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

“Old Han, you’re too modest,” Li Xiangyang said calmly. “To tame a weasel so docile, that’s a skill not every traveling performer possesses.”

"Hehe," Old Han stroked his beard, "Young man, you flatter me. It's just a craft passed down from my ancestors; nothing special."

"Mr. Ma, I'm truly sorry," Old Han said apologetically. "It's not easy for us to make a living in this world. As the saying goes, it's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester. Since it hasn't caused any major problems, how about we just let it go?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Laosan's face turned pale and then red.

He knew that Old Han was giving him a way out, but when he thought about what had happened on the construction site these past few days, he felt a surge of anger.

"Mr. Ma, don't take it too seriously," Old Han smiled meaningfully. "After all, we're not taking money that could kill people, so why make things so tense?"

The meaning couldn't be clearer—they took the money to do the job, but not the kind of money that could kill someone, so there was no need to go to extremes.

If Ma Laosan persists, the other party is not afraid.

"Alright, since you put it that way, Elder Han, this matter is over... But could you tell me who instructed you...?"

“Mr. Ma,” Old Han waved his hand, his expression serious, “people in the martial world uphold code of honor. Some things cannot be spoken of, cannot be questioned. From now on, I guarantee you will never do anything evil again.”

Ma Laosan opened his mouth, but swallowed the words that were about to come out.

"Old Han is right, I was presumptuous," Ma Laosan said with a smile. "If you and the young lady are willing to stay, I'll pay you both ten times the worker's wage."

Old Han smiled and waved his hand, "Mr. Ma, you're too kind. However, my apprentice and I have other matters to attend to, so we won't bother you any longer."

Ma Laosan froze, his smile instantly turning into a stalemate.

He never expected that his good intentions would be rejected so readily.

Li Xiangyang noticed that when Old Han was speaking, his gaze kept lingering on the black cat.

The look in his eyes wasn't like he was looking at an ordinary cat; it was more like he was examining some rare object.

"Old Han," Li Xiangyang began, "if you're not in a hurry to leave, why don't you tell me how you developed your animal taming skills?"

Old Han stroked his beard and gave Li Xiangyang a meaningful look: "Young man, if we're talking about animal taming skills, you're not bad either, so why ask me?"

“You’re joking,” Li Xiangyang said modestly. “Little Princess, I didn’t tame it. It was already this clever when I met it.”

"Hehe," Old Han chuckled meaningfully, "Those destined to meet will find their own way. The journey through the martial world is long; we'll meet again someday."

After saying this, Old Han turned and left with his apprentice, while the white weasel remained nestled obediently in the girl's arms.

After watching Elder Han leave, Ma Laosan took a deep breath and turned to the crowd: "Gentlemen, now that the evil matter is over, let's get back to the main topic and talk about the bear hunt. How feasible do you think it is to capture it alive?"

"Mr. Ma, to be honest, capturing a bear that has seen human blood alive is too risky. I suggest killing it directly."

Although Li Xiangyang knew that Ma Laosan was harboring resentment and wanted to capture Xiong alive, drag him to the graves of the three dead workers, and kill him to establish his authority, he still gave the most pertinent advice.

"Aren't you all capable people? As long as we can capture him alive..."

“Boss Ma,” Altai looked at Ma Laosan, his tone firm, “we are hunters, not circus animal trainers. If we encounter a bear that has injured people before, it's hard to say whether we can escape unscathed. If you want to capture it alive, you'd better find someone else.”

Although Langke didn't say anything, it was clear that if Ma Laosan insisted on capturing him alive, he wouldn't care.

Looking at the determined eyes of the hunters, Ma Laosan finally sighed, "Then we'll do as you say."

"Let's call it a day for now about the bear," Altai suggested, glancing at the sky.

“Okay, let’s discuss a thorough plan.” Li Xiangyang agreed.

Although they found Old Han and resolved the evil matter, the threat posed by the black bear was still very real.

Back at the camp, Ma Laosan instructed Dahai to set up an iron pot and start cooking meat.

The group sat around the fire, holding steaming bowls, eating meat and drinking hot soup with gusto.

Seeing that everyone had almost finished eating, Ma Laosan finally asked, "Brother Li, what are your thoughts on the bear incident?"

"I think we need to prepare for two scenarios. One is that the bear will continue to hibernate, and the other is that it has completely given up on hibernation."

“Go on,” Langko said, setting aside his hostility. He knew the other person was indeed an expert and listened attentively.

"If it's hibernating, that's easy. Based on where the workers died, we can deduce that if it finds another cave, it will be nearby, just more concealed. We'll take turns scouting the area and looking for the entrance."

"Find its hiding place, sprinkle salt at the entrance, and then sprinkle some strong-smelling fish oil to lure it out. Bury iron traps around it, and then cover them with a thin layer of snow. Dig a trap; once it comes out of the burrow, it will definitely fall into it. Stepping on the trap, feeling pain and anger, will make it more likely to fall into the trap."

"But what if they don't hibernate?" Old Ma asked from the side.

“If it’s not hibernating, it means it’s going to hunt.” Li Xiangyang narrowed his eyes, his voice low. “A bear that has seen human blood will naturally see humans as prey, so we must be extra careful.”

By this time of year, all the fruit on the trees had fallen. To survive, it had to find the food stored by squirrels and badgers.

"We'll first disperse and search for pine nut shells, wild nut kernels, and scratches on tree bark. Once we find the places it frequents, we'll dig pits along its usual routes."

"The pit should be deep, at least three meters, with wooden stakes driven into the bottom, covered with thatch, and then scattering pine needles. Set up rope snares around the perimeter, especially on downhill slopes. Once a bear spots the trap, it will definitely try to go around it, and that's when it will run right into the snare."

"Finally, there's the matter of ambush. Choose a high place, at least five meters off the ground. The firing point should be on its likely path, ideally when it's going uphill, making it easier to shoot at its chest and neck."

"Do you two have any better suggestions?" Li Xiangyang asked Altai and Langke.

Altai put down his bowl and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "I'd like to add two points. First, Brother Li mentioned that the trap should be set on the bear's likely path, but the terrain must be carefully considered. Ideally, it should be located where there are cliffs on both sides, forcing the bear to either move forward or backward."

“Secondly,” Altai looked up at Li Xiangyang, “the snow is very thick this time of year. We need to be careful about the depth of the stakes when setting up our traps. If we encounter a heavy prey like a bear, ordinary stake driving might not be secure enough.”

"By the way, when choosing a shooting spot, it's best to find a large tree with forked branches. That way, you'll have a foothold and your shooting will be more stable," Langko added.

Li Xiangyang listened attentively to the two hunters' advice, nodding repeatedly.

These were all practical experiences that made up for the shortcomings in his plan.