Chapter 25: He Who Harms Others Will Ultimately Harm Himself

Several hunters, armed with clubs, attempted to ambush Jiang Yi from behind. He sensed them immediately; since these people sought his life, he felt no need to show mercy.

"Hmph! You’ve been planning to harm me from the very start, using the black bear hunt as an excuse to have me die under its claws." Jiang Yi retreated quickly toward the mouth of the cave, putting distance between himself and the others.

"Don't misunderstand, we truly had no intention of harming you."

"Do you think I’d believe that? I have no grudge against him, yet he tried to shove me toward the bear to ensure my death." Jiang Yi did not believe Cui Peng for a moment; he would not let anyone who harbored ill will toward him escape unscathed.

Cui Peng was rattled by the killing intent in Jiang Yi’s eyes. "Are you planning to kill us? You must realize that murder is a capital crime."

Jiang Yi sneered, "How laughable. You attempt to kill me without a second thought, yet you think I shouldn't return the favor?" He knew he could not trust these men; any threat to his or his wife's safety had to be nipped in the bud.

The hunters inside the cave charged forward with clubs and knives, intent on beating Jiang Yi first. Cui Peng and Yang Liu had been paid to eliminate him, betting that if the black bear killed him, they would bear no responsibility. The other hunters, however, were unaware of this; they only wanted to attack Jiang Yi because he had pushed Yang Liu, causing the latter to be mauled by the bear.

"Calm down! If you kill us, the authorities will issue a warrant for you across the entire province. Think of yourself, and think of your wife." Cui Peng hoped to steady Jiang Yi while he plotted to kill him.

Jiang Yi remained unmoved. He knew many wanted him dead. "What is it? Are so many of you uncertain that you can finish me off? Or is it that some of you were bribed to dispose of me?"

The other hunters looked at Cui Peng with suspicion. They had come to hunt a bear—why were they trying to kill Jiang Yi? They had no personal grievances with him, other than his refusal to cooperate with their hunting tactics.

"Don't be paranoid, we have no intention of killing you. No one hired us—don't do something foolish."

"Brother Peng, stop talking! The bear is losing control!" The hunters holding the ropes were struggling to contain the beast. If it escaped, their efforts would be in vain.

"Cui Peng, if you tell me who hired you, I will spare you and guarantee that I won't cause trouble for you or your wife again. We can all go our separate ways in peace."

"No one hired me! Yang Liu only pushed you because he was terrified."

Jiang Yi did not believe him. "Still lying? Do you take me for a fool?"

The black bear broke free and began attacking the hunters in a frenzy. Many of the men were indeed innocent, having been manipulated by Cui Peng and Yang Liu. Yang Liu was severely injured; without high-quality medicine, his wounds would surely fester and lead to his death.

Jiang Yi realized that if he used the black bear to finish off Cui Peng and Yang Liu, he would not have to bear the burden of their deaths. The bear mauled several hunters before charging toward Cui Peng.

"Cui Peng and Yang Liu used you all to kill me because they were paid by someone else. You didn't know, did you? Isn't that infuriating?"

The other hunters were half-convinced, suspecting Jiang Yi was trying to sow discord. Yet, some felt his words rang true; in the face of absolute profit, even friends and family could be betrayed.

"Don't listen to him! No one hired us, and we received no extra rewards. He's just trying to turn us against each other! Come and help me restrain the bear!"

The other hunters kept their distance, calculating their own interests.

"Once the bear kills Cui Peng and Yang Liu, just tell everyone they died at the beast's paws. You can keep the bounty for the bear; I don't want a penny." Jiang Yi was willing to forfeit the reward just to see them dead.

The hunters were tempted. With two fewer people, their individual shares of the bounty would increase. When profits were not distributed fairly, enemies—and even allies—would turn on each other. Jiang Yi had struck at their greatest weakness.

"Think about it. Even if you kill the bear, how much of the bounty would you actually get with them taking the lion's share?" As the captain and deputy, Cui Peng and Yang Liu would have taken the vast majority.

"Don't be deceived by him! He just tried to kill you!" Cui Peng was both furious and terrified, fearing they would leave him to die under the bear's claws.

"You are all experienced hunters. You cannot be swayed by a few words from me. I am simply willing to give up my share to ensure we have no further enmity." Jiang Yi didn't need to preach; he simply made them realize that the unequal distribution of wealth would lead to infighting. It was a way to let someone else do the killing without incurring any responsibility.

"I acted out of anger earlier, thinking you were all in on it. Now, I realize you were kept in the dark."

"We only took the mission to hunt the bear for a thousand strings of cash. We knew nothing else. Perhaps those two really were getting extra benefits." The other hunters nodded in agreement; such unfair divisions were common.

They ignored the bear as it continued its assault on Cui Peng. Suddenly, a scream rang out from nearby: Yang Liu, while applying medicine to his wounds, had been blindsided by a wild boar. The impact was so severe that he was unlikely to survive. Nearby, Cui Peng had been clawed repeatedly by the bear and was also near death.

"That medicine Yang Liu was using... that's top-tier hemostatic powder. It's incredibly expensive," Jiang Yi remarked. This convinced the remaining hunters that Cui Peng and Yang Liu had indeed been hiding secret profits from them.

Moments later, Cui Peng and Yang Liu were killed by the bear and the boar. Jiang Yi drew his bow and shot an arrow into the bear's heart, ending its life for good.

"It's done. Deal with the bear as you see fit. When you go back, don't mention I was involved. Just say they were killed by wild beasts."

The hunters who were from the same village as Yang Liu dared not attack Jiang Yi anymore.

"You wanted to use your clubs to ambush me for Yang Liu's sake. Think about it: he didn't share his fortunes with you, so did he ever truly consider you friends or kin?"

The men were struck by shame and remained silent. They realized they had been expected to share the burdens but never the rewards. Perhaps Yang Liu and Cui Peng had never viewed them as friends at all—a realization that left them feeling cheated.

"The bear and the boar are yours. I hope you won't mention me to anyone else."

Jiang Yi left with his bow and blade, his knife still drawn as a precaution against both wild beasts and any treacherous hunters. Only when he had put a significant distance between them did he finally relax.

He arrived at the outskirts of Niutou Mountain, hoping to hunt some rabbits or pheasants to bring home. He searched the woods for a long time, but game was scarce—perhaps due to the tiger that had recently been prowling, forcing the rabbits into their burrows and driving the pheasants away.

Deep in the woods, he finally spotted a few roe deer. "If I can't catch a pheasant or rabbit, a roe deer will do just fine."

He drew his bow and struck one of the deer. The others fled but would likely return later. Jiang Yi didn't intend to hunt more than he could carry. He walked over, tied up the deer, and began his descent.

On the way down, he encountered some villagers from Funiu Village. With the tiger in the outer hills now dead, they felt safe enough to forage and hunt again. They greeted Jiang Yi warmly, clearly impressed and envious of the plump deer he had caught. Their attitude toward him had changed significantly.