Smooth sailing, good dog.

"Uncle Xiong, this is Master Du. He is going to stay in the village for a few days. Have you arranged the house for him yet?"

As soon as Xing Anming got out of the car, he hurried over to the elderly man. Without any hesitation, he handed the old man a cigarette while speaking, appearing extremely familiar with him.

"You only said he'd be staying temporarily and didn't mention anything else. Any of the houses here are available. However, the electricity in these places might not be working properly. Just pick whichever one you like, and I'll make a phone call to sort it out later.

If you don't like living in these houses that belong to people, you can head further in along the road. There's a wooden cabin near the river by the forest at the edge of the village. That used to be public property. Aside from being a bit remote and having no electricity, everything else is quite nice.

Of course, if you don't mind, you can just stay at my place. Putting aside anything else, electricity and meals are not an issue at all—it's just adding another pair of chopsticks."

The elderly man didn't say much else. He accepted Xing Anming's cigarette and pointed out a route. Clearly, Xing Anming had already given him a heads-up beforehand. As for Du Ruo, the old man merely nodded and smiled without elaborating.

"What do you think?"

Xing Anming didn't make the decision on his own, turning instead to look at Du Ruo.

"Then let's not bother Uncle Xiong. We'll take the wooden cabin. Also, thank you for helping me buy the solar charging panel and daily necessities just now, otherwise it would have been quite troublesome."

Du Ruo didn't hesitate much and made up his mind immediately. Since he would likely be staying in the mountains frequently, it wouldn't be appropriate to inconvenience the old man.

"Alright then, Uncle Xiong, we'll head over now."

Xing Anming nodded, bid farewell to Uncle Xiong, and got ready to drive Du Ruo to the place.

"Come back for dinner later! I'll tell your aunt to slaughter a goose."

Seeing that the two were about to leave, Uncle Xiong quickly shouted after them.

"No need, Uncle Xiong. I have things to take care of later today, so I'll come over for a meal next time. I'll be leaving directly after this."

Xing Anming waved his hand, got into the car with Du Ruo, and drove off in the direction Uncle Xiong had pointed out.

"That Uncle Xiong is the village chief here. I used to come around this area quite often. Uncle Xiong is called the chief, but in reality, there are only a few households left here. Only a few elderly people are reluctant to leave, while most of the others have moved to the town.

The houses here aren't worth anything anymore. Whenever you need anything, just go find Uncle Xiong and the others. They rarely see outsiders come by, so they won't refuse. Besides, you can ask Uncle Xiong about the tigers; he has spent his entire life right here and knows this place inside and out."

Xing Anming explained to Du Ruo as he drove.

Before long, they arrived at the wooden cabin Uncle Xiong had mentioned.

Xing Anming helped unload the luggage, didn't bother looking around the place too much, exchanged contact information with Du Ruo, and then hurriedly drove away.

Since he had wasted half a day helping Du Ruo get settled, he would probably have to work overtime tonight. Until the case was solved, he wouldn't have a moment of peace. There hadn't been a criminal case in the Heihe area for a very long time, so he had to take this seriously.

Seeing how rushed Xing Anming was, Du Ruo didn't try to keep him any longer and set about tidying up the wooden cabin himself.

The cabin was somewhat old and covered in a thick layer of dust, but overall, it was fine for keeping out the wind and rain. Furthermore, it came equipped with a earthen stove, a large iron pot, a wooden framed bed, and even a simple table and benches. Combined with the things Du Ruo had bought, living here would be completely trouble-free.

By the time Du Ruo finished everything, the sky had already grown dark. Fortunately, following Xing Anming's advice, he had bought a small battery and a solar charger, so lighting up the place at night and charging his phone were completely unproblematic.

This really made one appreciate how incredible modern infrastructure was. In a place like this, Du Ruo discovered that his phone still had a 4G signal. It was a bit slow, but having connection meant Du Ruo had nothing to complain about.

