Chapter 290: Hunting

After wrapping up our business and staying at the hotel for another two days, we were preparing to head home. It was then that Lu He extended a warm invitation to a hunting ground. Perhaps because we had given such a generous gift at the wedding, he wanted to invite us to join him and some of his fellow Lu Clan members for a hunt. When I first heard those words, I didn’t quite know how to react.

I was tempted. There was a time in my life when I dealt with guns almost every day, but I had never actually been hunting. The novelty of it appealed to me. However, He Yu was even more excited than I was, shouting about how he wanted to go bag a roe deer.

Lu He had booked a private hunting ground that consisted of a vast stretch of forest cordoned off for sport. The weather wasn’t great on the day we went; it had been snowing steadily. As the staff helped me into my protective gear, I could see that the snow inside the woods was at least two or three layers thicker than outside.

Normally, one must be accompanied by professional guides in such a place. However, the owner of the hunting ground was well-acquainted with Lu He. Knowing that neither we nor the Lu Clan members were the type to be easily handled, the owner realized that having a professional hovering over us would only make us feel restricted and potentially lead to issues. Consequently, he opened up a special route for us, completely separated from the other guests.

The hunting ground provided standard Five-shot Repeaters^[1]. I stepped forward and weighed one in my hand.

I had used this type of gun before, but I never grew fond of them. I disliked their short range and lack of precision. Still, it had been a long time since I’d touched a firearm. Even if it was just a Five-shot Repeater, it was enough to get my blood pumping.

A few of the younger men were hesitating, clearly wanting to lead the way but not knowing how to speak up. I casually handed the route map to one of them, which seemed to make their day.

Our group, lacking any formal formation, loaded our rounds and began a leisurely stroll along the rugged trail marked on the map. The youngsters had more energy than He Yu and me, but perhaps they had a bit too much. We trekked a kilometer into the forest without spotting a single piece of prey, not even a wild rabbit.

Finally unable to take it anymore, He Yu rushed forward a few steps and gave each of the young men a sharp rap on the head. “Quiet, quiet, quiet! You’re scaring the deer away before they even show themselves! If we go back without so much as a tuft of rabbit fur, where am I supposed to hide my old face?”

I went up to pull him back, brushing the fallen snow off his clothes. Mostly, I was afraid he might actually lose his temper. “Hey, we’re just here for fun,” I said. “Don’t take it so seriously. Just think of it as a stroll. Look at this snow; visibility is poor. Even if there were rabbits, we might not see them.”

“There’s movement,” Lu Ayao said, suddenly coming to a halt.

The moment he spoke, we fell silent almost instinctively. As the surroundings grew quiet, I soon heard a rustling sound coming from a distant thicket. Lu Ayao made a shushing gesture, then gripped his gun and stepped alone into the tall grass.

Layers of snow rested upon the grass. In this kind of terrain, if you weren’t careful, your steps would brush the snow off the withered stalks and startle the prey. I chose to stay on the path rather than follow immediately. Lu Qianshan looked curious and wanted to follow, but seeing that I wasn’t moving, he stayed by my side.

He Yu slipped into the thicket. His leg wasn’t in great shape, and though I tried to stop him, he was too quick. He was clearly caught up in the excitement. It made sense; we hadn’t seen any prey the whole way, and now that a fat wild rabbit was finally within reach, it would be nice to bring it back for a roast.

I stood by the dirt path with a stoic expression, though in my mind, I was already debating whether the rabbit would taste better dry-fried or charcoal-grilled.

When I snapped back to reality, I saw that Lu Ayao had already moved deep into the woods. Blades of grass brushed his shoulders, and snow clinging to the branches surrounded his waist. He Yu couldn’t match his pace and was struggling to keep up.

I saw Lu Ayao’s hand move slightly at his side; he was likely disengaging the safety. Sure enough, a moment later, he raised the Five-shot Repeater and aimed deep into the forest. As soon as He Yu saw him raise the gun, he froze in place behind him.

I took a sharp breath and held it. I always felt this way when aiming myself, and watching someone else was no different.

Lu Qianshan leaned in close to me, a hint of pride in his voice. “We of the Lu Clan have practiced eye techniques^[2] since childhood. Our marksmanship is top-tier. We can pierce a willow leaf from a hundred paces or hit a target with our eyes closed. You’ll see in a moment.”

I didn’t respond, though I felt slightly exasperated by his boasting. I just felt that Lu Ayao seemed a bit off today. In the past, he would have already been running up to claim the prize by now, yet he was taking an unusually long time to aim.

Then again, maybe the snow was affecting his visibility, I told myself.

Five minutes passed, and Lu Ayao was still aiming. From my position, I couldn’t see the prey ahead. Just then, a cold wind blew through. The fine, dense snowflakes from before suddenly doubled in size, fluttering down like goose feathers. Yet Lu Ayao still hadn’t fired. I began to feel that something was wrong.

The window for a clean shot was rapidly closing.

The youngsters standing near Lu Qianshan were still watching intently, not yet sensing anything amiss. He Yu was also waiting. But in an instant, I realized that Lu Ayao might have run into a problem, a serious problem that made it impossible for him to pull the trigger.

Without a second thought, I took a small step back and drove my knee into Lu Qianshan’s backside. Caught off guard, he went flying face-first into the thicket ahead. Immediately, the sound of a rabbit scurrying away echoed from deep within the woods.

He Yu turned around and cursed, “What the hell was that?”

Lu Qianshan scrambled clumsily out of the grass and barked at his companions, “Who kicked me? Which one of you just kicked me?”

As the culprit, I was no longer standing in my original spot. I strode into the grass and pulled the grumbling He Yu out. As we walked back, He Yu wouldn’t stop complaining. “Dammit, I shouldn’t have come with these brats today. The rabbit was practically in the bag, and now it’s gone…”

I turned to look at He Yu, and our eyes met. Whatever he read in my expression, he fell silent immediately.

