Reborn in the 1980s: I made my fortune hunting wild game in Changbai Mountain

Training this year's fledgling eagles at home took Yue Feng a lot of time and energy, but the final result was good.

Once the five fledgling eagles had completed their initial hunting training, the little guys were already close to adult falcons in both size and weight.

Once the eaglets learned to hunt, they became less and less dependent on their parents. Yue Feng chose a suitable day and took all five eaglets to the mountain breeding farm.

Including the four fledglings bred last year, Yue Feng now has a total population of 11 gyrfalcons under his control.

The four eaglets bred last year are now one year and two months old. After undergoing systematic cage rearing in spring and summer, they have all grown into adult eagle feathers.

In particular, the white-colored two one-year-old eaglets showed a noticeable change in the pattern of their breast markings.

In addition, the iron-backed red eagle in Yue Feng's hands, after being carefully cared for for two seasons, spring and summer, is also nearing the end of its molting.

The yellow eagle molted and became spotted, and then molted a second time and became azure.

After three years of hunting in the wild, and two autumn and winter hunting seasons in the hands of hunters, their hunting experience has improved significantly, and even the requirements for the hunting platform have been significantly reduced.

Before we knew it, more than a month had passed.

Yue Feng's business is now thriving, with a large income coming in every day.

Grandpa Chen has been in charge of organizing the falconry team that was formed earlier.

During the spring and summer harbinger season, there is a large supply of small birds every day. These birds make a great dish at our own restaurant, and they can also generate considerable profits when delivered to canteens of partner companies.

Even if there are occasional unsold items, there's no fear of waste, as the caged eagles and sables in the mountain farm consume a large amount of these items as their daily feed.

Although the income of the team members who release eagles to catch birds is not as stable as that of coal miners or forestry workers, it is not as good as it is not bad, and the business has always been quite stable.

Besides the Eagle Hunting Team, business at their own hotel in the city under lockdown has also stabilized after fluctuating for the past few months.

The limited daily supply of wild boar meat has become the restaurant's secret weapon, attracting a large number of gourmets and generating huge profits for Yue Feng every month.

In addition to these two industries, the daily income of the village's mountain products sales point has also increased significantly compared to when it first opened.

The range of goods available for purchase and sale, including mountain products, mountain vegetables, and medicinal herbs, is gradually expanding, and the volume is growing larger. The daily volume of goods coming in and out has long since exceeded 1,000 yuan.

It is reasonable to expect another surge in pine nut production after the harvest begins in autumn.

Finally, it is worth mentioning the well-drilling campaign that Yue Feng guided and promoted.

It's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. Villagers didn't find it unacceptable to carry water for drinking on ordinary days, but after the more convenient hand-pumped well was installed, more and more villagers came to the village office wanting to sign up to dig a well.

Therefore, Yue Feng once again placed a bulk order for wellheads, hard water pipes, and other materials, and arranged for a well-drilling team to continue serving the villagers.

In just a few months, the coverage rate of small-hole wells in Xing'an Village has increased from zero to over 60%.

Especially for special villager families like Grandma Li's who need collective care, Yue Feng generously provided free well drilling and installation, with all costs covered by the purchasing and sales point.

The small-well public welfare project in Xing'an Village quickly spread to other villages around Lianhua Township.

Many people approached Yue Feng through roundabout connections, wanting his well-drilling team to help them drill wells. After completing their own village's well-drilling work, the team embarked on a new journey.

The fee for digging a well in your own village is 25 yuan, but in other villages it jumps to 40 yuan, and you have to go to great lengths to ask for favors.

The two well-drilling teams can drill at least four wells a day, and Yue Feng can earn 60 yuan from this part of the profit alone.

Through this series of industrial developments, Yue Feng's net worth has been increasing every day.

The family's savings, which were almost emptied out in the spring when they went to Yanjing to buy a courtyard house, have begun to become abundant again after this period of development and accumulation.

Over the past six months, Yue Feng has gradually become familiar with various things in the village, and his business has slowly taken shape. All that's left is time.

While busy with other things, Yue Feng focused most of his energy on his wife, who was pregnant with their child.

Based on the timeline, the expected delivery date is around October 1st, and the time for delivery is getting closer and closer.

Summers in Northeast China are noticeably shorter than in other places.

Before we knew it, the sweltering summer had passed, and the autumn breeze was blowing. It was already late August and early September.

Just when Yue Feng was spending his days doting on his wife, eagerly anticipating the birth of their child, a phone call from Ye Jianjun shattered his peaceful life.

