Chapter 7: Rescuing Someone in the Deep Mountain, Encountering a Cannon Basket
In the end, they didn't get the ox horn bow from Hu Zi's house, but they still brought two bows from his grandpa's house, a One Shi bow and a crossbow. Su Yu used the bow, and Hu Zi used the crossbow.
"Yu Ge'er, are you sure you can handle this? This is a One Shi bow; my grandpa can't even draw it anymore. Only my dad uses it."
Su Yu didn't waste words. He pulled it hard. Although he couldn't draw it into a full moon shape, drawing it halfway was no problem.
"It's okay, usable."
It wasn't that Su Yu liked showing off, choosing to use a bow and arrow instead of a crossbow. It was just that the more powerful the crossbow bolt, the more troublesome it was to load, whereas a bow and arrow didn't have that drawback. Since it was for experience points and skill points, he naturally wanted to practice something that was a one-step process. Was he supposed to practice accuracy with crossbow bolts first? And then go back to practicing with a bow and arrow? It was better to take it slow.
"Alright, let's go. If we're any later, we won't have time to get home."
The two of them shouldered the necessary items and hurried towards Dasan.
"I heard Gou Sheng say there are bears around here, but I don't know if it's true or false."
"Gou Sheng is a chatterbox who loves to exaggerate. Do you actually believe him? Don't scare yourself. Let's go quickly. We'll cross this mountain and go see Swan Lake."
The so-called Swan Lake refers to a reed marsh. Because it's close to Dasan, animals often come here to drink water. Of course, there's a reason this place was named Swan Lake. During swan migration, this place is a sanctuary for swans. Even without swans, there's never a shortage of wild ducks and fish here, so it can be said to be a hunting sanctuary.
However, this reed marsh is in a mountain basin. Whether it's melted snow from Dasan or rainwater, it basically flows here, so there are swamps here, which are very dangerous. Plus, getting here requires climbing over a small mountain, which is very strenuous. Normally, very few people come here.
Near their Sanshui Bay, the mountains are different. The place they usually hunt is a large mountain, while the small mountain on the way to Swan Lake is also a small path. Outsiders generally don't know about it, and only locals can bypass it to get here.
"Ah, going to Swan Lake? Do you want to eat duck eggs?"
If you ask what's most abundant at Swan Lake besides fish, it's undoubtedly duck eggs. However, people often get trapped and die in the swamps, so over time, even the Village people don't dare to easily venture in.
"Duck eggs? Do the tools I'm carrying look like I'm going to collect duck eggs?"
What Su Yu was carrying was exactly the bow and arrow he took from his grandpa's house. Hearing this, Hu Zi understood.
"Yu Ge, you want to shoot some wild ducks?"
"You know, so why aren't you faster? Swan Lake isn't close. If we don't get back in time, your dad will beat you, so don't blame me."
Hu Zi chuckled. The two of them had great chemistry; when they were naughty as kids, they always blamed each other. The adults at home had long since figured it out, so Su Yu bringing it up now was just to lighten the mood.
"Bang! Bang, bang!"
"What was that sound? It sounds like gunshots."
The two of them originally wanted to quickly pass through the woods, climb over this small hillside, and enter Swan Lake. But before they even left the woods, they heard gunshots coming from the left.
"The intervals are a bit long. If I'm not mistaken, it should be an Old cannon."
An Old cannon isn't like a rifle. It needs to be loaded with gunpowder and iron pellets. You could also use steel balls, but ordinary people couldn't afford them at all, so they could only use crushed iron slag as a substitute.
Even an experienced hunter needs at least thirty seconds to reload after each shot. Just now, there were three shots, and based on the intervals, you can tell it was definitely an Old cannon.
"Yu Ge, what should we do? Could it be someone from the Village? Should we go take a look?"
The reason for asking this is that experienced hunters all know that after firing an Old cannon, you have to run. Unless you can't escape, you generally won't fire a second shot. Just now, it was clear that the shots were fired with short intervals, meaning the other party reloaded quickly. This implies they might have encountered trouble.
"There are mostly Wild Boar here. Someone might have encountered a group of Wild Boar. Let's go take a look. If it's someone from our Village, not saving them would weigh on our conscience."
That was just a guess; it might not be a bad thing. It's better to go take a look.
After discussing, the two of them took out their bows and arrows and jogged forward, crouched low. Before they arrived, they heard hunting dog barking.
"There's a big one, be careful."
Those who hunt frequently know that you can tell the size of the prey by the hunting dog's barking. Just now, the hunting dog was clearly a bit startled, and its barking was somewhat urgent. It was obvious that the one opposite was a big creature.
"I'll go first in a moment. If it's invincible, don't worry about me; just run yourself, got it?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Can I, Su Xiaohu, abandon my Brother and run away alone? Let's hurry and save him."
After saying that, Hu Zi went over first. Su Yu, afraid that something might happen to him, also followed.
"Yu Ge, look, there's someone over there."
Following the direction Hu Zi pointed, they indeed saw a man lying on a large stone over there. His chest was still rising and falling, but blood was flowing everywhere.
"Don't look at him. Quickly see what it is. The hunting dog are just barking and don't dare to go forward. It seems like a big one."
"Yu Ge, you don't understand this. They are protecting their master, not afraid to go forward. Look at that black dog, didn't it charge up?"
Hu Zi's grandpa is a hunter, so naturally, they have hunting dog at home. He definitely knows more than Su Yu.
"Stop talking nonsense and hurry over to check. Don't let him end up dead."
Su Yu was on high alert, holding the One Shi bow with an arrow nocked, not daring to move it away, cautiously approaching the big man.
Hu Zi was also like this. He held the crossbow, level in front of him, following closely, keeping an eye on everything around him, slowly approaching, afraid that a Tiger might suddenly jump out of the grass.
"Uncle, Uncle, are you alright?"
Su Yu came closer and checked for breathing, confirming that he was still breathing. However, his abdomen had been cut open, and blood was flowing non-stop.
"Holy crap, it's a Cannon Basket! Yu Ge, be careful."
What's called a Cannon Basket is a male Wild Boar, the breeding kind. Its body is huge, and its testicles are like two peaches. This kind of male Wild Boar easily weighs around four hundred jin. When it runs, it's like a jeep; you can imagine what it's like to be hit by one.
The Cannon Basket was exposed because it was chased by the hunting dog. A brief glance was enough to make Hu Zi's legs feel weak. Even if you're up a tree, if the tree is a bit thin, it can be broken by him. Trees as thick as a bowl are nothing to a Cannon Basket.
Especially those tusks. If this thing hits you, it can send you flying and rip your belly open.
The Cannon Basket has a violent temper and will actively attack humans. Its territorial awareness is very strong. If this Uncle hadn't had six dogs, he would probably be dead here by now. Wild Boar can eat people; it's not that they don't eat meat; when they're hungry, they'll gnaw on anything.
"Keep it down, do you want to die? Be alert. I'll carry the Uncle down the mountain first."
Saying this, Su Yu took off his outer clothing, tied it around the Uncle's abdomen, lifted the Uncle with one hand, put him directly on his back, and then hurried down the mountain along the path they came from.
Hu Zi followed closely behind, while a few dogs stayed not far away. However, there were still other dogs blocking the Wild Boar, trying to harass it. There were also two other dogs dead on the side, looking like they wouldn't make it.
"Alas... what a pity. Loyal hunting dog protecting their master."