The Entire Mountain Is My Hunting Ground

The three of them had entered the mountains at six-thirty. After reaching the hunting grounds, they took a shortcut toward their destination and arrived before half past eight.

The wild boars probably hadn’t left their dens yet, so the three were looking for the tracks they’d left the day before.

As they had agreed beforehand, whoever found fresh tracks was to whistle for the others.

Hearing the whistle, Zhao Jun didn’t even bother taking down his gun and strode southwest. He hadn’t gone more than a few steps when he saw Zhang Yuanmin, who had three pairs of wild-boar-skin skis tucked under his arm.

Zhao Jun gave him a hand signal. Zhang Yuanmin, understanding tacitly, said nothing, simply nodding before following him.

When Zhao Jun and Zhang Yuanmin reached the bottom of the gully, they saw Li Baoyu waving at them from a short distance away.

It melted during the day and froze at night.

Although there was no snow left at the bottom of the gully, a small amount of meltwater had pooled and frozen overnight. As Zhao Jun and Zhang Yuanmin walked, the ice cracked and groaned under their feet.

Through the thin, transparent ice, they could see countless boar tracks. ’They must have come down in the afternoon when this gully was full of muddy water,’ Zhao Jun thought. ’They were rooting around for grass, which is why the ground is all torn up in furrows.’

"Brother, look." Li Baoyu raised his hand and pointed to the sun-facing slope. Zhao Jun looked over. There was no snow on the slope, but it was completely covered in the wild boars’ tracks.

They were all muddy prints, frozen solid when the temperature dropped overnight.

"Big Brother!" Zhao Jun called back to Zhang Yuanmin.

"Yeah." Zhang Yuanmin came forward. "Brother," he said to Zhao Jun, "what do you need? Just give the word."

"It’s nothing," Zhao Jun said, then turned to Li Baoyu. "You two wait here. I’m going up to take a look."

The last time Zhao Jun had taken Li Baoyu on a drive hunt, he’d explained that mountain beasts were extremely clever. When they rested at night, they would always find a spot on a sun-facing slope that was sheltered from the wind.

Seeing the slope covered in tracks, Zhao Jun knew the herd of wild boars was somewhere on this sun-facing slope, but he didn’t know their exact location.

After giving his instructions to Li Baoyu and Zhang Yuanmin, Zhao Jun started up the slope. He moved with extreme caution. Trees stood in his path, their stiff branches jutting out. It would be hard to avoid brushing against them as he passed.

The slightest touch would make a branch snap back, creating a sound the boars could easily hear.

He knew that if the herd was spooked, they’d run until afternoon before stopping.

Zhao Jun reached out, pressing down the branch in his way with his palm. He held it there as he sidled past, ensuring his body didn’t touch it.

Once clear, he slowly released his hand, letting the branch return to its original position without a sound.

He continued forward, repeating the process for every branch and pine bough in his way.

In this way, Zhao Jun moved without making a single sound.

Further on, he noticed ice in some of the muddy tracks left by the boars’ hooves.

Meltwater must have collected in them and frozen when the temperature dropped below zero overnight.

Zhao Jun crouched down, slowly untied his laces, and took off his two cotton-padded shoes. He tied the laces of both shoes together, then tossed them over a branch, leaving them hanging from the tree.

Now barefoot, Zhao Jun continued onward, one slow step at a time.

Though the ground was freezing, his bare feet allowed him to control his movements perfectly, preventing him from making the slightest noise.

A pine forest lay ahead. Zhao Jun didn’t enter, instead standing at its edge, lost in thought for a moment.

’The herd must be hiding in this pine forest,’ he concluded.

With that thought, Zhao Jun turned and headed back. Halfway there, he retrieved his shoes and put them on.

The moment Zhao Jun got back down to the gully, Li Baoyu and Zhang Yuanmin crowded around him.

"Brother, are the boars up there?"

"Yeah." Zhao Jun nodded at Zhang Yuanmin, then looked at Li Baoyu. "Baoyu, give me the firecracker."

Hearing this, Li Baoyu quickly pulled a Maze from his satchel and handed it to Zhao Jun.

Zhao Jun didn’t take it. Instead, he told Li Baoyu, "Light it and throw it up the slope."

