Before them lay a stream with a frozen surface. Beside the stream, animal bones were piled up like a mountain. These bones, large and small, belonged to all kinds of animals, stretching along the stream for hundreds of meters. Liu Tiezhu estimated that at least tens of thousands of animals must have died to leave so many bones.
Er Gouzi snapped out of his daze, swallowing hard as he said, "God, what happened here? How did all these animals die together in this area?"
Liu Tiezhu pointed at a few bones in front of them. "These animals were probably poisoned. Look at these ones—the bones in their necks and lower bellies have several black sections."
"Poisoned?" Gouzi was stunned. "No way. What kind of poison is so strong it could kill this many animals at once?"
"Judging by the bones, they didn't die one after another. They all died near here, so it’s probably the stream's fault," Liu Tiezhu said.
Er Gouzi asked, "Brother Tiezhu, you mean the water in this stream is poisonous? These animals drank it and died from poisoning?"
Liu Tiezhu nodded. "That's possible. But to know if they died from drinking the stream water, we can break the ice and check the water."
Hearing this, Er Gouzi didn't hesitate. He used his machete to cut a square in the ice and started smashing it.
"Gouzi, don't bother," Liu Tiezhu stopped him, pointing at a row of plants nearby. "See that? Those are cocklebur trees. Their seeds are highly toxic, and soaking in water makes the poison even stronger. This whole row grows right by the stream, with roots and seeds almost constantly in the water. No wonder the animals died after drinking it."
Er Gouzi walked closer and saw it was indeed cocklebur trees. "Damn it, no wonder the animals in the mountains keep wandering out. I bet they couldn't find water, so they came out looking for it." He cursed, then suddenly slapped his thigh. "Oh, right, Brother Tiezhu. Grandpa used to say there was a long stream near the stone cave. This place looks a lot like what he described."
Hearing this, Liu Tiezhu got excited. "Let's mark this spot and come back tomorrow. Gouzi, start a fire while I deal with the meat. After we eat, we'll head back."
After a hearty meal, the sky gradually darkened. Guided by the hunting dogs, it took them three hours to get out of the mountains.
As they neared Liujia Village, Liu Tiezhu quickly pulled the mule to a stop and told Er Gouzi to turn off the flashlight. "Brother Tiezhu, what's—" Er Gouzi started, then shut his mouth. Following Liu Tiezhu's gaze, he saw several beams of light flickering not far from the village entrance.
After the village was ransacked, no one dared step out of their homes even in broad daylight. At night, it was even less likely anyone would wander around with a flashlight. Those lights near the entrance couldn't be from villagers.
"Brother Tiezhu, could it be bandits again?" Er Gouzi whispered.
Liu Tiezhu nodded. "Probably. In this situation, who would risk shining a flashlight outside the village? Damn it, these bandits are bold. Aren't they afraid of the militia—" Er Gouzi was cut off by Liu Tiezhu waving his hand.
Confused, Er Gouzi saw two more lights approaching from a side path. Seven lights gathered briefly at the village entrance, then scattered. Six of them headed toward other villages, passing just over ten meters from Liu Tiezhu and Er Gouzi. They heard the sound of horses galloping along the path. The last light entered Liujia Village.
"Damn it, they really are bandits. Are these bastards not afraid of death, still daring to come down the mountain?" Er Gouzi cursed once the lights disappeared.
Liu Tiezhu frowned, his expression grim. The bandits still dared to come down—this wasn't what he'd predicted. Now he wasn't worried about the departing bandits, but about the person who entered the village with the flashlight. That person was either a bandit or someone feeding them information. Liu Tiezhu leaned toward the latter. If it were a bandit, he wouldn't dare walk into the village alone, flashlight in hand, so brazenly. Entering so openly meant it was likely a villager—a spy the bandits had cultivated.
"Damn it, those bastards from Tiangang Stronghold are playing spy games," Liu Tiezhu cursed after analyzing the situation.
"Brother Tiezhu, what's a spy game?" Er Gouzi asked, confused.
"Didn't you see that light go into the village?" Liu Tiezhu said.
Er Gouzi nodded. "Wasn't that a bandit? If he's alone, we've got nothing to fear. Brother Tiezhu, are we going to take him out?"
Liu Tiezhu rolled his eyes. "Take him out? No way. That person isn't a bandit. If I'm right, he's from our village—a spy for the bandits."
Er Gouzi was taken aback, then cursed, "Damn it, how dare that bastard? Becoming a bandit spy—isn't he afraid of being caught and having his bones broken?"
"The problem is no one knows who he is. Let's head back first. As long as that bastard keeps contacting the bandits, we'll catch him," Liu Tiezhu said with a murderous look.
When they got home, dinner was ready. As soon as Liu Tiezhu entered the kitchen, he noticed his second uncle and eldest brother looked off. Looking closer, he saw a slap mark on his second uncle's face.
"Second uncle, what happened? Who hit you?"
"N-nothing..." his second uncle stammered, waving his hand.
"Second uncle, it's swollen, and you say it's nothing?" Liu Tiezhu turned to his eldest brother, Liu Tieshan. "Brother, what's going on?"
Liu Tieshan waved dismissively. "Tiezhu, don't get involved in this."
"You won't tell me? Then I'll ask someone else." Liu Tiezhu stood up and turned to leave. His second uncle had been slapped—how could he ignore it?
Just then, Er Gouzi walked in. "Brother Tiezhu, where are you going?"
"Your dad got beaten, and he won't say why. I'm going to find out," Liu Tiezhu said.
"What the hell?" Er Gouzi's eyes widened, and without a word, he followed Liu Tiezhu.
Knowing he couldn't hide it, his second uncle called them back. "The slap on my face was from Zhang Jingyang, the militia leader. He said our family is undermining village unity and gave me a warning."
Zhang Jingyang? Liu Tiezhu froze for a moment, then his eyes turned red. "Damn it, isn't that bastard Liu Yangshan's brother-in-law? Screw his ancestors, he's using his position for personal revenge. Gouzi, get the gun."