Jinting Han people

Chapter 24: The Boy's Hunt

At this time, it is not yet the best season for hunting in Wan'an Mountain.

In two months, the snow on the mountaintops will melt, and the Yi and Luo rivers will overflow even further. Wan'an Mountain will be covered in swamps and reeds. Grasses will flourish in the mountain forests, and all sorts of unknown wildflowers will grow wildly. Water birds will hide in the reeds to raise their young, then soar high and low over the treetops and leaves. Egg-stealing voles and mud-digging wild boars will dig in and out of the mud. Herds of elk, spotted deer, and bison will roam the area. They'll dip their legs in the water, ears alertly pricked, and cautiously lower their heads to lap up the water. This scene will attract wolves and even tigers from the mountains. It's a gathering of birds and beasts.

But now, spring is approaching, the grass hasn't fully sprouted, many migratory birds haven't returned north, and bees are anxiously scurrying among the few flowers. Naturally, the vibrant scene described above is absent. But winter is finally over, and many creatures, beckoning with the warm wind, are hungry and searching the mountains for food. This is reflected in the unmelted snow as the chaotic footprints of wild boars, hares, wolves, foxes, and other animals.

That afternoon, the boys began their hunting trip in the mountains. They didn't have the adults' eager anticipation for their catch, so they didn't follow the traditional large-scale hunt. Instead, they took a leisurely stroll, as if on a trip, catching whatever they came across, enjoying themselves like a game of hide-and-hook.

At first, the boys went to dig rabbit holes. This was because Jia Mi had brought a sable, claiming it had been brought from Youzhou. It could listen to people and was good at catching mice and rabbits. This sable, no more than a foot long and cute, could actually catch mice? Everyone was eager to see it, so they found a bowl-sized hole in the slope for it to crawl into.

A moment later, a fluttering sound echoed from the cave, and three rabbits darted out like arrows. Jia Mi's followers were quick to act, each grabbing the rabbit's throat. They then bled it with a knife and hung it upside down in a string. As they were being dealt with, the sable slithered out of the cave, clutching a palm-sized baby rabbit in its mouth.

The young men cheered and asked the sable to demonstrate several more times. In just two quarters of an hour, the sable had driven a dozen rabbits out of its burrow and even killed a black snake that was halfway through hibernation.

But the young men's curiosity always came in waves. They ran twenty or thirty miles, using both archery and horseback, and it was obvious that they were not just going to catch rabbits. After about an hour, they tired of waiting for rabbits at the cave entrance and turned to discussing hunting some larger prey.

Shi Chao, who had the most experience hunting with his elders, suggested going to a place with a wide view first, so that it would be easier to find prey. Liu Xian volunteered to ride his horse with him to the ridge, to the top of the hill, and then look down.

They saw the grass-covered land slope gently southward, extending into a series of pools. A gentle breeze swayed the trees on the hillside, and the faint puddles of water, large and small, shone with golden sunlight. Dotted among the puddles, sheltered by the bamboo forest, they could see a herd of wild deer appearing and disappearing among them.

After they went down to tell their companions, they were all delighted and quickly packed up their bows and arrows and headed back up the mountain. When they were going down the mountain, in order to avoid disturbing the deer, they all dismounted and walked, avoiding the flat roads and instead carefully moving through the trees.

When they were about a dozen feet away from the herd, Shi Chao stopped and gathered the young men together. They whispered to each other, "The art of war emphasizes ambushes from all sides, and hunting is no different. If we chase the deer directly, we won't be familiar with the terrain and will easily let them escape. What if we split our followers into two groups, follow the downwind route, quietly circle to the north of the herd, suddenly send a signal, and we wait in the south? With this combined force, how can we be afraid of not getting anything?"

Everyone agreed, and the attendants, leading their horses, disappeared to either side of the herd. The young men anxiously watched the deer's movements, fearing they might notice something unusual. To avoid being spotted, the guards circled widely, but even so, the drinking deer would occasionally raise their heads, prick up their ears, and peer around warily. Whenever this happened, the young men couldn't help but hold their breath, as if the deer, dozens of feet away, could hear them.

While waiting, Liu Xian looked at Shi Chao beside him. He saw that his eyes were slightly open, his hands were clenched into fists, and his whole body was shaking with excitement. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart: Xi Nu is indeed a natural general. He is usually careless, but unexpectedly, when it comes to bloody matters, he is so meticulous and focused!

Liu Xian couldn't help but glance behind him at Jia Mi. This young, girlish young man was leisurely playing with his sable, showing no sign of nervousness, completely indifferent. Beside him stood an eight-foot-tall warrior, with disheveled hair and a full beard. He wore a four-foot-long axe at his waist and a towering ox-horn bow on his back. He scanned his surroundings meticulously. For a moment, their eyes met. The warrior was startled, then smiled at Liu Xian, who quickly averted his gaze.

At this time, the wind blew across the hillside, and the leader of the deer herd raised his head alertly, looked uneasily at the reeds, sniffed nervously, and moved his throat to make a low cry.

The young men on the hillside also grew nervous. They mounted their horses, gripped their longbows, and waited anxiously for a signal from their followers. Suddenly, in the distance, they heard the sharp, bone-twisting whistle of arrows. On the opposite hillside, they saw a swaying sound in the trees, followed by a plume of dust. After a tremendous roar, water splashed everywhere, and ahead came an extremely majestic stag, galloping towards the hillside where the young men were standing.