That day, Yue Feng was at home watching TV and joking around with his wife when his brother-in-law, Wang Mingyu, arrived at Yue Feng's new home, panting heavily.

"Brother-in-law! There's a call from the capital, specifically asking for you! It's extremely urgent!"

Yue Feng was slightly taken aback, then slapped his brother-in-law's butt without any politeness: "Speak properly, if you need me, then come to me. Why are you trying to imitate those TV station lines? It's an emergency!"

The brother-in-law rubbed his backside and pouted, somewhat disgruntled, saying, "Really, really! They said on the phone they're waiting for you to save their lives! They haven't hung up yet, they're waiting for you to come over!"

Upon hearing this, Yue Feng immediately got up and headed straight for the village office.

When they got to the telephone, sure enough, the call hadn't ended yet.

"Hello? This is Yue Feng! What are your instructions?" Yue Feng asked, picking up the phone.

"Xiao Yue, it's me, your brother Jun!" Ye Jianjun's slightly distorted voice came from the phone.

"Hello, Brother Jun, what's the emergency? My brother-in-law said it's extremely urgent?"

Yue Feng didn't bother with pleasantries and went straight to the point.

Have you ever heard of "hanging a ram"?

"Hanging sheep?" Upon hearing this term, Yue Feng was slightly taken aback.

Ask other people, and they might not have heard of this name, but ask Yue Feng, and he'll definitely know what it is.

"Yes, the 'hanging sheep'! A peculiar animal that is said to live deep in the Changbai Mountains!" Ye Jianjun added.

Yue Feng took a deep breath: "I've heard the elders say that the hanging sheep lives on cliffs and precipices. When it sleeps, it hangs from tree trunks with its horns to avoid predators! Its blood and flesh are extremely precious medicinal materials!"

Legend has it that the young marshal drank the blood wine of a hanging sheep, and the hunter who caught the hanging sheep was rewarded with tens of thousands of silver dollars!

Is this what you're talking about?

"Yes, it's this hanging sheep!! The old man's condition is a bit bad. That miracle doctor said that if we can find this legendary hanging sheep and use its blood as a guide, there is still a glimmer of hope!"
Brother, we've been buddies for so long, you know I rarely ask for favors!

Hearing this, Yue Feng frowned slightly: "Tell me, what do you need me to do? If it's something I can do, I certainly won't refuse!"

"I asked many friends for help and got some information."

In Guandi Township, Dunhua City, Jilin Province, there's a place called Xuanyanglazi Mountain, where people might still be practicing the "hanging sheep" activity! Speaking of hunting skills, among my friends, you're the best!

Moreover, these goats roam the steep cliffs, making it virtually impossible to catch them by human means alone! However, your eagle has a chance if it spots its prey!

"Using an eagle to catch a hanging sheep?"

"Yes! There are deep cliffs all over there, and it's impossible for a person to get close!"

Moreover, the blood of a ram is very scarce. The book says that a single ram yields a maximum of three bowls of blood. If you shoot it, by the time someone retrieves the prey, it's probably too late!

After listening, Yue Feng took a deep breath and quickly sorted out his thoughts: "I can take people on a trip. Whether or not we can find that legendary artifact, I will do my best!"
However, before you go, there is a concern I need to make clear to you!
Does anyone else know about this?

Last time I went to Yanjing, Jinlong told me that many people were watching your family. I can help you, but I'm afraid someone might get wind of it and cause trouble!
As you know, once you reach a certain level, a simple greeting can attract many people eager to earn that favor! If legitimate means don't work, they might resort to underhanded methods!
Your sister-in-law is due to give birth in about a month, and I'll definitely help out, but you also need to find a way to ensure my safety!

Hearing Yue Feng's concerns, Ye Jianjun quickly said, "You don't need to worry about that. I'll arrange the personnel. I'll assign some good people to work with you. Safety is definitely not a problem!"
Don't say no one dares to provoke us; even if someone does, we'll kill them all! If anything goes wrong, the Ye family will take full responsibility for the consequences!

Now that things had been said to this extent, Yue Feng's concerns were finally put to rest.

The "expert" that Young Master Ye mentioned is definitely not the kind of expert that ordinary people understand. He might be someone like a king of soldiers. Although such people are few, they can definitely be found if you want to.

"Okay, how do you plan to arrange the time and schedule?"
Before I set off, I need to visit a few old hunters. I've heard the legend of the hanging sheep from my grandfather since I was very young. There are many rumors, but not much information that is useful for the job.

