Flip the table and divide the family property! Take his wife and daughter into the mountains and eat

The jeep's dilapidated engine let out a labored wheezing sound and finally stalled completely at the pass of "Ghost's Sorrow" Gully.

This is already on the edge of the heartland of the Greater Khingan Mountains.

Further in, the road was completely blocked by waist-deep snow, so much so that even a tank would be stuck, let alone a jeep.

As soon as the car door was opened, a gust of "white-haired wind" carrying ice shards rushed in through the gap, emitting a shrill whistle, like the howling of countless vengeful ghosts.

As soon as Song Weiguo stuck one foot out of the car, he was shivered by the cold. The chill instantly penetrated his cotton-padded trousers, as if he were stepping on two blocks of ancient ice.

"Ouch—! My goodness!"

Song Weiguo pulled his foot back, his teeth chattering uncontrollably, and his face instantly turned bluish-purple from the cold.

"Brother Zhao... is this a place fit for a human being? There's not a soul in sight. Do you really think we can catch one alive?"

Zhao Shanhe, however, acted as if nothing had happened. He pushed open the car door and nimbly jumped into the snow.

He was wearing his ancestral sheepskin coat, with a specially made fine-mesh silk net around his waist, and a pair of homemade straw boots.

This outfit looks rustic, but in this deep mountain forest where the temperature is below minus thirty degrees Celsius, it's more practical than any woolen overcoat.

Zhao Shanhe took a deep breath of the biting air, and he felt as if he had instantly come back to life.

The sense of dejection from being submissive and humiliated in the village vanished, replaced by the sharpness and domineering aura unique to top hunters.

"Section Chief Song, don't worry. If the mountain won't come to me, I'll go to the mountain. The treasures of the Greater Khingan Mountains are hidden in places no one dares to go."

Zhao Shanhe tightened his belt and glanced back at Song Weiguo, who was huddled in the car.

"You can wait in the car, but the engine's off and there's no heater. You'll be frozen solid in half an hour. Then I'll have to carry you back."

"No! No! I'll go with you! For Chef Liu's meal, for my job, I'm going to risk it all today!"

Upon hearing this, Song Weiguo was so frightened that he quickly wrapped his greasy military overcoat tighter, tucked his head into the collar, and followed Zhao Shanhe with uneven steps.

"Black Dragon, come down."

Zhao Shanhe patted the car door.

A black bolt of lightning suddenly shot out from the back seat.

The moment the black dragon landed, the dog's entire demeanor underwent a dramatic change.

The fawning manner it displayed in the car, wagging its tail and even trying to compete with the Azure Dragon for favor, vanished without a trace the moment its claws touched the snow.

It didn't bark randomly, nor did it run around like a normal house dog.

It lowered its body, bent its front legs slightly, and its thick, iron-whip-like tail stopped wagging and instead drooped slightly between its legs to maintain balance.

Those dog eyes were as cold as knives, scanning their surroundings warily.

Its nostrils flared rapidly, like a machine with a sophisticated search radar activated, capturing every subtle scent in the cold wind.

"Go find some flirtatious ones. Live ones, please."

Zhao Shanhe gave the order in a low voice.

Black Dragon seemed to understand human speech. It turned back and gave Zhao Shanhe a deep look, then, like a black ghost, it darted into the bushes, leaving only a trail of plum blossom-like footprints.

The snow in the forest was deep, with a hard crust on top and loose snow underneath. Song Weiguo walked with great difficulty, having to pull his legs out of the snow holes with each step. After only a few minutes, he was panting heavily, and his lungs felt like they were about to explode.

In contrast, Zhao Shanhe walked away with an air of ease and comfort.

He walks with skill, never in a straight line, but on tree roots and shady, hard snow, landing silently and as lightly as a raccoon.

We walked like that for about fifteen minutes.

The black dragon in front suddenly stopped.

It stopped abruptly in front of a sheltered, sunny wild birch forest without any warning.

It raised one front paw, keeping it suspended in the air, its muscles taut to the extreme, its black fur bristling, staring intently at the treetops thirty meters away.

This is the standard posture of a top-class hunting dog when it spots its prey – "fixed position".

Zhao Shanhe's eyes narrowed, and he stopped abruptly. At the same time, he raised one hand and made a stern "shut up" gesture to Song Weiguo behind him.

Although Song Weiguo was exhausted, he was so frightened by Zhao Shanhe's serious expression that he quickly covered his mouth and didn't dare to breathe.

Zhao Shanhe narrowed his eyes and followed the black dragon's gaze.

Several old birch trees in front of us had clusters of grayish-brown "burls" hanging on them.

If you don't look closely, you won't even realize it's alive.

But Zhao Shanhe saw it immediately.

That's a hazel grouse! Its scientific name is Hazel Grouse, a noble bird among birds!

There were four of them, each one plump and with glossy feathers.

At this moment, they are standing on the top of the tree, craning their necks and looking around warily.

"Oh my god! It really exists!"

Song Weiguo lowered his voice, his excitement trembling, "Brother Zhao, amazing! You really found it! Quick, shoot it down!"

Zhao Shanhe shook his head, without touching the hunting rifle on his back.

"The birds scattered after the gunshot. Besides, once the blood from the bullet holes has drained, the soup won't be fresh anymore, so Chef Liu can't make soup."

"Then...what do we do? It's so high, and we don't have a ladder!"

Song Weiguo looked at the treetop, which was more than ten meters high, with a look of despair on his face.

"The wind is my ladder."

Zhao Shanhe said something casually, his eyes instantly becoming incredibly focused.

He slowly untied the fine-mesh silk net that had been coiled up earlier from his waist.

