Phi-Fic Chapter 151 Zhao Pao of Yingtun also enters Tiger Mountain
Chapter 151 Zhao Pao of Yingtun also enters Tiger Mountain
Li Ju'an and the others became interested when they heard about the cannons of Yingtun and pricked up their ears.
His hunting dog, Hua Er, had a feud with Zhao Pao's falcon in Yingtun. Hua Er was seriously injured by the falcon and had to stay at home for half a month. The falcon didn't fare well either, as it was shot through the wing and is still bandaged.
Ever since that incident, every time he went back to the forest farm and passed by Zhao Pao, he would receive unfriendly and hostile stares, which would ignite his anger.
What are you looking at? Are you the only one I'm looking at?
If it weren't for Boss Chen being there, he would have beaten you up right then and there!
When Forestry Officer Lao Tang mentioned the falcon, he praised it highly: "That falcon is amazing. It can see everything on the ground clearly when it flies in the air. It can spot where the Tiger King is. When the falcon flies over there and cries out, all the hunters swarm around it. It's even more effective than hunting dogs."
Veterinarian Zhang nodded in agreement: "Eagles are definitely more effective than dog traps. They can see further; an eagle's eyes can see clearly from a great distance."
Flower Ears, wounded, lay whimpering at Li Ju'an's feet. Big Tiger glared at him, its eyes filled with resentment.
Song Desheng turned to look at Li Ju'an. Weren't these two slapping Li Ju'an in the face? In front of his dog gang leader, they were praising others and exaggerating the falcon. No one would feel comfortable listening to that.
But he also knew that Li Ju'an wasn't that petty, but his feud with Zhao Pao was real. The grudge between them from last time hadn't been settled yet, and he couldn't let Hua Er suffer in vain.
Li Ju'an ate some roasted venison and cornbread, filling his stomach. He said a few more words, then looked out the window, wondering why Lu Zhiqiang and his group hadn't returned yet; it had been too long.
There was a dial-up phone in the forest ranger's duty room. No one knew what Old Tang had said to the ranch the night before, but when the phone rang, he answered, nodded, hummed twice, and then glanced at the gun hanging on the wall of the duty room.
He glanced at the hanging hunting rifles with his tiny, slit-like eyes, then picked out the one with the thickest barrel from among several homemade guns, and carried it to the door to meet them.
"This is it. The ranch saw that we were outnumbered, so they brought in some people to help us. They were all hunters they hired from the mountains."
Song Desheng muttered, "At least Captain Wang has a conscience; he still knows to call for help. Damn it, there are six tiger kings, and we only have seven or eight people and twelve dogs. We're not even enough to hunt wild boars, let alone tigers."
This 1100 yuan is not hard-earned money; it's money to buy your life.
He ate a few bites of the flatbread haphazardly, glanced at the old forest ranger with his bronze complexion, and said, "Why not get a rifle if you have one? Can you really use a gunpowder gun to deal with a Siberian tiger?"
Veterinarian Zhang had just finished tying up the white mastiff's hind legs and securing it when he looked up and said, "What are you muttering about? Don't let Old Tang's listless appearance fool you. He was incredibly tough when he was young. He could go into the mountains alone for a month with a gunpowder gun and not get hurt. Even the division commander respected him and called him Tiger-Hunter Tang."
Song Desheng muttered, "Oh right, right, Brother Tang who got slapped by Tiger King and had to get thirty or forty stitches."
He peeked through the crack in the door and saw that Old Tang, the forest ranger, hadn't gone far and was squinting at the inside. He shrank back, thankful that Old Tang's eyes weren't big enough, otherwise they would have been staring at each other blankly. Small eyes are better, indeed.
After most of the day had passed, someone came to the forest ranger's duty room.
A large group of about ten people, their footsteps making it quite lively, along with excited voices and the long cry of a falcon.
Li Ju'an went out to take a look and, sure enough, it was a case of enemies meeting again. The ranch's head, Captain Wang, had invited Zhao Pao from Yingtun.
