Chapter Five: The Bear

Qin Zhen knew little about Chen Shu, only that he was the village’s sole hunter. Rumor had it he’d served as a soldier.

“There’s all sorts of things in the woods. What looks like a pile of leaves could be hiding a venomous snake,” Chen Shu said as he drew a dagger and plunged it into a heap of leaves at his feet. In an instant, he pinned a serpent nearly eighty centimeters long, its razor fangs spitting venom.

The snake’s coloring matched the leaves so perfectly that it was nearly invisible. If not for Chen Shu’s warning, Qin Zhen might have stepped right on it. In this world without antivenom, one bite would mean the entire village would be mourning tonight.

“Truth be told, the village chief’s right—there’s anything you can imagine in these woods. You never know when a venomous creature will bite. Not everyone is cut out to be a hunter! Only an old hand like me can move through these mountains and forests unscathed,” Chen Shu continued, expertly severing the snake’s head with such skill that even Qin Zhen couldn’t help but marvel. He then slit open the snake, cleaned it with practiced ease, coiled the twisted body, and stuffed it into a wooden pouch. With a grin, he announced, “We’ll have snake stew tonight!”

Qin Zhen wanted to warn him that nine-tenths of a snake’s weight was probably parasites and that eating it was unwise. But seeing how hollow and sunken Chen Shu’s cheeks were, he quietly swallowed his words.

“Uncle Chen, you’re so skilled—why don’t we see you bringing back much game?” Li Han blurted out, “I saw you eating clay just the other day!”

Before he finished, a sudden rustle in the grass caught their attention. A wild rabbit bounded past not far away. In a flash, Chen Shu notched an arrow and shot. The arrow whistled through the air but missed the rabbit entirely.

Startled, the rabbit darted off and vanished.

Witnessing this, Qin Zhen finally understood why Chen Shu rarely brought back game. As a hunter, his knife skills were superb, but his archery left much to be desired.

“The wind’s too strong, blew my arrow off course!” Chen Shu grumbled as he strode over to pull his arrow from a tree. As long as he wasn’t embarrassed, it was others who would feel awkward.

Just then, another rabbit sprang out. He reacted instantly, nocking and firing another arrow.

A sharp whoosh split the air, and the rabbit fell on the spot!

“See, my archery isn’t bad at all!” Chen Shu boasted, glancing at Qin Zhen and Li Han.

“Uncle Chen, you missed again! That was Zhen’s arrow!” Li Han pointed to the muddy ground a few meters away, where a lone arrow was stuck: “Yours is over there!”

Chen Shu looked at his own arrow, then at the roughly hewn wooden shaft sticking out of the rabbit’s body—a full head shorter than the others. His face burned with embarrassment.

“Uncle Chen, were you really a soldier?” Li Han asked, full of suspicion.

“Of course! Back in the day I was a scout!” Chen Shu replied with pride.

“How could a scout have such poor aim?” Qin Zhen was taken aback.

“That’s why I left the service—couldn’t shoot straight!” Chen Shu mumbled sheepishly.

Qin Zhen picked up the rabbit and tied it by the ears to his belt.

“Zhen, you’re incredible. At this rate, it won’t be long before you’ve saved enough for the tax,” Li Han said with admiration in his eyes. He’d just watched Qin Zhen toy with that wooden contraption, and a rabbit was in hand as if by magic!

“How much is a rabbit skin worth? Last month, people from the county came to buy wild boar—paid over ten taels of silver for one!” Chen Shu chimed in, unable to take his eyes off Qin Zhen’s wooden crossbow, his curiosity plain to see.

“Uncle, are there wild boar in these woods?” Qin Zhen’s interest was piqued. According to his earlier calculations, he’d need to hunt hundreds of rabbits to cover the tax. If wild boar fetched such a good price, why not take a chance and try for one?

“Plenty!” Chen Shu said after a moment’s thought. “Go another ten or so miles into the mountains and you’ll find them. But those things are fierce! Their tusks can gore a man to death. Three or five men might not be enough to bring one down. With the likes of us, best forget it.”

Despite Chen Shu’s words, Qin Zhen’s mind was already racing.

“Would a wooden crossbow work?”

He handed the crossbow over. With Chen Shu’s skills and the weapon, perhaps there was hope.

Chen Shu turned it over in his hands, amazed. “This is good! Did you make it?”

“If you like it, Uncle Chen, I’ll make you one tomorrow!” Qin Zhen replied thoughtfully.

“You’re a good kid!” Chen Shu was growing fonder of Qin Zhen by the minute—who wouldn’t appreciate someone so considerate? He returned the crossbow, shaking his head. “It’s accurate, but not strong enough. It might not pierce a boar’s hide.”

Qin Zhen felt a pang of disappointment. If only he could make an iron crossbow, with solid iron bolts—wouldn’t that make hunting boar a breeze?

Suddenly Li Han shouted in delight, “Look, so many rabbits!”

A dozen wild rabbits burst out, scattering in every direction.

“We must’ve stumbled on a rabbit warren!” Chen Shu drew his short sword, his eyes gleaming. “Don’t just stand there—let’s catch them!”

Wild rabbits aren’t much for fighting back. When they jump at your face, how can you not grab one?

The three of them scrambled about. Not only did Chen Shu fill a basket, but even the clumsy Li Han managed to catch two, beaming with joy.

“This is like picking up money!”

If he’d known rabbits were so easy to catch, why had his family ever eaten tree bark and clay? They should’ve come hunting rabbits long ago!

“Wait,” Qin Zhen said, sensing something was off. This wasn’t like the last time he’d gone hunting.

“It doesn’t seem like we found a warren—these rabbits look more like they’ve been startled out!”

Usually, only the presence of a large carnivore would send so many small creatures fleeing at once.

Chen Shu realized it too, his face turning grim. “Don’t go any deeper. We need to get out—there might be a bear!”

“A bear?!”

At those words, Qin Zhen’s heart leapt. Li Han’s face turned ashen with fear.

A few years ago, during a famine, a starving bear had charged from the forest and attacked the village—many had been dragged away, never to be seen again. The bloody memory had never faded.

Suddenly, a bear’s roar echoed through the mountains. A massive black beast crashed through the trees, towering four or five meters tall, like a moving hill. Wherever its huge, sharp claws struck, trees splintered and earth flew!

Even Qin Zhen was frozen in place, mind blank with shock at the sight of a full-grown brown bear.

“Run!”

Chen Shu, true to his reputation as an old hunter and a former soldier, reacted instantly. He yanked Qin Zhen aside.

A massive paw swiped just above Qin Zhen’s scalp!

Taller Li Han was not so fortunate. Though Chen Shu tried to pull him too, the bear’s claws left bloody gashes across his forehead, tearing away a swath of hair.

He tumbled to the ground, clutching his head and shouting in panic, “My head’s gone! My head’s gone!”