Chapter Twelve: The Bait

“Strange?”

I was momentarily stunned, then quickly replied, “It is indeed quite strange! Master Chen, this yellow weasel can actually speak human language! What does ‘gok gok gok’ mean? And why are we giving our food to it?”

Hearing my response, Master Chen sighed deeply.

“Sanqi, you’re still young. In the hunting grounds, all the hunters teach you how to hunt, but few teach you what to do when you encounter something supernatural deep in the wilderness. After all, you’re young; no one expected you’d be out hunting in the mountains so soon.”

Listening to Master Chen, I hurriedly whispered, “So, Master Chen, please tell me—what exactly is going on?”

He pondered for a long while, then finally tossed me a cigarette.

I took the cigarette, lit it by the campfire, and listened as Master Chen began his explanation...

Master Chen said, “The reason this yellow weasel can utter sounds like a human is because it has become a spirit; it can speak a few simple words. As for ‘gok gok gok,’ it actually imitates the sound of a hen.”

I was astonished. “‘Gok gok gok’ means a hen?”

“Yes! Sanqi, think about it! When a hen lays eggs, doesn’t it cluck incessantly like that? Although this yellow weasel has become a spirit, its mind isn’t as sharp as a human’s, so it can only mimic the hen’s clucking to express what it wants. We don’t have any hens here, only a cooked wild chicken, so I asked you to offer it some poultry. Unexpectedly... this yellow weasel really set its sights on our chicken!” Master Chen explained, puffing on his cigarette.

I couldn’t help but sigh, “Indeed, Master Chen, if what you say is true, this yellow weasel is truly strange! No wonder it’s called the Yellow Immortal!”

But to my surprise, after I said that, Master Chen sneered coldly.

“Strange? Sanqi! The strangeness I’m talking about isn’t that kind of strangeness!”

“Not that kind?” I asked, puzzled.

“Mm.” Master Chen nodded solemnly, then with a blank expression said, “What I find strange is that after the yellow weasel ate our chicken, why... did it flash us such a sinister smile? I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

Hearing this, I realized and murmured, “Right! The yellow weasel actually gave us such a creepy smile...”

After a moment, Master Chen said bluntly, “Sanqi, enough for tonight. No more eating. Sleep! There are plenty of supernatural things in the mountains. Let’s put aside the yellow weasel for now; we’ll catch it when it gets colder! Right now, the most important thing is... tomorrow... we’re going to hunt wolves!”

Although he had told me this during the day, hearing it now in the dead of night made me uneasy.

After all, wolves are famously cunning.

And the reason Master Chen and I decided to hunt wolves was mainly... for their pelts!

I don’t know if you’ve ever worn a genuine wolf fur coat, but it’s incredibly warm; wearing one in the dead of winter, lying outside in temperatures below minus thirty, you’d be fine.

Of course, I’m talking about wolf pelts from my homeland in Inner Mongolia—those are thick and dense; even a frail person wearing one could risk nosebleeds from the warmth.

Master Chen said, since we’ve decided to spend the winter in the Greater Khingan Mountains, we must prepare well—and that means wolf pelts!

Having gone a whole day without food, lying in the wooden cabin bed at night, my stomach growled, and sleep was elusive.

Master Chen, sleeping on the bed opposite me, suddenly spoke, “Sanqi, are you hungry?”

“Yes.”

“Sanqi, remember the feeling of hunger. In the wilderness, hunger and pain are the most common sensations. Keep the feeling of hunger firmly in your mind—it will help you survive better in the forest!”

After saying this, Master Chen turned over, and soon his snores filled the room.

“Sigh...” I lay there, stroking the two pine nuts in my hand, and soon drifted off to sleep...

That night, I had a dream.

I dreamed the yellow weasel from last night returned, standing right by my bedside, staring at me motionless.

I even smelled its foul stench.

But I was too frightened to move.

After an unknown length of time, the yellow weasel suddenly spoke: “Lin Sanqi... do you want... to catch me?”

I was shocked awake, sitting upright.

...

