Chapter 83
83 Hunting, A Lesson
Zhou Jia went to the construction site to take a look. After returning to the straw shed to look at Li Qing’s homework, he brought Zhao Cai and Li Qing to town to tidy up the shop.
Li Yu carried the backpack and walked along the stream until she reached the foot of the mountain. She saw a pool that looked like a large vat. The pool was green and looked bottomless.
Li Yu looked up and saw a cave about three to four meters above the pool. After the water flowed out of the cave, it fell into the pool and overflowed into the mountain stream.
Li Yu quickly walked towards the path at the foot of the mountain in the east. The path up the mountain was very narrow and steep. Thorns grew on both sides of the mountain path, and all kinds of wild fruits grew by the roadside.
When she walked to the slope, Li Yu looked toward the bushes and saw a jujube tree in the distance. She used a machete to push aside the weeds and vines and came to the jujube tree. The brown jujube tree was filled with fruits. Li Yu pulled down a branch, pulled a segment of the jujube fruit, and placed it in her mouth. She chewed it. It was juicy, and there was a hint of alcohol in its slight bittersweetness. It tasted the same as what she had eaten when she was young.
Li Yu picked all the dates and placed them in her space. She picked some raspberries and tasted a few. They were sweet and juicy. She turned around and saw another patch of wild grapes. The fruit was still green and not ripe. Li Yu planned to bring Li Mei and the others to pick it the next time.
Li Yu retreated from the bushes and climbed up the mountain. Along the way, she discovered many unknown wildflowers. Li Yu bent down and picked a purple flower. A gorgeous rooster flew out of the bushes. Li Yu threw the machete at the rooster and hit its back. The rooster fluttered and fell into the grass.
Li Yu walked over and pushed aside the grass. She picked up the chicken and saw a nest of eggs in the grass. Li Yu picked up the eggs and looked up to see that a meter away from her, a poisonous snake with yellow-green patterns and a triangular head was wrapped around the tree trunk. It stuck out its tongue and looked at her. Li Yu was stunned. She stood there and didn’t dare to move. In an instant, the poisonous snake shot at Li Yu like lightning. Li Yu suddenly realized that she had the pace. She chanted and hid in the space. The poisonous snake lost its prey and slithered away along the grass.
After a while, Li Yu came out with lingering fear. She walked out of the grass and took the snake medicine out of the space. She hung it at her waist before walking up the mountain.
They caught a few pheasants on the way and walked up the hill to find a herd of warthogs. Some were playing, while others lay on their backs, enjoying the sun bath.
Li Yu hid behind the tree and shot three unlucky ghosts. The others quickly fled back into the cave. Li Yu did not chase after them. She picked up the three warthogs and placed them in the space before continuing to climb up.
On the hill was a pine forest. The soft pine needles were covered in pine antlers and hawthorn fungus. Li Yu put down the backpack and picked up the pine antler and hawthorn fungus. She put them into the space to preserve them. She then picked up some more and put them into the backpack. She carried the mushrooms and walked down the mountain.
Halfway up the hill, she encountered two men, one in front of the other, walking up the hill. One was carrying a longbow, the other a long knife and rope.
The man with the longbow on his back looked up at Li Yu with a stunned gaze. When he saw Li Yu alone, he suddenly rushed in front of Li Yu and blocked the way down the mountain. Li Yu looked at him coldly and said, “Move.”
“Yo! She’s quite spicy.” The man looked at Li Yu with a lecherous smile. ” I like it like this.” As he spoke, he reached out to touch Li Yu’s face. “Come, it hurt!” Before he could finish speaking, Li Yu kicked him to the ground and he rolled under a tree before stopping.
Li Yu left without even looking at the person with the long saber on his back. The man on the ground shouted at the long saber man, “Brother Liangbing, stop that little bitch.”
The man called Liangbing stood in front of Li Yu and sneered. “Why? Do you want to leave after hitting someone?”
Li Yu looked at him and said, “Get lost.”
The man reached out to grab Li Yu’s shoulder. Li Yu dodged to the side and grabbed his wrist. She exerted force backward. With a crack, the man’s wrist was broken by Li Yu. “Ah!” The man covered his wrist and shouted in pain.
Seeing that the Liangbing had also been defeated, the man with the bow got up and took it down. He pulled the arrow and put it on the string. He roared, “I’ll kill you, bitch.”
With a whoosh, the arrow flew towards Li Yu, who waved her knife and knocked the arrow to the ground. She jumped in front of him and punched him in the face. The man hurriedly took the bow to block it. Li Yu flipped her hand and snatched the bow from the man’s hand. The man turned around and wanted to escape. Li Yu raised the bow and put it around the man’s neck. She pulled the man back and kicked him to the ground a few times. She said coldly, “Lowly and shameless thing. You can’t do evil, but you still want to kill people. Today, you met your grandaunt. If you meet a weak woman, wouldn’t you have ruined her? It’s also a disaster to keep your dirty hands.”
Li Yu raised her foot and stepped on the man’s wrist, breaking it. The man broke out in cold sweat from the pain and begged for mercy. “I won’t dare to do it again. Please spare my life.”
The man called Liangbing walked over and begged, “Swordswoman, we brothers did not recognize you. We have offended you. Please spare us. I swear we will never do such a despicable and shameless thing again.”
Li Yu raised her leg and moved away from the man’s wrist. She broke the bow and arrow and threw them on the ground. She looked at him and warned, “I’ll let you off for today. If you dare to bully others in the future, I’ll definitely take your wretched life.”
Li Yu turned around and walked down the mountain. The man called Liangbing said to the man on the ground, “Lianggong, I’ve long advised you not to be lecherous and do such despicable things. See, you’ve learned your lesson today!”
Lianggong got up from the ground and looked at Li Yu’s back with a vicious gaze. He said to Liangbing, “Brother Liangbing, do you know where she came from? Why haven’t I seen her all these years?”
Liangbing shook his head and held his wrist. He advised Lianggong kindly, “I’ve never seen her before either. Forget it, Lianggong. Just take it that you’ve bought a lesson. Let’s hurry down the mountain to find a fall doctor and reattach your wrist.”
After saying that, Liangbing endured the pain and walked down the mountain. Lianggong also stumbled and followed him down the mountain.
At the foot of the mountain, Li Yu took out the pheasant and warthog in the space when there was no one around. She carried the warthog and the pheasant back to the shed.
When Auntie He saw the warthog in Li Yu’s hand, she happily took one and said with a smile, “Miss, take the oil out of this thing and boil it well. It’s good stuff. It’s best to use it for burns and frostbite. Even the meat is very tender.”
Li Yu smiled and said, “Then I’ll get it ready. You can do it.”
Auntie He pulled Li Yu and smiled. “Just leave it there. I’ll pack these things. I’ll also sell the fur. If there’s good fur in the future, leave it to me. I promise to sell it well for you.”
“That’s good! I’ll hand them all to you in the future.” Li Yu took some dates and raspberries and placed them in the bamboo basket. She said to Auntie He, “There are some fruits here. Remember to eat them later.”
“Ah!” After Auntie He agreed, she carried the warthog and walked towards the mountain stream.