Ger, So Proud

Chapter 39

The last time Lin Yu slept in the wild was when he was thirteen.

No, to be precise, it couldn’t be called sleeping. He only vaguely remembered that once night fell, the surroundings were pitch black, and he didn’t dare to close his eyes. Later, he could barely stay awake and only dared to doze off against the tree trunk at dawn.

This was his second time sleeping outdoors after so many years, but this time, he slept unexpectedly well.

It wasn’t until the golden sunlight filtered through the leaves and shone on his face that he slowly woke up.

He Ze was nowhere to be seen beside him, but his bow and arrows were still there.

Lin Yu sighed in relief and then noticed a small bundle beside him. Opening it, he found two pancakes.

“I brought these when I came up the mountain yesterday. Eat them for breakfast,” He Ze’s voice suddenly came from behind. Lin Yu turned to see He Ze handing him a half bamboo tube. “I went to fetch some water when I saw you were still asleep.”

The bamboo tube was filled with clear water, reflecting his face vividly. Lin Yu instinctively frowned.

“What’s wrong? The water is fine,” He Ze looked up at him. “I drank some just now; it even has a sweet taste.”

Lin Yu looked into He Ze’s eyes and suddenly touched his face, then turned away.

“You…”

He Ze wanted to say more, but seeing Lin Yu’s chin, which looked like it was painted with a mustache, he couldn’t help but smile.

Now he does look a bit like a kid!

Suppressing his laughter, He Ze walked to his tree, climbed up, took his longbow and quiver, and then came back down.

Lin Yu turned back to see him gone, then reached up to tidy his hair and tore a piece of his broken outer garment to wipe his face.

“Finish your food first, and then we’ll head up the mountain.”

“…Did you eat already?” Lin Yu took a bite of the pancake.

“I did. Take your time, no rush.”

He Ze leaned against the tree trunk, sitting on the ground, and drew his bow, aiming ahead.

“Where is the bear? How did you find it?” Lin Yu asked, his mouth full of pancake.

“It’s in a cave on the backside of the peak. The area around it is its territory,” He Ze hesitated, avoiding the latter question.

“He Ze, you…”

“Don’t worry, the bear was injured in one eye last time. It probably hasn’t fully recovered. If it goes crazy, I’ll run far away and not hold you back, okay?”

“…Coward! How can you even say that?” Lin Yu couldn’t help but laugh, swallowing his food and taking a sip of water.

He Ze stood up, a chuckle escaping his throat. “Better to be a coward than to have you beat me up afterward.”

“……”

Lin Yu fell silent, glaring at He Ze irritably. After the night’s rush, he was starving, and quickly devoured the two pancakes. He drank the remaining water from the bamboo tube and then grabbed his bow and arrows, swiftly descending from the tree.

“I’ve finished eating. Shall we go?”

“Mm.”

He Ze nodded, and the two of them walked side by side towards the peak.

Now it was broad daylight, and the path up North Peak was not as treacherous as East Peak, so their pace was much faster than at night. In about half an hour, they reached the bear’s territory.

“We need to circle around to the back of the mountain. Walk lightly now; we don’t want to wake that bear.”

He Ze bent over to move through the underbrush, glancing back at Lin Yu, who wore a slight smirk and had already moved ahead of him.

“Do you think I need your instructions?”

“……”

Fair enough, Lin Yu had far more hunting experience. He Ze didn’t respond, following closely behind. They carefully navigated through the forest, and by the time they saw the cave, it was nearly noon.

The surrounding trees thinned out significantly, and the cave wasn’t deep, allowing a clear view inside. A black bear lay there, snoring against the rock wall, with dried blood prominently marking its left eye.

“It’s definitely the one!”

Both He Ze and Lin Yu crouched in the bushes, instinctively holding their breaths.

“We’ll make it a true blind bear; it’ll be easier afterward.”

He Ze drew an arrow from his quiver, nocking it on his longbow, and closed one eye.

“Can you manage?” Lin Yu frowned at his actions, then handed him a falcon arrow. “Use this one.”

He Ze hesitated but then swapped arrows without argument. Lin Yu glanced at the distant bear and then at He Ze beside him, his heart pounding.

The air fell silent, save for the faint rustling of leaves in the breeze.

“Whoosh—”

He Ze released the arrow, which sliced through the air and struck the bear’s other eye perfectly!

“Roar—”

The forest echoed with the bear’s agonized cries. Birds perched on nearby branches fluttered away, disappearing into the sky. The black bear sprang up, crashing into the rock walls and roaring wildly in its blind fury.

“We did it!”

He Ze and Lin Yu exchanged looks of triumph, standing up together.

Lin Yu placed his bow and arrows on the ground and took a large step forward, but He Ze quickly grabbed him. “What are you doing?”

“Even without eyes, the bear can still use its sense of smell to navigate and find food. We need to strike now before it realizes what’s happening. If we don’t act quickly, it will either escape or come after us with a vengeance.”

“But you can’t just rush out there. Use this.” He Ze frowned and handed Lin Yu a prepared tiger fork from his quiver. A quick glance made his face change dramatically. “Hurry, it’s coming!”

Before He Ze finished speaking, the black bear was already charging at them. It moved swiftly and was upon them in a blink. Lin Yu instinctively grabbed the tiger fork, and both of them swiftly dodged to the side.

The bear missed its target and roared in frustration, its claws swiping at tree trunks, causing them to shake and leaves to fall.

Lin Yu and He Ze exchanged a look, their breaths still catching up. The bear, enraged, leaped towards He Ze again. He narrowly dodged, slipping behind a tree. The bear’s claw struck the tree, leaving deep gashes in the bark.

