Chapter 88: Hunting with Discretion
Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Hunting with Discretion
The Northern Forest had relatively abundant prey, but visibility was poor.
Spotting prey was the difficult part.
To the South was a wilderness with wide-open sightlines, but fewer Exotic Beasts.
Finding prey there wasn’t easy either.
’It’d be great if I had a hunting dog.’
"CAW CAW CAW!"
The Blood Crow cawed, hopping around in its cage.
"Hmm, or maybe you’ll do?"
Tang Wen went into the courtyard and opened the Blood Crow’s cage.
The Blood Crow spread its wings and flew into the sky, circled for a moment, then landed back on Tang Wen’s shoulder.
After some simple preparations, just like last year, Tang Wen exited the east gate and entered the forest.
The difference was, last year he had walked; now he was riding a horse.
A few minutes later, a group of club-wielding Scavengers trailed him into the forest.
Although they saw the blade on Tang Wen’s back.
They also understood that he might not be an easy target.
’But what’s there to be afraid of?’
’He’s just one person, and there are many of us!’
CLOP CLOP CLOP!
The horse broke into a trot, and Tang Wen shook off the pests tailing him.
But the faint hoofprints on the ground still pointed the Scavengers in the right direction.
No one would ride a horse through this forest for weeks at a time.
The warhorse ran for an hour, and the Scavengers behind him disappeared from sight.
’I’ve run this far. If those idiots still dare to follow, they really are asking to die.’
Tang Wen tied up his horse and gave his shoulder a slight shrug. The Blood Crow took flight. "Go on, find me some beasts."
FLAP FLAP FLAP.
As soon as he finished speaking, the Blood Crow spread its wings and flew north.
Tang Wen wandered around the area.
"CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP."
A familiar and endearing call rang out.
A warm smile touched the corners of Tang Wen’s lips. "Red-beaked Sparrows."
His gaze was affectionate as he looked at the five Red-beaked Sparrows, like an old farmer looking at a bountiful harvest.
He expertly pulled out a cobblestone and was about to throw it, but he stopped his hand midway, looked at the stone, and then lowered his arm.
The cobblestone was large and round, almost twice the size of a Red-beaked Sparrow.
’If I throw this, it feels a bit like bullying the weak.’
Besides, for some reason, he had rarely seen any Red-beaked Sparrows along the way.
’It feels cruel to just smash one.’
"Guess it’s your lucky day."
He continued wandering through the forest, searching for tracks of beasts.
"CAW CAW CAW."
The Blood Crow flew back, accurately locating its master.
THUD.
It loosened its claws.
A pinecone dropped to the ground.
Tang Wen didn’t pick it up. He patiently preened the Blood Crow’s feathers. "No pinecones. I want prey. Something that runs, something with meat."
As he spoke, he took out some Exotic Beast Jerky, broke it apart, and placed a small piece in his palm.
The Blood Crow pecked it up and swallowed it. Its small eyes darted around before it cawed and flew into the sky.
After a good while, Tang Wen still hadn’t seen the Blood Crow return.
He decided not to wait any longer, mounted his horse, and chased in the direction the Blood Crow had flown.
CAW CAW CAW!
The Blood Crow flew back.
It circled above Tang Wen’s head, squawking chaotically.
His Beast Taming Skill was still at the Beginner Level.
He could only guess. "Are you saying there’s something in that direction?"
CAW CAW CAW!
It was like a crow trying to talk to a person.
Tang Wen listened intently, trying to discern its meaning from the variations in its cawing.
’But this is harder than advanced calculus.’
After a while, he gave up. He beckoned for the Blood Crow to land on his shoulder and spurred his horse onward.
’If I can’t understand it, I’ll just go take a look.’
A horse couldn’t run fast in the forest.
About half an hour later, Tang Wen saw the silhouette of a building in the distance.
He was suddenly speechless. "You weren’t talking about this place, were you?"
"Caw."
The Blood Crow let out a single caw.
"Who goes there?"
A man on the stone wall shouted upon hearing the noise.
This was a sentinel post for the battalion.
Tang Wen urged his horse closer. "It’s me, Tang Wen."
"Tang Wen?"
"You’re Commander Tang Wen?"
Tang Wen revealed his Commander’s token and tossed it up to the top of the nearly ten-meter-high wall.
The man caught it cleanly.
The sentinel post before him had been built only recently.
