"Well..." Zhao Youcai faltered. He and Li Dayong exchanged a glance, and both fell silent.

Zhao Jun was right. If the herd panicked, they would scatter and run wild. On one side, there would be two men with two semi-automatic rifles and, at most, twenty-two bullets.

You have to remember, it’s not like one bullet can guarantee a kill on a wild boar. Needless to say, if even fifteen boars charged them at once, two men and two guns might not be enough to stop them.

With even more boars, it would be even more dangerous. If you got caught in the herd, you’d be trampled to death for sure.

Besides, hunts are often full of unexpected accidents that are impossible to predict.

"Then you can’t bring the dogs either," Zhao Youcai said, seeming a little resentful. He couldn’t stomach being refuted by his own son after hunting for over a decade.

"We’ll see when the time comes," Zhao Jun said with a smile. "Maybe the herd will break up after the fifteenth day of the lunar month. The mountains are so big, where would we even go to find it then?"

Just as Zhao Jun was speaking, Wang Meilan came in from the outer room. She gave Zhao Youcai a long look and said, "What’s the point of hunting it? A boar that big... is the meat even edible?"

Among wild boars, sows don’t grow too large. The biggest ones are around three hundred jin, and even those are rare.

But boars were a different story. It was possible for them to grow to eight hundred or even a thousand jin. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be this so-called Pig God.

Zhao Youcai sat cross-legged on the kang, his back straight. He tilted his head up slightly and said, "It’s not about the meat. It’s about killing it!"

"Are you crazy?" Wang Meilan snapped.

Zhao Youcai’s imposing manner instantly deflated, but his eyes remained full of determination. "Starting from my grandfather’s generation of hunters, not a single one has ever taken down the Pig God. My father encountered it once but didn’t dare to take a shot. Dayong and I ran into it once, fired a shot, and didn’t even graze it. This time... no matter what, I have to take it down."

Seeing the almost fanatical look on his father’s face and in his eyes, Zhao Jun understood. To put it nicely, it was the ambition of a Cannon Shooter. To put it bluntly, it was an addiction.

It wasn’t about eating wild boar meat; it was about the thrill of the hunt.

Don’t think of it as cruel. In those days, sparrows were still considered one of the Four Pests, and wild boars descended from the mountains in herds every year to ruin the crops.

During the three most difficult years when food was scarce, the mountains offered no relief. At night, wild boars and Black Bears would come down and destroy what little grain the farmers had.

At first, the Forestry Bureau organized hunts. Later, the villages began to organize their own. Every year, when the corn began to tassel, hunting parties would go into the mountains to sweep the forests around the villages, driving away or killing wild boars and Black Bears.

Wang Meilan had been married into the Zhao Family for over twenty years and had long since grown accustomed to Zhao Youcai’s hunting addiction.

As soon as she heard him, she knew his addiction was acting up again. She also knew she couldn’t stop Zhao Youcai, but as long as he didn’t rush off to hunt before the New Year was over, she would let him be.

"Nephew," Li Dayong suddenly asked Zhao Jun, "I heard from Baoyu that you two are going to poison deer in the spring?"

"That’s right," Zhao Jun said. "Might as well earn some extra money. What’s the point of sitting around?"

Hearing this, Li Dayong tilted his head toward Zhao Youcai. "Big Brother, look at this kid. Seems like he’s more sensible than we are, doesn’t it?"

Zhao Youcai burst out laughing and said to Zhao Jun, "Poisoning deer isn’t like other things. You have to set up salt licks, and you can’t do it without someone who knows what they’re doing."

Li Dayong said, "I heard from Baoyu that they’re going to look for Big Pants." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Ah." Zhao Youcai nodded. "I remember his dad used to poison deer when he was alive, right?"

"You bet," Li Dayong chuckled. "One time he poisoned two deer at once, but his dad couldn’t carry them both. The next day, he got several people to go up and drag them down. Who would’ve thought the remaining deer would attract a Black Bear? It chased that whole group of them all over the place."

Zhao Youcai smiled. After a moment of thought, he said to Zhao Jun, "When you’re out in the mountains, whether you’re hunting or not, it’s all about partners being in sync. Our family is having guests over tomorrow. Why don’t you invite Big Pants to come too?"

"Is that okay?" Zhao Jun turned to look at Wang Meilan.

Wang Meilan nodded. "Why wouldn’t it be? It’s not like we can’t feed three more people."

"Then I’ll go tell them." Zhao Jun knew his parents were helping him build connections. Besides, Zhang Yuanmin was a good-hearted person. So he climbed off the kang, slipped on his shoes, and headed outside.

Their family was hosting tomorrow, but it was common sense to invite guests in advance, not on the day of the event.

Zhao Jun left the house, went to the storeroom first to grab two deer antlers, then went out the courtyard gate and headed straight for Zhang Yuanmin’s house.

