Chapter 50 - Tracking Through the Forest
Not long after lunch, Biaozi came with a group of people to get Ma Hong. It was time for their afternoon hunt.
Biaozi’s full name was Ma Sanbiao. He was the third child in his family. The men following him were all burly men who carried various hunting equipment.
Ma Hong carried a large bow and quiver on his back and strapped a dagger to his boots. He found a machete, handed it to Ye Beizhi, and asked, “Brother Ye, don’t you need anything else?”
Ye Beizhi took the machete, hung it at his waist, and shook his head.
The two left the house, and Ma Xiuxiu, who had been washing the dishes, ran out and leaned against the doorframe. She shouted, “Daddy! Be careful!”
Ma Hong waved his hand at her and replied, “It’s fine! It’s not the first time we’ve gone up the mountain. No need to worry.”
Ma Xiuxiu waited until the group had walked too far away to see before she returned to the house looking very worried.
On their way up the mountain, Biaozi and the others were curious to see Ye Beizhi joining them with Ma Hong.
Biaozi pointed at Ye Beizhi and asked, “Brother Hong, isn’t he the patient staying at your place? Why did he come too?”
The others looked over, all quite curious. Ye Beizhi had stayed in the Ma Family Village for some time. In a small village like this, everyone knew that Ma Hong had a patient recuperating in his home.
Ma Hong glanced at Ye Beizhi and, seeing that he didn't object, introduced him to the group. “This is Brother Ye. His injury has healed. He came along when he knew I was going up the mountain.”
Ma Hong patted Ye Beizhi on the shoulder and continued, “I figured it’s not good for Brother Ye to stay cooped up in the house every day. It’s good for him to come out and get some fresh air.”
Everyone nodded and smiled.
Biaozi smirked conspiratorially and said, “Hey, Brother Ye, there have been reports of a huge monster in the mountains these days. Aren't you afraid to come with us?”
“Get out of here!” Ma Hong playfully pushed and scolded Biaozi, “Where’s that huge monster? Stop scaring people!”
“It’s fine.” Ye Beizhi waved his hand. “I’m not afraid.”
“So brave!” Biaozi gave Ye Beizhi a thumbs up. “Judging by Brother Ye’s words, even if there is a big monster, if it dares to show up, we’ll kill it and make a fortune from its meat!”
“Tuah… only you can brag like that!” Someone nearby, hearing Biaozi’s words, couldn’t help but spit and laugh.
One of the hunters beside Ma Hong had a grim expression and stiffly said, “There might really be a huge monster in the mountains. Recently, people have found animal corpses that were torn apart. The bite marks are far too large for any ordinary beast.”
“Haih…” Biaozi patted him reassuringly. “What are you talking about? It's probably just a pack of wild dogs.”
Ma Hong nodded in agreement. “That’s right. We’ve hunted in these mountains for so many years. If there were any monsters, we would have seen them by now.”
The hunters nodded one after another, but Ye Beizhi placed his hand over the hilt of his machete and remained silent.
Caught up in discussion, the group eventually entered the dense forest in the mountains.
The group was full of seasoned hunters, so they stopped arguing and kept their conversations to a minimum to avoid startling the game.
Ye Beizhi soon noticed traces of a campfire that indicated a temporary gathering point.
Ma Hong signaled to the group, and they dispersed into the woods in pairs while Ma Hong stayed with Ye Beizhi.
Ma Hong checked his large bow and quiver again, waved to Ye Beizhi, and said, “Let’s go, Brother Ye. We’ll try to catch a big one today.”
Ye Beizhi nodded and accompanied him deeper into the woods. The two of them ventured through the forest for a long time without speaking. The only sounds in the woods were their shallow breaths and rustling footsteps.
Suddenly, Ma Hong pointed to a spot and asked Ye Beizhi, “Do you see that?”
Ye Beizhi looked in the direction he was pointing but saw nothing in particular.
“We found the last deer we shot here," Ma Hong whispered, "Further ahead, there’s a small creek where animals often appear. That’s where we’re headed.”
Ye Beizhi gave a small nod.
The two continued walking until they heard the babbling of a stream.
Ma Hong held up his hand, made a shushing gesture to Ye Beizhi, and then pointed ahead.
Ye Beizhi saw that there was a wild boar drinking at the edge of the stream. The boar occasionally raised its head and looked around, appearing to be very vigilant.
Ma Hong’s eyes sparkled with undisguised excitement. He drew his bow and notched an arrow. The arrowhead gleamed coldly as it locked onto the unsuspecting wild boar.
Whoosh!
The arrow whistled through the air!
Hearing the unexpected sound, the wild boar instinctively bolted away. The arrow intended for its head pierced its back instead. The wild boar scrambled into the woods in pain!
“After it!” Ma Hong shouted. Having missed the fatal shot, he didn’t bother hiding his presence any longer and led the chase.
Ma Hong proved his skill as a veteran hunter, running and shooting his bow at the wild boar without slowing down a step. Ye Beizhi followed closely behind.
The wild boar was accustomed to the terrain. It darted left and right in the dense forest, frequently changing direction. On several occasions, it vanished from the hunters’ view, but Ma Hong always managed to track it down.
The wild boar chase continued for quite some time.
Suddenly, Ma Hong’s expression changed, and he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Ye Beizhi followed suit, and the wild boar was gradually swallowed up by the forest. He turned and looked at Ma Hong in confusion.
Ma Hong made a shushing gesture and sneaked over, step by step, to where the boar disappeared. He crouched down, examining something.
When Ye Beizhi approached, he saw the carcass of a wild boar. It was torn apart, covered in claw marks and bites, and an arrow jutted from its back.
Ma Hong pulled a dagger from his boot and began probing the boar’s corpse with the tip of the knife, his expression growing darker. After a while, he stood up and said to Ye Beizhi, “Brother Ye, we need to go back and gather everyone to leave.”
Ye Beizhi still looked at him in confusion.
“It seems like there really is a huge monster in the mountains,” Ma Hong explained as he started backtracking. "This is no joke. The boar's wounds are still fresh, showing no signs of clotting or decay. It must have just been killed.”
Ma Hong quickened his pace and urged, “We need to hurry and call everyone back! This is not a joke.”
Ye Beizhi nodded calmly and followed.
Ye Beizhi and Ma Hong rapidly returned to the gathering point where the group had dispersed in the afternoon. It seemed like they were the first to arrive. Under normal circumstances, everyone would return to this spot right before sunset, so it was still very early.
Ye Beizhi turned to Ma Hong to see how he planned on warning their fellow hunters. Ma Hong put his thumb and index finger to his mouth, took a sharp breath, and blew.
Whoo!
A sharp whistle pierced through the forest. Soon, another whistle came from deep within the woods. Before long, whistling sounds came from every different direction and echoed through the dense forest.
With a grave expression, Ma Hong silently counted the whistles. Once he finished, he relaxed a bit and said, “Fortunately, everyone is accounted for. It seems they are all fine. They heard the signal and will be coming back soon. We just need to wait.”
Ye Beizhi nodded and looked around with a penetrating gaze, as if he could see what lay beyond the trees.
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