Chapter 883 - 53: Scaring Off the Tibetan Horse Bear

Chen Wen, holding the long spear, quickly drew the Tibetan Horse Bear’s attention.

It lifted its head and sized up Chen Wen.

It seemed to be gauging the difference in strength between itself and Chen Wen.

But although this two-legged animal looked as weak as a breeze could blow him over, why did it feel so dangerous every time it wanted to launch an attack on him?

The Tibetan Horse Bear thought about it, hesitated a bit, then lowered its head again and took another bite of the organs.

Chen Wen gently shook the long spear and stepped forward, pressing in.

The Tibetan Horse Bear sensed Chen Wen’s threat and started backing away.

Seeing this, Duoji’s eyes widened.

Holy crap!

Since when did Tibetan Horse Bears get this cowardly?

Just as he was thinking that, Chen Wen spoke: "Get lost! Stay away from this area! This area’s under my protection!"

This Tibetan Horse Bear wasn’t some special animal, but that didn’t stop it from picking up on the emotion in Chen Wen’s voice.

The Tibetan Horse Bear raised its head and bared its teeth at Chen Wen, looking fierce.

But that kind of bluffing only scared outsiders.

Neither Duoji nor Chen Wen was intimidated by the Tibetan Horse Bear.

"Putting on a show!"

Chen Wen’s expression shifted, then he suddenly let out a roar: "Wuaao!"

[Barking Intimidation]!

In the eyes of the Tibetan Horse Bear, Chen Wen’s figure suddenly loomed large.

It was as if that terrifying upright ape buried in its genes had reappeared; the Tibetan Horse Bear’s body shuddered violently.

Then, before it could react.

Chen Wen darted forward, raising the long spear, looking like he was about to thrust.

The Tibetan Horse Bear felt an intense sense of danger.

Without the slightest hesitation, it turned tail and ran.

Chen Wen hefted the long spear and made a show of chasing after it for a couple of steps.

Hearing footsteps behind it, the Tibetan Horse Bear didn’t dare linger; it practically fused three steps into two and fled clumsily into the distance.

...

"You little punk, when it comes to bluffing, us humans are way better at it than you bears."

Chen Wen calmly stopped, watching the Tibetan Horse Bear run off into the distance.

Judging by its reaction, it wouldn’t dare come back here for a while.

Chen Wen yawned, looking bored out of his mind, like an invincible man with no worthy opponents.

Just then, Duoji came down from the mountain and couldn’t help asking, "How did you do that? Why did it suddenly run?"

Chen Wen calmly gave his explanation: "Maybe I’m just scarier, huh. Anyway, no need to overthink it. Let’s head back."

Seeing that Chen Wen didn’t want to go into detail, Duoji smiled and nodded, then left with him.

Back at the camp, Chen Wen glanced at the Snow Leopard and, after confirming the family’s safety,

he and Duoji finally left the camp.

Before leaving, Chen Wen stacked up some stones as a barrier.

On the way to Zhaxi Duntu’s camp, Duoji mentioned, "Things around here are pretty much stable now, so it’s about time for us to move on."

Move on?

Chen Wen looked at Duoji in surprise: "It hasn’t even been that long. Why are you leaving already?"

"Proper grazing."

Duoji pointed at the grassland near the lake and explained, "Back when we overgrazed, we usually wouldn’t leave until the grass here was completely eaten bare. But then, once we left, all the animals around here would be starving."

"Now we eat some of the grass and leave some behind. That way, we can keep our livestock full without letting the wild animals go hungry."

Hearing this, Chen Wen smiled and nodded.

Chatting as they walked, the two of them returned to the camp.

Back at camp, Chen Wen had his last meal at Zhaxi Duntu’s place. After that meal, they would be leaving the next morning.

Back in his own cave, Chen Wen started thinking about what he could give Zhaxi Duntu’s family as a gift.

He checked the gear he had on hand—there wasn’t much he could spare.

