Chapter 70 – Intruders
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The two of them quickly finished their meal beneath the shade of the trees before packing away the remaining food. The mountain was quiet again, save for the rustling leaves and the occasional cry of a bird somewhere deeper in the forest.
Han Yan adjusted the strap of his bow across his shoulder and stood.
"Let’s continue ahead."
Wei Jun nodded and followed.
They had only gone a short distance from where they rested when Wei Jun suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Han Yan nearly walked into him.
"What is it?"
Wei Jun raised a hand, signaling him to be quiet.
He crouched and brushed aside a layer of damp leaves with his fingers.
A clear hoofprint was pressed into the soft earth.
His eyes narrowed.
"A deer."
Han Yan immediately crouched beside him.
The mark was fresh. The edges had not yet collapsed from the moisture, and several broken blades of grass nearby still pointed toward the forest ahead.
Wei Jun touched the soil lightly, then looked toward the trees.
"It passed through here not long ago."
Han Yan followed his gaze.
The forest ahead was denser. Tall trees stretched toward the sky, their branches overlapping to form patches of shade across the ground. Ferns grew thickly beneath them, while vines curled around the trunks.
"Should we set a trap?" Han Yan asked quietly. "If we can drive it toward one, we won’t have to chase it too far."
Wei Jun considered it.
"That could work. But keep your bow ready. If we spot it before it reaches the trap, we shoot."
Han Yan gave a small nod. "You take the right. I’ll take the left."
Wei Jun smiled faintly. "Don’t miss."
Han Yan glanced at him. "You’re the one who shouldn’t miss."
Wei Jun snorted before chuckling.
The two exchanged a brief look before quietly separating, each moving toward his assigned position.
Han Yan moved carefully between the trees, keeping his footsteps light. He occasionally stopped to examine broken branches or patches of flattened grass.
Wei Jun did the same on the opposite side.
The deeper they went, the more signs of the deer they found.
Wei Jun’s expression sharpened as he noticed something ahead. He immediately raised a hand, signaling Han Yan to stop.
Han Yan immediately halted, his gaze following Wei Jun’s direction as he carefully scanned the surroundings.
A faint rustling came from the trees ahead.
Through the gaps in the branches, they spotted a large deer standing quietly in a small clearing.
Its brown coat blended beautifully with the forest making it almost invisible among the trees. Meanwhile, its ears twitched from time to time as it lowered its head to feed on the tender leaves of a nearby shrub.
The deer was enormous in size with a broad body, thick legs and a noticeably plump frame. It was far larger than any deer they had ever seen, its body looking heavy with meat.
Neither man spoke.
Han Yan slowly reached for an arrow. Across the clearing, Wei Jun did the same.
Their eyes met for only a brief moment before Wei Jun subtly pointed toward the trap.
Han Yan immediately understood. They had to make their first shots count. If they missed, the deer would likely bolt straight toward the snare they had prepared.
Keeping low, the two men carefully moved backward through the trees, making sure not to disturb the branches around them.
The trap had been set along a narrow path between two bushes, leaving the fleeing deer little room to avoid it.
They had kept the trap simple. A sturdy rope had been fashioned into a loop and concealed beneath a layer of leaves. Nearby, a young sapling had been bent back and secured with a simple trigger made from a forked branch.
Once the deer stepped into the loop and disturbed the trigger, the sapling would spring upright, tightening the rope around its leg and pulling the animal off balance.
With everything in place, they only needed to drive the deer toward the trap.
Wei Jun checked the mechanism one final time before giving it a firm tug.
"It’ll hold."
Han Yan nodded, then returned to his position.
Unaware of the danger surrounding it, the deer continued feeding on the leaves.
Han Yan slowly raised his bow and drew the string back. The wooden bow creaked softly beneath the strain as he tightened his grip around the arrow.
His breathing gradually slowed.
For a moment, the entire forest seemed to fall silent.
Then the deer suddenly lifted its head.
Han Yan’s eyes narrowed.
"Now."
Two bowstrings snapped almost at once.
Thwack!
The arrows shot across the clearing.
Wei Jun’s arrow struck the deer’s side, while Han Yan’s found its mark near the shoulder.
The deer let out a sharp cry and bolted forward, its hooves tearing through the leaves as it raced toward the trees.
Han Yan lowered his bow and immediately ran after it.
"It’s heading for the trap!"
The deer hooves pounding against the forest floor as it desperately tried to escape.
It raced straight toward the concealed trap, unaware of the loop hidden beneath the leaves.
The moment it crossed the marked spot, its front leg dropped into the snare. The trigger snapped loose with a sharp crack, and the bent sapling sprang upright, yanking the rope tight around its leg.
The animal’s momentum carried it forward. It stumbled violently, kicking up dirt and dead leaves before crashing onto its side.
Han Yan stopped several steps away, breathing heavily.
"We got it!"