Outside, it was already bright. Master Chen was no longer opposite me, and the silence was profound.

Only the pot over the campfire seemed to be simmering something.

Touching the cold sweat on my forehead and looking around, I breathed a sigh of relief.

It had only been a dream.

I tossed the pine nuts into my pocket and got out of bed.

I took down the cured meat hanging on the wall, sliced it into strips, and fed them to Da Han, who sat by my bedside.

Da Han hadn’t been outside all day, and I sensed its restlessness, but there was nothing I could do.

Master Chen said going out now would only increase our risk.

I wondered why the beasts hunting us were so relentless. Our leader was dead, most hunters who came with us were gone, yet they didn’t retreat.

Creak!

The door opened.

Master Chen entered, holding some chicken bones leftover from last night’s yellow weasel and some cured meat bones. He looked at me and said, “Awake?”

I got up quietly.

Master Chen glanced at me and said, “Go get a dozen jujubes from the dustpan.”

“Okay!”

I took the jujubes from the dustpan nearby and followed Master Chen out of the room.

Outside, the pot over the campfire was bubbling with three fish stew, along with mushrooms and cured meat.

The aroma was delightful.

I quickly realized the three fish must have been caught by Master Chen from the river this morning.

Placing the chicken bones, cured meat bones, and jujubes by the riverbank, Master Chen and I began preparing poison bait, working face to face.

[Note: For the sake of the story, poisoning animals is illegal under new national regulations. Do not imitate. Also, when smoking in the forest, do so by the river and extinguish cigarettes fully with water to prevent fires!]

Master Chen didn’t start immediately. He lit a cigarette and said, “Sanqi, a test: what animals are the bone bait and jujube bait used to poison?”

I chuckled, “That’s too easy!”

Having apprenticed in hunting grounds for two and a half years, I knew well.

Quickly, I said, “Master Chen, the chicken and cured meat bones are for poisoning wolves; the jujubes are for poisoning foxes.”

Master Chen nodded slightly.

“Then start making it!”

...

Don’t think poisoning wolves is simple; it’s a technical craft.

You see, wolves are cunning. If you smear poison on the outside of bones, they won’t even sniff it.

Poisoning wolves requires skill: place the poison inside the hollow of the bone. When the wolf gnaws to break the bone, the poison silently enters its body.

The same applies to foxes.

You must first remove the pits from the jujubes, like removing seeds from candied fruit. Then substitute the poison for the pit. When the fox eats it, it consumes the poison.

Of course, these techniques are the result of generations of hunters’ experiments.

Wolves and foxes, as symbols of cunning in the forest, are a real challenge to poison!

Half an hour later, Master Chen looked at my bait and gave a thumbs-up. “Sanqi, well done!”

I scratched my head sheepishly.

“Alright, let’s eat! After dinner, we go!” Master Chen patted my shoulder and smiled warmly.

“Okay!”

...

Three fish. Master Chen served me two in a battered bowl. The aroma of the fish soup made my appetite surge.

I’m not usually picky, but I’ve never liked fish.

Yet after tasting this stew, my taste buds seemed to awaken.

The fish from the deep mountains were plump, with few bones and no muddy taste. Combined with mushrooms, cured meat, and mountain spring water, the flavor was irresistible!

“Delicious!” I blurted out.

Master Chen didn’t reply, simply ate his meal quietly.

In one sitting, I finished all the fish meat and wiped my mouth, still craving more.

Just as I was about to ladle some fish soup for a second helping, a flicker in the woods caught my eye.

Instinctively, I turned my head.

Crash!

The bowl in my hand shattered into two pieces on the ground.

Master Chen narrowed his eyes, puzzled. “What’s wrong, Sanqi?”

I swallowed nervously, staring blankly into the woods.

Suddenly, pointing with wide eyes, I yelled, “Master Chen, look! There’s someone in the woods!”

At my words, Master Chen was startled.

He sprang up, turned, and peered into the forest.

But as he looked where I pointed, the spot was suddenly empty—no person, not even a shadow.

...