Chapter 17: The Two in Danger, the Sudden Appearance of Enemy Soldiers, and the Village Chief’s Fear

The wind on the mountain grew stronger.
The snow fell heavier.
The sky gradually darkened.
Visibility diminished.
Chu Feng and Du Dahai fixed their gaze on the footprints on the ground.
Fortunately, the prints were pressed deep enough.
They wouldn’t be covered by the snow anytime soon.
Yet, they were becoming harder to distinguish.
If they waited another half hour, they would likely lose the trail completely.

“I’ll never bring others hunting on the mountain again!”
Du Dahai panted anxiously beside him.
He appeared tense, and understandably so.
Before setting out, every household knew their men were going hunting—
And that they were following Du Dahai.
If two didn’t return, how could Du Dahai, as village chief, face their families?

Chu Feng remained silent, his eyes locked onto the ground.
The footprints were growing faint.
What troubled Chu Feng even more was the sudden appearance of paw prints shaped like plum blossoms beside the human tracks.
The prints were round or oval, broad at the base, narrowing in the middle with a sharp tip—
Exactly like a cat’s paw prints, but larger, thicker,
And with each petal of the paw more elongated and pointed.

The moment Chu Feng saw these prints, he stopped.
He looked at Du Dahai.
“Let’s search for just half an hour longer. If we can’t find them, we have to leave.”

Du Dahai had noticed the paw prints too.
He sighed heavily.
“Alright, half an hour more.”

Du Dahai felt responsible for every villager,
But that didn’t mean he was willing to risk his own life.
Before they left, he had warned repeatedly:
“Do not fall behind; follow orders.”
Yet Wang Wei and Sun Can had run off on their own.
That was no fault of his.
If after half an hour they still couldn’t be found, their fate was simply misfortune.

Gradually, Chu Feng and Du Dahai reached the summit of the mountain.
This was not the true peak of Yulong Mountain—
Yulong was a mountain range,
Stretching with ridges and multiple smaller peaks before the highest summit.
Their village lay beneath one such lesser peak.
These smaller peaks rose three or four hundred meters.
Ahead was a downhill slope,
But both Chu Feng and Du Dahai knew that descending meant truly entering the depths of Yulong Mountain—
A place utterly mysterious, perilous, and strange.

“We can’t go any further. Let’s turn back.”
Du Dahai shook his head.

“It’s fate. Those two brought this on themselves; their deaths have nothing to do with us.”
He tried to pull Chu Feng away.

The sky wasn’t completely dark yet.
There was still some visibility.
Chu Feng grasped Du Dahai’s hand, saying, “Wait just a moment more.”

Then Chu Feng, like a monkey, climbed a nearby pine tree.
The pine was tall and thick,
But unfriendly for climbers—
Its trunk was perfectly straight,
No branches low enough to grasp.
He relied solely on the strength of his thighs and arms.

Once at a certain height, Chu Feng began to survey the surroundings.
Wang Wei and Sun Can were ordinary men.
In such a heavy snowfall deep in the mountains, they could not have wandered far.
Only an hour had passed;
They could not have moved beyond Chu Feng’s line of sight.

The plum blossom paw prints were clearly those of a snow leopard.
If it were just a snow leopard,
Though formidable, its combat ability was roughly that of an adult male.
Not to mention Wang Wei and Sun Can were two men,
And now with Chu Feng and Du Dahai, there were four of them.
A snow leopard alone was no match.

At the same time, Chu Feng spotted a splash of red on the snow.
That meant the two were injured.
If injured, blood on the snow would stand out vividly.
This was the reason Chu Feng climbed the tree—to see if there was any red.
If there was none, it meant they were unhurt.

After scanning the area, Chu Feng’s heart sank.
There was red.
The two were hurt but still heading towards this place,
Not seeking the main group.
This meant the danger they faced was severe.
So severe they couldn’t turn back for help.

The blood trailed southeast—
Indeed downhill.
Once descending, they would penetrate deeper into the Yulong range.

Chu Feng descended the tree and briefly told Du Dahai what he saw.
Du Dahai clenched his firewood knife,
Grinding his teeth, “Those two troublemakers.”

Chu Feng’s impression of Wang Wei and Sun Can was decent.
Wang Wei was loud and boastful,
Often looking down on Chu Feng.
Yet when Chu Feng called for help, Wang Wei was among the most eager.
A classic case of sharp tongue but soft heart.

Sun Can was straightforward, nothing unpleasant about him.
He had helped at Chu Feng’s home before.
Both had youthful enthusiasm—
They weren’t bad men.
At least far better than Chu Long.

Du Dahai’s eyes showed hesitation.
He clearly wanted to go see for himself.
But he left the decision to Chu Feng.
In these mountains, Chu Feng was more experienced and stronger.

“Let’s go down and take a look. If we still can’t find them, then we turn back.”

Ultimately, Chu Feng made the call.

The downhill stretch wasn’t long.
Below lay a plain,
Abundant with pine and cypress trees.
No one knew if other beasts lurked within.

Fortunately, it was heavy snowing now,
And most beasts would be hibernating.

After a few steps, Chu Feng and Du Dahai heard the low growl of a snow leopard.
Both showed signs of relief.

Snow leopards were usually solitary.
Though intimidating,
Their fighting strength was comparable to a grown man.
Not to mention Wang Wei and Sun Can were two,
And now with Chu Feng and Du Dahai, four in total.
They should have the upper hand over a lone snow leopard.

Chu Feng also saw blood on the ground,
Indicating the injured two were getting closer.

Just as they climbed another small hill,
Du Dahai finally spotted Wang Wei and Sun Can.
The two sat back to back in the snow.
Sun Can’s arm and face bore wounds;
Wang Wei’s lower body was covered in blood.
He sat listless, head bowed, motionless.

Both were bound with a rope.
Occasionally, strange voices drifted through the air.

Chu Feng grabbed Du Dahai, who was about to rush forward.
“Something’s wrong.”
Chu Feng shook his head.

In the wilderness,
Wang Wei and Sun Can were tied up.
Their wounds were clearly not claw marks,
Nor were they caused by beasts.

Suddenly, from the bushes ahead, a snow leopard leapt out,
Dashing swiftly deeper into the mountain.

As the snow leopard fled, three men emerged from the thicket.
They wore armor and military boots,
Each wielding a crescent-shaped saber,
With three-meter whips hanging at their waists.
They had long, unsightly beards,
Laughing heartily in the direction the snow leopard had escaped.

Ear muffs hanging by their ears bounced with their laughter.

At the sight of these three men, Du Dahai pressed himself flat against the snow,
As if terrified of being seen.

Chu Feng frowned.
He had seen soldiers from the Great Qian Empire before,
But none dressed like these men.

Surprised, he asked Du Dahai,
“Who are those three?”

“They are soldiers of Great Xia. Lower your head! Don’t let them spot us. If they do, we’re dead!”