Chapter 34: Hunters Are All Hot-Tempered!

"Liu Mazi, don't you think you've gone too far?"

Seeing that the three Liu brothers had been tailing them for over ten minutes with no intention of leaving, Tang Xingde finally reached his limit. He spun around, staring coldly at the trio.

"This mountain doesn't belong to your family. We can walk wherever we please. Is that any of your business?" Liu Qiang, the second brother, retorted with a rogue's grin.

"Liu Mazi, you're an experienced hunter yourself. Say something. If you want to follow us, fine, but you have to listen to us. If you're just here to cause trouble or snatch our prey, I might be willing to let it slide, but the blunderbuss in my hands certainly won't!" Tang Xingde raised his weapon, leveling the muzzle at Liu Mazi.

"Tang Sanpao, you damn cripple, you think you're tough? Come on, come on! Shoot your grandfather right in the chest. If you don't pull that trigger, you're a bastard!" Liu Guang, the third brother, acted like a hoodlum, lunging toward the barrel of the gun.

*Bang!*

Tang Xingde fired without hesitation.

However, he aimed low, toward the ground at Liu Guang's feet. Since it was a blunderbuss, it fired a spread of iron pellets, which scattered upon impact. Several pellets struck Liu Guang’s feet, drawing blood instantly.

"Argh! You damn fool, you actually dared to shoot!" Liu Guang shrieked in agony.

"Third brother!" Liu Mazi and Liu Qiang rushed over to check his wounds.

"Get the blade ready!" Tang Xingde commanded Tang Jiancheng, then quickly began reloading the gunpowder and shot.

Tang Jiancheng had already gripped the wood-chopping knife at his waist, his eyes fixed coldly on the Liu brothers. In his previous life, he had heard that hunters were notoriously hot-tempered, prone to fighting at the slightest provocation, even to the point of killing. After all, deep in the mountains, one could simply bury a body and no one would ever be the wiser. But hearing about it and experiencing it were two different things. While Tang Jiancheng appeared calm, he was panicked inside, his palm slick with sweat as he clutched the knife.

"Tang Sanpao, I'm going to kill you!" Seeing his brother's bloodied legs, Liu Qiang immediately raised his blade to charge at Tang Xingde.

"Qiangzi, come back!" Liu Mazi grabbed him just in time.

"Big brother, he's crippled our third brother! What are we afraid of? Let's fight them to the death!" Liu Qiang roared, his face twisted in rage.

"He showed restraint. Otherwise, your brother wouldn't just have injured legs; he'd be dead," Liu Mazi gritted his teeth. "I didn't expect Tang Sanpao to still have the nerve to fire a gun after losing a leg."

"Tang Sanpao, we brothers broke the rules today, and my brother deserved what he got. We accept this loss. But remember this: you've made a blood feud with us! Don't let us catch you alone!" Liu Mazi’s voice was icy. "And you, keep an eye out!"

With that, he and Liu Qiang helped the limping Liu Guang away, taking their hunting dogs with them.

Watching them depart, Tang Jiancheng let out a quiet sigh of relief. He had been genuinely afraid that those three might charge at them regardless of the consequences—especially since Liu Mazi also carried a blunderbuss.

"Jiancheng, I'm sorry. I was a bit impulsive just now," Tang Xingde apologized once they were out of earshot. "But in that situation, I had to fire; otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to keep them in check. If you want to hunt in these mountains, you have to be tough. Otherwise, people will treat you like a doormat."

"The point is, if we had backed down this time, more people would think we're easy targets. You'd never be able to hunt again; everyone would try to steal your prey."

Tang Jiancheng nodded. "Brother Xingde, you're right. In a situation like that, you have to fight! Let's see who dies first!"

Tang Xingde was taken aback, not expecting Tang Jiancheng to be so fearless. He quickly softened his tone. "Jiancheng, actually, hunting... it doesn't always have to be a life-or-death struggle."

Tang Jiancheng replied, "Brother Xingde, no need to comfort me. I know that anyone who dares to venture into these mountains isn't an ordinary person. People like that either become partners or bitter enemies. Being a pushover won't get you anywhere."

Tang Xingde nodded in agreement. "You're right. In the mountains, the prey isn't the most dangerous thing—it's the other hunters."

"Be careful if we run into them again. They might not dare to face us head-on, but they’ll definitely try to shoot us in the back."

Tang Jiancheng smirked coldly. "If they dare to pull any tricks, I'll make sure they don't make it out."

Tang Xingde gave him a long look and patted his shoulder. "Let's go. Don't worry too much. They won't act recklessly; if they did, they'd never be able to show their faces in this area again. Other hunters would hunt them down just the same."

Tang Jiancheng understood the logic. Every trade had its rules, and those who broke them faced consequences. Otherwise, if everyone acted lawlessly, the whole system would collapse, and no one would dare to hunt.

Liu Mazi understood this rule, which was why he held back—unless he was certain he could leave both Tang Xingde and Tang Jiancheng buried in the mountain.

However, caution remained necessary. The three brothers hadn't gone far; they stopped in a wind-sheltered spot to dress Liu Guang’s wounds.

"It's fine, just surface wounds. No bones broken," Liu Mazi said, his face dark. "I've told you before: when you meet other hunters in the mountains, you can taunt them, mock them, or even curse them, but you cannot provoke them into a fight. People who hunt here have already put their lives on the line."

"Big brother, are we just going to let it go?" Liu Qiang asked.

"What else do you want to do? We broke the rules first. Unless you can guarantee you'll kill them both on the spot, we're finished if we act now." Liu Mazi glared at him, then whispered, "This isn't over. He dared to hurt my brother, and I'll make sure to break his other leg."

"Third brother, you stay here with the dog. Second, you come with me. We'll follow them. If there's an opening, I'll put a bullet in him too!"

"All right. Stay safe." Liu Guang didn't try to stop them, blinded by his desire for revenge.

Liu Mazi sighed and led Liu Qiang away, tracking the pair once more.

After roaming the Dachun Mountains for a while without finding any prey, Tang Xingde couldn't help but complain, "Jiancheng, I told you, there are too many Chinese toon trees here, and most game avoids this area..."

"Brother Xingde, look. Is that a wild boar track?" Tang Jiancheng pointed to a mark in the snow.

Tang Xingde hurried over and brushed away the fresh powder. It was indeed a boar print. His face lit up with a grin. "Hahaha, Jiancheng, I didn't realize your luck was this good! You find a big catch on your first trip!"

"Come on, let's follow the tracks!" The two of them set off, following the trail deeper into the woods.