In the past, Chen Mo would chop the wild boar into several pieces and transport it home under the cover of darkness.
But this time, Chen Mo directly carried the black bear from the village entrance, walking through the village.
By the time Chen Mo carried the black bear into the village, the bear had just taken its last breath.
Although the weather was cold, there were still villagers wandering outside, visiting each other's houses.
Chen Mo returned alone, carrying a black bear as big as a small hill, instantly attracting the villagers' attention.
It's hard not to notice; after all, it's a black bear. Usually, you only hear about a village hunting a roe deer, wild boar, or wild rabbit, but it's rare to hear of someone catching a black bear, especially alone.
Entertainment in the countryside is scarce, so the villagers never miss any opportunity to watch the excitement and gathered around.
"Hiss, Brother Mo actually hunted a bear!"
"What a big bear!"
"My goodness, what am I seeing?"
"Brother Mo is amazing; he can even take down a bear."
"This bear must weigh close to three hundred pounds, right?"
"More like over three hundred pounds, probably nearing four hundred. I reckon it's close to five hundred pounds."
"Look at the bear's head; was it killed by Brother Mo with his fist?"
"Hiss, Brother Mo's Divine Power..."
...
The watching villagers swallowed, their Adam's apples bobbing.
It's like they say, if they haven't seen pork, have they not seen a pig run?
Bears are terrifying creatures; even if they've never seen one, they've certainly heard about them. They are creatures even tigers avoid.
A tree as thick as a leg can be snapped by a bear in one swipe.
Yesterday, when Chen Mo beat up Wang the Pockmarked and his hooligans, the villagers felt only fear and respect.
Now, there is a hint of fear in their eyes.
Someone capable of killing a bear — what kind of ruthless person is this?
But it was also because of the deterrence Chen Mo showed yesterday.
The villagers' gazes at Chen Mo were filled with awe and envy, but not a trace of fervor or greed.
Who would dare covet it? Do you think you can beat a bear?
Chen Mo carried the black bear all the way back to his courtyard.
He didn't know that when he returned home, the villagers had already begun gossiping with their families.
At first, the story was that Chen Mo punched the bear dead, then kicked it to death, stabbed it to death with a knife.
It turned into killing it with one punch.
Some even said the bear was possessed, able to spew black flames, while Chen Mo had a golden glow protecting him, capable of splitting stones with one slap.
There were also people considering allying themselves with Chen Mo.
...
It was already 3:00 PM.
Han Anniang, seeing the snow had lessened, was shoveling snow in the yard with a wooden shovel. When she saw Chen Mo carrying the bear back, she was first stunned, then startled, dropping the shovel with a clatter and exclaimed, "Oh my goodness..."
Finally, she jogged up to help.
Chen Mo placed the bear's carcass in the backyard.
Seeing that she couldn't help much, Han Anniang brought a towel and wiped Chen Mo's sweat, asking about the bear hunting process — who wouldn't be curious about such a thing?
Chen Mo, panting, recounted the story, then said, "Sister-in-law, do you know anyone in the village who can skin this?"
The fur of such beasts is quite valuable, and as an amateur, Chen Mo didn't want to try it himself for fear of damaging the fur and decreasing its value.
"Uncle Song, he's a butcher, specializes in slaughtering pigs and sheep for others to make a living," Han Anniang replied.
"Sister-in-law, please invite him over," Chen Mo said.
...
Uncle Song's real name was Song Tian, over fifty years old, and had apprenticed under a butcher in town since he was a child, learning the skills of slaughtering pigs and sheep. As a result, his family initially lived quite well in the village.
However, according to the villagers, his wife's belly was uncooperative, giving him four daughters in succession but no sons.
Later, he recruited a migrant to be his son-in-law, but his eldest daughter bore two children, both girls. From then on, Song Tian lost his spirit and became dispirited.
As he aged, the world became more chaotic, and no one hired him to butcher pigs and sheep anymore. Moreover, his eldest son-in-law was an incompetent sluggard, leaving Song Tian to support the entire family alone, barely getting by.
Accompanying him was his eldest son-in-law, Liu Shu.
Before entering the courtyard, he was admonishing Liu Shu, "Watch and learn well; if you can master my skills, even when I die, Yun Niang and the others won't starve."
"Got it, Dad."
"Speak less, observe more, and don't offend Brother Mo, or I won't be able to protect you."
...
Song Tian entered the courtyard with his hands behind his back. Having traveled around with his master slaughtering pigs and sheep, he'd seen the world. Upon seeing Chen Mo, he actually cupped his hands in salute to him, "Brother Mo."
Chen Mo found it amusing, but since Song Tian showed him respect, he reciprocated, cupping his hands back and pointing to the bear on the ground, saying warmly, "Uncle Song, it's cold, let's get started. I've prepared the hot water."
Seeing the small hill-like black bear on the ground, Song Tian inhaled sharply, "Brother Mo, you're formidable to bring down such a big black bear."
As a butcher, Song Tian immediately spotted the bear's point of fatality. Observing the wound, he glanced at Chen Mo's hands, evidently understanding.
He squatted down, patted the bear, and said, "By our trade's rules, the head is mine, but this is a bear, Brother Mo. I won't take advantage of you — ten... no, five pounds of meat, plus some bear blood."
"Alright."
Chen Mo nodded, "But make sure the fur remains intact."
"Understood. If it's damaged, I'll take nothing," Song Tian said with confidence.
He gestured, and Liu Shu immediately handed him the leather tool case, which contained a set of butchering knives.
"Brother Mo, get a basin to catch the blood," Song Tian said, drawing a sharp knife from the case.
Before Chen Mo could respond, Han Anniang hurried inside and returned with a basin.
As Song Tian had mentioned, bear blood is precious; not a single drop should be wasted.
Later, Han Anniang brought out a water tank to hold the collected bear blood.
Watching an experienced butcher dissect a bear was a visual delight.
Chen Mo and Han Anniang watched with keen interest.
As the sky turned dark, Han Anniang snapped back to reality and rushed to cook.
Song Tian was indeed skilled; with swift knife movements, he flayed the bear, leaving a complete pelt in no time.
However, age had indeed caught up to him, requiring Chen Mo's help to turn the bear over.
The sharp blade split open the bear's belly, with the entrails spilling into the basin below.
Song Tian extracted the bear gall, showing it to Chen Mo, "Brother Mo, this bear gall is a treasure. You must keep it well; as they say, a gram of bear gall is worth a gram of gold, but real bear gall is worth more than gold."
As he spoke, Chen Mo noticed a flicker in Liu Shu's eyes.
Raising an eyebrow, Chen Mo took the bear gall and swallowed it whole.
[Nutrition intake from meat +1, Blood Nourishing Technique experience +1.]
Chen Mo: "???"
Song Tian: "..."
Liu Shu: "..."