12dz Chapter 273 There's a competitor now.
Chapter 273 There's a competitor now.
Seeing Wang Ergou's eager expression, Li Xiangyang couldn't help but laugh: "Fight, okay? Let's rest well today, get our energy back, and head into the mountains first thing tomorrow morning. But you know how dangerous it was last time, so this time you absolutely must listen to me. It would be great if we could capture it..."
Wang Ergou grinned, his eyes gleaming with excitement: "Brother Xiangyang, I understand. If we can't hit it, so be it. We've been working together for so long, what haven't we seen? I'm confident we can definitely hit it!"
Li Xiangyang didn't say anything more, patted Wang Ergou on the shoulder: "Then it's settled. Meet at five o'clock tomorrow morning under the old locust tree. Bring your gear, and don't forget your raincoat. The weather in the mountains is unpredictable, so be careful."
"Alright!" Wang Ergou replied excitedly, then turned and jogged home to prepare.
Li Xiangyang carried the wild boar meat and slowly walked home.
Smoke curled from chimneys in the village as families prepared dinner.
The sounds of children playing could be heard in the distance, and several elderly people sat under a big tree at the entrance of the village, enjoying the cool shade—a scene of peace and tranquility.
Pushing open the courtyard gate, Li Xiaoyun was washing vegetables in the yard. Hearing the noise, she looked up and saw her husband return. A smile immediately spread across her face: "You're back? Did you get the meat?"
Li Xiangyang held up the pork in his hand: "Hmm, this is quite a lot for our family, enough for several meals."
Li Xiaoyun put down her work and took the pork: "Great, we'll stew it tonight!"
As she spoke, she seemed to remember something, and a concerned expression appeared on her face. "By the way, I heard from the villagers that you encountered a leopard in the mountains?"
"Haha, I didn't expect the news to spread so quickly. Yes, we encountered it, and it almost hurt Old Zhang. This leopard is quite bold, daring to attack people in broad daylight. It must have been really hungry," Li Xiangyang said truthfully.
Li Xiaoyun frowned: "This is not a good thing. It dared to attack so many of you going into the mountains. What if it encountered a lone elderly person or a child..."
Li Xiaoyun's concerns were not unfounded. In the past, it was common for wild animals to enter the village and attack people. It was only after the country sent troops to suppress them several times that the village became safer.
"Alright, don't worry, just hit them when you see them. I'll go into the mountains with Er Gou tomorrow..."
Seeing his wife so worried, Li Xiangyang comforted her.
“Xiangyang, I know I shouldn’t have stopped you, but the mountains are full of dangers, and after all, it’s a leopard. I… I just can’t bear to leave you.” Li Xiaoyun’s voice trembled slightly, her eyes filled with worry.
Li Xiangyang gently held his wife's hand: "Xiaoyun, I know what you're worried about. Don't worry, these good days have just begun, and I haven't lived enough yet. Besides, Er Gou now has an eagle; even if it can't be used for combat, it's more than enough for early warning. After I deal with this leopard, I'll come back and stew you a pot of fragrant leopard meat."
Li Xiaoyun smiled through her tears: "Who cares about eating leopard meat? As long as you come back safe and sound, that's all that matters."
That evening, Li Xiangyang carefully inspected the hunting rifle and other equipment to ensure that everything was in perfect working order.
Li Xiaoyun sat to the side, watching her husband's busy figure, silently praying that tomorrow's hunt would go smoothly.
The next morning, before dawn, Li Xiangyang quietly got up, dressed quietly, picked up his gear, and prepared to go out.
Li Xiaoyun had actually been awake for a while, but she was pretending to be asleep. She was afraid that if she opened her mouth, she would burst into tears again and add pressure to her husband.
Knowing she was awake, Li Xiangyang walked to the bedside and gently kissed her forehead. "Don't worry, I'll be careful and back soon."
Suppressing her worry, Li Xiaoyun took a deep breath and said, "Okay, I'll wait for you at home. Come back soon."
"Okay, I'm off."
Li Xiangyang gently stroked his wife's cheek, then turned and left.
In the yard, the little tiger had been waiting for a long time. When it saw its owner come out, it immediately wagged its tail happily and went to greet him.
Meanwhile, the black cat sat quietly under the eaves, looking at the little tiger with disdain.
“Little princess, we’re counting on you today,” Li Xiangyang said softly. The black cat seemed to understand him, meowed softly, and leaped down from the eaves, gracefully walking to his feet.
With his two companions, Li Xiangyang quickly arrived at the old locust tree at the entrance of the village.
Wang Ergou was already waiting there, idly teasing the little golden eagle on his shoulder.
Although the little golden eagle is still young, it has already shown the majesty of a raptor, its sharp eyes constantly scanning its surroundings.
"Brother Xiangyang, you've finally arrived!" Upon seeing Li Xiangyang, Wang Ergou jumped up and waved excitedly, "I couldn't wait!"
Li Xiangyang glanced at the sky and nodded. "The timing is perfect. Let's go, while it's still light, let's hurry into the mountains."
The two quickly headed into the mountains along the route they had taken yesterday.
The black cat led the way, stopping every now and then to sniff the ground or tree trunks, searching for the leopard's scent.
Xiao Hu stayed close to Li Xiangyang, vigilantly observing the surrounding movements.
"Brother Xiangyang, with so many of us yesterday, how dare that leopard attack?"
After walking for a while, Wang Ergou couldn't help but ask.
Li Xiangyang's expression was serious: "Under normal circumstances, leopards don't attack people unprovoked, especially in crowded places. In my opinion, it's either extremely hungry, or..."
"Or what?" Wang Ergou asked nervously.
“It’s either injured and unable to hunt normally, so it has no choice but to risk attacking humans,” Li Xiangyang said, quickening his pace. “In either case, this leopard is very dangerous and we must deal with it as soon as possible.”
Just then, the black cat in front suddenly stopped, its fur stood on end, and it let out a low hiss.
Little Tiger also growled alertly.
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou immediately became alert, tiptoed, and slowly approached.
"What did you find?" Li Xiangyang asked softly, raising his hunting rifle as he prepared himself.
The black cat didn't respond, but just stared at a bush in front of it, its tail stiffly held upright.
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou exchanged a glance and cautiously approached the bushes.
Behind the bushes, in an open area, lay the carcass of a goat, stained with blood, clearly torn apart by a wild beast.
"This is..." Wang Ergou stared wide-eyed in surprise.
"The leopard's handiwork." Li Xiangyang crouched down, examining the goat's wounds. "Judging from these bite marks, it must have happened last night or early this morning."
"So, it's nearby right now?" Wang Ergou looked around nervously.
Li Xiangyang shook his head: "No, usually when a leopard catches its prey, it will drag it up a tree to eat, which helps it avoid other predators."
Li Xiangyang pointed to the wounds on the goat's body: "Look, this goat was only bitten a few times before being left here. This means the leopard was in danger and had to leave hastily, not even taking its prey with it. It seems we have a competitor now."