Chapter 95: Hunting in Beijiang

Watuo watched Zhang Ping'an look over his trophies and couldn't help but introduce them with pride.

"Ping'an, may I call you Ping'an?"

"Certainly, Uncle Watuo."

"I see you're quite curious about these. What? Do you like hunting too?"

"Yes, I won't hide it from you, Uncle Watuo, I often hunted back in my hometown, though mostly wild boars, wild rabbits, and pheasants."

"Oh? Being able to hunt wild boars with a gun is quite impressive."

"Ahem, I use a large bow, a Two-Stone Bow."

"Oh?"

Watuo finally began to take him seriously; being able to draw a Two-Stone Bow and actually bag game meant this young man was truly extraordinary—not only was his martial arts skill high, but he was also a skilled hunter.

"Wasta and I are going hunting in the mountains in a few days. Would you like to come along, Ping'an?"

"This..."

Zhang Ping'an was somewhat tempted; after all, one of the purposes of his trip was to go to Tianshan to stir things up, but he still had to listen to his grandfather's opinion. He wasn't afraid, he just didn't want his family to worry.

"Ping'an, hunting is no joke, especially here. Tianshan has everything—there are even tigers."

"Yes, yes, yes, Ping'an, it was my rashness. Our mountains here are rich in resources; wolves, wild boars, and leopards are very common. There are tigers too, though they've been rarely seen in recent years."

"Uncle Watuo, let me consider it. The main thing is that I don't have the right tools on hand."

"Fair enough."

Watuo nodded in understanding; having the right tools could make hunting twice as effective with half the effort. He himself had hunting rifles, hunting bows, and all sorts of hunting gear, as well as hunting dogs.

"Ping'an, this is the bear skin from a brown bear I hunted before, wolf skins, fox, deer skin, and deer antlers..."

Watuo began to introduce his past achievements again, along with plenty of various smoked meats, and when they left in the afternoon, he even gave them a deer leg.

"Ping'an, you really suit my taste. Take this deer leg back to eat." Watuo's large hand patted Zhang Ping'an's shoulder as he handed over a thirty or forty-catty smoked deer leg.

"This..."

"Take it, Ping'an."

They had brought quite a few snacks unique to Sijiucheng when they came to visit, and those snacks were rare around here; this deer leg could be considered Watuo's way of reciprocating the gesture.

"Alright, thank you, Uncle Watuo."

"Hahaha, good. When you have time, let's spar as well."

"Alright, I'll have to ask you to go easy on me then, Uncle Watuo."

"You kid."

Watuo could naturally hear the humility in Zhang Ping'an's words; to be honest, he wasn't confident he could beat Zhang Ping'an.

The three of them returned home, and Grandmother and the others had already prepared dinner. It was not even seven o'clock yet; normally, people didn't eat until eight or nine in the evening, but this was to accommodate Zhang Ping'an's family, fearing they wouldn't be used to it since they had just arrived.

Zhang Ping'an ate his soup and rice with the thin-skinned buns left over from the morning and a few side dishes; it must be said, it was more comfortable than in Sijiucheng.

"Ping'an, do you really want to go hunting?"

"Ah? I'm fine with it. Besides, since I've come all this way, I'd like to see this Tianshan."

"That's fine. We are in the western part of the mountain range, and it's over a hundred kilometers from here; the rest are all branches of Tianshan."

"If you really want to go, I'll equip you with a long gun. Although it's a bit old, it's in pretty good condition thanks to my years of maintenance."

"Alright, thank you, Grandfather."

"Hahaha, what are you thanking me for? A man should know how to handle a gun. I'll take you to practice over the next two days."

"Alright."

Looking at Dong Jianguo, who was scratching his head and fidgeting nearby, Grandfather said irritably:

"You're going too."

"Hehe, alright!"

"Ping'an, that Watuo has been my old neighbor for over ten years. He used to go to the Mainland often to sell animal furs, so he is very friendly to us. He's a good person and very warm-hearted; you can trust him."

Once Grandfather said this, Zhang Ping'an understood. Although Beijiang was liberated peacefully, there was still a process of acceptance, and Watuo belonged to the group that was proactive.

