northernbook Chapter 184 Linmao's Lair
Chapter 184 Linmao's Lair
"Brother Xiangyang! Brother Xiangyang!" Wang Ergou's voice came from afar.
"Over here!" Li Xiangyang shouted in the direction the voice came from.
Soon, Wang Ergou came running up, panting, with Xiao Hu close behind.
Upon seeing the brown bear carcass on the ground, he gasped, "Good heavens, that bear was huge..."
"What's the situation on your end?" Li Xiangyang interrupted his exclamation. "Why were they shooting?"
Wang Ergou wiped the sweat from his brow: "I found some fresh footprints, followed them, and saw a backpack hanging in a tree. I couldn't reach it, so I fired a shot and shot it down."
Li Xiangyang frowned: "Firing at this time isn't appropriate. It would be troublesome if it scared people into running around."
“That’s true…” Wang Ergou scratched his head, “But that backpack definitely belonged to an educated youth; there was half a flatbread and a water bottle inside.”
Li Xiangyang looked around and said, "Lead the way, let's go see that place."
"No rush, let's deal with the bear first," Wang Ergou said in a low voice. "A bear this big is worth at least several hundred yuan. To put it bluntly, if a person were really in danger, they would have died long ago."
Although it's harsh to say, it's undoubtedly the truth.
Li Xiangyang frowned, knowing that Wang Ergou was right, and didn't engage in pointless argument. "Okay, but we need to hurry."
The two immediately got to work.
Just as Li Xiangyang was about to take out his hunting knife, Wang Ergou handed it to him.
Li Xiangyang deftly peeled off the bear skin.
The blade moved along the joint where the skin and flesh met, and soon the effect was visible.
Wang Ergou assisted from the side, occasionally wiping away the seeping blood with a strip of cloth.
"This pelt is in good condition," Li Xiangyang said as he worked. "The bear has just woken up, and its fur is black and shiny, making it more valuable than at other times."
"What about bear bile and bear paws?"
“Bear bile needs to be dried before it can be sold, and bear paws aren’t selling well right now either,” Li Xiangyang said, his hands still moving. “Sell the valuables first, and find a place to hide the rest.”
Just then, the black cat suddenly pricked up its ears and looked warily into the distance.
Little Tiger also began to sob softly.
"Is there some movement?" Wang Ergou instinctively reached for the muzzle of his gun.
Li Xiangyang made a shushing gesture, listened carefully for a moment, and then said, "There should be someone coming this way. The gunshots just now must have attracted a lot of people; we need to hurry."
The two quickened their pace.
Soon, a complete bear skin was peeled off.
Li Xiangyang quickly extracted the bear bile, cut off four bear paws, and simply processed the rest of the bear.
“We need to find a place to hide,” Li Xiangyang said, looking around. “If someone sees such a big prey, it’ll definitely cause trouble.”
Wang Ergou nodded: "I know there's a cave nearby, not many people go there usually, it's just..."
Before the words were finished, a dog barked in the distance.
It was obvious that the hunting dogs had led the hunters here.
"Let's go," Li Xiangyang said in a low voice, "let's hide the things first."
The two hadn't come to hunt, and they didn't want to get into any trouble with others, so they quickly dragged their prey toward the cave that Wang Ergou had mentioned.
By the time they had hidden their prey, almost an hour had passed.
"Alright, let's go, let's continue looking for them."
As soon as he emerged from the cave, Li Xiangyang spoke eagerly.
"Alright, that's all we can do. Hopefully, the prey won't be stolen."
Wang Ergou said with some unease.
After saying that, he led the way.
After passing through a thicket of bushes, they soon saw the place Wang Ergou had described.
There were some odds and ends scattered on the ground, along with a broken shoe.
Li Xiangyang carefully examined the traces at the scene.
The messy footprints on the muddy ground suggested that a panicked escape may have taken place here.
“There’s blood,” Li Xiangyang suddenly said, pointing to a somewhat blurry reddish-brown stain.
Wang Ergou's expression changed: "Could it be...?"
"Don't overthink it," Li Xiangyang interrupted him. "There's not much blood; it's probably just scratches from thorns. These city kids have no experience and panicked, so they didn't know where to go."
Li Xiangyang stood up and carefully looked around.
Springtime mist hangs heavy in the mountains, making distant peaks appear and disappear, while the gloomy sky deepens the darkness within the mountains.
Suddenly, the black cat pricked up its ears alertly, and its tail bristled slightly.
Little Tiger immediately assumed a defensive posture and growled softly.
"Something's up." Li Xiangyang gripped his rifle tighter, signaling Wang Ergou to be quiet.
A mountain breeze blew by, bringing with it a faint, fishy smell.
Suddenly, a piercing meow shattered the silence of the forest.
"It's not mating season for the cats, is it..."
Having identified the animal, Wang Ergou muttered to himself.
Li Xiangyang didn't respond, but instead carefully observed the surrounding terrain.
He knew that the forest cats were especially fierce in spring, and that if they were provoked, someone might die.
“Let’s go,” he said in a low voice, “follow this direction.”
The two walked quickly, and the sound of tree branches snapping could be heard from time to time in the mist.
Xuanmao and Xiaohu became increasingly alert, stopping every now and then to sniff the ground.
"Over there!" Wang Ergou pointed in the direction the voice came from.
Li Xiangyang immediately raised his gun and aimed, but the thick fog severely impaired his vision.
He could only vaguely see something moving quickly in the bushes ahead.
"Don't shoot," he whispered. "We don't know which direction the educated youth are in, what if..."
Before the words were finished, another piercing meow rang out, this time much closer.
Then came a series of hurried footsteps, mixed with the sound of tree branches breaking.
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou exchanged a glance and quickened their pace simultaneously.
However, the terrain ahead became increasingly complex, with fallen, rotten trees and protruding rocks everywhere.
The dense fog made every step extremely difficult.
"Watch your step," Li Xiangyang warned, "something's not right here."
Wang Ergou tentatively took a few steps forward, then suddenly slipped: "Holy crap! What's down there...?"
Li Xiangyang reacted quickly and grabbed him.
In the dim light, the two realized that they were in a hidden pit filled with rotting branches and leaves.
“This is…” Wang Ergou’s expression changed.
"The lair of the lincats," Li Xiangyang said gravely, "and there's more than one."
Just then, the black cat suddenly became alert and stared intently in a certain direction.
Little Tiger also let out a low growl.
"Bang!" A loud noise came from not far away, as if something heavy had fallen.
"Oh no!" Li Xiangyang's heart sank. He couldn't care about anything else and pushed aside the bushes blocking his way to rush forward.
"Brother Xiangyang, be careful!" Wang Ergou grabbed him and pointed ahead, "Look!"
In the thick fog, three pairs of eyes, gleaming with an eerie light, were staring intently at them...
The fog gradually dissipated, revealing three large forest cats.
They surrounded Li Xiangyang and his companion in a fan shape, their tails held high, emitting threatening growls from their throats.