Chapter 1, amidst wind and rain

Although the expressions of the more than ten people present were not pleasant, their eyes revealed that they held no blame towards the robust man before them

The black bear let out a piercing cry of pain, and its massive paw swung out once again

Yu Jiansheng observed coldly, as more than ten men each held a hunting bow, yet none drew the string. They were all waiting for the village chief's command

The weapons used here are primarily three-pronged hunting forks or long-handled red tassel spears, with only Yu Jiansheng standing at the village entrance, holding a mountain-cleaving broadsword, exuding an imposing presence

Although the archery skills of these men vary in strength, they live at the foot of Bear and Wolf Mountain and rely on hunting for their livelihood. At this distance, they can certainly achieve perfect accuracy with their arrows

Indeed, it has been like this for the past few years, and we have all become accustomed to it. Village Chief, you need not blame yourself. Another person stood up and spoke loudly: "In fact, everyone knows that if you had not stayed here over the years, our village would not have enjoyed such treatment; we might not even have been allocated a small hunting area. At that time, this village would truly have faced the risk of disappearing."

Kill

The black bears are very fast; before Yu Jiansheng and the others could fire just two rounds, they had already charged right in front of them

At the entrance of the village, a rather large pit had been dug.

The young man's stick suddenly paused in mid-air, narrowly evading the giant paw of the black bear at a critical moment, and then it extended again, forcefully jabbing the bear on its nose

An elderly man, over sixty years of age, looked around with a gaze filled with fear. He kept muttering, "What is happening with hetushu.com? It has been hundreds of years since there have been reports of earthquakes in Xionglang Mountain..."

Not only that, but even the teacups on the table emitted a faint sound of trembling and clinking, everyone was swaying unsteadily, and a cloud of dust fell from above.

Behind them are their women and children, and before their death, there will be no retreat under any circumstances

Everyone responded loudly, but when faced with the wrath of heaven, they appeared helpless. However, upon hearing the roar of the beasts in the mountains, these men, who lived at the foot of the mountain and primarily relied on hunting for their livelihood, became calm instead.

Several individuals ventured into the room and retrieved the weapons they typically used

In the next moment, more than ten arrows were shot out in succession

However, the intelligence and strength of the black bear exceeded their imagination. A massive black paw swung, instantly pushing aside their weapons, and its boulder-like body surged forward, seemingly about to crash into the women and children.

On weekdays, when night falls, people have usually returned home. However, today is noticeably different; the rustling noise seems to be growing increasingly louder.

The village is not large, and they quickly returned home, bringing all their family members out with them.

Boom, boom, boom

A commotion erupted among the people behind, and several elderly individuals simultaneously tightened their grips on their weapons. Although they were frail and aged, the experiences of their youth remained. They huddled together, pointing the sharp ends of their weapons at the black bear

At the foot of the mountain, there lies a small village

This village, with only a little over ten households as mentioned in the book, is one of the smallest villages at the foot of Xionglang Mountain

When these footsteps sounded, everyone on the playground was on high alert

rumbling ... ...

In just that fleeting moment, the invading black bear unexpectedly lost half of its combat effectiveness

In a swift manner, over thirty large black bears charged towards the village at the foot of the mountain, emitting frenzied howls of "ao ao" from their mouths. Amidst the trembling earth and the tumultuous winds and rains in the sky, these dominant rulers of the Bear Wolf Mountain appeared to have gone mad.

Their speed suddenly increased as they ran along the narrow path between the villages. However, just as they were about to approach the village, more than ten black bears at the front suddenly crouched down and instantly disappeared.

The crowd looked up at the sky in terror, unaware that thick, heavy dark clouds had already filled the heavens.

The black bear on that side had a particularly robust physique, and its eyes sparkled with a fierce and cunning light. It had already acquired considerable intelligence, knowing that the people behind were the soft targets, easily manipulated at will

A dozen or so people left the house one after another, running towards their respective homes

Nightfall descended imperceptibly. In the distance, the mountains gradually blurred into a mass of gray-black shadows. Some indistinct sounds, reminiscent of the wind blowing, faintly reached the ears, likely the sound of water flowing through the canyon

"Get out, take everyone out of the house." Yu Jiansheng shouted loudly, causing everyone to feel a dull pain in their ears.

An earthquake has occurred

The trap is set quite cleverly; a few humans or a single black bear stepping on it would not cause any impact. However, when a large number of black bears step on it simultaneously, the supporting pillars below can no longer bear the weight and collapse.