Once everything was more or less tidy, Du Ruo had a video chat with Xiang Yuanyuan to show her the surrounding environment before hanging up.

"Young man! Young man!"

Just as Du Ruo hung up the video call, a series of shouts came from outside the wooden door.

"Uncle Xiong, why are you here? Come on in and sit down."

Du Ruo pushed the door open and saw Uncle Xiong holding a flashlight in one hand and carrying a basin in the other. He hurriedly went out to welcome him and led him inside.

"Young man, you haven't eaten yet, have you? Here, this is a freshly slaughtered goose. Take it and eat first. I won't sit down. If you're missing anything or need anything, just give a shout. Make sure to lock your doors tightly at night and try not to go outside; sometimes black bears wander around here."

Once inside, Uncle Xiong placed the basin in his hand onto the table and began looking around the room. Seeing that Du Ruo had already gotten most things sorted out, he had no intention of staying. After giving a few instructions, he turned and prepared to leave.

"Uncle Xiong, wait a moment."

Du Ruo, who had just glanced into the basin, quickly called out to stop him. The basin was piled high with goose meat. Judging by the portion, it looked like an entire goose had been brought over—at least three-quarters of it—along with some heated potstickers. A normal person from the south could probably eat this for three days.

"Uncle Xiong, I didn't bring any gifts with me, but I have a bottle of medicinal liquor here that my girlfriend brewed at home. Take it and drink it."

Du Ruo truly didn't have anything suitable to give, but he felt too embarrassed to accept Uncle Xiong's hospitality without reciprocating. He had no choice but to take a small bottle of liquor from his luggage and hand it to Uncle Xiong.

These bottles were filled with tiger bone wine, which Du Ruo had stored in mineral water bottles before setting out. Each bottle held about a pound, and Du Ruo had brought seven of them.

He hadn't even been willing to give any to Xing Anming, but looking at this basin full of goose meat, Du Ruo felt he wouldn't be able to eat in peace without giving something in return.

"Home-brewed? Then I must taste it."

Uncle Xiong had originally intended to leave, but upon hearing that it was home-brewed liquor, being a self-proclaimed lover of alcohol, he immediately stopped in his tracks. He took the bottle, ignoring its simple packaging, unscrewed the cap, and took a small sip.

"Mhm! Tiger bone wine! I haven't tasted this stuff in nearly forty years. Young man, this wine of yours is a rare find nowadays! Well, I won't be polite then. How about this—come eat at my house these next few days, or I'll just have someone bring your meals over."

After taking a sip, Uncle Xiong savored it carefully. His eyes instantly lit up, and his voice rose by an octave. After saying this, he carefully screwed the cap back on, cradled the bottle in his hands, and looked at Du Ruo with a completely earnest expression.

"Uncle Xiong, there's no need for the meals. I'm heading up the mountain early tomorrow morning and don't know when I'll be back, so you don't need to worry about me. But judging by what you just said, have you ever drunk tiger bone wine before?"

Du Ruo quickly declined; he disliked causing trouble for others. However, since the old man had happened to mention tiger bone wine, he decided to ask a few more questions.

"Heh, let me tell you. Forty years ago, guns and hunting weren't banned yet. Back then, I was a master hunter in the village. Every year, I could hunt a black bear in the mountains, and our village was even the only one out of dozens of neighboring villages that managed to bag a tiger."

Once the topic turned to this, Uncle Xiong became instantly energized. No longer in a rush to leave, he pulled up a stool and started chatting with Du Ruo.

"In the old days, bear gallbladders were worth a fortune, and the oil rendered from bears smelled so fragrant.

Back then, a big-pawed beast [tiger] broke into the village, and it took four or five of our village's semi-automatic rifles to take it down. Later, we had someone brew it into wine. That tiger bone wine tasted just like this—hmm, though that wine had a slightly gamey smell. After all these years, I still remember that flavor."

