Chapter 439 - 372: Unscathed
Suddenly, it fell silent up ahead. The four dogs were no longer barking. Zhao Jun’s heart sank, and he instinctively started to rush forward.
’It was just like the battle on Little Gu Mountain, outside Yongsheng Village, after the New Year.’
Huang Gui’s six dogs had surrounded that nearly seven-hundred-jin "cannon egg" boar, and the situation had been just like this. Once the dogs were all injured, they naturally stopped barking.
"Xiaojun!" Lin Xiangshun, quick of hand and sharp of eye, grabbed Zhao Jun. "Stop running. Your dogs will be back in a minute."
"Huh?" Zhao Jun was taken aback and said hurriedly, "Second Brother, the dogs have stopped barking! I don’t want them getting hurt."
"Not a chance," Lin Xiangshun said with a small laugh. "The dogs couldn’t hold the boar, so it got away. They’re on their way back, so what’s there to bark about?"
Hearing this, Zhao Jun blinked and stood frozen in place.
Zhao Jun had been a hunter across two lifetimes. In his previous life, he had started this work two years later than his current self. By that time, Hua Xiao’er was already gone, but the dogs he’d trained from the start were Cyan Dragon and his pack.
Though it was tough training those four dogs from pups, Cyan Dragon’s temperament was a lot like Hua Xiao’er’s. Both were fiercely competitive.
To put it another way, if they went into the mountains to hunt and Cyan Dragon spent the whole morning without finding a boar, or failed to corner one and let it escape, he wouldn’t even want to go home by the time the sun was setting.
No matter how tired he was, he would scour every inch of ground on the way home, trying to find another piece of prey.
After those four "dragons," the dogs Zhao Jun led were the descendants of Cyan Dragon and Black Dragon. They had given Zhao Jun two litters, each one fiercer and tougher than the last. They never had a situation where they’d fight for a bit and then turn back.
But in this life, Zhao Jun started hunting early, and his lead dog was Hua Xiao’er.
Hua Xiao’er’s temperament spoke for itself.
From the time of his rebirth to the day Hua Xiao’er died in battle, Zhao Jun had never encountered a situation like this.
He knew some hunting dogs were slackers. He’d heard about them in his previous life and had seen them with other hunters, but he’d never owned a dog like that himself.
Now, suddenly having four such dogs on his hands, Zhao Jun was finding it hard to adjust.
Then he heard a RUSTLING sound. Looking toward the noise, he saw the four dogs running toward them, one after another.
"Heh," Lin Xiangshun chuckled. He raised a hand and pointed. "Xiaojun, see that? Not a scratch on any of them."
At this, Lin Xiangshun sighed and said with a hint of resignation, "Look at their scars. They haven’t been injured on a hunt in at least two years. Dogs like that, are they going to risk their lives for us right off the bat? What makes us so special?"
As Lin Xiangshun was speaking, the four dogs returned to their side. They stopped, panted a few times with their mouths open, and then their breathing returned to normal.
’They weren’t even that tired. It would’ve been a miracle if they’d actually put any effort in.’
Zhao Jun glanced at Lin Xiangshun and asked, "Second Brother, you’re the expert when it comes to training dogs. What are we going to do with these four?"
"Let’s go," Lin Xiangshun said, pointing ahead. "Let’s keep moving and see what we find. It’s still early. We can’t just head back now."
They had left home early, headed straight for this spot upon entering the mountains, and started the chase almost immediately. But the whole thing was over in no time.
It was only just past ten o’clock.
Zhao Jun thought so too. ’If we go back empty-handed, it’ll be an even bigger blow to the dogs’ confidence.’
So, the two of them led the dogs up the southern slope.
There was no way they could catch up to that herd of boars now; otherwise, the dogs wouldn’t have come back. The bottom of the gully was full of pine needles, branches, and other debris, so they were better off climbing the opposite slope anyway.