It didn’t cover a large area, only a few hundred square meters, and was shaped like a trapezoid, wide at the base and narrow at the top.
Although it was ten meters high, aside from a few lookout posts, it didn’t even have a single window.
"Identity confirmed! It’s Commander Tang Wen! Open the gate!"
A loud shout came from the wall, immediately followed by a RATTLE RATTLE sound.
"Don’t bother."
The gate of the bunker-like structure was a giant stone slab that had to be hoisted with iron chains.
Opening it was a hassle; they were only doing it now as a sign of respect.
Tang Wen tied his horse to a tree, shouldered his bag, and with a burst of strength, leaped lightly into the air, tapping his toes against the wall.
He landed gracefully on the wall.
"What incredible skill!"
There were about a dozen men on the wall, a hunting team under the jurisdiction of the Inner City Hunting Battalion.
"Commander Tang Wen, your token."
The leader, Captain Tian, stepped forward to return the identity token.
They invited Tang Wen inside, curious about his reason for being there.
Hearing that Tang Wen was here to hunt, Captain Tian smiled. "There’s plenty of prey in this forest. We sometimes go out hunting ourselves to improve our rations. But you must be careful; this area is Silver Wolf territory. Also..."
At this point, Captain Tian hesitated.
After a pause, he said, "Try not to hunt the females."
Not hunting females was a hunting tradition.
But Tang Wen asked, "With the drought upon us, do we still care about that?"
Captain Tian spread his hands with a wry smile. "We have no choice. The Silver Wolves set the rules here. Even the other Exotic Beasts in the forest aren’t allowed to eat females."
"What?"
Tang Wen was astonished.
The members of the Hunting Team all chimed in to explain that the Silver Wolves liked to make a show of force, often herding their prey here to kill them.
They had seen it three or four times, and each time, the Silver Wolves would spare the females and the young.
"They certainly understand sustainable development," Tang Wen remarked, then asked, "They haven’t attacked?"
"No, the Silver Wolves are very smart. After we fought a battle last winter, we’ve had a non-aggression pact."
Captain Tian said seriously, "The Silver Wolves see this forest as their territory. Especially as the drought worsens, their range of activity is moving closer and closer to the outer edges of the forest. You must be extra careful when you’re hunting."
Even the most common Silver Wolf is on par with a Middle-level Exotic Beast.
Those that live a few more years often become High-level Exotic Beasts, equivalent to a human Martial Artist.
As for the Silver Wolf King, that’s another matter entirely. It’s a terrifying being that can control wind and ice.
Not even the Queen could kill it.
Tang Wen would be at a disadvantage against an ordinary Silver Wolf Pack by himself.
"I understand. But if you encounter danger, how do you evacuate?"
"You needn’t worry, my lord. We have a secret passage."
"That’s good."
He refilled his supply of clean water and didn’t linger.
Tang Wen sent the Blood Crow into the air and walked out of the sentries’ line of sight.
He immediately turned his horse around and galloped back in the direction he came from.
’Are you kidding me? Why would I stick around to compete with Silver Wolves for food?’
’I may be a grand Martial Artist, but I have no shame.’
’Can’t a Martial Artist run away?’
’When a Martial Artist runs, they’re much faster than ordinary people!’
"Giddy-up!"
Tang Wen crouched low on the horse’s back to dodge branches, spurring it on.
’Things are different now. The forest isn’t a good place for hunting anymore. I’d be better off in the wilderness.’
Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed in front of the horse. With a BANG, it was sent flying by the impact and crashed against a waist-high rock.
Red and white matter splattered everywhere.
"A dumb roe deer. An unexpected prize?"
There was a patch of tender grass on the ground, with clear bite marks on it.
The roe deer had been grazing here, got spooked, and dashed its brains out.
Tang Wen dismounted, picked it up, and smiled in satisfaction. "With this, I haven’t come back empty-handed. So what if this is Silver Wolf territory? As if that could stop this Commander from hunting?"
"AWOOOO!"
A roar sounded from behind him.
CAW CAW CAW!
The Blood Crow flapped its wings, shot into the sky, and flew straight toward the outpost.
’Silver Wolf!’
Tang Wen’s expression changed. He couldn’t afford to pay attention to anything else as he vaulted onto his horse and galloped away madly!
’This isn’t fear,’ he thought. ’It’s just avoiding a pointless fight.’