The Entire Mountain Is My Hunting Ground

And they weren’t the only ones. The last one to join the chase, Little Bear, hesitated for a moment before howling and pursuing the wild boar as well.

The wild boar charged to the base of the tree and found nothing, so it turned to attack the hounds. It broke through the Dog Gang, but the four dogs quickly surrounded it again.

"Get in the tree! Get in the tree!" At that moment, Li Baoyu shouted in Tao Fei’s direction, "Xiaofei, hurry up and climb the tree!"

The wild boar wasn’t heading for Tao Fei, but Li Baoyu was terrified. After all, Tao Fei had zero hunting experience; he was just here to watch the show.

Tao Fei seemed truly stunned with fear, but Li Baoyu’s shout snapped him out of it. He began scrambling up the poplar tree in front of him.

Nearby, the four dogs were losing their grip on the wild boar.

The boar suddenly spun around, scattering the four dogs in an instant. It then charged straight for Little Bear.

Little Bear turned to flee, but the charging boar quickly caught up.

Normally, a dog is much faster than a wild boar, but Little Bear had started late. By the time it moved, the boar was already at a full sprint.

As a result, Little Bear only managed a few steps before the boar was on it. With an upward toss of its head, the boar sent Little Bear flying.

The boar’s tusks had pierced Little Bear’s hindquarters.

This reveals a very interesting phenomenon.

When hounds corner a wild boar, if a dog focuses its attack on the boar’s front half, it will also be injured on its front half when the boar strikes back.

Just like Daqing and White Dragon moments ago. They went for the boar’s ears, so their injuries were mostly to their front shoulders and necks.

As for Little Bear, it specialized in biting the boar’s hind legs. So when the boar turned to attack it, it was Little Bear’s rear that got gored.

Just as the boar sent Little Bear flying, Daqing and White Dragon closed in from the left and right.

Both were "head-on" dogs, and they charged the boar’s front. But the boar swung its head and knocked White Dragon away again.

Just then, Daqing rushed in and latched onto the boar’s snout. The boar jerked its head up, flipping Daqing head over heels.

Daqing had just scrambled to its feet in the snow when the boar charged it again, thrusting its snout under Daqing’s belly and heaving upward.

"AWOOOO..."

Daqing let out a horrific cry as it was tossed into the air. Its belly had been ripped open, intestines spilling out, and blood poured out unceasingly.

The boar charged forward again, reaching Daqing’s side in a few steps. Once more, it drove its snout under Daqing and flicked upward with all its might.

"AWOOOO..." Daqing flew through the air. When it landed, two holes had been punched in its chest, spraying blood. It was barely breathing.

"AHHHH..." Up in the tree, Li Baoyu couldn’t hold it in any longer and broke into hysterical sobs.

The scene was brutal, more than Li Baoyu could bear.

But it was a common sight in a dog-led hunt.

Many Hunters had experienced this. They’d sit in a tree, watching helplessly as their dogs were repeatedly gored by a boar, able to do nothing but cry.

It was a harsh reality.

If a human were attacked by a boar, any dog still able to stand would give its life to protect its master.

But no Hunter ever gave his life to protect his dog.

Hearing Li Baoyu’s screams, Xiaohua actually rushed forward and bit the boar on the stomach.

The boar, stung by the pain, went after Xiaohua, who immediately turned and fled.

This young pup, new to the mountains, was nothing like the veteran hounds. Young dogs bail at the first sign of real trouble and run from danger.

But that was precisely what drew the boar away. After chasing for a bit, the boar realized Xiaohua was fast and no longer attacking it, so it turned and lumbered across the slope.

Seeing the boar leave, Li Baoyu wiped his tears and climbed down from the tree. He ran a few steps before stumbling and falling into the snow, but he quickly struggled back up and ran toward Daqing.

By the time he reached Daqing’s side, the dog was taking its last breaths.

Daqing was panting heavily, and the two bloody holes in its chest hissed with every breath it took. A look at the intestines spilling from its stomach showed they were already torn.

Li Baoyu knew the dog wouldn’t make it.

This was the first of their own dogs to die since he and Zhao Jun had started hunting in the mountains.

"Brother..." Li Baoyu called out for Zhao Jun, breaking into loud sobs once more.

Meanwhile, Zhao Jun was currently climbing a different slope.

If Little Bear’s choice hadn’t been wrong...

...then Zhao Jun’s choice hadn’t been wrong either.

He knew Little Bear was a good lead dog, but he trusted Hua Xiao’Er more.

That’s why when the two lead dogs split up to chase different prey, he had trusted that Hua Xiao’Er was definitely after the Black Bear that had burst from the Pine Tree thicket.

