Reborn in 72, I hunt to support my family and spoil my younger sister rotten.

"Drip... dripping water from the top of the cave, its sound particularly clear in the silence."

The footsteps grew closer, the crunching of the snow underfoot mingled with panting and barking.

Upon hearing that familiar barking sound, Li Xiangyang already had a guess in his mind.

Sure enough, Nightshade suddenly pricked up its ears and wagged its tail happily.

It let out a whimper at the entrance of the cave, as if greeting its old master, and then ran out.

The black cat was no longer nervous. It lazily raised its head and squinted at the cave entrance.

“It must be Master Zheng,” Li Xiangyang said, putting down his gun and addressing Li Daqiang and Wang Ergou in the corner.

"Li Xiangyang, it's me!" Old Zheng's voice came from outside, confirming his guess.

Outside the cave entrance, under the moonlight, Old Zheng was slightly bent over, one hand supporting his knee as he panted heavily, the other hand laboriously stroking Night Shadow's head.

In the cold wind, his thin figure swayed slightly in the snow, and several burly hunting dogs immediately surrounded him, as if to support him.

Looking at the large bundle on Lao Zheng's back, the sled he was dragging, and his shoulders trembling slightly from the cold, Li Xiangyang felt a pang of sorrow.

"Why did you still come?"

Li Xiangyang was both surprised and delighted, but then felt a pang of guilt. "It's so late, it's so dangerous."

“I’m still worried about you,” Old Zheng chuckled. “You have no idea, it took me a lot of persuasion to convince my wife to let me out. I promised her this would be the last time I go into the mountains.”

Li Xiangyang felt a pang of sadness: "You..."

“It’s nothing,” Old Zheng waved his hand, a hint of weariness flashing in his eyes, “At my age, it’s a blessing to die peacefully. How many of us hunters die of old age? Your father was one…”

He suddenly stopped talking at this point.

Silence fell over the cave for a moment.

Li Xiangyang knew that Lao Zheng was telling the truth; his father had met with an accident while hunting.

"Speaking of which..." Li Xiangyang began softly, "I almost lost my life."

Old Zheng immediately tensed up: "What happened?"

Li Xiangyang briefly recounted his experience.

The cave fell silent when he mentioned giving up two priceless prey in order to find the person.

Li Daqiang, sitting in the corner, had his head down, his fingers unconsciously picking at the pebbles on the ground.

Wang Ergou's mouth dropped open, his face filled with disbelief.

"You mean..." Old Zheng's voice trembled slightly, "you encountered a Siberian tiger and a black bear, and you even managed to take down the tiger?"

Li Xiangyang nodded: "That tiger was quite old, and it fought the black bear to a standstill. I was really greedy at the time, thinking they were both pretty much done for, and if I didn't make my move, it would be a waste of this golden opportunity. As a result, my first shot missed."

"And then?" Old Zheng asked a pointless question.

"Later, to survive, I had to fight desperately," Li Xiangyang said with a bitter smile. "I think that missed shot was God's punishment for my greed. Fortunately, I'm still alive. After that, I buried the prey. Whether I can take it with me or not, that's up to fate."

These words struck Li Daqiang like a heavy blow.

He had been jealous of Li Xiangyang's hunting skills since he was a child. This time, he went into the mountains not only for money, but also to prove himself.

But now it seems that he not only almost lost his own life and Wang Ergou's life, but also caused his cousin to give up a rare prey.

"Good lad..." Old Zheng patted Li Xiangyang on the shoulder, his eyes a little red. "If your father were watching from heaven, he would be very gratified to see you like this. Human life is of paramount importance; no matter how valuable the prey is, it's not as important as life."

“That reminds me,” Old Zheng suddenly laughed, pointing to the sled behind him, “I just happened to bring the tools with me, didn’t I? The prey is still where it was, right? Let’s go pull them back!”

Li Xiangyang's eyes lit up.

With a sled and hunting dogs, they were indeed able to transport the two prey down the mountain.

However, he was still a little worried: "It's the middle of the night, and it's too dangerous in the mountains..."

"What's there to be afraid of!" Old Zheng laughed heartily, pointing to the hunting dogs beside him. "With my old buddies here, even if two more come, I'm not afraid."

“These are my most capable helpers,” Old Zheng patted Nightshade’s head, “each of them has been with me for over ten years.”

Looking at these loyal hunting dogs, Li Xiangyang suddenly understood why his wife had agreed to let Lao Zheng go into the mountains one last time.

These hunting dogs are like Old Zheng's children; with them protecting him, he's not afraid of anything.

However, none of these old buddies can be allowed to get into trouble.

Otherwise, how heartbroken would Lao Zheng be?

"Okay, let's go now. I believe our luck will be better this time."

Li Xiangyang turned to Li Daqiang and Wang Ergou and said, "You two stay in this cave. I'll come pick you up when it's light."

"No!" Li Daqiang suddenly stood up. "I'll go with you."

Old Zheng and Li Xiangyang were both stunned.

Li Daqiang bit his lip and continued, "I...I've caused you so much trouble, I can't just hide here."

Wang Ergou also struggled to his feet: "I'll go too."

Li Xiangyang glanced at the two men, then at Lao Zheng.

Old Zheng nodded slightly: "More people means more strength, but we must follow orders."

The four people and several hunting dogs emerged from the cave, with Li Xiangyang leading the way.

After walking for about half an hour, we finally arrived at the place we had been to before.

Li Xiangyang carefully examined the marks he had left and quickly found the place where he had buried his prey.

"Here!" Li Xiangyang began clearing the snow.

Old Zheng quickly stepped forward to help, and Li Daqiang and Wang Ergou also joined in.

When the snow was cleared away, revealing the massive body of the Siberian tiger, everyone gasped in shock.

Even an experienced hunter like Lao Zheng couldn't help but exclaim, "Good heavens, this tiger king must weigh at least 300 pounds!"

Looking at the hideous wound and the bullet hole in the Tiger King's eye socket, Li Daqiang finally understood why Li Xiangyang had made a name for himself in the village.

This skill isn't something you can boast about.

"Quickly, before dawn, load them onto the sleds," Old Zheng called out.

The four men worked together to lift the Siberian tiger and the black bear onto the sled and secured them firmly with ropes.

The two prey weighed a combined five or six hundred pounds, making it difficult for even four people to pull the sled.

“Take a break if you get tired,” Old Zheng said, pulling the sled. “We’ll take it slow. With these dogs around, we don’t need to be afraid of wild animals.”

Several hunting dogs circled the sled, vigilantly watching for any movement around them.

The black cat sat upright on the sled like a little leader, occasionally letting out a low growl, as if it were directing the team.

Li Daqiang watched his cousin's retreating figure, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

There was a time when he always thought Li Xiangyang was just lucky.

But today's experience made him realize what real skill is.