That was a leopard. Its front legs were already bent, the classic prelude to a leopard preparing to hunt its prey.
This sight instantly sent a cold shiver down Liu Tiezhu's spine.
All his focus had been on the tiger, completely ignoring his left and right flanks.
If not for Er Gouzi following along, he might have become this leopard's meal.
"Fire!" Liu Tiezhu shouted.
At this critical moment, he dared not hesitate for a second.
The leopard was incredibly fast. Almost as Er Gouzi pulled the trigger, it swiftly darted into the thick grass, vanishing after a few bounds.
These predators were highly sensitive to the smell of gunpowder.
Once they caught that scent, they would almost always flee quickly.
After driving off the leopard, Liu Tiezhu was still shaken. He kept his eyes wide, carefully scanning the surroundings.
On the other side, the tiger, hearing the gunshot, quickly stood up again.
It wanted to escape, but its injuries were too severe. After taking two steps, it collapsed once more.
This time, Liu Tiezhu didn't dawdle. He raised his gun, aimed at the tiger's head, and pulled the trigger.
The bullet pierced straight through the tiger's skull, blood splattering all over the ground.
The tiger struggled for a moment, then went completely still.
"Gouzi, stay alert."
After giving the order, Liu Tiezhu dared to approach the tiger, pulling out his machete to butcher it.
An hour later, the two returned to the plains, finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. Their stomachs were growling with hunger.
Er Gouzi started a fire, cut a large chunk of tiger meat, and placed it on a rack to roast.
Liu Tiezhu, meanwhile, took out the last of his bamboo-green liquor and took a few sips to calm his nerves.
"Tiezhu, the animals in the deep mountains are practically demons. They even know how to ambush."
Thinking back to the leopard's actions, Er Gouzi was still terrified.
"These beasts have lived in the deep mountains for years. They've honed their ambush and hunting skills to perfection."
"If we want to survive out here, we'll have to be twice as careful from now on," Liu Tiezhu said.
After about forty minutes, the meat was cooked.
The two ate their fill, loaded the remaining tiger meat onto the horse, and led it back home.
Seeing that they had successfully taken down the tiger, Second Uncle and the others were overjoyed. They had Huang Xiumei boil a pot of tiger bone soup and pan-fry some tiger meat.
After dinner, Er Gouzi brought up the leopard's ambush.
Hearing this, everyone's scalps went numb.
Second Uncle said, "We can't go back into the deep mountains for now."
"We'll wait until the white-tailed eagle's injuries heal before going in again."
"We have plenty of meat right now, and it's almost New Year's. Let's take a few days to rest."
Liu Tieshan chimed in, "Second Uncle is right. Without the white-tailed eagle on watch, going deep into the mountains is too dangerous."
"Those beasts hide in the underbrush. No matter how alert you are, it's hard to spot them."
"You got lucky this time, but a person's luck doesn't hold out every time."
Liu Tiezhu thought it over and figured that made sense.
There were only twelve days left until New Year's anyway. He might as well use this time to expand the trap network.
At the same time, in Denglou Village, at the Zhang family camp.
"Is that true?"
Inside the tent, Zhang Mingtao shot to his feet after hearing Liu Yusheng's report, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.
These past days, he had been tirelessly investigating Liu Tiezhu's whereabouts.
Now that Liu Yusheng told him Liu Tiezhu had fled into the mountains, it instantly excited him.
Liu Yusheng said, "Brother Zhang, how would I dare lie to you about something like this?"
"His hiding place is south of the mountains, but I don't know the exact location."
"Yesterday, I lost four men trying to catch that bastard."
He couldn't swallow the anger of Liu Tiezhu killing his men.
If he couldn't kill Liu Tiezhu himself, he would use Zhang Mingtao to do it.
The Zhang family hated Liu Tiezhu to the bone. Once they got the news, they would surely send troops to hunt him down.
"No wonder I couldn't find the bastard. So he's been hiding in the mountains."