As he got close to Zhang Yuanmin’s house, Zhao Jun saw a man peek out from the neighboring yard. The moment the man saw Zhao Jun, he immediately ducked back into his yard.

Zhao Jun recognized the man as Minister Li but paid him no mind. He went directly to the front of Zhang Yuanmin’s yard. Seeing the gate open and no one around, he walked right in.

After all, it was winter. The windows and doors of the house were shut, so the people inside wouldn’t be able to hear if he shouted from outside.

Zhao Jun walked up to the door, knocked twice, and then, without waiting for anyone to come out, pulled the door open and asked, "Brother, are you home?"

"Hey! Brother!" Zhang Yuanmin and Yang Yufeng were on the kang with their child, sorting beans. The moment they saw Zhao Jun, they immediately dropped what they were doing and came to greet him.

"Brother, Sister-in-law," Zhao Jun greeted them.

Yang Yufeng said warmly, "Brother, hurry and get on the kang. I’ll get you some water."

"Sister-in-law, don’t trouble yourself. I’m just staying for a bit," Zhao Jun replied politely.

Zhang Yuanmin ushered Zhao Jun into the room. When he looked down and saw the deer antlers in Zhao Jun’s hands, he didn’t ask any questions and just reached out to take them.

"Brother, are these the antlers from that Meng Danzi the other day?"

"Yeah," Zhao Jun said. "I was thinking of asking you to help me carve a few Deer Antler Keys."

Zhang Yuanmin put the antlers down and asked Zhao Jun, "Are you really going to dig for Ginseng?"

"Of course," Zhao Jun said. "Why else would I come and trouble you, Brother?"

"It’s no trouble. We’re brothers, don’t mention it." Zhang Yuanmin weighed each of the antlers in his hands, then said, looking a little embarrassed, "Brother, when you go digging for Ginseng, can you take me with you?"

"Sure! Why not?"

When Zhang Yuanmin heard this, his face lit up with joy. He knew how to poison deer, but he couldn’t get his hands on the Medicinal Beans. He usually had to rely on farming and gathering mountain goods for income, so his family’s financial situation wasn’t very good. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have risked raiding a Black Bear’s Den twice.

Yang Yufeng came in with a mug. Hearing that Zhao Jun was willing to take Zhang Yuanmin to dig for Ginseng, she was also thrilled and said to Zhao Jun, "Brother, don’t leave later. Stay for dinner."

"I can’t, Sister-in-law. My mom’s waiting for me at home," Zhao Jun politely declined. Then he said, "The New Year is almost here. My family is butchering a pig tomorrow. Sister-in-law, you should bring the kids and come over with my brother."

An invitation to a pig butchering wasn’t extended to just anyone. It was reserved for close friends and family. Sometimes, when the host came to invite you personally, it was about more than just a meal—it was about friendship and face.

Even though Zhao Youcai was just a cook and Wang Meilan was just a housewife, their family held a respectable status in the entire Forest Area.

To be invited by the Zhao Family was something the couple, Zhang Yuanmin and Yang Yufeng, would never have dared to imagine.

Thus, at this moment, Zhang Yuanmin and Yang Yufeng felt both surprised and immensely flattered.

Zhang Yuanmin grabbed Zhao Jun’s hand and said, "Brother, your sister-in-law and I will head over first thing tomorrow morning to help your auntie out."

"Of course, of course."

Zhao Jun chatted with Zhang Yuanmin for a few more minutes before taking his leave.

After leaving the Zhang Family’s house, he headed home. As he passed the small convenience store, he ran into Xu Changlin, who was buying candy for his grandson.

"Kiddo, want some candy?" Xu Changlin said to Zhao Jun, holding up a paper bag of sweets.

"No thanks, let the little one have it." Zhao Jun patted the child’s head and asked Xu Changlin, "Master Xu, do you know how long a big herd of boars usually stays together before splitting up?"

With over a hundred boars gathered together, the amount they ate and foraged in a single day was considerable. That’s why Zhao Jun guessed the herd would have to break up in a few days.

Xu Changlin shook his head. "It’s not certain. They could gather one day and split the next."

At this, the old man’s eyebrows shot up. "Wouldn’t it be better if they split up? We’re just going after the big one, not the others."

"We...?" Zhao Jun was taken aback. He looked at the old man in surprise and chuckled, "What? Master Xu, are you really going?"

"Of course I’m going!" Xu Changlin said. "After the New Year, I’ll go with you! We have to take it down this time."

As he spoke, the old man looked up at the towering, snow-covered mountains.

At the same time, Zhao Jun also gazed at the mountains. He didn’t say a word, but he thought to himself: ’I couldn’t take it down in my last life. This life, I have to take it down.’