For the next two days, Zhang Ping'an sparred with Wasta in the morning and went to practice shooting with Grandfather in the afternoon.

In the sparring sessions, Zhang Ping'an became increasingly proficient in the fist, palm, and leg techniques he had learned, and Wasta was defeated faster and faster.

"Ping'an, let's go a few rounds." Seeing this, Watuo's hands itched, and he wanted to spar with Zhang Ping'an.

"Alright, please go easy on me, Uncle Watuo."

"Hahaha."

Zhang Ping'an's battle with Watuo was a different experience; every strike from Watuo was powerful and heavy, and Zhang Ping'an shifted from his initial maneuvering to head-on exchanges.

"Whew~ That was satisfying."

"Refreshing."

Both of them looked as if they had been fished out of water, their skin glowing with a bronze sheen under the sunlight.

"I'm getting old, I'm getting old."

During this sparring session, Watuo clearly felt his stamina couldn't keep up with Zhang Ping'an's, but his technique was seasoned, and the feeling Zhang Ping'an gave him was that he was constantly growing stronger.

The facts were indeed so; Zhang Ping'an could no longer feel any progress from Wasta, and the seasoned Watuo was undoubtedly his best whetstone—constantly improving was only natural.

Zhang Ping'an took off his short jacket, and Watuo looked at Zhang Ping'an's muscle definition with shock; it was even more explosive than the lines of a leopard, which also made him more certain that he was no match for him.

"Uncle Watuo, let's practice again when you're free."

"Hahaha, good." Watuo readily agreed; being able to witness the growth of a genius was a rare thing.

After two afternoons of practice, Zhang Ping'an's marksmanship could basically hit whatever he aimed at. In fact, as long as Zhang Ping'an was familiar with the application of the firearm, his terrifying spiritual sense could lock onto the target, and he would basically hit it every time.

"Ping'an, we are going hunting the day after tomorrow. Do you want to come along? Of course, we will be out for at least a week this time."

"Alright, Uncle Watuo, what time are we leaving the day after tomorrow?"

"The day after tomorrow at 5:30 AM. Prepare your things over these next two days; I'll come to call you then."

"Alright."

"Uncle Watuo, can I tag along tomorrow?"

"Well... if Uncle Dong doesn't object, I have no opinion, but once we're on the mountain, you have to listen to me."

"Done, no problem."

"Ping'an, you have to put in a good word for your brother."

"Fine, but you should know that the mountain is dangerous."

"I understand. I'll just follow you guys and definitely won't cause any trouble."

That evening, Grandfather returned with a large bow and arrows. Zhang Ping'an's eyes went wide the moment he saw them; this looked even bigger than his Two-Stone Bow.

"Ping'an, this is a good piece, a prized possession of my comrade-in-arms. I managed to get it from him; try assembling it yourself."

"Alright."

Zhang Ping'an had been itching to get his hands on it for a long time. He took it and assembled it immediately. Upon testing it, it was indeed more strenuous than the Two-Stone Bow, and Zhang Ping'an slowly released the string.

"A good bow."

Grandfather couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement. His comrade hadn't wanted to part with it, but upon hearing that Zhang Ping'an could draw a Two-Stone Bow, he was certain he could draw this one too, even if it took a bit more effort.

In the end, that comrade couldn't withstand Grandfather's nagging and lent him the large bow.

"Ping'an, let me have a try."

"Even Wasta would struggle with it; you can't draw it, Jianguo," Grandfather said.

"..."

Dong Jianguo still wanted his grandfather to agree to let him go hunting later, so he didn't argue at this moment.

"Grandpa, I want to go hunting with Uncle Watuo. He agreed."

"Fine, but listen to Ping'an once you're there."

Grandfather considered it for a moment and agreed. He had seen his grandson's performance over these past few days; he followed Zhang Ping'an to exercise every morning and practiced marksmanship in the afternoon, so he was passable now.

At 5:30 AM two days later, the group of four set off in a horse-drawn carriage in the dark. Zhang Ping'an had his mountaineering backpack on his back again.

Inside were the dry rations and water Grandmother had prepared, along with some medicine for mosquito bites and a change of clothes. Zhang Ping'an also brought salt and various seasonings; he didn't want to eat only dry rations in the mountains.