A bamboo arrow pierced into a thick pile of snow, and instantly, bright red blood stained the white snow crimson. It was a snow-white rabbit, weighing about seven or eight jin. Without careful observation, it was hard to spot in the snow.
"Rabbit."
Er Gouzi stared wide-eyed for a long time before noticing the big white rabbit lying in the snow pile. Entering the thorn forest and immediately bagging over twenty jin of meat lifted both their spirits.
"Gouzi, you clear the obstacles, I'll do the shooting."
Liu Tiezhu finished instructing Er Gouzi and loaded two more bamboo arrows onto the compound crossbow.
"Got it!"
Er Gouzi grinned, tossed the weasel and the big white rabbit into a sack, and took the lead with a steel fork, sweeping the path ahead.
After they'd walked about ten meters, Liu Tiezhu patted Er Gouzi on the shoulder, signaling him to crouch down. Er Gouzi reacted quickly, dropping into a squat as soon as he saw Liu Tiezhu's move. Liu Tiezhu rested the compound crossbow on Er Gouzi's shoulder, aiming to the right of the thorn trees.
Er Gouzi followed the direction of the crossbow and spotted two fiery red birds perched on a thorn branch. These were fire hawks, a local specialty of the area, feeding on poultry and wild rabbits, growing to about twenty jin as adults. The two fire hawks had their heads tucked into their wings, dozing soundly on the bare branch.
Such fierce birds usually lived deep in the mountains; seeing them near the village was rare. The two fire hawks before them were fully grown, standing out brilliantly against the snow-covered branches.
Liu Tiezhu found the best angle and decisively pulled the trigger. The bamboo arrow pierced clean through the first fire hawk, but when it struck the second, its force was greatly diminished, only embedding into the flesh without penetrating. The second fire hawk, startled by the pain, flapped its wings to take off. But just as it spread its wings, a second bamboo arrow shot over. This one struck the bone of its wing, sending its body plummeting.
Even with two arrows in it, the fire hawk wasn't dead yet. After hitting the ground, it quickly scurried toward the dense thorn trees.
"Gouzi, go deal with the dead fire hawk. Watch your step, keep an eye on the ground."
Liu Tiezhu called out, grabbed the steel fork, and chased after the fleeing fire hawk. He didn't dare move too fast, using the fork to clear the way while following the blood trail. The fire hawk had taken two arrows, not in fatal spots, but it couldn't have gone far. After tracking the blood for about ten meters, Liu Tiezhu found the struggling fire hawk in a pile of dead branches.
By now, the fire hawk was barely alive. Seeing Liu Tiezhu approach, it still snapped its beak wildly. Liu Tiezhu didn't dare get too close. These fierce birds could pierce a human palm with their hooked beaks; if it got him, the joke would be on him. He raised the compound crossbow, aimed at the fire hawk's head, and fired an arrow, ending its suffering for good.
With two fire hawks in hand, Liu Tiezhu estimated they had about forty jin of meat. Such a start in a snowstorm made both him and Er Gouzi burst into laughter.
After tossing the two fire hawks into the sack, Er Gouzi said, "Tiezhu, I've noticed the heavier the snow, the more game there is near the village. That doesn't add up. Take these fire hawks—fierce birds like them should find it easier to catch prey in the deep mountains. Logically, they shouldn't be coming out. Could something be happening in the mountains?"
Hearing this, Liu Tiezhu froze. Er Gouzi had a point. In a raging snowstorm, only the deep mountains should offer enough resources for these fierce birds. Now that these rare ones were coming out, was something really going on in the mountains? Liu Tiezhu thought it over and couldn't help but find it amusing. These birds coming out was nothing but good for him—the more that showed up, the more meat he'd get. Why bother worrying about what was happening in the mountains?
"Gouzi, no need to borrow trouble. Whatever's going on in the mountains has nothing to do with us. These birds coming out are just giving us food."
Er Gouzi grinned. "Right, I'm hoping all the wild buffalo come out of the mountains now. One of those would feed us for half a month."
They chatted a bit more and kept moving. After walking about five meters, Er Gouzi stopped, pointing ahead with excitement. "Tiezhu, pheasants... pheasants..."
Ahead, over a dozen pheasants were clustered together, their bright feathers easy to spot against the snowy backdrop.
"Holy crap!"
Liu Tiezhu cursed in excitement at the sight of so many pheasants huddled together. They were all gathered at the base of the thorn trees, using the leaves and dead branches to keep warm on the ground. Liu Tiezhu carefully scanned the area where the pheasants were clustered, then set down his compound crossbow.
"Gouzi, get the sack ready. We'll sneak up and bag them all at once."
Hearing this, Er Gouzi hesitated. "Tiezhu, are you sure we're using the sack to catch them?"
"No kidding. Don't you see all their heads are tucked into their wings? There's no cover around. As long as we don't make a sound, we can definitely scoop this whole flock." Liu Tiezhu said.
In this situation, the compound crossbow wasn't suitable. If he shot one, the rest would panic and scatter everywhere. Even if they didn't fly far, hunting them down would take time. Using the sack might risk letting them all fly away, but the chance of bagging them all at once was high. Liu Tiezhu decided to gamble.
They discussed it and folded the sack's opening back to make it easier to catch. Liu Tiezhu gestured to watch for traps on the ground, then carefully stepped forward.
A few minutes later, they'd advanced ten meters, leaving only three meters between them and the pheasants. They exchanged glances, both feeling their hearts race. The pheasants occasionally shook their feathers, sending snowflakes flying. This made them hold their breath, hearts nearly leaping out of their chests. Luckily, the pheasants didn't pull their heads out from under their wings.
Liu Tiezhu let out a long sigh, steadied his pounding heart, and whispered, "Gouzi, move to the right. Watch for my signal. When I say 'go,' you move. Got it?"
Er Gouzi nodded, slowly stepping to the right. When they were a meter from the pheasants, Liu Tiezhu raised his hand. Er Gouzi tensed up, lifting the sack and extending his right foot, ready to pounce.
But just his luck, Er Gouzi's extended foot landed on a dead thorn branch. A sharp crack rang out, and all the pheasants lifted their heads at the sound. So close, and that damned branch ruined everything. Er Gouzi gritted his teeth, his face paling, feeling like he could kill.
Liu Tiezhu immediately signaled Er Gouzi to stay still. All the pheasants stretched their necks, their eyes darting around as they surveyed. The two froze, their hearts pounding in sync with the pheasants' glances. After a few dozen seconds of inspection, the pheasants didn't fly off. They shook their feathers and tucked their heads back under their wings.
Liu Tiezhu instantly gave Er Gouzi the signal to strike. He lunged forward the moment he made the gesture. Er Gouzi was quick to react, pouncing almost simultaneously. Clucking sounds came from the sack, followed by the flapping of wings. Of the thirteen pheasants, they caught nine. The remaining four, startled, quickly flew to the tops of the thorn trees. Their panicked cries sent nearby pheasants scattering in all directions.
"Gouzi, deal with these pheasants quickly."
Liu Tiezhu handed the sack to Er Gouzi, grabbed the compound crossbow from the ground, and gave chase.