Chapter 25 Hunting II

　　—The existence of life implies competition; an ideal world without conflicts of interest does not exist.

　　After the four had climbed the tree, those below kept their eyes fixed upward. A long time passed before a bamboo basket, ropes attached at its four corners, was slowly lowered.

　　When the basket reached the ground they found it contained a dragon’s head. Gong Yi and Yi Wu lifted the head out, tugged the rope as a signal, and the basket was drawn up again. Before long it descended once more, again carrying a dragon’s head.

　　In this manner the basket was lowered four times, yielding altogether four dragon heads—two of great dragons and two of lesser ones.

　　The Azure Dragon was the totem of the Gongyou Clan; the company sorrowfully buried the four heads on the spot.

　　“These natives!” Dong Yifeng muttered softly to Huamei. “I am a biologist. Such wondrous creatures have not even been properly studied, yet these fellows bury them—sheer waste of heaven’s gifts!”

　　The basket was then lowered twelve successive times from the treetop. No longer did it contain dragon heads, but enormous eggs, each filling an entire basket. The harvest was abundant: twelve giant phoenix eggs in all.

　　When the final basket descended it contained, in addition to an egg, a jetblack dragon bone, coiled within the basket.

　　The moment Gong Yi lifted the bone from the basket it sprang back to its original shape. The bone was more than a man’s height in length; Gong Yi was overjoyed, immediately strung it, and fashioned it into a dragonbone bow.

　　The dragon bone was hard as iron, extremely light, and resilient—excellent material for bowmaking. A bow of dragon bone possessed a far greater range than ordinary bows; both ends could be ground to points so that, in close combat, it might also serve as a doubleheaded spear.

　　Gongdian selected six camelhorses from among the mounts; each horse carried two bamboo baskets, one on either side, transporting two phoenix eggs. The riders led the horses and began the return journey.

　　On the road back to the clan Dong Yifeng still felt unsatisfied. He had expected the hunt to be a thrilling spectacle; instead it had ended in such an anticlimactic fashion.

　　Gongdian, with a dozen or so hunters, rode at the head to clear the way. In the middle six hunters walked, leading the six camelhorses, each of which carried two giant eggs. Gong Yi and the remaining hunters brought up the rear.

　　The harvest had been rich; spirits were high. Unlike the outward journey the atmosphere on the return was lively; the company chatted cheerfully and proceeded at a leisurely pace.

　　At noon Gongdian ordered a rest. The hunters dismounted, tethered the camelhorses, removed the baskets containing the giant eggs, and sat in twos and threes beneath the trees, chewing dry rations and drinking water.

　　The midday sun poured down, inducing drowsiness. Just as Gongdian ordered the party to resume the march a sudden scream rang out.

　　Looking toward the sound they saw, beneath a tree to the south, a bamboo basket overturned and a phoenix egg rolled to one side. A hunter sat collapsed upon the ground, pointing with a trembling finger in one direction.

　　Dong Yifeng followed the pointing finger and saw, not far away, another hunter lying motionless, a great pool of blood spreading beneath him.

　　In the distance Dong glimpsed a beast the size of an ox racing northward.

　　Everyone hurried to the tree. The attacked hunter was still pale with shock, teeth chattering: “Stabbing Tiger! It was a Stabbing Tiger!”

　　Gongdian approached the fallen hunter, felt for breath at the nose, and shook his head; the man was already dead.

　　“Again this Stabbing Tiger!” Gongdian raised his voice. “In broad daylight, with so many of us present, it still dares to attack—utterly arrogant! Gong Hui said it has already killed several of our people; this time it must not escape.”

　　He then divided the party into two groups. One, of about twenty men under Gong Wei, was charged with transporting the phoenix eggs back to the tribe. The remainder he led personally in pursuit of the beast.

　　Gong Yi followed the Great Chieftain; consequently Dong Yifeng and Huamei also joined the pursuit party.

　　Ge Wu had been assigned to Gong Wei’s group but was unwilling; he volunteered to join the chase after the beast.