I helped He Yu back onto the dirt road, then turned and patted Lu Ayao’s shoulder. “Don’t sweat it,” I said. “Keep moving. It was just a few rabbits. Who knows, maybe there’s a roe deer waiting further up.”

The group set off again, grumbling and cursing as they went. The snow was falling harder now, quickly coating the dirt road in a layer of white. Lu Ayao stayed in the lead. I followed close behind, watching his right hand as it gripped the Five-shot Repeater.

Ever since we got back on the road, he had held the gun in that exact same position. We had walked several hundred meters, and he hadn’t shifted his grip once.

As I watched him, Lu Qianshan suddenly appeared out of nowhere and hooked an arm around my neck, pulling me forward. “Spit it out. You’re the one who kicked me back there, aren’t you?”

I rolled my eyes at him. “Do I look that bored? Why would I waste my energy kicking you? You obviously just lost your footing and tripped over your own feet, and now you’re looking for someone to blame.”

My conviction started to make Lu Qianshan doubt himself. “Did I really just trip? Then why does my butt hurt so much?”

I kept a perfectly straight face. “You definitely just lost your balance. Who would kick you for no reason?”

Before he could process that, I stepped forward and grabbed the gun from Lu Ayao’s hand. Lu Ayao stopped in his tracks and looked back at me and Lu Qianshan. I took the opportunity to shove the weapon into the hands of the gunless Lu Qianshan.

“That fall of yours scared off the rabbits he was about to bag,” I said. “So, the organization has decided to grant you a special honor. All the hunting from here on out is on you. Whether we eat meat tonight depends entirely on your performance.”

I rattled off the explanation and dragged Lu Ayao away before Lu Qianshan could react. He stood there for a moment, staring blankly at the gun in his hands, before finally letting out a confused, “Huh?”

He Yu and the others moved in fits and starts, occasionally veering into the woods to investigate things. Lu Ayao and I walked ahead to the fork in the road to wait for them. I went to pull out a cigarette, only to realize I hadn’t brought any. Noticing my movement, Lu Ayao said, “No fire allowed in the hunting grounds.”

I had no choice but to tuck my chin deeper into my collar. I looked at Lu Ayao, who had his hands in his pockets. “How long has your hand been like that? Why didn’t you ever mention it?”

A gunshot rang out nearby. Caught off guard, I jumped. Then I heard He Yu shout, “Whoa, I got it!” followed by the sound of several people sprinting into the woods to claim the kill.

I composed myself and heard Lu Ayao speak in a flat tone. “A little over two years. I’ve seen a doctor. It’s nothing serious.”

I turned slightly toward him, puzzled. “If it’s nothing serious, then why does it shake? Why can’t you pull the trigger?”

“Usually I can. Just not when it snows.”

The moment he said that, it clicked. Two years. I hadn’t realized the significance of that timeline until now. No matter how slow I was, the reason was clear to me now.

After a long silence, I finally said, “Then it’s likely psychological.”

Lu Ayao nodded silently.

I couldn’t help but let out a long sigh. The madness I’d caused three years ago had left psychological scars on many people, but for most, like that man surnamed Xu, the trauma was directly linked to my actions. Lu Ayao’s trauma was likely different. That was why he kept running back to the Central Plains; he was trying to confirm something over and over again, and it was tied directly to the problem with his hand.

And I knew exactly what he was trying to confirm.

Suddenly, I heard a rustle in a nearby patch of tall grass. I immediately pricked up my ears and crouched low, creeping into the brush. A fat wild rabbit was foraging on the ground. I signaled to Lu Ayao behind me, raised my gun, and took aim.

With a loud bang, the bullet struck the rabbit dead center, sending a flock of birds fluttering from the trees. Overjoyed, I started to rush forward to retrieve it, but the moment I stepped out, the ground gave way beneath me. Lu Ayao reacted instantly, lunging forward to grab me.

The snow beneath my feet collapsed into a hollow. It must have been a snow dugout created by previous hunters to keep warm, which had since been completely hidden by the fresh snowfall. I was fine as long as I stood still, but the moment I moved, it caved in.

He Yu arrived late to the scene. “What happened? What happened?”

Lu Ayao pulled me up. I brushed the snow off my clothes and said, “Nothing. I almost fell into a hole. I bagged a rabbit over there, go grab it.”

He Yu glanced at the rabbit in the distance, then looked back at me. “Are you sure you’re okay? You didn’t get hurt?”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “The snow is this thick, where could I possibly get hurt? Just go get the rabbit before it gets buried again.”

At that, he finally jumped into the brush, trudging through the deep snow to fetch the kill. As I continued brushing myself off, my gaze drifted. I realized that Lu Ayao had used his right hand to pull me up just now.

I smiled. “That hand of yours is a bit temperamental, isn’t it? It seemed perfectly fine when you rushed over to grab me.”

Lu Ayao took off his gloves and looked up at the beams of sunlight filtering through the trees. “The snow is going to stop.”

I shielded my eyes from the piercing light. He Yu scrambled back toward us, nimbly holding two rabbits. He poked his head between us to show off his trophies and gave a few mock coughs. “What are you two staring at? Let’s get back and roast some rabbit! Winter is over, comrades! Are you prepared to face the challenges ahead?”

Lu Ayao and I both laughed at his over-the-top, dubbed-movie accent^[3]. I turned and gave him a smack on the back, then called out to Lu Qianshan and the others. “Stop messing around! Time to head back for dinner! And you lot, stay close! Don’t go wandering off!”

Amid sighs and groans of exhaustion, the group slowly made their way down the mountain.