The bone beast had fainted from a concussion and looked like it was going to remain unconscious for a while. Even if it woke, Shao Xuan would just throw another boulder. Plus, there were other people like Tao Zheng watching.
Tao Zheng and the rest approached anxiously. When they confirmed that the beast was really unconscious, they became bolder and found some vine to tie it up. They found vines that were flexible and strong and tied it up like a cocoon. The protruding mouth was tied too. Other than breathing, the beast would not be able to move- at most, it would move its hoove a little.
Once it was tied up, they started touching and studying it. The bolder ones even lifted its lips to look at its teeth. The unconscious beast’s muscles were relaxed. Other than the hard armour that covered most of the body, places like lips and nostrils were exposed. These were its weaknesses that were usually out of reach during battle.
After they were done, they worked together to drag the beast towards their resting spot. Although all the teams hunted separately, the resting spot was still the same. Since this was a huge game, they had to first bring it over to the spot before hunting other animals.
The beast was huge but the Flaming Horn people were strong. They dragged it across the ground and worked to lift it up when they passed places where dragging did not work.
“Shao Xuan, are the people in your village all as strong as you? Are there many advanced totemic warriors at our age?” Tao Zheng asked after hesitating for a long time.
Everyone looked at him.
Most of them in this team lived near the top of the hill so they were more knowledgeable than others. Some knew from listening to rumours while the rest learned from their elders. They already knew Shao Xuan’s history from the adult.s
When he heard the question, Shao Xuan shook his head with a smile. “No, there are very few young advanced totemic warriors. But there are still many very powerful people.”
Tao Zheng and the rest relaxed when they heard this. So there were few like him, plus he was an Elder. There was only one Elder between the two branches!
If they saw other prey on the way there, they would put the beast down and hunt. It was convenient anyway.
Shao Xuan let the rest have their chance to hunt while he watched the unconscious bone beast in case it woke and caused trouble. One the way, when the rest were hunting, Shao Xuan noticed it was about to wake so he knocked it out once again with a large rock.
At the resting spot, many teams were there resting after a day of hunting. Some of them would stay overnight if they were far away but most still chose to rest here for peace of mind.
This resting spot was on a hill in the middle of the forest. There, vegetation was not dense. There was a natural cave, enhanced with some construction to be able to store smaller prey and enough for everyone to rest inside.
Animals that were easy to clean were slaughtered and shifted into the cave. Anything more troublesome would be tied up for the moment and then brought back to the village.
Some people stood guard outside, alertly watching the forest in case they were ambushed by other animals.
These people standing on higher ground saw movement in the forest and blew on their whistle for the people at the foot to stay alert.
Very soon, they understood that it was not a beast but their own members dragging some prey back. It was a large animal too. Everyone looked- it was Tao Zheng and his team.
Everyone was familiar with Tao Zheng and his team’s capabilities. Every hunt, they would get incredible animals. Tao Zheng, Zhui and Wu Zhan were some of the best young warriors here and their name was known in other tribes too.
“Tao Zheng, what did you get this time…” The person on guard wanted to ask Tao Zheng, who was walking in front but was stunned speechless when he saw the animal.
“Bone beast?!” Two guards on duty shouted.
“What? Bone beast?!” More people ran over.
It was rare for them to get a bone beast, and every hunt used up a lot of time and energy. Often, they came back with nothing, or even injuries. They couldn’t believe Tao Zheng’s team had hunted one with the entire team with no severe injuries.
Tao Zheng and the rest couldn’t help but blush in embarrassment when everyone looked at them. They did not even lift a finger! The little scratches they had were from hunting other animals afterwards, unrelated to this beast.
“This was hunted by Elder Shao Xuan,” said Tao Zheng.
The rest did not believe it. Shao Xuan was just one person, how was that possible? This was a fully grown bone beast!
However, they only got more curious when Tao Zheng and his team explained. Everyone helped carry the beast as they asked questions.
There were three girls in Tao Zheng’s party. At this point, they were no longer anxious and a lot chattier.
“Xiao Lin, did Shao Xuan really hunt the bone beast?” asked one.
“Of course!” The girl named Lin started to tell them about the hunt excitedly.
Shao Xuan was dragged away by Duo Kang for questioning.
Duo Kang did not care about the bone beast. He had hunted one when he was younger too, but that was with a team. He was more concerned about whether he was used to hunting, if he was hurt.
Shao Xuan answered every question in detail. Now that he knew Shao Xuan was adapting well, Duo Kang was relieved. He even brought Shao Xuan around, introducing him to herbs they had picked during the hunt.
Shao Xuan had learned about herbs that grew in drier regions from Ji Ju but he was not familiar with plants in a forest. There were differences in species in different regions, of course.
After learning about herbs and a hearty meal of roasted meat, everyone started to go to sleep while the people on duty kept watch outside.
After a good night’s sleep, Shao Xuan woke up refreshed.
Shao Xuan walked out of the cave and looked down at the forest. He took a deep breath, shaking his shoulders and stretched.
There were people protecting the prey too, all experienced hunters so Shao Xuan was not concerned.
The second day’s hunt was about to begin. They had to hunt more because the number of animals would decrease as winter approached. They had to be ready.
