prey in the Qinling Mountains. It would be quite good if we could catch a few rabbits nearby!"

Hearing this, Wang Laosan immediately became agitated. "This Tang Family is too overbearing! These Qinling Mountains don't belong to them, so why do they get to occupy all the good spots?"

"The Tang Family has considerable influence in our area. They keep many guards under their command, and it's said they even have several Martial Artists stationed there. Moreover, the forests they occupy are backed by official government documents."

"That's right. On the surface, it's 'enclosing land to raise beasts,' but in reality, they've seized the areas where prey is most concentrated. Ordinary hunters can't get in at all."

Several villagers from Chen Family Village said with a sigh.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have risked bypassing the Tang Family's territory to try their luck in the dangerous deep mountains.

The crowd silently cursed the injustice of the current world and the oppression of the powerful.

But for the sake of the tax silver, they could only continue deeper inside.

"Stop!" Zhang Youqiang, who was walking at the front, suddenly called out.

The team of dozens immediately halted. Several fleeing rabbits appeared in the forest. Zhang Youqiang immediately notched an arrow and fired several shots in succession at the rabbits.

The rabbits hiding in the grass were caught off guard and hit. Zhang Youqiang ordered the people beside him, "Go! Pick up the rabbits!"

The people beside Zhang Youqiang hurried into the bushes and brought out the rabbits. There were two in total, both shot through the head, bleeding profusely.

Seeing the rabbits brought out, the hunters from Chen Family Village immediately surrounded him with flattery. "Brother Zhang's archery is truly divine! A shot to the throat, no hesitation at all!"

"Isn't it? Having a harvest right after entering the mountains is a good omen for a full load today!"

Zhang Youqiang's brows lifted with pride, and his tone carried a hint of self-satisfaction. "It's just two furry rabbits, nothing much. Wait until we find deer or wild boar, then I'll show you my real skill!"

After speaking, he glanced sideways at Ye Jing at the back of the crowd.

He saw the old man standing in the mist, his expression calm, as if he hadn't noticed the commotion just now.

Zhang Youqiang felt another surge of displeasure in his heart.

This old fellow!

"Old Man Ye, in the deep mountains, everyone relies on their own ability. Your Liu Village better work hard!"

Zhang Youqiang said sharply.

Hearing this, Ye Jing understood his meaning. It seemed that entering the mountains together was just for mutual support, but the hunting would be separate.

The people from Chen Family Village caught two wild rabbits, which made the following Liu Village people very envious.

Ye Jing was more composed; he examined some rabbit fur scattered on the ground and let Hei Feng track them.

He didn't forget to say to the nine people from Liu Village beside him, "Follow me, we can't fall behind!"

The people of Liu Village all knew Ye Jing was an experienced hunter, so they all followed behind him.

At that moment, several wild rabbits were darting quickly through the forest. He immediately said to the villagers behind him, "Look! There are wild rabbits there, we can catch them!"

Hearing this, the eyes of the Liu Village people instantly lit up.

Ye Xuan and Ye Yi quickly notched arrows and fired. The arrows pierced the hind legs of the wild rabbits, hitting two at once, while the rest fled rapidly.

The Liu Village people didn't hesitate either, notching arrows and firing.

Ye Jing patted Hei Feng's head and said, "Hei Feng! Go up and drive the rabbits over!"

Hei Feng immediately pounced forward, blocking the escape route of the rabbits and driving them toward the group.

Seeing this, the villagers immediately notched arrows and fired, hitting several.

When the villagers went to pick up the rabbits, they found they had caught five or six, and they were large and very plump.

This was much more than what Chen Family Village had caught at the start, and the faces of the Liu Village people were filled with excited smiles.

Wang Laosan couldn't help but give Ye Jing a thumbs up. "Uncle Ye, you're still the experienced one. If you hadn't discovered the rabbits, how could we have caught so many so quickly!"

Ye Xuan and Ye Yi carried the rabbits and glanced triumphantly at the people from Chen Family Village, happening to meet Zhang Youqiang's gaze.

