It was well past midnight before the two of them, completely exhausted, finally drifted off to sleep.
When Qin Ming woke the next morning, he discovered that Fan Niang was no longer beside him.
Creak.
The door opened, and Fan Niang walked in carrying breakfast. Her steps were noticeably unsteady.
“Fan Niang, let me help!”
Qin Ming immediately jumped out of bed.
The moment his feet touched the floor, however, he felt a cool breeze below and realized he wasn’t wearing any trousers. He hurriedly grabbed them and put them on.
“Husband, breakfast is ready. I also prepared some dried food for you to take into the mountains.”
Fan Niang instinctively glanced over, and a faint blush appeared on her face.
No matter what, the young couple had now truly become husband and wife.
Seeing the discomfort in the way she walked filled Qin Ming with guilt.
He had indeed been a little too rough the night before. Had he been gentler, Fan Niang would not be suffering like this.
Yet judging from her expression, the young woman still seemed quietly happy.
Qin Ming could only set those thoughts aside.
As a man, his most urgent responsibility was earning enough money to support his family.
After breakfast, he gathered his equipment and set out.
According to the information provided by County Clerk Qian Jiang, his first destination was Mu Family Stockade, located more than ten li from Qin Family Village.
A little over a month ago, this settlement, nestled against the edge of the vast mountain forests, had suffered repeated attacks from a black bear.
The attacks had even claimed lives.
According to Qian Jiang, the beast had descended from the mountains three times.
Countless livestock had been killed or injured.
More horrifying still, two villagers had died in its jaws, while three others suffered severe injuries.
Fear spread through the settlement like a plague.
Now, after nightfall, the residents of Mu Family Stockade scarcely dared light a single lamp, afraid of attracting the deadly predator.
The entire village was shrouded in a suffocating atmosphere of silence and dread.
Riding his horse along the winding mountain path, Qin Ming headed toward the stockade.
The sound of hooves echoed clearly through the quiet valley.
Before long, the settlement came into view.
Compared to Qin Family Village, Mu Family Stockade was smaller, housing roughly a hundred families.
The homes were built along a steep hillside, most of them little more than simple mud-and-thatch huts.
A low fence made of thick wooden logs surrounded the settlement.
Several sections showed obvious signs of recent repairs.
Qin Ming pulled his horse to a stop outside the gate and called out loudly,
“Is anyone there? I’m a hunter sent by the county yamen!”
After quite some time, the tightly shut gate finally opened.
An elderly man with white hair and a deeply worried expression emerged, accompanied by several other elderly villagers and women who looked equally frightened.
“Y… you’re the hunter sent by the government to kill the bear?”
The old man looked Qin Ming up and down.
His eyes were filled with disbelief and even greater concern.
“That’s right, Elder. My name is Qin Ming. I’m a hunter from Qin Family Village.”
Qin Ming dismounted and did his best to appear calm and dependable.
“Just you?”
The old man stood on tiptoe and looked hopefully beyond Qin Ming.
“Where are the others? The government men are coming behind you, aren’t they?”
“It’s only me. No one else.”
Qin Ming smiled and shook his head while tying his horse to a wooden post.
The moment those words left his mouth, the expressions of the gathered villagers became even more troubled.
The old man’s brows knitted tightly together.
“Young man! That black blind bear isn’t something to joke about!”
His voice rose with anxiety.
“It weighs at least four or five hundred jin. Its hide is so thick it’s like iron armor! Even a dozen strong men armed with spears and clubs might not be able to bring it down!”
He lowered his voice, fear evident in his eyes.
“And that beast is cunning. It appears and disappears through the forest like a ghost. We’ve organized search parties several times and still haven’t even found its den.”
“The mountains aren’t home to just that bear, either. There are wolf packs and wild boars everywhere. Danger lurks around every corner.”
“If you go in alone, forget hunting the bear. Coming back alive and in one piece would already be a blessing from the Mountain God.”
“Please don’t worry, Elder.”
Qin Ming spoke firmly, trying to ease their concerns.
“I’ve followed my father through these mountains since childhood. Hunting in the wilderness is how I make my living. I know how to deal with these animals.”
He patted the axe at his waist and the horn bow on his back.
“Then have you ever hunted a bear before? Or at least a large wild boar?”
The old man asked eagerly.
That was the true measure of a hunter’s skill.
Qin Ming fell silent for a moment before honestly shaking his head.
“No. I’ve never hunted a bear.”
“…”
The crowd immediately sank into a heavy silence.
Disappointment and fear spread through the room.
Several villagers had already begun shaking their heads and sighing.
