Free Web NovelChapter 201: Chapter 176: Elder Mountain Dog
Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu tied their dogs off to the side, then helped Xu Changlin carry Cyan Wolf and Ah Li to the bottom of the gully, where they buried them in a hidden spot.
By the time the two of them got back to the top, Xu Changlin had already dug Hua Gou and Qing Gou out of the snow.
The old man had no choice. He was afraid someone might come and dig up the dogs for their meat.
Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu carried the two dogs down the slope, and by the time they returned, it was already noon.
According to their original plan, the three of them were supposed to scout the mountain that morning to determine the lynx’s territory. Then, around noon, they were to find the man Xu Changlin had mentioned, Xing San, and stay and eat at his pit-house.
But they never expected to run into this kind of trouble.
"Lads," Xu Changlin said to Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu, "I can’t walk any further. Why don’t we just head to the pit-house?"
The old man was frail, and he had spent what little strength he had left beating up Liu Hanshan and Du Chunlin.
Although Xu Changlin had rested alone on the mountaintop for over an hour while Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu were moving and burying the dogs, he knew he wouldn’t be able to go much further.
So, the old man simply suggested they skip scouting for the day and head straight to the pit-house to rest.
Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu couldn’t argue with that, so they took their dogs by the leash and followed Xu Changlin down another path.
As they walked, Xu Changlin said to Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu, "When we get there, you two need to watch what you say. This Xing San is a mountain dog, and he’s got a bad temper."
"Mountain dog" was a term for those who lived deep in the mountains for long periods, and it carried a heavy derogatory connotation.
These mountain dogs were all loners, without wives or children. Stubborn and ill-tempered, they had moved deep into the mountains.
They would find a spot sheltered from the wind and facing the sun, with a water source nearby. There, they’d build a pit-house or a dugout, clear a small plot of land, and live a solitary life, isolated from the rest of the world.
They lived off the land, ate what the mountains provided, and foraged for mountain goods to sell for money. It was safe to say no one knew or understood these great mountains better than them.
’Mountain dogs never have good tempers,’ Zhao Jun thought, not doubting Xu Changlin’s warning for a second. ’If they were easygoing, they wouldn’t have ended up in this situation to begin with.’
"WOOF! WOOF..."
Suddenly, Hua Xiao’Er barked twice at something up ahead, and the other three dogs instantly grew agitated.
"Is there something up there?" Li Baoyu asked from beside him.
Zhao Jun glanced left and right, then shouted, "Release them!" With a tug on the rope in his hand, the quick-release clasp sprang open. Hua Xiao’Er shot forward like a blur, with Daqing hot on his heels.
Li Baoyu was just as quick. He released Da Huang and White Dragon, and the four dogs streamed out one after another.
"Master Xu, don’t you worry, we’re on it!" Zhao Jun unslung his rifle and called back to Xu Changlin before breaking into a run, weapon at the ready.
They hadn’t run far when they heard someone up ahead shouting, "Go on! Get outta here!"
’Hua Xiao’Er?’
The voices sounded familiar, so Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu picked up their pace.
About a hundred meters ahead of them.
Four men were squared off against each other in two groups. One group had three men, one of whom was dragging a dead roe deer. frёewebnoѵēl.com
The other side consisted of just one person: an old man, well past fifty.
The old man was dressed in tattered, filthy clothes. His padded cotton jacket and trousers were covered in patches.
Hua Xiao’Er must have caught the scent of the roe deer. Once the four dogs reached the scene, they stopped short and simply milled about nearby.
Just then, Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu arrived, and the four dogs immediately gathered around them.
"Son of a bitch!" Seeing the three men clearly, Li Baoyu muttered a curse and turned to look at Zhao Jun.
The three men were none other than Tao Dasheng, Tao Ersheng, and Tao Sansheng.
"So what? You think I’m scared just because there are more of you?" Although Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu hadn’t stepped forward, the old man confronting the Tao Brothers suddenly spoke up.
The old man had seen how friendly Hua Xiao’Er had been toward the Tao Brothers when the dogs first arrived.
That was why he now mistakenly believed that Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu were with the Tao Brothers.
While saying, "I’m not afraid of you," the old man reached behind his back and drew the Invasion Blade tucked into his waistband.
The blade was polished to a mirror shine, glinting with a cold light.
Seeing this, Zhao Jun quickly called out, "Hey, old-timer! Whatever’s going on with you has nothing to do with us."
The old man glanced in their direction but said nothing. Meanwhile, the expressions on the faces of the Tao Brothers soured.
The old man jabbed his knife forward, pointing it at Tao Sansheng, who was still holding the roe deer. "Put it down," he ordered.
"Oh yeah? And why should I? Just ’cause you said so?" Tao Sansheng was young and hot-headed, but mostly, he just didn’t believe the old man would actually dare to stab him.
It wasn’t just him; Tao Dasheng and Tao Ersheng didn’t believe it either. ’It wasn’t that big of a deal, after all. No need to get physical, let alone draw a knife.’
"Heh!" Watching the spectacle from a distance, Li Baoyu thought the same thing. He chuckled. "Uh-oh. The old man’s backed himself into a corner."
’If he were holding a club, he could just swing it. But a knife is different. How many people really have the guts to stab someone?’
But to everyone’s surprise, the old man lunged forward, thrusting the knife straight at Tao Sansheng.
The attack scared Tao Sansheng into a cold sweat, and he immediately dodged to the side.
Seeing the old man about to stab his own brother, Tao Dasheng reacted without a second thought. He lunged forward, grabbing for the old man’s wrist with both hands in an attempt to control the knife.
But the old man simply bent his arm, pulling his knife hand back while simultaneously pointing his elbow right at Tao Dasheng.
The old man met Tao Dasheng’s lunge, pushed forward, and drove his elbow straight into Tao Dasheng’s chest. The blow almost knocked the wind out of Tao Dasheng, sending him coughing to a squat on the ground.
The old man immediately followed with a backhanded slash, forcing Tao Ersheng, who was still out of range, to freeze in place, not daring to step forward.
Without a word, the old man pointed his knife back at Tao Sansheng.
"Xing the Third!" a sudden shout rang out.
With his rifle slung over his back, Xu Changlin jogged toward the old man.
"Elder Xu?" Hearing his name, Xing San looked up, squinting, and finally recognized Xu Changlin.
Xu Changlin reached them and glared at Tao Sansheng. "What’s going on here?" he barked.
Tao Sansheng didn’t dare to speak. He gave the two old men a wide berth and hurried over to Tao Dasheng.
"Motherfucker!" Xing San pointed at Tao Sansheng and said to Xu Changlin, "I set a snare up on the ridge and caught a roe deer, but these three little bastards stole it from me."
Xu Changlin clapped Xing San on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Still, that’s no reason to pull a knife."
Xing San said resentfully, "The little bastards have no respect for the rules. It would’ve been one thing if they’d left me a leg, but they took the whole damn thing."
"Alright, alright," Xu Changlin soothed. "These three lads are relatives of Elder Qin."
Xing San paused, frowning. "Which Elder Qin?"
Xu Changlin replied, "Qin Dajiang."
"Fuck!" Xing San turned his head, glared at the three Tao Brothers, and cursed, "That old dickhead’s no good either!"