To get things done, we need to learn from the old hunter.

If you can find out a useful method, you can save a lot of time.

"Our last trip to Saintess Lake to find the Moon Frog taught us a lesson. Without the right methods, even with eagles, we might not get things done!"

"How about tomorrow? I'll arrange a car to pick you up tomorrow! We'll take a plane from the airport!"

Yue Feng quickly considered the options: "Tomorrow at noon, I'll call you back regardless of whether I get any useful information!"

"Okay! Go and get ready! You don't need to worry about your luggage or anything for the mountain!"

"Okay! I understand!"

……

After hanging up the phone, Yue Feng took a deep breath.

This job is a bit tricky!

The fact that even military aircraft have been used demonstrates the seriousness of the problem.

Don't be fooled by Yue Feng's respectable and comfortable life on his own little plot of land; in front of the real powerful and wealthy, he's utterly insignificant.

It's hard to say what might happen on this trip if the information is leaked.

However difficult it may be, we still have to go.

If we could really unlock the legendary mythical beast of Changbai Mountain, the Hanging Sheep.

Whether viewed from the perspective of material benefits or special effects, its value is no less than that of the tiger mentioned earlier.

After calming himself down a bit, Yue Feng jogged back to the new house, greeted his wife and explained the situation, then quickly got on his motorcycle and left.

First, we went to the nearest house, that of Grandpa Chen.

Grandpa Chen's caged eagle has been released from its cage and is currently enjoying tea at home with its newly molted eagle.

"Hey, Xiaofeng, what brings you here today? Come on in, a friend gave me a box of tea the other day, let's have a taste!"

When Grandpa Chen saw Yue Feng come to his house, he was very friendly and pulled Yue Feng into the house.

"Sir, there's no rush for tea. I have something important to ask you about!"

"It's serious business, get to the point!"

"Have you ever heard of 'suspended sheep blood'? I took on a job for a friend; someone in his family is seriously ill and needs 'suspended sheep blood' as a medicinal ingredient to save his life!"

"Hanging sheep? Those things had already become extinct within a radius of several hundred miles when I was a child!"

Upon hearing the words "hanging sheep," Grandpa Chen shook his head repeatedly at Yue Feng.

"Let's not worry about the extinction issue for now. My friend said he knows a place where we might have a chance to find traces of it!"
I just wanted to ask you, if there are any survivors, how do we catch them?

"To get blood from a hanging sheep, you have to catch it alive! A dead hanging sheep is worth far less! A gun is useless for catching this kind of thing!" Grandpa Chen said with a slight frown.

"Then, how do you catch it using the old methods? With traps?" Yue Feng continued to ask.

"This ram is very intelligent and cautious, with a sense of smell even more acute than that of tigers and leopards! Almost all traps and devices that have been touched by human presence are useless against it! It even avoids paths that people have walked on!"
Its habitat is on cliffs that are neither above nor below the ground, making it even more difficult to capture alive!

I heard about a potentially feasible method from older generations, which I'm just offering for your reference.

To capture a takin alive, you need to set up a branch-binding trap in a suitable location outside its usual activity area before it snows.

Once it snows, the scent of human-set traps will dissipate over time and become undetectable due to the falling snow!

Then we'll figure out a way to scare the sheep away from its original territory!

Only in this way can we have a chance to catch it with a trap!
Besides, even the most astute trap hunter is helpless against it!

"It only works when it snows, and what's this 'branch-weighting and hanging cover' thing?" Yue Feng was even more confused after hearing this. Could this thing be so weird?

"I forgot to mention earlier, you can't use iron tools to catch rams, because they can smell metal!"

A branch-pressing trap is made by pressing branches down from a living tree to act as the power source for a trap, and then peeling bark from the treetop to weave ropes to serve as the trap's legs.

In this way, the trap is alive and there is no sense of danger, so that the ram has a chance to step into it!

Of course, if you think about it with your toes, it's actually quite difficult.

Bark-woven lassos are not strong at all and are prone to breaking over time. Whether they are feasible is very difficult to determine!

To catch this ram alive, you'd need to plan for at least a few months in advance, and even then, there's only a very small chance!
There was something you didn't realize about the difficulty earlier; these specific trap setups aren't even the hardest part!

"What could be more difficult?"

"Even more difficult is the skill that only a very few legendary top hunters can master: Mountain Observation!" (End of Chapter)