sjar Chapter 421 Wolf dung is a good thing
Chapter 421 Wolf dung is a good thing
The fox has disappeared.
Not only the cunning three-legged fox, but also the two large foxes, one big and one small, that were closely accompanying it on its left and right sides, like guardian deities, seemed to have blended into the night and disappeared without a trace.
Old Chen and Old Jiang exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with astonishment. Before they could even make out what was happening, the scene had already vanished in an instant.
Holding binoculars, Chen Xiangqian's eyes shone brightly as he took in the entire scene. He suddenly shouted, "Look! The fox has become a spirit! It just vanished into thin air! It really has become a spirit!"
His shout was like a thunderclap, making the hunters, who were already terrified from hunting foxes, even more frightened. A chill rose from their spines and shot straight to their heads; their hair stood on end, cold sweat poured down their backs, and even the soles of their feet felt as if they were being invaded by ice and snow, exuding an indescribable coldness.
"This...is unlikely, isn't it?" someone muttered to themselves, trying to dispel the fear in their heart.
“But what we’re seeing right now is just like the legendary red fox coming to life…” another person chimed in, their voice trembling slightly.
"There really is such a thing as a red fox becoming a spirit? That's unbelievable!"
"It really is a ghost story, but if you ask me, this place is an old mining area, and there have been a lot of strange things here. Otherwise, how could there be a mine collapse in the old mining area, so many people dying here, and a graveyard?"
As darkness fell, the hunting dogs sniffed the surrounding area intently. Big Tiger looked frustrated, sniffing the air, determined to find the fox.
Hua'er and Lao Jiang, along with their lead dogs, sniffed the ground. Several hunters, each leading a nimble lead dog, moved through the night, their noses pressed against the damp earth, greedily capturing every faint scent. However, no matter how hard these two keen-nosed "vanguards" tried, the cunning fox's tracks vanished like morning mist, leaving no trace.
Old Jiang spat and cursed, "Damn it, are we possessed by some evil spirit today? This fox seems to have vanished into thin air."
Just then, Li Ju'an, holding a dim beam of flashlight, slowly swept the long-silent graves in the old work area. Suddenly, his voice broke the silence of the night: "Look, the fox must have sneaked into this graveyard!"
Upon hearing this, the hunters quickly gathered around, their eyes filled with a mixture of curiosity and predatory desire. Old Jiang swiftly activated the searchlight above his head, its intense beam piercing deep into the graveyard like a sharp sword. Sure enough, in that land forgotten by time, there were caves of all sizes scattered throughout.
This area contains deep, dark tomb raiding tunnels, hastily dug refuges by weasels, and intricate paths left by other wild animals. There are also mounds of earth formed by termites nearby.
The mounds of earth and holes, rising and falling, are densely packed together, one after another, making them really hard to find.
Old Jiang sighed and said, "That's fate. I was wondering why there are so many sly foxes in the old work area, trying to come here and pick up a bargain."
Old Chen shook his head slightly, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes, and said slowly, "There's no such thing as a free lunch. There are plenty of hunters in the mountains, why would they need a few more like us? There are foxes here but no one hunts them, isn't it because they're hard to hunt?"
If you were to ask where the most fox dens were concentrated in these mountains, it would undoubtedly be this area of the old work district. Even when Old Chen stole half a day of leisure during his daily patrols, he would always find an opportunity to come here, just to catch a few foxes and exchange them for some good pelts. Just thinking about this would fill him with excitement.
Having identified the crux of the problem, the solution naturally became apparent. After a moment's thought, Old Jiang suggested, "Why don't we fill the cave with water? The ditch isn't far from here; we can fetch water and pour it into the cave."
"Yes, let's irrigate it. This area is close to the ditch, let's fetch water to irrigate it."
Generally, when a fox sneaks into its burrow, you can pour water into it.
Li Ju'an glanced around and said, "The ditch is far too, about three miles away. We came from that area, and by the time we ran back and forth, it would be dawn."
Old Jiang thought for a moment and said, "Smoking will do."
Several hunters began preparing a method of smoking the cave. Since they had no water to irrigate the cave, smoking was their only option.
The old cemetery was full of coffins, and the coffins were quite spacious. After rummaging around on the snow-covered slope, the group found a storage shed, which was probably a temporary lodging for nearby mountain people.
There was wormwood in the barn. Several people lit the wormwood on fire and began to gather broken planks from the barn to fan the flames and extinguish them.
After the open flame went out, thick smoke rose. Several people fanned the smoke a couple more times and put the wormwood into the opening of the grave mound to fumigate it.
After waiting for a while, Li Ju'an said, "You can't get the smoke out like this. Foxes will cover their noses with their tails when they smell smoke, so they won't be able to smell it."
Old Jiang was still a bit angry, feeling that the young man had humiliated him, and retorted, "How do you know you can't choke a fox?"
Li Ju'an laughed and said, "The smoke can't even choke a goat, let alone a fox!"
He watched the Sun family hunt foxes at the ranch. The fumes were so strong that everyone's eyes were filled with tears. Sun Quande and Sun Weimin coughed repeatedly, almost coughing up their throats, but it was no use.
The coffin was spacious, so flooding and smoking it out wouldn't work. Old Jiang was at his wit's end. Frustrated, he could only take a deep breath and, swallowing his pride, ask, "Little Li, what do you suggest we do?"
Li Ju'an asked, "Did you bring any seasonings?"
Some hunters would carry spice packets with them when they went out, for roasting meat or stewing, and for sleeping outdoors. The spice packets would contain chili powder.
Hunter Xiao Xu really brought chili powder. He handed over a packet of chili powder and said, "I brought Li Pao."
When Lao Jiang saw him shouting like that, he glared at him but didn't say anything. He watched as Li Ju'an took the chili powder.
Li Ju'an then said, "Give me some wolf dung."
Old Jiang couldn't hold back any longer and was really furious. He stood up and shouted, "Little Li, I'm calling you 'Cannon Head' out of respect, and you still ask me for wolf dung? Why don't you just say 'hunt a wolf'?"
Li Ju'an laughed and said, "I really want to go out and hunt wolves, but I can't find any. Wolves are very clever, and it's not like you can just find their footprints whenever you want."
Old Jiang was speechless for a long time after being rebuked, and said angrily, "Fine, fine, these young men nowadays all have their own ideas. We're old, useless now, you young people can do whatever you want."
He waved his hand and really didn't care anymore. He lay down in the barn, fully clothed, and went to sleep, telling Old Chen to light a campfire. The group planned to take out some dry rations they had with them, heat them on the side of the pot, and then tear the cornbread apart to eat.
Li Ju'an led Da Hu to look around the area. Under the light of the flashlight, they actually found a fire pit with dried and frozen wolf droppings next to it.
The wolf droppings had been there for who knows how long, frozen solid. The hunting dogs had to dig hard at the snow with their front paws to pull the droppings out, which were still stuck to the frozen ground.
Li Ju'an was delighted and said with surprise, "Here it comes! Wolf dung is a good thing. The smoke from burning wolf dung can seep into even the smallest cracks."