Zhang Mingtao's face twisted in rage, looking like he wanted to devour Liu Tiezhu alive.
The theft of the camp's grain and money had made the Zhang family lose face.
When the bandits heard the news, they nearly cut ties with the Zhangs.
He had to kill Liu Tiezhu to restore the family's honor.
After sending Liu Yusheng off, Zhang Mingtao immediately gathered his men.
His camp was now well-stocked with troops, and he couldn't wait any longer.
Fifteen minutes later, a thirty-man squad mounted their horses and galloped toward the mountains.
By midnight, the squad led by Zhang Minghai had already penetrated three hundred meters into the mountains.
After the long ride, everyone was exhausted.
Zhang Minghai ordered the men to rest on the spot, eat their fill, and then continue.
Soon, the thirty men split into five groups, lit fires, and took out pre-prepared meat to roast.
Deputy Captain Ma Guoying said, "Captain, could we be on the wrong path?"
"We've been walking for three hours, and there's nothing around."
"Besides, this place is too remote. It's not fit for habitation."
Hearing this, several others looked up, nodding in agreement with Ma Guoying.
Judging by the surroundings, even if they walked another two hours, it would still be giant trees and thick grass.
This environment had no light and was completely unsuitable for living.
Zhang Minghai said, "The path shouldn't be wrong. Liu Yusheng wouldn't risk his neck over a joke."
"After we eat, we'll push another hundred meters deeper. If it's still like this, we'll try another route."
He had no other choice now. He was grasping at straws, betting on a lucky break.
Forty minutes later, after filling their stomachs, they pressed on.
After walking for over an hour, the two men scouting ahead stopped.
"Captain, we found something."
Hearing this, everyone perked up, shouldering their rifles.
Zhang Minghai walked up to them and asked, "What's the situation?"
"There's a much more open area ahead, and there's a man-made path," the man on the left said.
Zhang Minghai said, "It must have been made by that bastard Liu Tiezhu."
"Everyone be careful. Liu Tiezhu and his family must be hiding nearby."
"If we catch them, our days ahead will look bright."
Hearing this, everyone rubbed their hands in anticipation.
With a command from Zhang Minghai, they quickened their pace, moving stealthily along the path.
Soon, someone spotted firelight in the distance.
It was from the kitchen fire near the stone cave, where several large stoves were burning. The heat they generated could keep the entire cave warm all night.
"That must be where Liu Tiezhu is hiding. Speed up and charge!"
"While those bastards are sound asleep, we'll wipe them all out."
Zhang Minghai's grin stretched wide as he decisively gave the order to charge.
Everyone surged forward, afraid someone else would steal the credit.
But just ten steps in, someone tripped over a thin rope and fell.
Before anyone could figure out what was happening, a massive fireball erupted from the soil.
Boom...
A thunderous roar echoed through the mountains, lingering for a long time.
The grenade trap was triggered. The explosion instantly tore apart the three men in front, sending countless nails flying in all directions.
The eight men behind were hit in the stomach by the nails, letting out bloodcurdling screams.
Zhang Minghai and the others were stunned. Staring at the gruesome scene, their faces turned pale in an instant.
"Retreat! There are traps here!"
Snapping back to reality, Zhang Minghai immediately ordered a withdrawal.
The others, scared out of their wits, scrambled to flee backward.
But they hadn't gone ten steps before two of them crouched down, howling in pain.
Their feet were pierced by nails, staining the soil with bright red blood.
This sight made everyone's hearts clench. For a moment, no one dared to move recklessly.
Back at the stone cave, Liu Tiezhu and the others, who had been sleeping soundly, were jolted awake.
"A grenade went off. Someone's broken in!"
Liu Tiezhu grabbed his compound crossbow and pistol as he rushed out of the cave.
Er Gouzi also came out, ready for action.
"Gouzi, let's go check it out."
"Since these people came here, not a single one of them is leaving."