Once on the slope, Zhao Jun and Lin Xiangshun continued onward with the dogs. Along the way, Big Fatty would occasionally dart off, but he’d always return a short while later, his excitement clearly lacking.
"Hey, Second Brother!" Zhao Jun scratched his head and asked Lin Xiangshun, "If we get them into a few good fights, do you think we can train them up?"
"Oh, definitely!" Lin Xiangshun agreed, but then his tone shifted. He looked up at the Qiuzi Trees overhead. "But these trees are about to leaf out. You’d better figure something out, and fast."
Once the trees leaf out and the grass grows high enough to cover your ankles, the whole mountain will be a sea of green. With branches, leaves, and grass blocking the view, it’ll be hard to see even ten meters ahead. How are you supposed to hunt then?
But to get the dogs into shape before then was a tall order, and time was running out.
They walked until noon, by which point both men and dogs were exhausted. The pair found a shady spot to rest, gathered some dry branches to build a fire, and toasted the steamed buns they’d brought from home.
Zhao Jun and Lin Xiangshun each ate a toasted bun, and the remaining two were split among the four dogs.
As he tore off pieces of his bun and stuffed them into his mouth, Zhao Jun said to Lin Xiangshun, "Second Brother, it’s been a long time since I’ve had to eat a meal out here in the mountains."
"How come?"
Zhao Jun laughed. "Usually, when I hunt, I’m done in the morning. I’m home by noon and eat then."
He said it with a hint of pride, but looking at the four dogs around him, wagging their tails and begging for more of his bun, Zhao Jun felt a wave of helplessness wash over him.
’These dogs... instead of hunting for meat, they’re here coveting my steamed bun. And this is the only one I have left. I can’t give them any more.’
Giving each dog half a bun earlier had been a necessity. Even though they hadn’t caught any prey, if he didn’t give them something to tide them over, he was afraid they wouldn’t have the energy to run in the afternoon.
After lunch, Zhao Jun and Lin Xiangshun rested against a tree for a bit before leading the four dogs up the mountain, following a ridge.
By traveling along the ridge, the dogs would be able to catch the scent of any prey on the slopes below, no matter which side it was on.
But after more than an hour of walking, Big Fatty still hadn’t made a sound. Zhao Jun and Lin Xiangshun had no choice but to start heading back with the dogs. Just as they were about to leave the hunting grounds, however, Big Fatty shot off with a WHOOSH.
"Huh!" Zhao Jun froze, glancing quickly at Lin Xiangshun. Lin Xiangshun raised a hand, signaling him to stop. "Listen!"
"WOOF WOOF WOOF..."
A series of barks rang out. San Pang, who had been following so closely behind Zhao Jun that he was practically stepping on his heels, shot off in an instant.
Flower Cat and Hua Lang were right behind him. The three dogs, one after the other, bolted straight for the sound of Big Fatty’s barking!
"Quick! Let’s move!" Lin Xiangshun shifted his shoulders, swinging his rifle around to the front. He gripped it and took off, chasing after the dogs.
When hunting with dogs like these, the hunter had to be fast.
Zhao Jun was exhausted from wandering the mountains all day, but the sound of barking was like a starting pistol. A surge of adrenaline instantly filled his body with strength.
Luckily, it was a gentle slope, so Zhao Jun and Lin Xiangshun broke into a run, each trying to outpace the other.
The barking grew louder, meaning they were getting closer to the dogs. Better yet, the sound was coming from a single spot, which meant the dogs had the prey cornered.
But even so, Zhao Jun and Lin Xiangshun didn’t dare to slacken their pace in the slightest. If at all possible, they had to make sure these four dogs tasted blood today.
But when Zhao Jun and Lin Xiangshun reached the "battlefield" and saw the scene before them, they just stared at each other. Neither man moved, and neither said a word.
"Fuck!" Lin Xiangshun spat on the ground. "All that running for goddamn nothing!"