Free Web NovelChapter 200: Chapter 175: Vicious Beating
A hunting dog’s significance to a Hunter is completely different from that of an ordinary watchdog to its master.
When hunting dogs work for their masters, they are often putting their lives on the line.
These days, there’s no saying that people who keep dogs don’t eat dog meat. But while some Hunters might eat dog meat, they would never, ever eat their own hunting dogs.
Not only would they not eat them, but they wouldn’t let anyone else touch them either. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
As the saying goes: a pot is bound to break by the well, and a general is bound to fall in battle.
It’s inevitable that hunting dogs will die during a hunt.
Whenever this happened, the Hunter would find the nearest Pine Tree and bury the dog beneath it. If any outsiders were present, the Hunter would be sure to say, "If anyone dares to dig up my dog to eat it, I’ll fight them to the death."
It was a harsh thing to say, but it was a necessary warning. If someone really did dare to dig up a dog for its meat, the Hunter would genuinely risk his life to fight them.
Because it was never just about a dead dog.
Today, upon seeing Liu Hanshan and Du Chunlin digging up his dead hunting dogs, Xu Changlin was overcome with rage and raised his gun to fire.
The old man wasn’t making an empty threat. If Li Baoyu hadn’t been quick enough to shove him, and if Zhao Jun hadn’t shouted when he did, at least one of those two men would have met their end in these woods today. ƒreewebɳovel.com
Xu Changlin was getting on in years, and held in the arms of a strapping young man like Li Baoyu, he couldn’t break free no matter how he struggled.
Zhao Jun was holding four dogs and couldn’t step forward to help. Only after Hua Xiao’er and the others finally quieted down could he drag the dogs forward and say to Xu Changlin, "Master Xu, your dogs are all still there. Just give them a good beating and let it be."
Xu Changlin kept trying to push his arms out, struggling to break free from Li Baoyu’s grip. Hearing Zhao Jun, the old man shot a vicious glare at the two men and cursed, "Fucking bastards! You two sons of bitches, you..."
Looking at the two culprits, Liu Hanshan had kneeled because he’d heard Zhao Jun. Du Chunlin, on the other hand, had figured it out all by himself, and was kneeling side-by-side with Liu Hanshan in the snow.
They were both trembling uncontrollably, not from the cold, but clearly from fear.
In those days, militia training and target practice were common in every village, but this was the first time in their lives they’d ever had a gun aimed at them. They were scared to death.
"Master Xu, it’s not worth it over these two," Li Baoyu said. He felt the old man’s struggling weaken and suddenly remembered that the old master would be fifty-nine after the New Year. He had to be careful not to wrench the old man’s arm.
So, Li Baoyu let go of Xu Changlin, but his large hands kept a firm grip on the gun.
It was a single-shot rifle anyway. After that one shot, the chamber was empty, so Li Baoyu wasn’t afraid of it accidentally going off and hurting him.
Xu Changlin gradually calmed down. He knew he was no match for Li Baoyu’s strength, so he let go of the gun and strode toward Liu Hanshan and Du Chunlin.
"Uncle Xu, Uncle Xu, I’ll never do it again!" Liu Hanshan kowtowed repeatedly to the old man.
At that moment, he was filled with regret. Yesterday at the little shop, Li Mingliang had mentioned it offhandedly.
Right then and there, some people started planning to go hunt the Lynx. But Liu Hanshan knew his own limits; he knew the Lynx Fur was definitely not for him. Instead, he got a crooked idea and set his sights on the dead dogs’ carcasses.
All four dogs had been killed by the Lynx. Although they hadn’t been bled out after death, which would make the meat tough and gamey from the clotted blood, Liu Hanshan wasn’t picky. Meat was meat.
But four dogs weighed over three hundred jin combined. Liu Hanshan couldn’t handle that himself, so he thought of his crony, Du Chunlin, who also worked at the No. 77 Logging Camp.
Though they both worked at the Logging Camp, Liu Hanshan’s job was Gui Ling, while Du Chunlin drove a horse-drawn sled.
Liu Hanshan had sought out Du Chunlin so he could bring his sled over and haul the four dogs back.
