Chapter 49 - 049: There are Rules to Hunting as Well

Chapter 49: Chapter 049: There are Rules to Hunting as Well

“Boss, I’ve got a question for you,” he suddenly nudged Tang Zelin with his elbow.

“Hmm?”

“Do people in the village hunt wolves?”

“We generally don’t mess with wolves.”

“Oh.” After a pause, he asked again, “So when do they hunt wolves?”

“When the wolf packs come down the mountain and start causing trouble for people.”

...

“Oh.” Yuan Xiao sounded a bit disappointed.

Tang Zelin chuckled softly, “You’re quite wild at heart, eh? You even want to hunt wolves. If you go into the mountains now and find me a few wolves, I’ll be impressed.”

Yuan Xiao nodded, “True, in this day and age, wolves, tigers, they’re all nearly extinct. Bro, I just like excitement, it’s not often I get to venture deep into the primeval forest, so I just thought a bit more, that’s all.”

Tang Zelin suddenly warned him seriously, “After we enter the mountains, don’t wander off aimlessly. I haven’t been in these woods either, so I don’t know what’s in there. You see the preparation they have; even regular hunters who aren’t used to the mountains wouldn’t dare to go in deep. We are outsiders here, let’s not cause trouble for the local villagers.”

“Got it!”

While the brothers were chatting softly, the face of Peng Village’s Third Grandpa had already relaxed. Finally, everybody checked the tools they were carrying. At Peng Chunlai’s command, dozens of people, led by the hunter Zhang and the Village Chief, entered the mountain.

When Tang Zelin and Yuan Xiao left, each pulled something handy from Third Grandpa’s storeroom. Tang Zelin took an old bow and arrows, which Third Grandpa had used when he was young. He had handled it before and was familiar with it. He also tucked a dagger into his waistband, just in case, and then set out.

Yuan Xiao had played with archery before, but that was the sporting kind. As for the village’s simple, brutally practical attack bows, he had never touched them. After some thought, he decided to abandon the idea, lest he injured himself, which was bad enough, but hurting someone else would be even worse. So he grabbed a lightweight and sharp sickle instead.

Seeing the tool he chose, Tang Zelin gave him an approving thumbs up with a chuckle.

Yuan Xiao tilted his chin up, all of a sudden feeling like he had the strength to lift mountains and the spirit to cover the world.

After the hunting party left, only the elderly, women, and children remained in the village. Third Grandpa was too old to enter the mountains, so he organized a group of old fellows to prepare the evening meal, waiting for the hunters’ return; the whole village would then gather to enjoy the Pork Dish feast.

Such a grand event hadn’t occurred since the beginning of the year, and everyone felt that, regardless of the outcome, it was an opportunity for the entire village to come together.

The good harvest alone this year was a cause for celebration.

The mountain range where Peng Village was located was complex and crisscrossed. The mountains in the front were not very high, yet there were numerous peaks. To truly navigate them, one would have to climb every single peak, one after another. Perhaps because it was closer to human habitation, signs of villagers having passed through were often visible in the mountains in front. Along the way, plenty of wild vegetables and fruits could be seen as well.

Yuan Xiao and Tang Zelin followed at the back of the group, admiring the mountain forest scenery as they walked.

Others were there for the game, but Yuan Xiao had come purely for the joy of sightseeing. As such, even Tang Zelin found his constant exclamations and noisiness along the way unbearable.

“Whining in the mountains; with the way you act, who would believe you’ve been to the African jungle?” Tang Zelin had just reached out to steady a young man who nearly tripped over a vine.

“Thank you.” The young man blushed and hurried forward.

“You’re welcome,” Tang Zelin said with a slight smile.

Yuan Xiao retorted, “You can’t compare the two. When I went there, it was for sightseeing, and besides, the jungle there is nothing like ours here. Their woods aren’t as elegant as ours. Over there, come nightfall, even the damn mosquitoes are this big!” He circled his thumb and forefinger around his chest exaggeratedly and said, “Believe it or not, I could catch three of them and stir-fry a dish!”