Wei Jun quickly emerged from between the trees, a wide grin spreading across his face.
For a moment, neither man spoke.
Then Wei Jun looked at the struggling deer and let out a delighted laugh.
"That is one big deer."
Han Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead and released a relieved breath.
"I thought it was going to break the trap."
"So did I."
They approached cautiously.
The deer struggled weakly, but the sturdy rope held firm.
Wei Jun quickly secured its legs while Han Yan inspected the trap, checking that none of the branches or rope had come loose.
"Good thing we made it strong."
Han Yan nodded.
"If we’d used thinner rope, we’d be standing here with an empty snare right now."
Wei Jun laughed.
"Then let’s not waste this catch."
Once they were certain the deer could no longer escape, they secured their catch and prepared to leave.
Before leaving, Han Yan glanced around the forest. The area had already fallen quiet again.
Only the occasional call of a bird broke the silence, while the leaves overhead swayed gently in the breeze.
Han Yan looked at their catch and dusted the dirt from his hands.
"We should check the other traps before heading down."
Wei Jun nodded cheerfully.
"Let’s go. Who knows? We might get lucky again."
They gathered their equipment and followed the marked trail, checking each trap along the way.
The first trap had caught a small rabbit. Wei Jun crouched and carefully freed it before placing it into the woven basket.
"Not bad. We have something for dinner."
They continued to the second trap, which had also been triggered. This time, a pheasant was caught in the snare, fluttering wildly as they approached.
"Careful," Han Yan warned.
"I’ve got it."
Wei Jun secured the bird and placed it beside the rabbit.
The third trap was empty.
Wei Jun lifted the leaves and looked at the untouched snare.
"Nothing."
Han Yan glanced at it before standing. "Keep going. There are still a few left."
At the fourth trap, they found another rabbit. It struggled against the rope, but Wei Jun quickly freed it and added it to the basket.
The fifth trap had caught a small wild boar.
The animal thrashed angrily when they approached, forcing the two men to be more cautious. After securing it properly, Han Yan examined the catch and nodded.
"This one’s worth taking to town if we decide to sell it."
Wei Jun looked at the boar and smiled.
"Let’s see how much we get for everything first."
The sixth trap was empty, leaving them with nothing but a few disturbed leaves.
After checking the last trap, they returned to their deer.
Han Yan looked over their catch the large deer, two rabbits, a pheasant and the wild boar.
"We’ve done well today."
Wei Jun nodded in satisfaction. "Enough meat for ourselves, and if there’s too much, we can take some to town and sell it."
Han Yan agreed.
"Let’s get down the mountain before it gets dark."
They found two sturdy branches and tied them together with thick rope to make a simple carrying frame. After securing the deer firmly across it, they prepared the smaller catches.
The rabbits and pheasant were placed into the woven basket, while the wild boar was tied securely to a thick branch with rope.
Han Yan took one end of the deer carrier, while Wei Jun gripped the other.
"Ready?"
Wei Jun tightened his grip on the branch holding the boar.
"Ready."
"Lift."
They raised both catches at the same time.
The weight immediately pulled against their shoulders.
Wei Jun’s face tightened as he adjusted the boar against his shoulder.
"This is heavier than I thought."
Han Yan glanced at him while carrying the deer.
"You’re the one who wanted to take it."
"Of course I wanted to take it. We can eat it, or sell it in town."
Han Yan gave a small nod.
"Then stop complaining and keep walking."
Wei Jun snorted but followed him down the mountain.
The deer swayed slightly between them with each step, while the boar rested heavily against the carrying pole over Wei Jun’s shoulder. He kept the basket containing the rabbits and pheasant secure in his other hand.
Their arms were beginning to ache, but neither slowed down. After all the effort they had put into the hunt, leaving any of their catches behind was out of the question.
With the mountain path stretching ahead of them, the two men continued their journey home.
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Meanwhile, Lin Xin and Liu De continued discussing the small garden Lin Xin wanted to plant beside the house.
"I think I’ll plant the vegetables closer to the wall," Lin Xin said, pointing toward the empty patch of ground. "That way, they’ll get enough sunlight in the morning."
Liu De nodded in agreement. "You could use some bamboo to make a simple fence around it. It’ll keep the chickens from getting inside."
Before Lin Xin could answer, a loud bang suddenly came from the gate.
Dong Hai immediately stopped what he was doing with Wei Fan. The little ger grabbed tightly onto his sleeve, his eyes widening as another forceful bang shook the gate.
"Xin-gege..." Dong Hai frowned. "Should I go open the door?"
Lin Xin immediately shook his head.
"No. Stay here."
He exchanged a concerned glance with Liu De before walking toward the gate. Lui De followed closely behind him.
Lin Xin opened it only slightly.
Before he could see who was outside clearly, the gate was suddenly shoved inward.
"Ah!"
The force nearly sent Lin Xin stumbling backward. Liu De quickly caught him by the arm and steadied him.
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