The old man, with Lin Yu, continued their trek into the mountains, covering another five or six miles.
The mountain path was rugged and difficult. It took them nearly two hours to cover those five or six miles.
Lin Yu had already scored some success. He carried a wild chicken and a wild rabbit on his waist, both hunted by him.
“Grandpa, we’ve been out for over two hours, it’s time to go back,” Lin Yu said, glancing at the sky.
The old man, raising his head to look at the sun’s position, replied, “Let’s go a little further, we’re not far.”
They walked another mile or so, and the old man brought Lin Yu to the foot of a mountain.
“See, if our villagers hunt large game and can't carry it back, they store it in this cave first,” the old man pointed to a cave entrance.
The entrance was blocked by a wooden barrier made from arm-thick logs, secured by several stones.
Following the old man's instructions, Lin Yu moved the wooden barrier aside and entered the cave, shining his flashlight as he walked.
Upon entering the cave, Lin Yu immediately felt a wave of cool air. The deeper he ventured, the colder it became.
“There’s a straight spring inside this cave, it’s never dried up in all these years. It must connect to an underground river,” the old man explained.
“Back when the Japanese were running amok, stealing food and killing people, our village men hid their grain in this cave. My grandpa and I, along with the village lads, fought those devils.”
“If we could, we fought. If not, we ran into the mountains. We went thirty miles deeper, to another big cave. That cave saved our whole village back then.”
As Lin Yu followed the old man deeper into the cave, his heart began to race with unease.
The entrance was quite narrow, just over a meter wide. But the space gradually opened up the further they went.
Lin Yu and the old man had now walked thirty meters, and the cave had expanded to about 200 square meters.
Seeing goosebumps forming on his arms, Lin Yu guessed the temperature inside must be below ten degrees.
No wonder they could store grain here. Outside, it was the hottest part of summer, over thirty degrees. But inside, it was this cool, even meat could be preserved for a few days.
At fifty meters, they reached the end of the cave. Lin Yu finally saw the spring.
A two-meter square pool, with a fist-sized spring bubbling ceaselessly in the center.
What was astonishing was that the water level in the pool seemed to maintain an equilibrium with the flow of the spring.
“Don’t be curious, kid. There’s enough water in the pool, the spring won’t overflow,” the old man said.
“Remember, back in the thirties, there was a terrible drought, so many people died. Our Miao Shan villages survived thanks to this spring.”
“Kid, if you hunt a big animal and can’t carry it down, or you can't get back at night, you can spend the night here. But you must make sure to protect this spring.”
Many hunters in the mountains, if they hunted a large animal they couldn’t carry down, would either butcher it on the mountain, hanging the meat on a tree, or storing it in a cave, returning later for it themselves or to fetch help.
“Don’t worry, Grandpa, I understand the rules of the mountains.” Lin Yu nodded.
The old man smiled, patting his grandson on the shoulder, “Let’s go, go home. If we’re too late, your grandma will scold us.”
The grandfather and grandson exited the cave, calling back Tiger, who was frolicking in the bushes.
The two, accompanied by their dog, began their descent.
“Woof…Woof…” Not far from the cave, Tiger’s front paws lowered, body crouched, and his teeth bared, as he growled fiercely at a bush.
“Ha, looks like we’ve hit the jackpot! Kid, get back a bit,” the old man said, aiming his gun at the bush.
Lin Yu squinted at the bushes, his enhanced hearing from the system picking up the wild boar’s grunts.
Lin Yu silently shouldered his Jianwei rifle. His hands flashed at his waist, two Colt Python revolvers appearing.
“Grandpa, it’s a wild boar. It sounds like a big sow with piglets,” Lin Yu said, aiming his pistols at the bushes.
The old man saw the revolvers in Lin Yu’s hands. He showed a hint of surprise, but didn’t ask any questions.
“Kid, shoot the sow first, otherwise, she’ll protect her cubs and go for us.”
“Got it, Grandpa.”
“Tiger, go!” Seeing Lin Yu ready, the old man yelled at Tiger.
“Woof…” Tiger darted towards the bush like a shadow.
The four-eyed dog, known for its hunting prowess, was clever despite its ferocious charge.
As Tiger approached the bush, the wild boar’s grunts became louder. Tiger quickly circled around and ran back towards the old man.
The wild boar in the bush, startled by Tiger, rushed out.
Breathing heavily, emitting grunts, it lowered its head and charged at Tiger.
“Bang…Bang Bang.” Three gunshots rang out.
The wild boar fell instantly.
The grandfather and grandson remained vigilant, cautiously moving toward the wild boar.
“Holy cow, kid, what kind of gun do you have? The boar’s head is smashed in!”
They had now reached the wild boar and could finally relax.
The old man approached the boar and poked it with his gun’s bayonet.
One shot to the head, one to the heart, and another that struck the boar’s spine, shattering it.
The heart shot was the old man’s. He was positioned directly in front of the boar.
The boar facing the old man was essentially an open target. For an experienced hunter like him, hitting the heart in such a situation was standard practice.
The rifle’s powerful penetration blasted straight through the boar, the bullet exiting from the side.
The brutal shots to the head and spine, however, could only have been inflicted by Lin Yu’s Colt Pythons.