In the end, he decided to give his argali helmet and bone spear to Gesang. This little girl had been eyeing his helmet for quite a while.

On top of that, Chen Wen also planned to give his Lucky Charm to Gesang.

He hadn’t really needed it lately.

Ever since he met Zhaxi Duntu’s family, food had stopped being a problem. Survival from here on out was basically at "peaceful mode" difficulty.

He also sorted out some good-quality dried wild yak meat.

And finally grabbed a few more pieces of game.

The next morning at dawn, Chen Wen arrived early outside Zhaxi Duntu’s camp.

Right then, Duoji and Zhaxi Duntu were taking advantage of the dim morning light to dismantle the livestock pens.

Seeing Chen Wen come over, the two greeted him warmly.

Chen Wen walked over just as warmly and helped them with the work.

Once the three of them finished, Zhaxi Duntu’s wife and mother started packing up the tent.

Little Gesang was woken by the noise; she came out of the camp and started helping as well.

The sun climbed high into the sky.

Zhaxi Duntu’s family was all packed up.

Duoji said his goodbyes to Chen Wen first. He drove off ahead to scout the road conditions and pick the next camp and grazing spot.

Chen Wen didn’t have anything special to give Duoji, so he put a rather plump pika he’d caught earlier on Duoji’s car, figuring Duoji could at least get a taste.

Seeing the pika, Duoji squinted with a grin: "Hehe, when you come back to Qiangtang, make sure you look me up. You remember my phone number, right?"

"Of course."

Chen Wen nodded with a smile: "You’ve got my number too. When we get the chance, let’s go abroad together and hit some big game on foreign hunting grounds!"

Hearing that, Duoji nodded.

He really was the kind of guy who loved hunting.

After seeing Duoji off, Chen Wen chatted a bit more with Zhaxi Duntu’s family.

Zhaxi Duntu patted Chen Wen on the shoulder and said, "We don’t have much we can leave you. I heard from Duoji earlier that you don’t have many seasonings. I left you a bag of salt back at your camp, plus some food. And I remember you wanted to tame a horse at the beginning."

Hearing that, Chen Wen quickly said, "That’s already plenty. The salt and food are more than enough. If you leave me any more stuff, the association probably won’t allow it."

At that, Zhaxi Duntu chuckled: "Of course I know your association’s rules. They’re a pain, but I also know where the loopholes are!"

"I didn’t leave you any live horses, and our horses have picky mouths. You can’t raise one alone without concentrated feed. So I left you some highland barley and some feed. With that, you’ll definitely be able to tame a wild horse!"

As he spoke, Zhaxi Duntu patted Chen Wen’s shoulder: "Be careful out there. The news you told me last night—my son and I double-checked it. It’s true. And in the heart of Qiangtang, poachers show up a lot. You’ve really got to be careful. Don’t just walk up to people who look like herders."

"Those poacher-herders won’t be wearing traditional clothes like ours. And poachers usually disguise themselves as adventurers coming out here, or as hikers crossing Qiangtang on foot. Those types, especially when it’s one or two men traveling together, are the most dangerous!"

Hearing this, Chen Wen nodded solemnly.

Zhaxi Duntu thought for a moment, then went on: "There are some mines in the core area of Qiangtang. If you need help, you can try your luck at a mine. Just mention my name and Duoji’s—it’ll work. There’s a good chance you’ll run into people we used to know there. Most of them are working in the mines now."

Chen Wen nodded again; this bit of information was crucial too.

It basically gave him a potential place to hide.

After chatting for a while, when he saw Gesang come over, Chen Wen handed her the three items.

"This is the argali helmet. Later, have your Uncle Duoji add a pair of goggles on it and it’ll be really handy. This is a bone spear; it’s not that sharp, so just use it as a toy. And this is the Lucky Charm I’ve always carried. I hope it brings you good luck."

As he spoke, Chen Wen passed the items to Gesang.