“All I need is for you to tell me where the bear usually comes down from the mountains, how large it is, and to lend me a few tools.”
Qin Ming went straight to the point.
“Come inside. We’ll talk in detail.”
Seeing that Qin Ming had no intention of changing his mind, the old Village Head led him into a house.
There, Qin Ming sat down and spoke face-to-face with several villagers.
Only then did he learn the full story.
A little over a month ago, most of the villagers had been working in the fields.
Only women, children, and the elderly remained in the settlement.
A black bear had suddenly wandered into the village.
At first, no one realized the beast had entered.
Then a child’s heart-wrenching screams echoed through the settlement.
The villagers who rushed over were horrified by what they saw.
The black bear had a child in its jaws.
The child’s body had already been torn apart beyond recognition.
Enraged, the villagers grabbed whatever farm tools they could find and attacked the beast.
The outcome was disastrous.
The child could not be saved.
Two villagers died, and four more were seriously injured.
After that, the bear continued to harass the settlement repeatedly.
Although it no longer attacked people, it killed and injured large numbers of livestock.
Left with no other choice, the villagers appealed to the authorities for help.
That was the reason the county had issued the reward for the bear’s death.
“If you truly manage to kill this beast, then you will be the great benefactor of Mu Family Stockade.”
The elderly Village Head spoke solemnly before everyone present.
“We will certainly reward you generously. And if you ever face difficulties in the future, our village will do everything in its power to help. We will not break our word.”
“We can discuss that later.”
Qin Ming waved his hand.
“What I need right now is your assistance.”
“Just name it, Master Qin.”
“Prepare some snares for me. I’ll also need a few helpers.”
The old Village Head immediately looked troubled.
“Master Qin, there aren’t many able-bodied men left in the village…”
He sighed heavily.
“The court has been conscripting soldiers year after year. Most men over seventeen have already been taken away. What’s left are children and old men like us.”
“I’m not asking anyone to accompany me into the mountains.”
Qin Ming smiled.
“I only need people to help transport the bear to the county once it’s dead.”
“That’s no problem at all!”
The old man immediately slapped his chest.
“If you kill that monster, forget carrying the bear. We’d gladly carry you all the way to the county town with drums and gongs leading the procession!”
Qin Ming chuckled.
“Good. Then prepare some rope for me. I need it to make snares.”
“Master Qin, you’re planning to trap the bear?”
“That’s right.”
The old man had not yet replied when a boy of fourteen or fifteen standing behind him suddenly spoke up.
“Have you actually hunted before? I’ve heard of trapping rabbits and pheasants, but who’s ever heard of trapping a bear?”
“And that thing weighs at least four or five hundred jin. An ordinary rope would snap the moment it pulled!”
As soon as the boy finished speaking, many of the villagers began shaking their heads as well.
“Mu An, enough!”
The old Village Head immediately scolded him.
“Everyone, get outside!”
The villagers obediently left the room.
Once they were gone, the old man turned back to Qin Ming.
“Please don’t take offense. That was my youngest son. He doesn’t understand proper manners yet.”
He smiled apologetically.
“If you need anything else, we’ll do our best to provide it.”
“One more thing. There’s no guarantee I’ll find the bear today.”
Qin Ming said.
“I may have to stay around your village for a night or two.”
“Please don’t worry.”
The old Village Head nodded immediately.
“We’ll prepare extra provisions for you. If you return late, you can stay at my home. There will be food and drink waiting. You won’t be neglected.”
“Good. Then make the preparations.”
Qin Ming nodded.
Soon afterward, the villagers prepared another bundle of dried food and a coil of rope for him.
After receiving the rope, Qin Ming finally headed into the mountains.
A horn bow.
A mountain-cleaving axe.
Three bloodletting arrows.
Two heavy arrows.
And more than ten meters of hemp rope.
Altogether, the equipment weighed over forty jin.
For an ordinary person, carrying such a burden while climbing through mountain terrain would have been exhausting.
But for the current Qin Ming, it barely slowed him down.
He moved through the forest with ease.
Not long after entering the woods, he spotted a pheasant.
Under normal circumstances, he could have killed it effortlessly.
This time, however, he was carrying only equipment intended for hunting large beasts.
There was no point wasting heavy arrows on a pheasant.
Besides, hunting rabbits and pheasants no longer meant much to him.
If he wanted to earn one hundred taels of silver within the remaining three days, only prey like black bears or tigers could solve his current predicament.
The problem was that, finding a man-eating black bear somewhere within the endless mountain wilderness…
Was no different from searching for a needle in the ocean.