Qin Ming had watched a number of documentaries about bears in his previous life.
Based on what he remembered, a black bear’s territory usually covered one to two hundred square kilometers.
A female bear raising cubs, however, generally stayed within a much smaller range, often no more than a dozen square kilometers.
Under normal circumstances, black bears preferred deep forests far removed from human habitation and rarely ventured into areas where people lived.
Yet within the span of a single month, Mu Family Stockade had suffered multiple incidents involving a black bear attacking people.
That suggested a strong possibility.
The bear was likely a female, and its den was probably not far from the village.
For the entire afternoon, Qin Ming searched the foothills near the stockade.
By the time the sun was beginning to set, he still hadn’t found any trace of the bear.
Then, just as he stopped beneath a tree and took out some dried food for a short rest, something caught his eye.
In the distance, beneath a rocky outcrop, was a dark cave entrance.
Judging from its size, it was certainly not the den of a small animal.
Loose dirt and scattered stones surrounded the opening.
The moment he spotted what looked like a bear’s den, Qin Ming gripped the mountain-cleaving axe strapped to his back and carefully moved closer.
Suddenly, he noticed a series of clear paw prints in an exposed patch of muddy ground.
From their size, they could only belong to a bear.
Nearby trees were covered in claw marks.
Black bears often treated trees like practice targets.
They would strike trunks with their forelegs, almost like practicing martial arts, sharpening their claws and strengthening their limbs.
After confirming this was indeed part of the bear’s territory, Qin Ming felt his heartbeat quicken.
One major reason ancient hunters found bears so difficult to kill was their incredibly thick hides.
Ordinary arrows often failed to penetrate a bear’s tough skin.
At close range, matters became even worse.
A bear’s speed and strength far surpassed those of a human.
But Qin Ming was different.
He could draw a two-stone bow.
He possessed heavy arrows specifically designed for tremendous killing power.
Combined with his exceptional archery skills, he was confident he could bring the beast down.
After calming himself, he began carrying out the plan he had devised earlier.
Since the bear was not hibernating, approaching too close to the cave would be extremely dangerous.
Instead, Qin Ming climbed a large tree several dozen meters uphill from the cave entrance.
Beneath the tree, he fashioned a snare from hemp rope.
In truth, he knew the snare would never fully restrain a bear.
Its purpose was simply to slow the animal down.
Bears could climb trees, but not very efficiently.
Their tremendous weight made them relatively slow climbers.
That would give Qin Ming enough time to react.
At this distance, the moment the bear emerged from the cave, he would have a clear shot.
Even if he missed, the bear would likely rush toward him.
Once entangled by the snare and slowed for even a brief moment, Qin Ming was confident he could kill it with a heavy arrow.
And if the bear somehow survived even that…
Then he would have no choice but to finish the battle at close quarters with the mountain-cleaving axe.
Thunk!
After completing his preparations, Qin Ming picked up a stone and hurled it toward the cave entrance.
Although black bears had relatively poor eyesight, their hearing was extremely sharp.
Even while resting inside a cave, they could hear footsteps from dozens or even hundreds of meters away.
Yet when the stone struck near the entrance, nothing happened.
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
Qin Ming threw every stone he had collected.
Still no response.
After waiting a while longer and hearing absolutely nothing, he finally climbed down from the tree.
With the heightened senses he now possessed, he could hear the sound of a grasshopper hopping more than ten meters away.
At this point, he was fairly certain there was no animal inside the cave.
Carrying his axe, Qin Ming approached the entrance.
The opening was triangular in shape and roughly one meter high.
The rocks around it had been worn smooth and shiny from years of something large passing in and out.
Carefully creeping forward, he raised the axe and peered inside.
The cave was pitch-black.
A strong animal odor drifted out.
After confirming there was no bear within, Qin Ming felt a wave of disappointment.
Nighttime in the mountains was cold, damp, and filled with insects, snakes, and countless other dangers.
It wasn’t a place where one could linger for long.
Moreover, he had spent the entire afternoon traversing rough terrain and was beginning to feel fatigued.
With the sun nearly set, Qin Ming memorized the location of the cave and decided to leave.
Fortunately, it wasn’t far from Mu Family Stockade.
Feeling somewhat discouraged, he began the journey back.
…
“Master Qin, how did it go?”
As soon as he reached the village entrance, he saw the village head and several villagers approaching with torches in hand, their faces full of anticipation.
“I spent the day searching the mountains but found no sign of the bear.”
“Oh…”
The villagers immediately looked disappointed.
“I’ll head into the mountains earlier tomorrow. I should be able to find the beast then.”
“No matter.”
The elderly village head forced a smile.
“Come to my house. Dinner has already been prepared.”
“Alright.”
Qin Ming did not refuse.
He followed the old man toward the village.
“Father, we slaughtered our chickens just to put together this meal, and he didn’t even catch anything…”
The village head’s son muttered quietly behind them.
“Silence!”
The old man immediately scolded him.
“Do you think killing a bear is easy?”
The young man lowered his head but still looked dissatisfied.
“What a waste of excitement. I thought the hunter sent by the magistrate would at least have some skill. Turns out he’s just here for free food.”
“Exactly. We pooled money from the entire village to prepare all this meat and wine.”
“One man trying to kill a bear? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“I said it from the start. What hunter uses arrows that large? How could anyone even shoot them? He’s obviously just putting on a show to scam us out of food and money.”
The murmurs spread among the villagers.
Although they stood several meters away, Qin Ming could hear every word clearly.
He paid them little attention.
After all, people needed to eat.
And regardless of the outcome, he had spent the entire day searching the mountains.
His failure was due to bad luck, not laziness.
Just as he was about to follow the village head into the settlement, a panicked shout suddenly rang out from outside.
“Help! The black bear killed the ox!”
The moment those words were heard, everyone’s expressions changed dramatically.
“Dahei!”
The village head’s son instantly lost control and sprinted toward the source of the cry.
“Don’t go out there! It’s dangerous!”
The old village head shouted desperately as his son ran beyond the stockade’s gates.
Dahei was the village head’s ox.
In fact, it was the only ox in the entire settlement.
In ancient times, an ox was one of the most valuable forms of agricultural property.
There was a saying:
“Farming depends upon the ox, whose contributions benefit all under heaven.”
The imperial government strictly prohibited the unauthorized slaughter of working cattle.
In rural communities, oxen were treasured above almost everything else.
Without them, farming became incredibly difficult.
Their importance could hardly be overstated.
That was why, upon hearing that the ox had been killed by the black bear, the village head’s son had rushed out without a second thought, completely disregarding the danger.