The saying that hunting a Black Bear in its den meant putting your life on the line was no exaggeration.

Li Baoyu was brave, with the kind of reckless courage of a newborn calf that doesn’t fear a tiger. But during the fight at Big Stone Cliff that day, a single roar from the bear had been enough to strike terror into his heart.

But hunting a Black Bear in its den meant you had to rely on sheer grit, swinging an axe at its head. Just how much courage did that take?

Relying on just two wooden poles to pin the Black Bear’s head, one wrong move and you’d likely meet your end right there.

Besides, he had heard many stories about old-time Mountain Runners who had lost their lives hunting Black Bears in their dens.

So, when Zhao Jun said he was going to help Li Dachen and Li Erchen hunt the Black Bear in its den, Li Baoyu thought he was completely insane.

"Brother, that’s no joke!"

"I know what I’m doing."

Zhao Jun turned to head into the mountains, but Li Baoyu quickly called out to stop him. "Brother, I’m going with you!"

"Don’t come with me. Take the dogs and go home!" Zhao Jun said, turning back to Li Baoyu. "I’m not getting involved. I’m just going to watch the show."

"This..." Hearing that Zhao Jun was just going to watch, Li Baoyu calmed down a little. But then he suddenly had the idea to go watch the show with him.

After all, he’d never seen a Black Bear hunted in its den and was incredibly curious.

Having been brothers for two lifetimes, how could Zhao Jun not know what he was thinking? He waved his hands dismissively. "Hurry up and get the dogs back home. If you don’t, they’ll charge in and get hurt."

"You never let me watch when something exciting happens..." Li Baoyu couldn’t help but grumble.

It took a lot of convincing, but Zhao Jun finally persuaded Li Baoyu to leave.

Only after watching Li Baoyu lead the three dogs away did Zhao Jun follow the footprints Li Dachen and Li Erchen had left in the snow, heading deeper into the mountains.

In truth, he knew better than anyone how dangerous it was to hunt a Black Bear in its den, but he still wanted to help the Li Brothers.

That’s right. He had to help.

In his memories, this was the very hunt where Li Erchen failed and had the left side of his face mauled by the Black Bear.

So why did Zhao Jun want to help Li Erchen?

The reason was simple: he owed him a debt from his past life.

In his previous life, Zhao Jun’s destitution had been his own fault. Li Erchen’s, however, was because the Black Bear had ruined his face, and he never managed to marry.

In his last life, at his lowest point, Zhao Jun had worked with Li Erchen, hauling bricks on a construction site.

Just when Zhao Jun had wanted to return to his hometown, it was Li Erchen who had scraped together the money for his travel fare. It was only five hundred yuan, but Zhao Jun hadn’t been able to pay it back before his rebirth.

It wasn’t that he deliberately refused to repay the debt; he was just flat broke. He truly had no money.

Poverty crushes ambition. It was a helpless situation.

Since his rebirth, Zhao Jun had felt a faint, unshakable certainty that he had severed all ties with his past life and could never go back.

But a debt of gratitude had to be repaid!

Zhao Jun casually chopped down a small tree by the path, stripped the trunk smooth, and mounted his Invasion Blade onto it. He hefted the makeshift polearm and continued up the mountain.

...

A massive Daqing poplar, so thick it would take three people to encircle it, stood there. About a meter and a half off the ground, there was a large hollow. White frost clung to the edges of the opening.

The frost was a clear sign that a living creature was breathing inside.

Below the Daqing poplar, two men were busy at work within a ten-meter radius. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Li Dachen swung a Large Axe, clearing the dead branches and vines from around the base of the Daqing poplar.

Li Erchen gathered dry branches and built a bonfire about fifteen meters south of the tree.

Li Dachen stomped back and forth with his feet, packing down the snow to create a flat path between the Daqing poplar and the bonfire.

Meanwhile, Li Erchen selected a large Da Hong pine south of the fire. He was clearing the area around it, sweeping away dead branches and vines and packing down the surrounding snow.

Then, the two brothers worked together to flatten the snow between the bonfire and the Da Hong pine.

These were the essential preparations before hunting a Black Bear in its den.

What they were about to do was so dangerous that they had to prepare an escape route in advance.

A Black Bear may not be fast, but that’s relative. It’s slower than a dog, and slower than a wild boar.

But compared to a human, it’s not slow at all.

If you try to run away in a straight line, the bear would catch you in just a few steps. And if it sat on you with its massive rump, you’d be utterly helpless.

So how were you supposed to run?

In circles!

You run in circles.

If the attempt to kill the Black Bear failed and it charged one of them, that person could run circles around the bonfire.

The other man could then seize the opportunity to intervene. The Black Bear would switch targets and chase him instead, and he could lead it in circles around the Da Hong pine.

By taking turns drawing the Black Bear’s attack and helping each other, they might have a chance to escape unscathed.

That’s right. In a situation like that, you could forget about killing the bear; you’d be lucky just to get away with your life.

If you didn’t believe it, just look at Qin Qiang and his three brothers-in-law. Think of how much effort it took for them to escape the Black Bear’s claws with their lives.

Once the brothers had finished all their preparations, Li Dachen leaned two thick wooden poles, each over two meters long and as thick as a large bowl, against either side of the Daqing poplar.

Li Erchen, who stood one meter eighty-two, took his position in front of the hollow, gripping his Large Axe and waiting grimly.

Then, Li Dachen picked up a short, thick club and began banging it against the Daqing poplar.

He kept at it for over ten minutes.

It was truly exhausting work.

A hibernating bear sleeps differently from a napping one. Normally, the slightest disturbance would wake it, but during hibernation, a Black Bear falls into a very deep slumber.

The longer it hibernates, the deeper it sleeps.

What’s more, the Black Bear itself was reluctant to move.

They have a particular habit: if a hibernating Black Bear is startled from its den, it will relentlessly climb toward the high ridges, heading for the highest peaks.

Imagine, after sleeping in a tree hollow for over a month and getting it all warm and cozy, it was now being forced out on a long trek. Not only was it cold, but more importantly, its stomach was empty.

Even a wild beast doesn’t want to face hunger and cold.

But after Li Dachen had been banging for so long, the Black Bear inside finally couldn’t take it anymore. It opened its eyes, reached up with its front paws, and gripped the inside of the hollow. With a pull, it heaved itself to its feet.

It scrambled up a bit, and the Bear Head appeared at the opening of the hollow.

Outside the hollow, Li Erchen’s eyes met the Black Bear’s. His heart leaped into his throat and he yelled, "Big brother, it’s coming out! It’s coming out!"

Li Dachen tossed aside the club in his hand, grabbed the two long, thick poles leaning against the Daqing poplar, and crossed them to jam the opening.

The Black Bear happened to be leaning out of the hollow just then, its two front paws gripping the edge as the Bear Head poked out.

This was the perfect moment. Li Dachen used the two poles to form a cross, thrusting them upward to shove the Bear Head back and pin it firmly in the opening.

"HNNRGH! HNNRGH!" The Black Bear roared in fury, shaking its head and struggling violently.

Li Dachen pushed with all his might against the poles and bellowed, "Li Er! Chop it!"

"HYAARGH!" Li Erchen let out a fierce cry, swinging the Large Axe down in a vicious arc.