Chapter 33: Hesitation Leads to Complications

Zhang Yang let out a scoff.

"They might have headed up the mountain, but judging by the constant gunfire, I’d say their aim is nothing to brag about."

After that initial burst, there was a lull before a second round of shots echoed through the air.

"That’s the trouble with homemade muskets," Zhang Yang sighed.

Gao Wen and Gao Wu pricked up their ears to listen.

"The range is short, so if the prey runs even a little way off, you can’t hit it. Plus, the report is so loud that the first shot scares off every beast in the vicinity. If you only run into one, it’s fine, but if you hit a pack, they’ll scatter in every direction, which becomes dangerous for the people hunting them."

"On top of that, reloading is a real headache."

He thought back to the few he had picked up at the black market—they were expensive, all right! They were still homemade, but they had been modified to take cartridges, making them slightly better than the average piece of junk. He truly hoped his team could get their hands on proper firearms soon. That way, they wouldn’t constantly have to play second fiddle to the folks in Wulipu.

As they walked, Zhang Yang suddenly sensed something amiss. A small, dark shape was moving ahead!

The other team members spotted it too, whispering urgently, "There’s something over there!"

"It’s fast!"

"What is that?"

"Looks like a weasel!"

"Do you think the captain was right after all?"

The group excitedly gave chase. However, the fastest among them quickly lost track of the small shadow. They looked left and right, but the creature had vanished into thin air.

"Did you see it clearly? What was it?"

"Probably a squirrel? It had a pretty big tail, anyway!"

"Since when are squirrels that big? To me, it looked like a 'Great Immortal'!"

"Huh?"

As soon as the words "Great Immortal" were uttered, everyone froze. In local folklore, the Hu, Huang, Bai, Liu, and Hei are the five patron spirits of the home. Those weren't things you trifled with! Even if they had stumbled upon it in the wild rather than having it visit their home, it still felt like bad luck to mess with one.

But the hesitation lasted only a fleeting moment. If they could bag a weasel, that was a meal on the table! The group gripped their spears tighter.

Zhang Yang stepped up from behind, examined the messy tracks on the ground, and concluded, "Judging by the prints, it is indeed a weasel. These things are nimble and fast, so when you catch it, watch what you're doing—don't end up hurting your own men."

"Understood!"

With a target in sight, the team members were brimming with energy. They used their spears to poke into every tree and didn't spare a single hole or depression in the ground. Yet, the small shadow didn't reappear.

"We let it get away because we hesitated for a second."

"Maybe that's for the best..."

"We aren't going to come back empty-handed today, are we?"

"No," Zhang Yang said, picking up the conversation. "Look here. There are thin droppings by this dirt mound. The weasel's den must be nearby."

The team members perked up. "A den!"

"There can't be just one!"

"Search more carefully!"

Zhao Dong's team wasn't far off, and hearing the commotion, they joined in, digging and overturning everything in sight.

"Look! There's white mist coming from that hole!"

"There must be something alive in there!"

Several people rushed over. Before they had even steadied themselves, two small shadows bolted out of the burrow.

"It really is a weasel!"

"Watch this!"

The members tightened their grip on their spears and lunged forward, scrambling to be the first. With too many people and too few targets, the situation turned chaotic in their eagerness. In the confusion, one of the younger members accidentally got his foot pierced by someone else's spear.

"Ouch!"

After a howl of pain, the injured man collapsed to the ground. "Are you blind?! You stabbed right through my foot!"

"What?!"

Zhao Dong was terrified and rushed over to look. The group began to bicker and point fingers, each blaming the other.

"It was clearly you who stabbed him!"

"I wasn't even aiming that way!"

"You were standing right across from him, who else could it be?"

Zhang Yang immediately went to check on the injured man. Gao Wen and Gao Wu followed, helping the man roll up his pant leg.

"It just broke the skin... didn't go all the way through."

As he spoke, Gao Wen pulled a handful of dried leaves from the cloth bag hanging at his side. "Apply this; it'll stop the bleeding!"

Without ceremony, he stuffed the leaves into his mouth, chewed them into a paste, spat it into his hand, and prepared to apply it to the wound.

The man pulled his leg back, unwilling. "What are you doing... is that even safe? It doesn't even hurt as much as it did a second ago! Besides, it went through my pants, it's fine, it's not a serious wound, I don't need that..."

Gao Wen explained, "These are medicinal herbs I gathered with my grandfather! Drying them makes them easy to carry. My grandfather is an old doctor, he's treated so many people this way! It works!"

"I think I'll pass..."

"Where would there be a doctor in Gaojiatun? Isn't he just a barefoot doctor?"

"Yeah, better not use that randomly. It's just a small wound, we'll just have the clinic put a bandage on it when we get back."

"Exactly. If you use random herbs and get an infection, that'll be a real mess."

The team members voiced their opinions. Zhang Yang hadn't intended to intervene, but hearing those last few remarks, his expression darkened.

"Gao Wen had good intentions. If you aren't going to thank him, why are you being so disparaging?"

The team members fell silent. A few of the older members, who were significantly senior to Zhang Yang, looked at him with stubborn defiance. Zhang Yang saw it, but he let it slide.

You can’t teach someone until they’re ready to learn. But experience is a great teacher—one lesson is all it takes! A thousand words of advice aren't worth as much as learning the hard way.

Zhang Yang signaled for Gao Wen to put away the herbal paste. "Don't be so generous with everyone from now on. Herbs don't grow everywhere, and I'm sure gathering them isn't easy for you. Next time something like this happens, wait for my command—only use it if I tell you to."

Gao Wen popped the herbs back into his mouth. "Got it!"

Gao Wu spoke up quietly, feeling aggrieved for his brother. "My brother is really skilled! The elders and children in our village all trust him!"

"Xiao Wu, let it be, it's fine," Gao Wen said with a grin. "This medicine is top-notch, it would be a waste to throw it out. It's great for stopping bleeding topically, and good for clearing heat and detoxifying when taken internally!"

Zhang Yang patted Gao Wen on the shoulder. "Brother Wen, I'll remember your kindness on behalf of the brothers. There will definitely be a time when we need these herbs! They’re a rare resource, so you need to save them for when it really counts."

Gao Wen nodded, his eyes glistening with emotion.

After this brief interlude, the team resumed their hunt for the weasels. This time, one sharp-eyed member struck hard and managed to pin one of the weasels! But the creature was agile and escaped despite its injury. The group, unwilling to let their prey go, gave chase, running until they found themselves back in the Jiazi Ravine.

Zhang Yang remembered the traps he had set last time and decided to check them to see if there was any harvest. In the distance, he saw something furry under the tree he knew so well.

Could they be lucky enough to have caught a pheasant?!

Zhang Yang called the team members behind him to come forward. Yet, in that very same spot, they ran into wolves! The wolves were running from the distance, panting heavily as if they were fleeing for their lives.