He noticed that a larger and more imposing falcon was perched on Zhao Pao's right shoulder; the eagle with the injured wing earlier was nowhere to be seen. Zhao Pao glared at him fiercely, his expression hostile and unfriendly. Behind him followed hunters, also with falcons perched on their shoulders. This time, he brought a large group of hunters, including young and middle-aged men, numbering over a dozen.
Song Desheng had initially puffed out his chest, ready to follow Li Ju'an into a fight, ready to argue and fight without fear. But when he saw how many people had come, he became a little nervous and said, "So many people, this is going to be quite a spectacle."
Zhao Pao ignored everyone else, his powerful falcon perched on his shoulder, his eyes fixed on Li Ju'an, and stopped in front of Li Ju'an.
"So many big claws."
"At least six heads."
"We've taken down a few."
"One."
Zhao Pao scoffed at the fact that he had just killed a Siberian tiger. The hunters from Eagle Village behind him also showed disdain, their lips curling into ambiguous smiles.
Song Desheng was unconvinced and shouted, "We've only been in the mountains for a short time, less than two days. It's pretty good that we managed to knock off one of those big claws. It's something to be proud of, not something to be ashamed of."
Old Sun, the hunter behind Zhao Pao, looked around the forest ranger's cabin, then at the numerous wounded hunting dogs lying on the ground, and laughed, "Just one big paw, and it's already crippled so many of your dogs. Dogs are useless after all. If another one came, it would wipe out your entire pack."
Song De angrily cursed, "If you're so capable, then go and beat up the remaining five Tiger Kings! You're just here bragging. If you really encounter a Tiger King, these few feathered birds won't even be enough to fill the gaps between its teeth with its big claws."
Zhao Pao ignored Song Desheng and stared intently at Li Ju'an with his sharp eyes.
Li Ju'an couldn't stand this insult and retaliated in kind, his eyes filled with provocation, as if to say, "If you're not happy, let's fight." He wasn't unfamiliar with fighting; even though he had fewer men this time, he could still beat this bunch of bird-training bastards to a pulp.
The two men stared at each other when Chen Xiangqian suddenly stepped out from the back of the line and excitedly shouted, "Brother Li! It's me, Chen Xiangqian. We met in the ranch dormitory area."
Division Commander's son, Chen Xiangqian, encountered a large group of wild boars in the ranch dormitory and was rescued by Li Ju'an. Upon hearing that a team from Yingtun was going into the mountains, he hurriedly took advantage of his special status to apply for a hunting rifle and, after much pleading, managed to get on board the team.
Chen Xiangqian warmly addressed Li Ju'an as a brother, which left Zhao Pao and the hunters of Yingtun with subtle expressions.
They had been carefully accompanying Chen Xiangqian up the mountain, afraid of offending their division commander's son. But now, Chen Xiangqian was clinging to Li Ju'an, acting as if he were seeing his elder brother, which made them feel complicated. They could only treat Li Ju'an with the same politeness.
When Li Ju'an saw him, he said, "You're here too. Tiger King is no joke. You can stay inside with him for a while. Let Veterinarian Zhang and Uncle Tang stay with you. Don't go outside."
Chen Xiangqian was displeased and said, "I saw it when I came in. There were big traps that Brother Li set outside. Zhao Pao'er hadn't noticed them yet, but I saw them at a glance. Brother Li's skill in setting traps is amazing."
He gave a thumbs up, his eyes full of admiration. Li Ju'an's scheme was as effective as two people's!
His proud gaze made the hunters of Eagle Village uneasy.
Why hadn't they clashed with Li Ju'an yet? Instead, the division commander's son was biased, speaking entirely on Li Ju'an's side, making things difficult for them. Everyone was inside, scrambling to outdo each other. Lin Yuan Lao Tang was probably also intimidated by the tense atmosphere; sweat was beading on his forehead. He quickly started cooking for everyone.
Veterinarian Zhang cursed Tang inwardly, thinking he was cunning. Had Tang really absolved himself of all responsibility? He was the one who would have to play the peacemaker.
He said, "This is easy to handle. When Lao Qian and the others come back, Zhao Pao and Xiao Li Pao will set off at the same time and see who kills more tigers. I will report back to Captain Wang later."