The bear and two dogs were locked in a chaotic brawl. Despite its small size, the Little Black Bear was not at a disadvantage in the slightest. Every time its paws raked across a dog, they left behind bloody gashes.

Hua Xiao’Er was battle-hardened and naturally knew to evade the brunt of the attacks. As for Daqing, it struggled at first but gradually gained experience. It switched from close-quarters grappling to hit-and-run tactics, working with Hua Xiao’Er to encircle the Little Black Bear.

The Little Black Bear tried to break through and escape several times, but it was always held back by Hua Xiao’Er and Daqing.

Just then, Xing Zhuyong and Li Hu both charged into the fray. They took up positions in front of and behind the Little Black Bear, forming a pincer attack.

But that wasn’t all. The two men actually found the dogs to be in their way and started trying to shoo them off.

Hua Xiao’Er and Daqing were in the middle of a desperate struggle, but they nearly got kicked and had to dodge to the side.

At that moment, Li Baoyu’s whistle sounded from behind. Hearing it, Hua Xiao’Er and Daqing wanted to return to their master, but they were reluctant to let the Little Black Bear go.

However, they stopped advancing. They stood their ground, leaving the Little Black Bear to Xing Zhuyong and Li Hu.

This was exactly what Xing and Li wanted. With the two "pesky" dogs out of the way, they charged straight for the Little Black Bear.

Once the dogs backed off, the pressure on the Little Black Bear vanished instantly. It was about to look for a way back to its mother when it saw a man holding a rope horizontally with both hands, blocking its path.

This man was Li Hu. He stood with his legs apart in a slight crouch. Seeing the Little Black Bear charge at him, he dodged to the side and looped the rope in his hands, snagging it around the cub’s neck.

He gave a hard yank, causing the Little Black Bear to stumble.

Just then, Xing Zhuyong rushed in from behind. He was even more extreme than Li Hu. He straddled the Little Black Bear and wrapped his own rope around its neck as well.

One rope pulled forward, the other backward. For a moment, it seemed they had the Little Black Bear completely subdued.

Both men were delighted, but in the next second, the Little Black Bear raised a paw and swiped at Li Hu in front of it.

Li Hu dodged backward, but in his greed, he refused to let go of the rope choking the Little Black Bear.

The Little Black Bear’s swipe missed. Just then, Xing Zhuyong, who was behind it, put all his strength into his arms and pulled back as if playing tug-of-war, yanking the cub up onto its hind legs.

The Little Black Bear used the momentum to stand up, and its left paw followed through with a forward rake. The blow landed right on the arm Li Hu was using to hold the rope.

"AH!"

A bloodcurdling scream was heard.

Sharp claws tore through Li Hu’s cotton-padded jacket. The tips ripped through skin and muscle, leaving a wound above his wrist so deep the bone was visible.

Blood gushed out immediately, staining the fluffy white cotton inside the jacket red.

Li Hu cried out in pain, let go of the rope, and clutched his left wrist with his right hand. Then he turned and ran!

Xing Zhuyong didn’t see what happened to Li Hu, but hearing his scream, he mustered all his strength and yanked the Little Black Bear over, throwing it to the ground.

The Little Black Bear did a somersault in the snow, then reversed direction and scurried backward. It slipped between Xing Zhuyong’s legs, rope and all, and emerged behind him.

It lunged forward and bit down.

Its jaws clamped onto the back of Xing Zhuyong’s right thigh.

"AH... AH..."

The Little Black Bear bit down and refused to let go. Xing Zhuyong was in even worse shape than Li Hu, screaming his lungs out.

He swung his fist back to smash it on the Little Black Bear’s head, but the cub held on with a death grip.

Xing Zhuyong only managed to land one punch before the Little Black Bear pulled him down.

Just as Xing Zhuyong was about to be pinned underneath the cub, Hua Xiao’Er and Daqing arrived, one after the other, and lunged forward to bite the Little Black Bear.

Only when the two dogs tore at it with all their might did the Little Black Bear finally release its bite and resume its fight with them.

Meanwhile, Xing Zhuyong clutched the back of his right thigh with both hands, wailing as he writhed on the snow like a maggot.