For no apparent reason, everyone felt a chill in their hearts. A few individuals were about to head home to fetch their rain gear, but they suddenly felt a faint tremor beneath their feet. At that moment, no one dared to act recklessly. Exposed to the heavy rain, within just a moment, everyone had turned into a drenched, soggy mess.

A cacophony of fierce roars erupted from the mountain, with these sounds rising and falling, resonating throughout the heavens and the earth in an instant

However, in this perilous moment, once someone steps forward, the majority will blindly follow. Moreover, Yu Jiansheng is the head villager of this village, and his words are even less likely to be contradicted.

He nodded slightly, casting a grateful glance at everyone. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly felt a slight swaying beneath his feet, indicating an unsteady stance.

However, the strength of the black bear is beyond what humans can reach. Although these men are all skilled and have fought against fierce beasts in the mountains, having seen blood as hunters, they were still unable to withstand the charge of a black bear, which broke through their defenses.

In the center stood a man approximately forty years old, with a coarse-featured face, slightly dark skin, and a broad, resolute square jaw. His thick lips were tightly pressed together, and from the slight curve at the corners of his mouth, two weary lines deeply etched across his cheeks, extending down to his chin.

The remaining men rushed forward in unison, confronting the enemy head-on with the weapons in their hands

A somewhat immature voice suddenly shouted loudly, as a robust young boy brandished a stick and swung it straight up.

No one knows who called out, but everyone present was taken aback in shock.

The remaining black bears, although ferocious, did not lose their reason. Except for a few unfortunate individuals who were unable to stop themselves and were carried into the trap by inertia, the rest of the black bears made a wide detour and continued to charge into the village

However, the power of the hunting bows is limited. Although the arrows they shot did not miss, apart from a few that struck the black bear's eyes and the bridge of its nose, they were not able to cause immediate death.

The men stood resolutely at the front of the intersection, while the women and children, not to be outdone, picked up some rudimentary weapons, whether sticks or hoes and rakes, anxiously gazing in the direction of the mountains

The lightning failed to tear apart the heavy dark clouds, and after the thunder rolled low among the clouds, a torrential downpour descended with overwhelming force. The fierce wind and sudden rain poured down relentlessly, as if the heavens were weeping, threatening to drown everything on earth. The pitch-black, gloomy night instilled fear, as if it alone were the ruler of the world

Four more black bears have fallen, yet the remaining nine black bears have become increasingly fierce and violent. They swing their massive paws and strike fiercely.

The black bear casually pulled at it; it would not take such a weak stick seriously at all

However, the unexpected occurred at that very moment

A tremendous thunderclap suddenly echoed in the sky, the sound booming and forcefully interrupting the words of the elderly man

In the largest blue-tiled house in the village, more than ten men were seated in a circle. They were the heads of each household in the village and represented the greatest assurance for the small community to reside peacefully at the foot of the Xionglang Mountain.

The others all nodded in agreement, and one person even stood up, saying: "Village Chief, since Brother Lin is employed at the Qiu family, as long as this connection exists, the Wan family village will not dare to bully us too much"

At this moment, he stood up and cupped his fists in salute to the surrounding crowd, his face filled with shame as he said: "Everyone, Yu Jiansheng has disappointed you all once again, I am sorry."

Yu Jiansheng's expression changed dramatically, and he exclaimed: "The wild bears in the mountains have gone berserk, brothers, grab your weapons"

The houses constructed from bamboo strips, wooden slats, yellow clay, and blue tiles rise and fall with the terrain, embodying the kind of undulating rhythm that people wish to express in their paintings

Fortunately, at this moment, night had just fallen, and they had not yet gone to bed, so although they were in a flurry, no major mishaps occurred

Meanwhile, he exerted force with both arms, having drawn the hunting bow in his hands into a full moon shape

Yu Jiansheng shouted loudly and was the first to raise the mountain-cutting saber in his hand, striking down fiercely.

Aww ... ...

An elderly man shook his head and said, "Village Chief, this cannot be blamed on you. Wan Yifu has been a mid-level hunter for over a decade. During these past ten years, Wan Family Village has been the strongest among all the nearby villages. It is already quite remarkable that you have been able to preserve our village's hunting grounds"

A dozen or so people spoke up to offer their comfort, and only then did Yu Jiansheng's expression improve slightly

Ye Jiansheng raised his eyebrows slightly and calmly shouted.

More than thirty black bears saw the humans ahead, and each one became increasingly frenzied

The speed this time was too fast; the young man had no time to react before being struck onto the stick with a single palm. The immense force even sent his body flying away.

Roar ... ...

From the mountain came countless enormous footsteps, resembling the sound of drums

Before long, more than ten households had gathered in the village playground