amaotonovel Chapter 433 That's really interesting.
Chapter 433 That's really interesting.
"We sprinkled chili powder? Who saw that? Don't make false accusations!"
The tall man's face turned ashen, his neck stiff, as he stubbornly argued.
Li Xiangyang scoffed, "Don't you know who did this? All the traps we painstakingly dug were filled in overnight, and covered in chili powder. If this wasn't your doing, did the wild boars in the mountains do it themselves?"
A pockmarked man standing next to the tall man forced a strained smile: "Brother Li, you can't just speculate about this. The people of Yangjia Village aren't that bored."
“Yes, we’re respectable hunters, we wouldn’t do such despicable things,” another tall, thin man chimed in.
Li Xiangyang didn't say anything more and turned back to continue processing the prey. Wang Ergou and Li Daqiang stared at each other warily, their hunting rifles half-raised, ready to deal with any unexpected situation.
Seeing that Li Xiangyang remained unmoved, a flash of resentment crossed the tall man's eyes, but he ultimately held back: "Just you wait, Li Xiangyang, just you wait! This isn't over!"
The hunters of Yangjia Village glared fiercely at Li Xiangyang and his group, their teeth clenched, yet they were helpless. Finally, the tall man uttered a harsh threat and left with his men.
Wang Ergou spat in the direction they left: "Pah! Sore losers!"
Li Xiangyang, however, remained calm, continuing to process the prey on the ground: "Ignore them, let's clean up the prey first."
The hunting party worked together to clean the entrails of the seven wild boars, strung them together with ropes, carried them on their shoulders, and began their journey home. Along the way, everyone was in high spirits, chatting and laughing.
"Xiangyang, look at that tall guy's face, it's turned green!" Li Daqiang laughed heartily. "Looks like we've finally gotten our revenge!"
Wang Ergou frowned: "But I have a feeling they won't let this go."
Li Xiangyang nodded: "They'll definitely retaliate. Next time we go to that mountain, there will definitely be many more traps."
"A trap?" Li Daqiang was taken aback. "Should we still go?"
"Go ahead, why wouldn't you?" Li Xiangyang's lips curled into a slight smile. "But we need to be more careful next time."
Back in the village, the hunting party's bountiful catch immediately drew cheers from the villagers. Seven wild boars, especially the large male boar weighing five or six hundred pounds, was considered a rare find in Xiaoliang Village.
Seeing the hunting team returning laden with their spoils, Zheng Dehou grinned from ear to ear: "Great! This was truly a bumper harvest!"
The villagers gathered around, chattering amongst themselves about how to distribute the game. According to village custom, the game was first given to those who participated in the hunt, then to the elderly, the weak, the sick, and the disabled, and finally to the other villagers.
At home in the evening.
"So you went hunting in the mountains of Yangjia Village today?" Li Xiaoyun brought out a bowl of meat soup and gently placed it in front of Li Xiangyang.
Li Xiangyang nodded and told his wife about his experience that day in detail.
Li Xiaoyun frowned worriedly: "Aren't you making enemies of Yangjia Village? They won't let this go."
“I know.” Li Xiangyang took a sip of soup. “They sabotaged our traps last night, and today we’re going to hunt in their territory. We’ve already made enemies.”
"Will you go again next time?" Li Xiaoyun asked anxiously.
Li Xiangyang reassured his wife, holding her hand gently: "Go ahead, don't worry. At most, there will be more traps in the mountains; just be careful. If we hunt openly and honestly, no one can say anything."
Li Xiaoyun sighed, gently stroking her pregnant belly: "Just be careful yourself. I can't be of much help in this state."
Looking at his wife's belly, Li Xiangyang's eyes were full of tenderness: "Your taking good care of yourself at home is the biggest help you can give me."
The next morning, Wang Ergou hurriedly arrived at Li Xiangyang's door.
"Brother Xiangyang! Are you up yet?" Wang Ergou shouted loudly in the yard.
Li Xiangyang opened the door and saw Wang Ergou looking anxious: "So early, what's wrong?"
"I just went up the mountain and saw that the people from Yangjia Village had indeed set up a lot of traps in the mountains! There were even some rope snares hanging from the trees. If you accidentally stepped on one, you would be hoisted up!" Wang Ergou said angrily.
Li Xiangyang wasn't surprised: "I guessed it. They would definitely do that."
"Are we still going or not?" Wang Ergou asked.
“Of course we’ll go,” Li Xiangyang said decisively. “But we need to find all their traps first, to avoid hurting our own people.”
Wang Ergou's eyes lit up: "Great idea! Let's memorize the location of the traps so we can avoid them next time we hunt!"
Li Xiangyang shook his head, a sly smile appearing on his face. "No, it's not just about avoiding them. We need to slightly change the location of the trap."
"Change? How do you change it?" Wang Ergou asked, puzzled.
"For example, you could move the noose to the side a little, or dig the trap deeper..." Li Xiangyang explained, "That way, they'll think they know the location of the trap, but before they know it, they'll fall into their own trap."
Wang Ergou immediately understood, a look of sudden realization spreading across his face: "Brilliant! This is called...this is called..."
"Trying to steal a chicken only resulted in losing the rice instead," Li Xiangyang said with a smile.
That afternoon, Li Xiangyang led his men and quietly went to the mountain forest in Yangjia Village.
The group, lightly equipped, moved nimbly through the mountains and forests, carefully searching for the traps set by the hunters of Yangjia Village.
“There’s one here!” Li Daqiang whispered, pointing to a well-disguised trap on the ground.
Li Xiangyang walked over and squatted down to examine it carefully. The trap wasn't dug very deep, and there were sharp wooden stakes stuck in the bottom; if someone stepped on it, they would definitely get injured.
"What a vicious method." Chen Chen frowned. "This is clearly an attempt to harm someone."
Li Xiangyang nodded and pulled a small shovel from his waist: "Come on, help them widen the trap and remove the wooden stakes."
The group worked together to widen the trap, removed the wooden stakes at the bottom, and then re-camouflaged it with branches and fallen leaves.
"That way, even if someone falls in, they'll only suffer minor injuries and won't be in mortal danger," Li Xiangyang explained.
Next, they found several more rope traps. These traps were even more insidious, as they involved people stepping on a mechanism on the ground, which would trigger the rope and suspend them in mid-air.
"What should we do with these rope loops?" Wang Ergou asked.
Li Xiangyang thought for a moment: "Move the snare a little further away from the mechanism. That way, when someone steps on the mechanism, the snare won't be able to reach them. Of course, we can't let them off so easily; if they like it, we'll make them a few more."
After working for most of the day, the group finally managed to tamper with all the traps in the mountains.
Before leaving, Li Xiangyang made some subtle marks in key locations so that his own people could avoid them next time they came.
On the way back to the village, Li Daqiang couldn't help but laugh, "It would be really interesting if the people of Yangjia Village fell into their own trap!"