When Du Chunlin heard there was free meat, he came running eagerly. By the time he’d dug the big yellow dog, Ah Li, out of the snowdrift, he was grinning from ear to ear.
This big yellow dog was over a hundred and twenty jin! Think of how much meat that was!
But his happiness didn’t last long before he was met with Xu Changlin’s fury.
The old man got close and gave Liu Hanshan a hard smack on the back of the neck.
SMACK!
Then Xu Changlin lunged forward, raining blows down on Liu Hanshan’s head and face.
Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu watched from a distance. Li Baoyu spat on the snow and said, "Serves ’em right. Beat those two scumbags to death!"
But Xu Changlin was old and frail, after all. He was panting for breath after only a short while.
The old man glanced to the side and his eyes fell on the iron shovels Liu Hanshan and Du Chunlin had used to dig in the snow.
Xu Changlin walked over, pulled out a shovel, and brought it down on Liu Hanshan!
The old man had just paused, and Liu Hanshan was about to look up and say something conciliatory. But as he raised his head, he saw Xu Changlin bringing the shovel down.
Liu Hanshan was scared out of his wits. He quickly covered his head and hunched over, prostrating himself in the snow.
WHACK! WHACK...
Xu Changlin struck him seven or eight times with the shovel before his strength gave out. He stood there leaning on the shovel, gasping for air.
Finally getting a moment’s respite, Liu Hanshan hastily lifted his head from the snow.
Xu Changlin’s eyes met Liu Hanshan’s, and his anger flared up again in an instant. He immediately hoisted the big iron shovel, ready to strike again.
"Uncle Xu!" Liu Hanshan yelled, leaning back from his kneeling position and holding up his arms toward Xu Changlin, palms open.
To be honest, the old man was too tired to hit him anymore. He leaned on the shovel again and panted, "What the hell do you have to say?"
Liu Hanshan held his hands up, gasping for breath. "Master Xu, don’t just keep hitting me!"
Nearby, the trembling Du Chunlin, still kneeling in the snow: "..."
Xu Changlin shot a sideways glance at Du Chunlin, then swung the shovel horizontally, knocking him flat in the snow with one blow.
Then, with a series of WHACKS, Xu Changlin started laying into Du Chunlin.
The scene made Li Baoyu burst out laughing, but Zhao Jun knew the old man’s rage had subsided. Otherwise, he would have used the edge of the shovel instead of the flat, and those two would have been lying in pools of their own blood.
After hitting Du Chunlin seven or eight times, Xu Changlin turned and went for Liu Hanshan again.
"Uncle Xu, Uncle Xu!" Liu Hanshan cried out hastily. "You’ve been beating me for ages, why are you starting again?"
"You son of a bitch!" Xu Changlin roared. "Didn’t you fucking bring him here? I watched you fucking grow up, and you fucking bring someone to dig up my dogs? I’ll fuck your mother!"
With that, he delivered another savage beating.
Finally, Xu Changlin was truly too exhausted to continue. Leaning on the shovel with one hand, he waved at Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu with the other.
The two of them quickly led the dogs over. Zhao Jun approached and looked at Liu Hanshan, asking, "Uncle Liu, how could you do something like this?"
Liu Hanshan’s face was beet red. He lowered his head and said, "Xiaojun, don’t say anything. I wasn’t human today."
"Get the hell out!" Xu Changlin cursed. "Get the hell out of my sight!" With that, he threw the shovel aside.
Liu Hanshan and Du Chunlin scrambled to their feet. It was unclear whether it was from kneeling too long or from the beating, but they both struggled to stand and staggered as they walked.
"You little bastards!" Xu Changlin shouted after them, pointing. "If you ever dare touch my dogs again, I’ll put a fucking bullet in both of you!"
Hearing this, Zhao Jun quickly handed Hua Xiao’er and Daqing to Li Baoyu. He went forward, lifted the big yellow dog that Liu Hanshan and Du Chunlin had placed on the sled, and laid it next to Cyan Wolf by the snowdrift.
Liu Hanshan and Du Chunlin dejectedly drove their sled away without daring to utter another word.
Xu Changlin walked over to stand beside Cyan Wolf and Ah Li. His lips quivered, and in an instant, tears streamed down his old face.