Uncle Xiong looked quite proud recounting these past events, especially licking his lips when mentioning bear oil.

"Uncle Xiong, do you know where I can find a tiger around here nowadays? The purpose of this trip is to observe tigers. I heard that tigers roam near your area, which is why I came."

Du Ruo quickly pressed for answers. He wasn't interested in events from thirty or forty years ago; he only wanted to know the current situation.

"Looking for a tiger? You shouldn't go looking for those things, young man. I've seen a tiger with my own eyes. That speed—a single bound would cover over thirty meters! It took four or five semi-automatic rifles to shoot one down. If you run into one, you can't beat it; even escaping with your life is difficult."

Startled by Du Ruo's words, Uncle Xiong waved his hands repeatedly.

"It's fine, Uncle Xiong. I know what I'm doing. I won't get close, just observe from a distance. Besides tigers, I also want to see bears."

Du Ruo smiled, his face radiating absolute confidence.

"Sigh, how about this: don't rush to go up the mountain tomorrow morning. I'll go borrow a good hound for you at dawn. Up in these mountains, if you want to find tigers and bears, you still have to rely on hunting dogs. You won't find them relying on human effort alone."

Uncle Xiong stared intently at Du Ruo for a long time. Perhaps infected by Du Ruo's confidence, or perhaps because of Xing Anming, he finally gritted his teeth, glanced down at the bottle of tiger bone wine in his arms, and decided to help Du Ruo out.

"Alright, Uncle Xiong, I'll leave it to you then. Don't worry, the dog won't run into any danger following me up the mountain."

Du Ruo was instantly overjoyed and nodded repeatedly. Things were going remarkably smoothly. If he had to rely solely on wandering around the mountains by himself to find a tiger or a bear, it would truly have been a laborious and time-consuming task.

Now, with the information provided by Xing Anming confirming that tigers haunted the vicinity, coupled with Uncle Xiong's promise to lend him a hunting dog, if he still couldn't find one after all this, Du Ruo would have nothing to say—it would simply be up to fate.

"Alright, I'll bring the dog over early tomorrow morning."

Since he had already made up his mind, Uncle Xiong didn't drag his feet. Clutching the tiger bone wine, he stepped out and headed back home.

Bringing the goose meat was a display of northern hospitality, born from the fear that Du Ruo wouldn't have anything to eat; but lending the hunting dog was largely due to the allure of this tiger bone wine. Anyone who hadn't tried tiger bone wine truly wouldn't understand how astonishing the effects of such traditionally crafted medicinal liquor were, especially for elderly folks like him.

After seeing Uncle Xiong off, Du Ruo went through a round of boxing routines, fetched a basin of river water, and took a bath. Even though it was only August and the weather still called for short sleeves, the stream water drawn from the river was piercingly, bone-chillingly cold.

Fortunately, Du Ruo didn't mind. With his physique, he could completely ignore such a minor chill.

After washing up, Du Ruo sat in meditation to cultivate, and then went straight to sleep, beginning to look forward to the next day's mountain expedition. He wondered if the mountains here would be as interesting as Mount Huang, and whether he could find some new "friends."

...

"Its name is Dahua, and it's the fiercest hunting dog in these parts. Its owner specifically fed it bear meat, and it even bit a bear the year before last. It knows the scent of a bear and will chase after it the moment it catches it.

As for tigers, it hasn't encountered one yet, but there isn't a hunting dog that isn't afraid of tigers. If you see it tucking its tail and not daring to step forward, nine times out of ten, it has run into a tiger."

Early the next morning, Uncle Xiong arrived promptly, leading a dog by a leash, and handed the rope over to Du Ruo.

The dog's coat was a mix of grey, white, and black, and it was named Dahua. However, it was massive in size; Du Ruo estimated that the dog weighed easily eighty or ninety pounds. It looked extremely robust and sturdy—at first glance, anyone could tell it was an exceptional hound.