He was wriggling like that to get away from the battlefield where the bear and dogs were fighting.

"Fuck!" The sudden turn of events made Li Baoyu curse out loud. For a moment, he was at a complete loss.

"Baoyu, go get him!" Zhao Jun shouted.

Li Baoyu sprinted out, reached Xing Zhuyong, and quickly helped him up from the snow.

Just then, the Little Black Bear saw Li Baoyu. As if remembering the humiliation of being choked with ropes by Xing and Li, it immediately charged at him.

Li Baoyu grabbed Xing Zhuyong and ran. Hua Xiao’Er naturally attacked the bear from behind, saving Li Baoyu from danger.

By the time Li Baoyu had dragged Xing Zhuyong back to Zhao Jun’s side, Zhao Jun had already raised his gun. But now, the two dogs were once again locked in a chaotic brawl with the Little Black Bear.

The Little Black Bear wasn’t even as big as the dogs. With the two of them surrounding it, the cub was completely obscured from view.

Zhao Jun wanted to shoot but found he no longer had a clear shot.

"Shit!" Zhao Jun cursed in frustration. This curse was aimed at Xing Zhuyong and Li Hu.

After cursing, Zhao Jun’s anger subsided slightly. He yelled, "Baoyu, mount the blade! Stab it to death!"

Hearing this, Li Baoyu didn’t hesitate. He found a small tree nearby, felled it in a flash, stripped the branches to make a pole, and fitted the Invasion Blade onto one end.

Then, Li Baoyu entered the fray, spear in hand.

The moment Li Baoyu arrived, the two dogs changed their tactics. Even Hua Xiao’Er stopped its hit-and-run attacks. The two dogs lunged from the left and right, bit into the Little Black Bear, and pulled it taut, stretching it between them.

As Li Baoyu circled behind the Little Black Bear, the cub—its left forearm caught in Daqing’s jaws—was just about to swing its right paw to swat at Hua Xiao’Er, who was biting its right leg.

Li Baoyu struck swiftly. He plunged the blade into the Little Black Bear’s back, right through the heart, then pushed forward, pinning it to the snow.

The two dogs immediately pounced again. One went for the head, the other for the back, holding the Little Black Bear down firmly.

The Little Black Bear struggled underneath them. Li Baoyu pulled the blade out, and a jet of blood followed. He immediately thrust the blade in again. Hit a second time, the Little Black Bear convulsed twice in the snow and then fell silent.

The two dogs continued to tear at the Little Black Bear’s body as Li Baoyu turned his gaze toward Zhao Jun.

Zhao Jun shouted, "Quick, check on those two!" As he spoke, he slung his shotgun over his back and ran toward Xing Zhuyong, who was closest to him.

Xing Zhuyong was sitting in the snow, clutching his thigh. Blood trickled from between his fingers, creating plum blossom patterns on the white snow.

"Did it bite all the way through?" Zhao Jun asked.

"Yeah!" Xing Zhuyong nodded, his face contorted in a pained grimace.

"Baoyu!"

Zhao Jun called out. Li Baoyu appeared at his side. "Yes, Brother?"

Zhao Jun pointed at Xing Zhuyong and said to Li Baoyu, "Untie Xing Zhuyong’s leg wraps and use them to bandage him up."

"Got it." Li Baoyu knelt and helped Xing Zhuyong untie his leg wraps.

At this point, Xing Zhuyong was clutching his thigh with both hands and could only rely on Li Baoyu for help.

Zhao Jun went over to Li Hu, who was kneeling in the deep snow, clutching his wrist and wailing.

Blood was continuously seeping from his left wrist, trickling out from between the fingers of his right hand.

Seeing Zhao Jun approach, Li Hu said in a tearful voice, "Brother, quick, find something to wrap this up!"

Zhao Jun knelt down to untie Li Hu’s leg wraps. As he did, he asked, "Brother Li San, what were you two thinking?"

At this, Li Hu, his dreams of getting rich shattered and now seriously injured, said with a sob, "I thought we could capture it, raise it, and then kill it to sell the gallbladder for money."

Zhao Jun curled his lip. "Brother Li San, you’re like an old lady playing jump rope."

"Huh? What’s that mean?"

"Pure fucking bullshit!"