Li Chen handed the heavy crossbow to Hou Xiaobai and took the hunting bow for himself.
He gave the hunting knife to Liu Chenxu.
As for Zhao Dashi, he was made to carry a coil of rope on his back, along with a short spear, and he also carried a large machete to clear the way.
With that, the four-man team headed up the mountain.
Since the tiger and the leopard had both been killed, the wild animals in the mountains had gradually returned.
Along the way, Li Chen showed them what it truly meant to hit a target at 100 meters with unerring precision.
There was simply no missed shot.
Whether it was something flying in the sky, perched on a branch, or running on the ground, as long as Li Chen spotted it, he did not even bother with the crossbow. The moment he drew his hunting bow, the prey would fall.
This kind of hunting was almost too easy. It felt more like a leisurely trip into the mountains.
There was barely any technical challenge to it.
But when it came to Hou Xiaobai and the others taking their turn, the difference was enormous.
Hou Xiaobai shot five arrows and only hit once. Fortunately, he managed to shoot a rabbit.
Liu Chenxu fared worse. He missed all five shots and spent nearly half an hour just retrieving his arrows.
As for Zhao Dashi, he stared with wide eyes and flailed his arms awkwardly before simply giving up.
This was not work suited to him.
Li Chen’s archery left the three younger brothers utterly convinced. Their admiration for him had reached its peak.
The four of them walked and stopped along the way. Before they knew it, they had entered the deep mountains.
After sitting down to rest for a while, each of them ate two mixed-grain steamed buns they had brought and then continued deeper into the forest.
This time, Li Chen intended to hunt larger prey.
It was already past midday and approaching early afternoon.
In the depths of the mountains, dense forests layered upon one another, and the paths were treacherous. Only the occasional animal trail was barely passable.
Zhao Dashi put his brute strength to full use, swinging the large machete wildly and carving out a path through sheer force.
As they walked, Li Chen suddenly seemed to hear something. He raised his fist and pressed his hand down on Zhao Dashi, who was still hacking away at the brush.
Li Chen had already explained these tactical hand signals earlier. The three of them understood instantly and crouched down. Under Li Chen’s lead, they lowered their bodies and slipped forward through gaps in the bushes.
Then the four of them saw, in a clearing among the pine trees ahead, more than a dozen deer of varying sizes leisurely grazing.
It was a tremendous surprise.
“If we can take down a few big deer, we’ll strike it rich,” Zhao Dashi licked his lips and stared excitedly at the herd.
“With Brother Chen’s archery, we can take at least five or six,” Hou Xiaobai whispered eagerly.
“Five or six? No… we’re taking them all,” Li Chen said with a faint smile.
“What?” The three of them were stunned. Was that even possible?
Li Chen turned to Liu Chenxu and asked with a testing tone, “If we want to catch all these deer and bring them back, Chenxu, what method can you think of?”
Liu Chenxu hesitated for a moment before speaking cautiously, “Brother Chen, I have some ideas. If I’m wrong, don’t laugh at me. The pine clearing ahead is open on all sides, but the left side is a mountain wall. They won’t escape that way, so only the west, north, and south are possible routes. If Dashi and I sneak in from the west and north and deliberately startle the herd, they’ll only be able to flee south. We try to keep them running in a straight line. Xiaobai’s archery is decent, and you’re unmatched. Xiaobai can strike first to drive them toward you. With your accuracy and Xiaobai’s close-range shots, in the best-case scenario, it might actually work.”
“Encircle on three sides and leave one route open, layer after layer of ambush. Not bad,” Li Chen nodded, his impression of Liu Chenxu rising again.
This boy truly had the makings of a commander.
“I read about this kind of pocket tactic in a military book at home. I thought it might work,” Liu Chenxu said, scratching his head with a grin, slightly embarrassed by the praise.
“But what I want is to capture them all alive,” Li Chen said slowly, his gaze fixed on the herd.
“All alive?” The three of them were stunned again.
“Alright, follow my instructions. I’ll explain the tactics now… no, let’s call it task assignment.”
Li Chen lowered his voice and outlined his plan. The three listened with wide eyes. Could this really work?
Soon, they dispersed to carry out their assigned tasks.
Meanwhile, the sika deer continued grazing leisurely, nibbling at tender leaves, unaware that danger was quietly closing in.
Just as they were eating, Liu Chenxu and Hou Xiaobai suddenly appeared from the west and north almost at the same time, rushing toward them and shouting loudly to frighten the timid animals.
Startled, the herd panicked. Under the lead of the strongest stag, they instinctively fled south.
However, they had not run far when the leading stag suddenly stumbled and fell heavily to the ground.
Li Chen had set a deer-tripping rope along their inevitable escape route, hidden at grass height of about 1 meter. It worked perfectly.
Three large does behind the stag were tripped almost simultaneously.
The deer behind them had no time to react. Four or five of them collided and fell in a heap.
The remaining deer leapt aside, but just as they did, Li Chen, who had been concealed in the grass, sprang up.
He fired the crossbow first, shooting clean through the hind leg of one deer and bringing it down instantly.
Then he slung the crossbow over his back, drew his hunting bow, and moved with lightning speed. Six arrows flew in rapid succession, each piercing the front or hind legs of six different deer and knocking them to the ground.
While he was shooting, Zhao Dashi had already charged into the herd. With the rope he had prepared, he tackled the dazed stag and swiftly bound its two hind legs together.
Binding the stag was his task. With his strength, he could handle it alone.
Then he lunged onto another deer and tied its hind legs as well.
Hou Xiaobai and Liu Chenxu rushed in to help, working together to bind the fallen deer.
But two deer that had not been shot had regained their senses. They shook their heads, struggled to their feet, and tried to flee. The three of them had no time to tie them.
At that moment, Li Chen had already reloaded the crossbow. With a sharp twang, one arrow pierced through the hind leg of a deer.
He reloaded again and fired another arrow, bringing down the last one.
“Brother Chen is mighty!” the boys shouted excitedly, pumping their fists.
They had never imagined that with Brother Chen leading them, everything could become so simple. Not only had they captured the herd, they had even taken so many deer alive.
If they brought them back and raised them in enclosures, letting them breed generation after generation, it would be an endless source of prosperity for their descendants.