Lin Yu approached from behind, raising the tiger fork, its sharp tip glinting. He stabbed at the bear, but it nimbly dodged, flailing its claws and scattering branches and leaves.

In unison, He Ze and Lin Yu stepped back.

“Roar—”

The bear paused, and He Ze didn’t dare blink. As expected, the bear lunged at him again. He pushed off the tree, retreating several steps, and quickly drew an arrow, thrusting it at the bear.

The arrow barely pierced the bear’s skin before shattering. In an instant, the bear knocked He Ze to the ground.

In the blink of an eye, He Ze braced his foot against the bear’s belly, gripping the arrow in its eye and pushing it deeper.

“Roar—”

The bear’s anguished cries echoed through the forest. It grew even more frenzied, pressing down harder, seemingly indifferent to the arrow burrowing deeper.

He Ze’s knee buckled under the weight, the bear’s claws glinting menacingly close.

At that moment—

“Thud—” A sound of a blade cutting through flesh.

“Roar—”

The bear reared up, swiping behind it, but finding nothing. Seizing the opportunity, He Ze got to his feet and retreated a few steps.

A tiger fork was embedded halfway into the bear’s back, blood seeping out and staining its fur.

“Are you alright?” Lin Yu hurried over to He Ze, quickly scanning him.

“I’m fine.” He Ze shook his head, then suddenly grabbed Lin Yu’s shoulder, pulling them both to the ground.

The next second, the bear leaped over them.

As they lifted their heads, the bear had already turned, launching itself at them again. Its claws gleamed as they swung down, landing with a thud. He Ze and Lin Yu punched each other in the chest, pushing themselves back several steps.

The bear’s claws dug into the ground, creating a hole and sending dirt flying.

“Roar—”

The black bear’s roar had weakened significantly, tinged with a hint of sorrow.

“How are you? Are you hurt?” He Ze stood up, supporting himself against a tree.

“No…”

Lin Yu had just uttered a single word when the bear suddenly lunged at him. He kicked it in the abdomen, sending it back a few steps, but the bear roared furiously and charged again.

Blows landed repeatedly on the bear, its cries growing more pained, but it continued to attack relentlessly. Its claws tore forward, and it opened its mouth, aiming to bite Lin Yu’s shoulder.

Initially, Lin Yu was holding off the bear’s claws with both hands, but as the bear’s sharp teeth drew closer, he had to move one hand to its neck, using his foot to push against its stomach.

Though he managed to create some distance, the bear seemed provoked and kept advancing. Its rear paws clawed the ground, propelling it forward once more.

A claw slashed straight at Lin Yu’s face!

The bear’s claw loomed larger in his vision. Instinctively, he ducked, hearing the sound of claws tearing through fabric. Was he unscathed?

Opening his eyes, he saw an arm before him, blood dripping from several gashes.

“He Ze!”

His expression hardened. Kicking the bear away, he grabbed a longbow from the ground and smashed it against the bear’s head. The bow broke with a resounding crack, the remaining half flying off and striking a distant tree before falling to the ground.

The bear stumbled back, roaring twice more.

“Are you okay?” Lin Yu dropped the broken bow and reached for He Ze’s arm.

“I’m fine, just a scratch,” He Ze said, taking deep breaths and shaking his head. Lin Yu glanced at him, his eyes cold as they traced the wounds on He Ze’s arm. Suddenly, he charged at the bear.

“Lin Yu!”

He Ze called out, but Lin Yu didn’t respond.

As Lin Yu approached, the bear clawed at the ground, retreating a few steps while growling.

They were now very close. Lin Yu’s fists clenched tighter, his jaw set. With a powerful punch, the air seemed to freeze. The next second, the bear collapsed, blood pouring more rapidly from its eye, its breathing labored.

Lin Yu, seeing red, rained punches on the bear. Its head, now bloodied and dented in places, showed no signs of life.

“Lin Yu, stop. It’s already dead!”

He Ze, who had approached unnoticed, placed a hand on Lin Yu’s shoulder.

Lin Yu paused, looking up at He Ze, then at the lifeless bear. His taut nerves finally relaxed.

He closed his eyes briefly, then stood, his gaze shifting to He Ze’s injury.

Seeing Lin Yu’s expression, He Ze waved his arm slightly. “Look, it’s really nothing. The bear’s claws are too short; they just grazed me.”

Even if it was deep before, it seemed shallow now.

Lin Yu didn’t reply, frowning as he pulled up He Ze’s sleeve. He Ze tried to pull away, but a sharp look from Lin Yu made him comply, allowing Lin Yu to tend to his wound.

Carefully tearing the fabric stuck to the wound, Lin Yu saw that it wasn’t too deep. He breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at He Ze, whose expression remained unchanged. “I told you it’s nothing. Let’s head back. It’ll be fine in a few days.”

Lin Yu was silent, glancing at He Ze. Then, he tore a piece of his inner garment and gently wrapped it around He Ze’s arm.

Looking at him now, it was hard to associate this gentle person with the one who had just fiercely fought the bear.

“Why did you block that blow for me?” Lin Yu, his head bowed, suddenly asked in a low voice.

“Huh? I…”

He Ze was taken aback and couldn’t come up with a reason. In that moment of danger, he hadn’t thought much.

“Answer me!”

Lin Yu tied the bandage carefully, looking up to stare directly at him, his fingers unconsciously rubbing his clothes.

Their eyes met. He Ze saw Lin Yu’s dirty face and… eyes that seemed to be misted over.

Very bright, piercing straight… into the heart.

The forest was eerily quiet, not even a bird’s call was heard.

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