That’s why he was climbing this slope. As for Little Bear’s group, the prey could have been another black bear, a wild boar, a roe deer, or even a stag.

It was because of this uncertainty that Zhao Jun couldn’t go that way.

「On the mountainside」 The Black Bear had been enraged by the two dogs.

It spun around and swatted Da Huang away with a single paw.

Da Huang hit the ground, the impact leaving it unable to get up for a moment.

When the Black Bear had attacked, Da Huang had managed a slight dodge. That’s why the bear’s claw only left a bloody gash on Da Huang’s back, but the fall had knocked the wind out of it.

Meanwhile, Hua Xiao’Er was circling the Black Bear, repeatedly dodging its lunges and swipes.

And after every evasion, Hua Xiao’Er would attack the Black Bear’s rear from behind. Whenever the bear swiped back, Hua Xiao’Er would dodge in advance.

Even though the Black Bear’s fur was long and its body was lean at this time of year, Hua Xiao’Er targeted its rear exclusively—the most vulnerable spot on its body.

As Hua Xiao’Er spun away, the Black Bear turned its head. Coincidentally, it spotted Zhao Jun coming up the slope.

The Black Bear let out a grunt and charged straight for Zhao Jun.

When the bear saw Zhao Jun, so did Hua Xiao’Er. Seeing the bear attack its master, Hua Xiao’Er leaped from behind, bit down on the bear’s rear, and refused to let go.

The Black Bear dragged Hua Xiao’Er for two meters. When it found it couldn’t shake the dog off and the pain in its rear intensified, it stopped and swiped its paw backward.

But before it could touch Hua Xiao’Er, Zhao Jun opened fire from across the way.

BANG!

Even from over two hundred meters away, Zhao Jun still took the shot.

His vast hunting experience told him that with the bear swiping back like that, Hua Xiao’Er, desperate to protect its master, wouldn’t dodge.

And if it didn’t dodge, it would be injured.

So, Zhao Jun fired.

The shot drew blood.

A bullet pierced the Black Bear’s left shoulder. It could no longer be bothered with grabbing Hua Xiao’Er and instead charged ferociously at Zhao Jun, completely ignoring Hua Xiao’Er’s repeated attacks from behind.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Zhao Jun squeezed the trigger repeatedly.

Four consecutive shots.

After the fourth shot, the Black Bear fell heavily onto its back, dead.

Just then, Da Huang got to its feet and rushed over, joining Hua Xiao’Er in pouncing on the Black Bear’s body and tearing at it fiercely.

Zhao Jun walked over. The Black Bear was lying on its back. Of the four shots, two had hit its stomach, while the other two had struck the crescent-shaped white patch on its chest.

BANG! Zhao Jun fired one more shot into the bear’s head for good measure. Seeing it remain motionless, he quickly took out his knife, gutted the bear, removed the Bear Gall, and put it in a cloth bag before tucking it into his pocket.

Then, he cut two strips of meat from the bear’s body, stuffing one into Hua Xiao’Er’s mouth and the other into Da Huang’s.

Hua Xiao’Er was now lying in the snow next to the Black Bear. Its mouth was open, tongue lolling out, panting puffs of white mist.

Zhao Jun placed the bear meat in its mouth, but Hua Xiao’Er didn’t take it, and the meat slipped out. Hua Xiao’Er lowered its head and nudged the meat with its nose, but it still didn’t eat, just gasped for breath.

Zhao Jun knelt beside Hua Xiao’Er, gently stroking it from the back of its head down its neck. With his other hand, he picked up the bear meat and placed it in Hua Xiao’Er’s mouth again.

This time, Hua Xiao’Er didn’t refuse its master’s kindness and chewed the meat.

Da Huang had already finished its piece, so Zhao Jun cut off a few more chunks and divided them between the two dogs.

While Da Huang ate, Zhao Jun took some tobacco powder and a bandage from his satchel and dressed Da Huang’s wound.

By the time the two dogs finished the meat, Zhao Jun had finished bandaging Da Huang.

Zhao Jun lowered his head and looked at Hua Xiao’Er. At the same time, Hua Xiao’Er raised its head to meet his gaze, its eyes bright and clear.

Zhao Jun said, "Hua Xiao’Er, go down the mountain. Go on down."

Hua Xiao’Er continued to stare at Zhao Jun without blinking.

Zhao Jun said again, "Hua Xiao’Er, go. Go find Baoyu."

The instant the name left his lips, Hua Xiao’Er shot to its feet, turned, and bolted down the slope.