"Which three things?" Zhang Wanshan asked curiously.
"First, I need a sufficient supply of ammunition. Second, I need Li Guolin’s big black guard dog, Huzi. Third, I need a string of firecrackers, preferably three thousand shots. Furthermore, all these items must be prepared within fifteen minutes. Also..."
At this point, Li Yuemin glanced at the surrounding villagers and continued, "The villagers just said the reward grain would be delivered immediately. Unless I see that grain safely inside my home with my own eyes, I am not going up the mountain!"
"What the hell? Li Yuemin, you’re actually eyeing my dog? Isn't this just looting a burning house?!"
Upon hearing that Li Yuemin intended to take his guard dog up the mountain, Li Guolin felt ten thousand levels of reluctance. He shook his head like a rattle, refusing under any circumstances to hand over his beloved pet.
Seeing this, Zhang Wanshan glared and sternly scolded, "Li Guolin, do you have no sense of the big picture? The situation is critical; the black bear could come down the mountain at any moment. Do you want to sacrifice the lives of the entire village just for your own selfish interests?"
"That’s right, that’s right. Li Guolin is being too selfish. How can you go hunting without a dog? Does he want to watch his own cousin get killed by the bear on the hillside?"
"Exactly! We’ve already lost one Mountain Guardian. If we lose another, won't the village be finished once the big bear comes down?"
The village head’s words stirred up a hornet's nest. In an instant, all the villagers present began expressing their dissatisfaction with Li Guolin’s behavior.
"I, I..."
Li Guolin felt like a mute eating coptis—unable to voice his bitterness. With the village secretary, his second uncle-in-law Wang Jiguang, away, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and lend Huzi out. In his heart, he prayed silently, "Li Yuemin, I don’t care if you were reborn like me, but you’d better have an accident and die on that mountain. Only then will my hatred be satisfied!"
"Chuntao, listen to me. I have something important to tell you!"
Soon, thanks to the enthusiastic rallying of Village Head Zhang Wanshan, the grain in Li Yuemin’s courtyard was "piled as high as a mountain." Before heading up to hunt the bear, Li Yuemin looked at the visibly reluctant Zhang Chuntao, pointed to the grain beside them, and whispered in her ear:
"Chuntao, there’s a cellar behind our adobe house that my father built when he put up the place. I need you and Yuejin to work hard and move this grain there to hide it; just keep enough for you to eat for a few days. My mother is soft-hearted, so you must guard this grain strictly. Remember, no matter who comes to borrow it, even if they talk a blue streak, do not lend it out. Do you understand?"
"Don't worry, Brother Yuemin! I’ll make sure to get it done. But..."
Seeing her beloved about to head up to hunt a bear, Chuntao’s eyes turned red. Her large, flickering eyes quickly filled with tears. Ignoring the strange looks from others, she threw herself into Li Yuemin’s arms, holding him tightly, and said with reluctance:
"Brother Yuemin, promise me you’ll pay attention to your safety, okay? Chuntao doesn't want the bear skin; I just want you to come back safely! *Sob*."
"Don't worry, Chuntao."
Watching her cry, Li Yuemin’s own eyes grew slightly red. He buried his head in the crook of her neck, inhaling her familiar, enchanting scent, then kissed her forehead lightly and cupped her small face in his hands.
"Rest assured, your man won’t have any trouble. Just wait for me to come down from the mountain so I can make you a bear-fur coat, and we’ll boil bear meat and steam bear paws to eat!"
With that, Li Yuemin gently wiped the tears from Zhang Chuntao’s cheeks. After a firm peck on her soft lips, he grabbed his hunting rifle, took Huzi by the leash, and walked briskly toward the mountain without looking back.
...
The winter forest was blanketed in white snow. The black bear's tracks were clearly visible. Li Yuemin noticed seven or eight empty shell casings scattered in the bushes near the snow, along with a patch of dried blood. It was clearly the aftermath of the struggle between the Mountain Guardian Zhuzi and the black bear.
He crouched down, studying the frozen blood, his brow furrowed. The black bear was definitely injured, but it was hard to tell how badly. A wounded bear was more dangerous than a healthy one; he would need to be extra careful.
"Huzi! Follow!" he shouted to the dog, which was busy sniffing the blood.
"Woof!"
To his surprise, Huzi, who had been sniffing the ground, suddenly perked its ears, arched its back, and bolted forward without a backward glance.
"Huzi, what are you doing? Why are you being so disobedient?"
This strange behavior left Li Yuemin stunned. He wondered if the dog took after its master; was Li Guolin’s dog trying to sabotage him just like his master would?
"Huzi, Huzi, come back!"
Seeing Huzi’s figure getting further and further away, Li Yuemin had no choice but to grit his teeth and chase after it. After running for about a kilometer, he realized Huzi had led him to the vicinity of a cave. The cave was pitch black, with no light penetrating it. When he got close, he smelled a foul, rotting stench hidden within.
"Huzi, what do you mean bringing me here? Are you saying there’s a bear nearby?"
Vigilant, Li Yuemin didn't approach the entrance immediately, choosing instead to observe the surroundings. The footprints on the ground were chaotic—wild boar, wolf, and even other unidentified creatures. Based on the tracks alone, he couldn't confirm a bear.
He rubbed his temples in frustration and carefully inspected the nearby tree trunks. Finally, on a branch beside the cave, he found several trees with stripped bark, with black bear fur snagged on them. Clearly, this was a rubbing post for the bear.
Confirming the bear’s territory, Li Yuemin was pleasantly surprised. As he was about to assess the situation further, Huzi barked again, pointing its front paw toward the cave.
"Woof!"
"Are you saying the bear is inside the cave?"
Just as he was pondering, Huzi seemed even more anxious than him. After barking, it dashed into the cave without a second thought.
"Damn, knowing there’s a bear in the mountain but heading into the bear’s mountain anyway—are you really that bold?"
Seeing this, Li Yuemin peered into the pitch-black cave, gripping his rifle and hesitating. He had intended to light a fire outside to smoke the bear out, but seeing Huzi had already slipped inside, he had no choice. He pulled a flashlight from his pack, wrapped it to his hand with a strip of cloth, adjusted the beam, and walked into the cave with his rifle raised.
"Huzi, Huzi, are you there?"
Once inside, Li Yuemin called out for Huzi, but the only response was his own echo.
"Huzi, Huzi, if you don't come out, I’m going to leave you here to feed the bear!"
The cave narrowed the further he went. As he walked, he felt the visibility drop. At the same time, the smell of rot intensified, making him wrinkle his nose. Based on his years of military experience, something big was definitely living in here.
"Damn it, you stupid dog, when I find you, you're dead!"
After calling out several more times, a whimpering sound finally drifted from a corner. The sound was very faint, as if the dog were deliberately hiding from something.
"Huzi? Huzi, what are you running from? Don't do this again next time."
Li Yuemin shone his flashlight in the direction of the whimper and found Huzi crouching by his feet, motionless. Relieved that the dog was safe, he was just about to call it out when, the moment he turned, he realized something was wrong.
The flashlight, which should have illuminated several meters ahead, seemed unable to penetrate the darkness in front of him. At the same time, a heavy, rhythmic breathing sounded right beside him.
Feeling a strange chill, Li Yuemin slowly turned the flashlight toward the sound. The scene before him made his entire body tremble violently!