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

Dahai's words only made Li Xiangyang more convinced that the evil things Ma Laosan encountered were all man-made.

He gazed at the birch forest rushing past the window and said slowly, "The more you describe it so strangely, the more certain I am that this was man-made."

"Huh?" Da Hai was taken aback, not understanding.

Everyone else claimed to have seen people hanging in the tree, heard people crying, and been scared away, but Li Xiangyang was convinced it was a ghost.

"Don't be too surprised. It sounds unbelievable, but if you think about it carefully, it's not hard to understand."

Li Xiangyang said calmly, "The history of human animal domestication can be traced back to ancient times. From the evolution from wild wolves to domestic dogs, and then to the breathtaking performances in today's circuses, aren't they all the fruits of human wisdom?"

"With thousands of years of accumulated wisdom, it's not too surprising that someone has figured out the tricks of taming weasels."

Seeing that Da Hai seemed to understand but not quite, he continued, "Take the weasel for example. Why does it have so much mystery surrounding it? Mainly because its hunting methods seem strange and incomprehensible to people, thus shrouding it in mystery."

"To put it bluntly, it's because weasels release a foul odor from their anal glands when they hunt. This odor contains something called butyritin. Prey that smell it will experience dizziness or even hallucinations, and humans will feel the same way."

"Once the prey is dazed by the smell, the weasel will leap and dart around in front of it, twisting and turning to distract it. Imagine if the prey were a human, already dizzy, and then saw this thing jumping around in front of them—how bizarre would that be?"

"So imagine, if someone mastered this principle, and added some simple tricks, they could get the workers to smell this odor first..."

"I see..." Dahai suddenly understood, but then became nervous again. "Brother, you can just tell me this, but please don't say it over there!"

"how?"

"Besides you, Boss Ma also invited Oroqen hunters and shamans this time. Aren't you blaspheming their beliefs if you say that?"

"Now that I think about it, the Hezhe expert we invited from beyond the Great Wall last time was probably bothered by Boss Ma's similar remarks, which is why he refused to go in again..."

“I understand. Don’t worry, I won’t say those things.” Li Xiangyang nodded. “After all, it works if you believe, and it doesn’t if you don’t.”

Dahai breathed a sigh of relief and continued driving.

The car drove for another twenty minutes before finally arriving at its destination.

From afar, Li Xiangyang saw a burly middle-aged man standing in front of the work shed, waiting. It was Ma Laosan.

There were three people standing behind Ma Laosan.

One of the girls caught Li Xiangyang's eye a few more times.

She was dressed in traditional Oroqen clothing, and although she was wrapped in a thick deerskin coat, her graceful figure was still undeniable.

Her long, black hair cascaded over her shoulders, with a few strands dancing lightly in the wind.

Her oval face had a pair of bright, lively eyes.

Sensing Li Xiangyang's gaze, the girl also looked over, a hint of curiosity flashing in her eyes.

However, her attention was quickly drawn to the black cat on Li Xiangyang's shoulder.

“Brother Li,” Ma Laosan quickly stepped forward, “come, let me introduce you. This is Qimugele, an Oroqen shaman. These two are…”

“I am Langke.” The tall hunter standing to the right of Qimugele interrupted Ma Laosan, a hint of hostility in his eyes.

He had a sharp hunting knife at his waist and was leading a large, tan hunting dog.

“My name is Altai,” another burly hunter said, his tone much calmer.

"So you're the skilled hunter Mr. Ma mentioned?"

Langke sneered, sizing up Li Xiangyang. "I haven't seen any skill, but he's definitely an amateur. Are you sure you want to take a cat into the mountains to hunt? Mr. Ma, is this the kind of clueless layman you've hired?"

Upon their first meeting, Langke's hostility towards Li Xiangyang was even stronger than the hostility his dog showed towards the black cat.

Li Xiangyang glanced at Langke, both amused and exasperated.

Is this all you can achieve?

However, after glancing at the girl he admired a couple more times, he acted as if he had stepped on her tail, and was so eager to assert his ownership.

Li Xiangyang shook his head inwardly.

The chances of him winning her heart in this lifetime are virtually zero.

What woman in the world would willingly be treated as a private possession, favoring a man who lacks even the most basic manners?

"Real hunters use dogs, but you've brought a cat to join the fun. Let me show you what a proper hunter and the best partner are."

Before Ma Laosan could speak, Langke had already loosened his grip on the rope.

Freed from its restraints, the enormous hunting dog immediately pounced on Li Xiangyang, its jaws wide open.

Li Xiangyang didn't even flinch at this, standing still without moving an inch.

He knew that this dog was destined to bring shame upon itself.

Sure enough, the black cat moved.

All the people saw was a dark shadow streaking through the air, so fast that they could barely see its movements.

When they came to their senses, the black cat had already landed steadily on the hunting dog's back.

Just as the hunting dog was about to resist, the black cat raised one of its front paws and gave it a series of precise, acupressure-like taps on its nose.

Each strike landed on a vital spot; though seemingly gentle, it deflated the ferocious hunting dog like a punctured balloon, instantly wilting it.

"Waaah..."

The hunting dog let out a pitiful whimper, tucked its tail between its legs and crawled back to Langko's side, no longer daring to look at the black cat, and even began to tremble as it walked.

“This…” Qimugele’s eyes widened in surprise, “It’s truly an amazing cat.”

Altai couldn't help but nod in admiration: "Truly impressive. This dog was meticulously trained by Langko; it's not even afraid of black bears, yet today it was subdued by a cat."

Langko's face was extremely ugly, a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

He was about to say something when Qimugele raised his hand to stop him: "Langke, stop making a scene. Li the Hunter's cat is clearly no ordinary cat; don't humiliate yourself."

Seeing this, Ma Laosan quickly stepped forward to smooth things over: "Everyone, everyone, we're all on the same side. Whether it's a dog or a cat, they're all good helpers to the hunter."

"The Langko brothers are young and impetuous, and have never seen anyone hunt with a cat before. They wanted to test the waters, and it was just out of caution. Brother Li, please don't take offense."

"After all, I sincerely invited you all to help, so how about we work together to get this done?"

"Mr. Ma is right. Langke, don't be so prejudiced. The mountain god chooses its own people, each according to their own destiny. I hope you apologize to Hunter Li for your rudeness."

As Qimugele spoke, his gaze lingered on the black cat.

Altai chimed in, "Yes, Langko, it was indeed your fault. You saw it yourself, this cat's abilities are extraordinary. It's always good to have more help when we go into the mountains."

Langko stood there, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

Qimugele and Altai's persuasion was undoubtedly trying to force him to back down, but the black cat's abilities were indeed beyond his expectations, making him even more embarrassed.