This is no ordinary fishing net, but a "flying net" specially used by old hunters to catch live poultry, with heavy lead weights hanging around the net's ropes.

He didn't rush to act. Instead, he squatted down, grabbed a handful of dry snow from the ground, gently crushed it in his hand, and scattered it into the air.

The white snowflakes were swept up by the wind and quickly drifted southeast.

"Northwest wind, force 4. Perfect."

Zhao Shanhe muttered to himself.

Just as a gust of wind swept past, carrying snow powder, and made the treetops shake violently.

That was the moment when the bird clung tightly to the branch, its vigilance at its lowest.

Zhao Shanhe made a move!

Still as a virgin, swift as a rabbit!

Instead of throwing the net straight out like a normal net, he stomped his right foot hard on the ground, exerted force from his waist, and spun half a circle on the spot!

"Download it for me!!"

With a loud shout, the net in his hand, propelled by the immense centrifugal force, flew out like a cannonball!

"Buzz—!"

A dull whistling sound echoed through the forest.

The large net did not open directly in the air, but instead, like a nimble, strange snake, it drew an incredible, eerie "S"-shaped arc in the air with the help of the wind!

It miraculously bypassed the few dead branches blocking its way and headed straight for the treetop!

Only when it flew over the heads of the flock of flying dragon birds did the weights on the net suddenly disperse, and the entire net instantly turned into a four-meter-diameter net that covered them completely!

Before the flying dragon birds could react, everything went black.

"Clatter!"

The net falls, the bird is caught.

Four adult flying dragon birds were tightly entangled in the silk net, like fruits from this big tree, and fell heavily onto the snow along with the net.

Song Weiguo's jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

He gaped open, stunned for a full three seconds, before finally uttering a curse:

"Holy crap...is this...is this magic?!"

He had seen a lot in his life, but when this "flying net to capture an eagle" technique, which only existed in martial arts novels, was vividly displayed before his eyes, the shock was indescribable.

"Don't just stand there, bag it."

Zhao Shanhe walked over and skillfully grabbed the bird's wing roots through the net, untying them one by one and stuffing them into a sack.

These four birds are all top-quality, with bright plumage, and they are still fluttering around in the sack, full of energy.

"I'm convinced... I'm truly convinced..."

While helping to hold the bag open, Song Weiguo looked at Zhao Shanhe with an expression as if he were a god: "Brother Zhao, with this one amazing skill, you could be a star performer in the provincial acrobatic troupe!"

"A trivial skill, just enough to make a living."

Zhao Shanhe tied the bag shut, but didn't rush to leave.

He turned and looked towards a shady ravine not far away. The black dragon had been lingering in that direction, emitting low growls.

"What's wrong? There's more?" Song Weiguo now blindly worshipped Zhao Shanhe.

"There's another treasure, which makes a perfect 'Dragon and Phoenix Bringing Auspiciousness' dish."

Zhao Shanhe walked into the ravine, where there was a slightly yellowish ice surface with wisps of heat rising from the middle.

This is a "warm spring" with an underground hot spring source. So although this body of water is frozen, the ice is not thick, and the water temperature below is higher than elsewhere.

"Black Dragon, get out of the way."

Zhao Shanhe reversed the hunting rifle, gripped the barrel with both hands, swung the hard elm stock in a wide arc, and with all his might, smashed it down hard onto the yellowish ice surface!

"Bang! Crack—crash!"

The ice shattered instantly.

A strong, earthy smell mixed with the heat of the earth surged out instantly.

Song Weiguo leaned closer to take a look, then immediately covered his nose in disgust and backed away.

"Oh my god! What are these things? They're so dense, it's disgusting! A whole nest of toads?"

Below the ice hole, in the silt, there were layers upon layers of dark, slippery things, at least dozens of them, still wriggling slightly.

"A toad?"

Zhao Shanhe sneered, took off his gloves, and plunged his rough hands into the icy mud.

He scooped up two enormous, bulging-bellied frogs and shoved them directly in front of Song Weiguo:

"Section Chief Song, you just don't know what's good for you. You call this a toad?"

"This is called the Changbai Mountain forest frog! Locally we call it 'Hashma'!"

Zhao Shanhe flicked the frog's swollen belly with his finger:

"See that? It's all oil! This is called 'snow frog oil'! In the eyes of those big bosses from the south, especially the distinguished guests from the provincial capital, this is 'soft gold'!"

"This stuff is incredibly nutritious, good for maintaining youth and health. Didn't you just say you have important foreign guests coming from the province tonight?"

"Half-dragon soup alone is just wild game, it's about 'freshness.' But if you add a dish of 'stewed snow frog oil,' it becomes 'nourishing,' it's 'expensive'!"

"Think about it, doesn't this instantly elevate the level of sophistication?"

Upon hearing the words "soft gold," Song Weiguo's previously disdainful look instantly changed.

It was the look in his eyes, like he was seeing his own father; it was the look in his eyes, like he was seeing the position of deputy director beckoning to him.

"Oh dear! My goodness!"

Song Weiguo didn't mind the dirt or the cold; he knelt down in the snow with a thud, even taking off the hood of his military overcoat to use as a bag.

"Load them! Load them quickly! Don't leave any out!"

"With this thing, forget about saving the day, even Chef Liu would have to kowtow to me!"

The wind and snow grew heavier, and the sky gradually darkened.

But Song Weiguo's heart was burning with passion.

Looking at the bag of flying dragon birds and the hat of "soft gold," he knew that he had not only avoided failure this time, but was about to make a big splash.

"Let's go! Back to the city!"

Zhao Shanhe picked up the heavy spoils of war and called out to Black Dragon.

A man, a dog, and a chubby man who was strutting around with glee, walked toward the jeep in the swirling snow.