Zhang Youqiang's expression was unsightly. Just a moment ago, he thought the Liu Village people could only envy him, but he didn't expect that as soon as Ye Jing acted, he helped Liu Village catch so much prey.

It seemed he had truly underestimated this little old man!

Next...

The hunting party caught a few more scattered rabbits and pheasants in the forest.

But these were all small prey and weren't worth much money.

Ye Jing stepped forward and said to Zhang Youqiang with relative politeness, "Hunter Zhang, we can only catch small prey here. Why don't we head further into the deep mountains?"

Hearing this, several hunters from Chen Family Village couldn't help but lean in toward Zhang Youqiang and whisper, "Brother Zhang, let's go look inside too. Just hanging around here isn't the way."

Zhang Youqiang thought about it and felt it was right, so he said, "Fine! Let's go inside and see if there's any big game!"

Zhang Youqiang led everyone deeper into the forest, his steps carrying a hint of impatience.

The further they went into the forest, the denser the trees became.

Compared to before when they could see a few small prey, now there was no movement here except for the trees.

"Dad, why do I feel like something's not right? It's too quiet," Ye Xuan whispered.

Ye Jing looked at the silence in the forest, where only the faint sound of birds could be heard.

He raised his hand to signal Ye Xuan to be quiet, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding trees.

There were faint deep marks on the tree trunks, as if something had scratched them. The leaves on the ground were also somewhat thick and had traces of being crushed, as if there was some large prey.

"It's not just the silence that's wrong." Ye Jing kept his voice very low and pointed to a crooked-necked tree not far away. The soil there looked somewhat freshly turned and still carried a bit of moisture. It didn't look like the marks of a beast digging for food, but rather...

Before Ye Jing could finish his thought, he suddenly heard a crisp 'crack' from ahead—the sound of a branch snapping.

Zhang Youqiang, walking at the very front, stopped immediately upon hearing the sound and alertly raised his bow and arrow. "Who's there! Come out!"

The forest remained silent, with only the 'shasha' sound of wind passing through the leaves.

Zhang Youqiang grew impatient and took large strides forward to investigate.

Ye Jing hurried forward and shouted, "Don't go over there! There's a trap ahead!"

Zhang Youqiang was full of disdain. "Old Man Ye, who are you trying to fool! It's just a broken branch, where's the trap?"

Just as he finished speaking, his front foot suddenly sank, and the ground instantly collapsed. Zhang Youqiang's center of gravity became unstable, and he was about to fall, but fortunately, the person beside him hurriedly grabbed his arm.

Shocked, Zhang Youqiang looked at the well-camouflaged pit beneath his feet. The bottom of the pit was filled with sharpened wooden spikes.

If Ye Jing hadn't called out to him and someone else hadn't pulled him, he would have fallen in long ago.

Zhang Youqiang was so scared his face turned pale, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

"Oh my mother!"

The villagers who followed were also broken into a cold sweat and retreated several steps, not daring to step forward randomly anymore.

Ye Jing walked up, reached out to touch the soil at the edge of the pit, and frowned. "This trap was dug very neatly, and the wooden spikes are sharpened very well. It should have been set by someone here to catch large prey."

"Besides us, could there be other people hunting in these deep mountains?" Zhang Youqiang was very uneasy.

Ye Jing agreed. "It's very likely. Now that the tax silver is pressing hard, there will always be people coming here to try their luck. But no matter who set it, we must be careful. There might be more traps ahead."

Zhang Youqiang recovered his senses. Recalling the danger just now, he felt a bit more gratitude toward Ye Jing, but he still said stubbornly, "Old Man Ye, thanks for the reminder, but it's just a small trap, nothing big."

After saying that, he forced himself to stay calm and said to the crowd, "Everyone follow me closely, watch your step, and don't step into any more traps!"

The crowd didn't dare to be careless. They all slowed their pace and stared at the ground as they carefully moved forward.

Hei Feng also became alert, growling low toward the front from time to time, his nose constantly sniffing the surrounding air.

After walking for about an hour, it was getting late. Zhang Youqiang immediately had them rest in a relatively open area.

A day in the deep mountains, fraught with danger but ultimately safe, passed just like that.