The plan worked! The young men cheered and whipped their horses, spurring them towards the herd of deer. They also drew arrows from their quivers and shot at the deer.

Shi Chao now stood at the head. Though young, his arms were incredibly strong and powerful. With his left hand, he drew an arrow from his quiver, set the bowstring, and slowly stretched the short, hyperbolic bow he used for horseback riding, until the originally curved horn formed a sharp arc, bulging forward, with the ends almost closing together. Liu Xian, standing behind him, couldn't help but secretly cheer him on. Liu Xian thought, this is a powerful bow weighing nearly two stones, usually used by adult warriors, and Shi Chao, only twelve, could pull it to its limit. His arm strength was astonishing, no wonder he had been determined to join the army since childhood. He had been training with Little Ruan Gong daily and felt his strength had increased considerably, but to reach this level, he needed more training.

Shi Chao took aim at a swift buck, galloping from his side, its hooves tumbling as if poised to soar, its limbs stretched almost in line with its body. Steady on his galloping horse, Shi Chao leaned forward, aimed at the buck's plump, white belly, and released his arrow. The arrow swiftly sliced through the air, shimmering with light, shadow, and dust, sinking silently into the buck's bulging, white belly. The buck barely had time to grunt before collapsing headfirst onto the grass and snow, blood gushing from the wound.

"What a beautiful archery skill!" Liu Xian admired Shi Chao while riding his horse.

"What are you looking at? Shoot too!" Shi Chao urged.

Liu Xian was indeed itching to shoot, but he didn't shoot because he wasn't interested in hunting, but because he had his eye on the leader of the stags. The stag was exceptionally powerful and majestic, its hooves flying as it raced up the mountain at full speed. Liu Xian followed closely on horseback, sizing up the terrain. He thought to himself, the slope was relatively gentle, and the stag would easily dodge his attack. He might as well wait and see.

However, as Liu Xian followed closely, he suddenly caught sight of a figure out of the corner of his eye. It was Wang Zhou, who had also set his sights on the stag.

Wang Zhou lacked Liu Xian's patience. Steadying his galloping mount, he casually removed his two crossbows with his right hand and, with his left, drew an arrow from the quiver behind the saddle. It was a specially made hunting arrow with a wide tip, like a small spade, easily severing the prey's veins and causing bleeding. He nocked the arrow onto the bow, clasped his legs against the horse's belly, leaned forward, and shot from beside the horse's neck, a perfectly standard archery stance.

The arrow flew so fast that Liu Xian squinted to catch its trajectory. In a split second, it narrowly missed the stag leader's hind leg before striking a rock. Unable to withstand the force, it instantly broke in two.

What a pity! This thought flashed through Liu Xian's mind, and he couldn't help but look back at Wang Zhou. Sure enough, he saw that his brows were furrowed, and the hand holding the bow couldn't help but waved, obviously feeling annoyed at his mistake.

It's my turn, Liu Xian thought happily. The hillside before him began to steepen, and the trees and rocks began to densely appear. In this environment, the deer was forced to start turning frequently, and its speed inevitably decreased, which was exactly what Liu Xian wanted. He was holding only an ordinary longbow with a weight of more than one stone, and his hunting arrows were also ordinary. In this situation, if he wanted to kill prey bigger than others, he had to use his wisdom.

He drew an arrow from the quiver, put the bowstring on very carefully, stepped on the stirrups with both feet, clamped his legs around the horse's belly, then held his breath, leaned forward, pulled the bowstring tight, listened to the creaking groan of the bow, and concentrated on determining the aiming point. When his eyes, the arrow head and the deer's head were in a straight line, Liu Xian suddenly released the arrow.

There was a whoosh, followed by a sharp wail in the distance. "Hit!" Liu Xian thought excitedly, but when he looked closely, he saw the deer hadn't slowed down, still running wildly up the mountain. And in its antlers, an arrow lodged, rising and falling with the deer's speed.

It turned out that the deer's antlers were shot.

Liu Xian felt a little disappointed. The wound on the antlers was clearly not enough to stop the deer, or even slow it down. He feared he wouldn't have such a good chance if he wanted to shoot again. Was he just going to let the deer get away? Liu Xian was unwilling to accept this, but there was nothing else he could do.

With this thought in mind, Liu Xian began to slow down, intending to return to chase the smaller deer. Unexpectedly, he saw a tall horse gallop past. Before Liu Xian could even consider, he saw an eight-foot-tall knight on horseback pull a long arrow from his quiver. This arrow wasn't a hunting arrow, but one painted black, with a long, sharp tip. It was clearly an armor-piercing arrow! When the arrow was fitted onto the ox-horn bow, Liu Xian realized: Wasn't this Jia Mi's guard?
The man, expressionless and cold, took aim and released another arrow. This time, Liu Xian didn't hear the sharp whistle of the arrow piercing the air, nor did he hear the deer's wail. He didn't even pay attention to the trace of the arrow. But just by looking at the archer's expression, he knew that this arrow had definitely hit the target.

Sure enough, when the young men behind caught up on horseback, they saw the strong man dismount and hug the equally strong buck, which was still struggling with an arrow in its neck, and rolled several times among the dry grass and rocks. Finally, they saw the thick antlers like branch-like antlers swung violently several times, and then fell down limply.

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(End of this chapter)