Chapter 30: Binding Ropes Like Snakes! Sharp Stakes Like Fangs! The Killing Scheme Is Set!

At the same time, Zhao Tiezhu's side was already in full swing.

His strength was truly astonishing, and when he worked it was both fast and steady, without a single idle word.

Lu Qingshan gave a brief rundown of the requirements for the binding ropes and wooden stakes, and he fully grasped the intention.

Sweat streamed down his dark face, his exhaled breath freezing into frost in the frigid air, yet his gaze was unusually focused.

He brandished the thick‑backed cleaver, targeting those vines thicker than his arm and full of resilience.

The cleaver's chop on the tough vines produced a muffled "puchi" sound, spreading a distinctive astringent scent of vegetation.

Crack!

Crack!

A few swift chops felled a massive bundle of vines, piled on the ground like a dark‑green hill.

He then selected a few pieces of hard, withered wood about the thickness of a bowl.

He used a heavy Hunting Fork to firmly anchor the wood into the frozen ground.

Then, swinging the hatchet backward, he "kheng‑chi kheng‑chi" shaved one end into an extremely sharp wooden stake.

The freshly shaved tip of the stake, under the faint shafts of light filtering through the forest canopy, resembled a venomous snake's suddenly exposed fangs.

He hoisted the several heavy stakes onto his broad shoulders, the weight seemingly having little effect on him.

He then used the coarse hemp rope he brought to tightly bind the massive bundle of damp, cold‑scented vines, dragging it behind him.

His steps were steady as he followed Lu Qingshan, ready to await the next instruction.

Lu Qingshan, meanwhile, trailed the tracks left by the Wild Boar herd at a measured pace, while his mind rapidly refined every detail of the ambush plan.

Mountain Wild Heart clearly relayed the Wild Boar herd's position and movements.

In the direction Liu Fugui was scouting, they seemed to have found something edible, and their pace slowed.

The sound of soil and snow shifting, mixed with a snorting breath, seemed to echo right beside the ear.

They were less than a mile away.

This gave them relatively ample, yet still pressing, preparation time.

"We must strike true with a single blow, disrupt their formation, and prevent them from delivering an effective charge!"

Lu Qingshan mulled over the plan repeatedly in his mind.

"If the Wild Boar herd panics, the lead boar's impact will be strongest; we must neutralize or block it first!"

At that moment, Liu Fugui rushed back like a gust of wind.

His face bore uncontrollable excitement, with a lingering hint of unsettled fright.

"Brother Qing Shan! Found it! Found it!"

He lowered his voice; his haste made it breathy and rapid.

"Not far ahead lies a Dead Ditch! Both sides are steep, slick slopes that are impossible to climb!"

"At the end is an earthen ridge; those stupid boars can't get past it!"

"It's definitely a perfect ambush spot! I examined it carefully and guarantee there are no other branches!"

"Good, that place looks downright creepy; the wind blows in, whooo!"

Lu Qingshan, after hearing the description, had a flash of brilliance in his eyes.

He quickened his pace to catch up with Liu Fugui, personally arriving at the ditch entrance to inspect.

A biting cold wind surged out of the gorge, carrying a damp, earthy stench that pierced straight into the marrow of one's bones.

He stood at the mouth of the ditch, his sharp gaze sweeping the steep earthen slopes on either side and the natural dead‑end at the far end.

In an instant, a bloody scene flashed in his mind: the Wild Boar herd panicking and charging into the ditch, then being tripped by binding ropes and impaled by sharp wooden stakes.

A cold, sharp curve tugged at the corner of his mouth.

This terrain is practically a gift from the heavens!

"Here it is!"

Lu Qingshan made an immediate decision, his voice steady and powerful, leaving no room for doubt.

"Tiezhu!"

"Use both the vines and the rope; between the thickest trees at the ditch entrance, pull them across horizontally for me!"

"Add several more layers! Bind them tightly! Make binding ropes!"

"Set the height between the boars' shins and knees—neither too high nor too low!"

"Install at least three rows, each sturdier than the last! Bind them to death!"

"Then take the shaved stakes, angle them at forty‑five degrees, and drive them hard into the earthen slopes on both sides of the gorge!"

"Aim at the ditch floor, with all tips pointing toward the mouth! Got it?"

"Secure the bases with frozen soil so they don't loosen upon impact!"

