Chapter Fifty-Two: The Pistol Inside the Elk’s Belly

Old Master Chen took a swig of liquor and then said to me, "Alright, Sanqi, I'm going to go process the elaphure! Come outside and help me in a bit!"

After saying this, Old Master Chen gave me a meaningful look.

I hurriedly nodded. "Got it!"

As soon as Old Master Chen left the room, the young woman turned to look at me, her face deathly pale. "Thank you! Kid."

I gave her a speechless look and said, "Stop calling me a kid all the time. My name is Lin Sanqi, you can call me Sanqi!"

Hearing this, she was momentarily stunned, then extended her hand with a smile. "My name is Qilin! Pleased to meet you."

"Qilin?" I frowned.

Logically speaking, she was clearly a young woman; how did she come to have such a masculine name? But figuring this must be her personal matter, I didn't say anything further.

Looking at the wounds of all sizes on her body, I pondered for a moment and said, "Judging by your current condition, it will be very difficult for you to leave the Greater Khingan Mountains alone!"

She thought about it for a while on the bed and asked, "Can I leave after I've rested?"

I shook my head. "Probably not anymore!"

"Why?"

"I've already told you, the heavy snow of the Greater Khingan Mountains is about to arrive. You... might not be able to get out!"

After I finished speaking, Qilin thought it over slightly, then said in a faint voice, "Then..."

"You might have to stay here with us until next year!"

"Mm! I know."

As soon as she finished these words, her lips trembled, and she drifted off into a heavy sleep.

...

When I walked out of the room, Old Master Chen was already processing the elaphure. Seeing me come out, he flicked the ash from his cigarette and got straight to the point.

"Sanqi, do you fancy that girl?"

I was startled, then quickly shook my head. "No! Old Master Chen, you're overthinking it!"

"Am I overthinking it?" Old Master Chen's gaze locked onto me unblinkingly as he spoke lightly.

"Yes!" I nodded heavily. "You really are overthinking it."

Old Master Chen put down the knife in his hand, stood to the side smoking his cigarette, and said very earnestly, "Good! Sanqi, once you get past this year in the Khingan Mountains, you'll be eighteen! There are some things I think I should tell you!"

I walked over, took the skinning knife from Old Master Chen's hand, and while carefully examining the elaphure, softly asked, "What is it, Old Master Chen? You're acting so serious."

Old Master Chen said, "Sanqi! After three years of living in the hunting grounds, you might not have mastered all the skills of veteran hunters, but you know them like the back of your hand. However... knowing theory alone is useless. In the end, you have to put it into practice. Learning in the hunting grounds is different from real hunting! Deep in the old forests, you don't just face fierce beasts, bizarre plants, and eerie happenings; you also have to face people... And for a young hunter like you who has just stepped into the deep forest, that is the most terrifying thing!"

At this point, Old Master Chen pointed his finger back toward the room and said coldly to me, "A beauty! Sanqi, there's nothing wrong with liking women, and there's nothing wrong with wanting to sleep with a woman. Any normal man would have such thoughts! But... most importantly, you have to figure out whether this woman is poison wrapped in sugar-coated bullets... Understand?"

Hearing this warning from Old Master Chen, even though I hadn't originally harbored such thoughts, his words left me somewhat flustered.

However, I quickly snapped out of it.

Blinking, I stopped what I was doing, looked at him, and said, "Old Master Chen, the way you're putting this... do you still feel something is off about the girl lying in there?"

Old Master Chen sneered, "Sanqi! Those two must have been in the deep forest for a few days, right? But when we came across them, apart from being a bit weak in spirit and covered from head to toe in leeches, they didn't have any other injuries! That alone shows these two have some capability!"

"So that's how it is! I couldn't tell at all! I really thought they were just tourists visiting the Greater Khingan Mountains. Now it seems that's definitely not the case!" I said in sudden realization.

"Hmph! Sanqi, let me tell you, most of the living people you meet in this deep forest are human spirits! Because the ones who aren't clever are already dead."

While we were chatting, I had completely stripped the elaphure's hide off.

Seeing this, Old Master Chen nodded. "Not bad! Good craftsmanship. This elaphure hide is worth quite a bit. Once it's dried and we head out after the new year, I'll introduce a buyer to you! You'll have to operate on your own eventually anyway. Cut up this deer meat; tonight we'll make some stewed venison and roasted venison. Elaphure meat is firm and has less gamey odor than mutton..."

I chuckled and nodded heavily. "Alright!"

Handing the hide over to Old Master Chen, I began cutting up the remaining venison...

I had eaten elaphure meat once before in the hunting grounds.

That was when an elaphure, while wandering idly on the road in the hunting grounds, had been struck and killed by a guest's off-road vehicle. At the time, the guest didn't say a word, simply counting out thirty thousand yuan to Old Master Chen. The guest took the elaphure hide, while the venison was shared among the people of the hunting grounds.

How should I put it? I vaguely remembered that elaphure meat had a very unique texture—quite tender and fresh, with muscle fibers that didn't get stuck in your teeth, and it was very delicate. Moreover, the meat possessed a natural, fresh fragrance, carrying a light yet unique flavor.

However...

Just as I cut open the elaphure's belly and scooped out its internal organs... in an instant, I touched something exceptionally ice-cold inside its stomach.

The object was very hard and cold, somewhat smooth, feeling a bit like a stone...

I was startled inwardly. *Good grief, this elaphure has quite a large kidney stone!*

Yet.

The moment I used my fingers to fish this object out from inside the elaphure... I froze completely.

Because... this thing wasn't a stone at all.

Instead... it was a pistol.

"Sanqi, what are you spacing out for?!" Old Master Chen shouted at me from outside the storage room.

After swallowing a mouthful of saliva, I hurriedly waved my hands at Old Master Chen. "Look! Old Master Chen, come take a quick look! This elaphure... something's not right!"

Old Master Chen, who had been leisurely smoking his cigarette, suddenly jerked upright at these words.

Then he strode quickly toward me.

As he reached my side and caught sight of the pistol... just like me, he was struck dumb with disbelief.

"This..."

I quickly stood up and said, "Old Master Chen, this isn't right! Damn, how could there be a pistol inside an elaphure's belly? This is way too bizarre!"