Chapter 62: A Deer in the Deep Forest

“Xiong Ba!!”

Lin Heng called softly as he walked along.

“Woof woof!”

Suddenly, Xiong Ba appeared from a patch of forest in the distance. Instead of coming closer, it just stared at Lin Heng.

“What did you find?”

Lin Heng, with Xiulan, walked over to investigate.

“Woof.”

Xiong Ba turned and walked ahead, stopping in front of a “spiny ball.”

“A hedgehog? I thought it was something else.”

Lin Heng felt a bit disappointed. Hedgehogs were common and had no value.

When walking at night, if you hear rustling sounds, shine a flashlight, and it’s almost always a hedgehog.

Moreover, these creatures were dumb—they wouldn’t run when they saw people but instead curl into a spiny ball, making them easy to catch.

“Let’s go. This thing is useless.”

Lin Heng patted Xiong Ba’s head and turned to leave.

The mushrooms, half-dried from the sun and heat, were now lighter in weight. Since the sun hadn’t set yet, they weren’t in a hurry to pack up.

Sitting on a stone, they observed the valley on both sides and heard the occasional calls of golden pheasants. However, the green foliage made it impossible to pinpoint their exact location.

“Let’s pack up and hide. The prey will start coming out soon.”

Lin Heng jumped off the stone and opened his arms, looking at Xiulan.

“Okay!”

Xiulan wrapped her arms around Lin Heng’s neck. After being lifted off the stone, she gave him a kiss.

“Let’s pack up.”

Xiulan was used to it. As long as no one was watching, if Lin Heng wanted to kiss her, she was happy to oblige.

They packed up the mushrooms. After drying in the sun, they had lost quite a bit of weight.

Once everything was packed, the two walked along the riverbank back to the shelter. The creek was too exposed and lacked cover, making it easy for wild animals to spot them from a distance. They wouldn’t risk going there.

The shelter, however, was well-hidden, surrounded by bushes, trees, and tall grass, offering excellent cover.

By now, Lin Heng stopped looking for mushrooms and focused on hunting.

Around 6:40, sharp calls suddenly echoed from the mountain above:

“Wow!! Wow!!”

Lin Heng and Xiulan both smiled in excitement. “It’s a muntjac!”

Muntjacs were one of the more common animals in the mountains. In Lin Heng’s experience, their numbers were only second to wild boars and badgers.

“Let’s wait and listen to pinpoint their location.”

Lin Heng wasn’t in a hurry. Muntjacs were even more cautious than badgers, and most hunters used snare traps to catch them.

“Wow!! Wow!!”

The calls continued, growing closer to the valley.

“They’re on the south slope.”

Lin Heng confirmed. They were on the same side of the valley where their shelter was, just further downstream.

For him, this was good news. If they were on the north slope, crossing the valley would have been risky as they might be spotted.

“Xiulan, stay here. Xiong Ba and I will go check it out.”

Lin Heng spoke, leading Xiong Ba cautiously downstream.

Along the way, Lin Heng fashioned a grass hat for himself to help with camouflage.

“Wow!! Wow!!”

At that moment, the north slope also echoed with a muntjac’s call.

“Wow!!”

Immediately, the muntjac on the south slope became agitated, clearly a male and female, both in heat and wanting to mate.

“This is a good opportunity.”

Lin Heng thought. When animals are in heat, they become less alert, focused on mating and less aware of their surroundings.

After walking about 700 meters, Lin Heng determined the muntjacs were close. He quietly hid in a bush, with Xiong Ba nearby.

There was no need to move now; they would wait for the muntjacs to appear.

The next few minutes were spent in quiet anticipation as the two muntjacs called for about 30-40 minutes before slowly getting closer.

“Hunting is really exhausting,” Lin Heng thought, feeling his legs go numb after squatting for over an hour.

He couldn’t understand why the male muntjac didn’t rush over to mate with the female. He briefly considered moving closer but repeatedly told himself to stay still, as moving now would be highly risky.

Fortunately, as someone who had lived through one life, Lin Heng had enough discipline to clear his mind and maintain his calm. He changed his posture and quietly waited.

As the sun finally set, leaving only the last rays of light, Lin Heng finally saw the muntjac’s silhouette.

It was a tall yellow muntjac, its smooth and shiny fur standing out. It had small horns on its head, occasionally glancing around while standing in the grass.

Lin Heng estimated it weighed about 40-50 kilograms, definitely a large prize.

The smooth fur would fetch a good price—around 120-130 for a full skin, and 50-60 for a smaller one.

This male muntjac was definitely an adult.

However, it was still too far to make a shot. Anything over 100 meters would be a guaranteed miss.

He wasn’t in a hurry, however. His mind was completely at peace, waiting for the muntjac to come closer. It was focused on mating, so it would be much less cautious.

“Wow!! Wow!!”

The call of the female muntjac echoed across the valley.

“Wow!!”

At that moment, the male muntjac’s eyes went wide with excitement, no longer wary. It leaped forward 20-30 meters, calling loudly.

The sky had darkened completely by the time they were calling at each other.

The female appeared first by the riverbed, with the male following, steadily moving forward. Soon, it passed by Lin Heng’s position, only about 30-40 meters away.

Lin Heng had cleverly positioned himself between the two muntjacs, a bit to the south, aligning himself in the line of their calls.

Crouching, Lin Heng slowly stood up. He felt the timing was perfect. Male animals in heat were often the most frantic, and he knew the male muntjac would be less aware of his surroundings in that state.

The male muntjac was entirely focused on mating, its attention to the environment all but gone.

Lin Heng drew his bow, aiming for the muntjac’s heart and lungs. He paused for three seconds and then released the arrow.

With a soft “thunk,” the arrow pierced through the leaves and struck the muntjac’s chest.

“Wow!!”

With a piercing cry, the muntjac turned and ran, but it only managed to run a few meters before collapsing to the ground.

“Woof woof!!”

Xiong Ba was the first to reach it, biting its neck.

By the time Lin Heng reached them, the muntjac was still coughing blood, its eyes reflecting a mix of fear and a desire to live.

Lin Heng shook his head. Without the female, it would have been much harder to get this close.

Before long, the muntjac died. Lin Heng closed its eyes, a look of joy on his face.

“This big muntjac definitely weighs 40-50 kilograms!”

Lin Heng patted Xiong Ba’s head in ecstatic joy.

“Awwoo~”

Xiong Ba licked the blood from the muntjac and kept eating without responding.

Lin Heng pulled the arrow out. The shot had entered the muntjac’s chest, piercing the lungs and probably the heart as well.

That’s why it died so quickly.

With the blood almost drained, Lin Heng shouldered the muntjac and began heading back to the shelter.

“Woof woof!!”

Xiong Ba proudly followed behind, head held high.

(End of Chapter)