"Leave only the sharpest tip exposed, camouflage it slightly with snow and dead leaves, and make it discreet!"

"Monkey!"

He turned his head toward Liu Fugui, his gaze as sharp as an eagle's.

"Climb onto the tallest, densest‑leafed pine on the side of the large ditch's middle!"

"Find a spot with good sight that also conceals your shape! Hide it tightly!"

"Prepare the slingshot, load it with plenty of stones! Fill it up!"

"When I give the signal, ignore everything else and use the slingshot to aim at the leading boar's eye or ear!"

"Hit hard! Use as much force as you can!"

"Blind it! Better to blind it!"

"Me!"

Lu Qingshan patted the slingshot at his waist, feeling the solid reassurance of the cold steel bead in his chest, his eyes flashing with dangerous excitement.

"Your job is to draw those 'babies' straight into the gorge entrance!"

He inhaled deeply, scanned the two, and his voice cut like a blade:

"Did everyone hear me?!"

"Understood!"

Zhao Tiezhu and Liu Fugui answered in unison.

Their voices trembled from tension and the looming bloodshed, yet they burned with a War Intent wholly ignited by Lu Qingshan!

It was a fierce yearning for the heavy harvest!

The three instantly became like wound‑up machines, efficiently splitting up to act.

Zhao Tiezhu's strength was boundless; the heavy, resilient green vines in his hands seemed as soft as rope.

He mixed the vines with hemp rope, winding them round and round, binding them tightly to the massive trunks of several large trees at the gorge mouth.

The rough bark was pressed deep inward, its sap squeezed out.

Soon he had laid three incredibly sturdy snares, capable of tripping a galloping horse.

Each was stretched taut, flashing a dangerous sheen in the dim light.

He then huffed and huffed, driving the few sharp wooden stakes exuding killing intent into the ground, as per Lu Qingshan's order, like hammering nails.

Using the Hunting Fork's Leverage and large stones, he drove them hard and mercilessly into the frozen, hard soil cracks on both sides.

Only the lethal tips remained, cleverly hidden by dead leaves and drifting snow.

Like a lurking poison fang, they waited silently for prey to strike.

After Liu Fugui finished helping Zhao Tiezhu, he displayed the true meaning of his "Monkey" nickname.

Using hands and feet, he agilely climbed the straight pine tree beside the gorge, ten‑plus meters tall.

The pine needles' sharp scent instantly enveloped Liu Fugui.

He found a thick branch concealed by dense pine needles to hide his body, exposing only half his head.

He gripped the slingshot tightly, his palms slick with cold, sticky sweat.

He took several deep breaths, trying to calm his heart pounding like a drum.

His eyes stared fixedly at the gorge, his fingers subconsciously rubbing the cold, round stone.

The mountain wind swept through the pine forest, emitting a whooo sound, like ghostly wails, bringing bone‑chilling cold.

The surroundings were terrifyingly quiet.

Only their three heavy breaths and occasional faint clinks of tools against frozen earth could be heard.

An invisible aura of lethal solemnity spread in the air, growing ever denser.

A deadly trap aimed at Guandong Mountain's "Black‑Fur Overlord" was rapidly taking shape!

Just waiting for the prey to fall into the snare!

The mountain wind swept through the pine forest, emitting a whooo, as if a prelude to a great battle.

The gorge was silent.

Only the three's suppressed breaths and racing heartbeats rang clear in the icy air.

Time passed second by second.

Each second felt as long as a century, agonizingly drawn out.

Zhao Tiezhu's hand gripping the Hunting Fork turned white at the knuckles from overexertion; the muscles in his arm bulged, taut as iron, like a fully drawn strong bow.

Liu Fugui, perched in the tree, sweated on his forehead from tension, constantly adjusting his breathing; his eyes grew sore from prolonged staring yet still fixed on the gorge.

Lu Qingshan stood at the front, his expression appearing calm.

But the hand that tightly held the slingshot, and his slightly narrowed eyes flashing with sharp cold light, showed his extreme focus.

He sensed a herd of Wild Boar heading straight toward them, needing no lure.

He knew success or failure hinged on this single move!

There could be no mistake!

Finally!

A rustling clatter, accompanied by heavy panting "huh‑huh" and the dull thud of the ground shifting.

It came clearly from the dense forest ahead!

Getting closer!

It's here!