"Okay." Li Baoyu cupped the Maze in both hands, holding the fuse out for Zhao Jun. Zhao Jun struck a match and lit it. Li Baoyu swung his arm and hurled it. The Maze exploded in mid-air before it could even hit the ground.

BOOM... BOOM...

A tremendous roar echoed through the mountains. Surrounded by peaks on all sides, the sound was trapped, creating wave after wave of reverberations.

An unceasing chorus of panicked squeals and howls erupted from above, like an ancient army camp thrown into chaos. Everything was a complete mess.

Though he’d never witnessed the thundering stampede of ten thousand horses, the sound of the boars’ hooves hitting the ground on the mountain above was just as powerful, a thunderous roar that shook the very earth.

"Go!" Zhao Jun commanded. At the same time, he took down his gun, tucked it under his arm, and started striding up the slope.

Li Baoyu and Zhang Yuanmin followed close behind. By the time they were halfway up the mountain, the chaotic sounds from above were already fading.

"Faster!" Just as Zhao Jun urged them on, a wild boar came scrambling down the slope in a panic.

Zhao Jun brought up the shotgun from under his arm, aimed at the boar, and shouted, "Get!"

Startled by Zhao Jun’s shout, the boar panicked and spun around, trying to flee sideways across the ridgeline.

If the boar had charged straight at him, it would have presented a much smaller target, making for a difficult shot.

That was why Zhao Jun had shouted to startle it.

Frightened by the shout, the boar had turned, and in doing so, it exposed its entire flank to Zhao Jun.

Zhao Jun didn’t hesitate, raising his gun and firing a single shot.

BANG! With the crack of the gunshot, the boar collapsed sideways. It kicked its legs twice on the ground and then went still.

Zhao Jun continued up the slope. The sound of his shot had also spooked two other boars. They had been about to run down toward him in their panic, but now they both wheeled around and scrambled for the top of the ridge.

They crested the ridge and started down the shaded, north-facing slope. But on this side, boar after boar was trapped in the deep snow, howling in distress.

One of the boars that had just turned back started running down from the ridgetop. It didn’t get more than a few steps before the ground gave way beneath it, and one of its hooves plunged into the snow.

The snow here was just like in Zhao Jun’s backyard: a hard crust over deep powder. A boar’s hoof is much narrower than a man’s foot, so it exerts far more pressure. Once it broke through the crust, it was bound to get stuck.

The entire herd was now foundering on this slope. With all four limbs plunged deep into the snow, they couldn’t pull themselves free to stand.

Just then, at the very front of the herd, one enormous boar was still able to plow its way down through the snow.

It was the largest of the herd. Its massive body was like a moving rockery, covered in scars. The bristles on its back stood on end, making its spine look as if it were studded with long steel needles from a distance.

It was far larger than all the other boars. The deep snow on the north-facing slope that trapped the others couldn’t hold it.

It moved slowly, but its steps were steady. It descended into the gully step by step and quickly vanished from sight.

At that moment, Zhao Jun, Li Baoyu, and Zhang Yuanmin appeared at the top of the ridge. They looked down at the trapped boars on the slope below, and both Li Baoyu and Zhang Yuanmin turned to look at Zhao Jun in unison.

Before they could ask, Zhao Jun looked at Li Baoyu and said, "Cut down some trees. We’re mounting the blades!"

"You got it!" Li Baoyu quickly found three small trees of similar thickness. He felled them one by one, stripped the branches, and sharpened one end of each trunk. Then, he drew the Invasion Blade from the small of his back and mounted it onto the wooden shaft.

Zhao Jun and Zhang Yuanmin did the same.

Once their blades were mounted, Zhao Jun said to Zhang Yuanmin, "Big Brother, hand out the skis!"

"Right." Zhang Yuanmin set his spear aside and handed two of the three pairs of wild-boar-skin skis he was carrying to Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu.

Zhao Jun took the skis and fastened them to his feet. Then, with his Invasion Blade in hand, he started down the slope.

As Zhao Jun descended, the dozen or so boars closest to him saw him coming and began to howl incessantly.

In an instant, the other boars joined in, their chaotic squeals and grunts creating a din that made one’s eardrums ring.

Zhao Jun had only taken a few steps when he came upon a boar. He immediately raised his blade and thrust.