　　Gongdian, mounted, looked at Ge Wu who blocked his path: “Xiao Wu, we came out this time originally only to transport phoenix eggs and therefore brought few men. Now that we have been attacked by a Stabbing Tiger—an extremely dangerous beast—you had better return to the tribe with Gong Wei.”

　　“Great Chieftain, please allow me to go.”

　　“Xiao Wu, if anything should happen to you I would be unable to answer to your father.”

　　“Great Chieftain, you yourself, as leader of our clan, disregard personal safety; what have I to fear? Every hunter of our clan lives toward death and is reborn after death. Rest assured—I shall take care of myself.”

　　“Very well, I agree. Warriors of the Gongyou Clan, this time the Stabbing Tiger must not escape—pursue!” The Great Chieftain took the lead, whipping his mount and racing in the direction the beast had fled.

　　Ahead the trees grew sparse; though the beast had already run far it remained within sight.

　　Gong Yi kept close behind Gongdian. His right hand found the dragonbone bow hanging at his side; he thought that the bow had not yet been drawn and that this was an excellent opportunity to test it.

　　He took down the dragonbone bow, nocked an arrow, aimed at the beast, and released.

　　A sharp whistle passed his ear; the arrow struck the beast squarely in the back. Yet the creature merely shook itself and the arrow fell away.

　　Gong Yi stared in astonishment; he had not expected the beast’s back to be so hard that even an arrow from a dragonbone bow could not wound it.

　　“Gong Yi, aim for the belly or the thighs!” Gongdian called loudly.

　　“Your son understands.”

　　Gong Yi drew another arrow and shot; this time it struck the left leg. A distant howl of pain rose from the beast; it accelerated madly, and the distance between it and the pursuers lengthened once more.

　　The beast turned into denser woodland. The party followed the trail of blood upon the ground, continually judging its direction of flight and remaining in pursuit.

　　At last, in an open stretch where the trees were sparse, they again caught sight of the beast. Gong Yi released another arrow that struck its right thigh.

　　Wounded a second time, the beast’s speed clearly diminished. The camelhorses closed the gap, yet for the moment could not overtake it.

　　They pursued a while longer; the beast was about to break out of the forest.

　　Gong Yi shouted: “Father, ahead lies the territory of the FireWorship Clan. Must we continue the chase?”

　　“This time it must not escape. Even if we pursue it to the ends of the earth we shall kill it. This Stabbing Tiger is ferocious beyond measure; if it reaches FireWorship territory it will become a scourge there as well. I believe Lian Kui will understand our unauthorized crossing of the border. At worst we can later divide the meat with the FireWorship Clan.”

　　Even as he spoke the beast had already left the forest. Without hesitation the party spurred their mounts and followed.

　　Once beyond the trees Dong Yifeng looked about. Before them stretched an endless grassland, utterly different from the forest scenery—only scattered trees and rank grass everywhere.

　　The beast ran across the plain, howling as it went; the cries carried for many li.

　　The distance between the pursuers and the beast grew steadily shorter. Gong Yi found a favorable angle, drew the bow once more, and this time the arrow struck the beast’s belly.

　　Wounded yet again, the beast uttered a final scream and at last collapsed, rolling upon the ground and wailing without cease. The sound was so piteous that it could be heard more than ten li away.

　　Gongdian rode far ahead of the others. As he neared the beast he hurled the long spear in his hand; it struck the creature squarely in the abdomen.

　　After successive heavy blows the beast had lost all power of resistance and lay waiting only for the final stroke.

　　Gongdian dismounted, drew his sword, and strode swiftly toward the animal.

　　The precious sword in his hand was named “HeavenTwilight Sword.” Its blade was dark; it and Gong Kang’s DragonFlame Sword had both been forged from the same meteoric iron by the ancient celestial gods.

　　The head and back of such beasts were hard as steel; the belly and neck were their weak points. Approaching, Gongdian raised the sword, aimed at the neck, and struck with full force. With a single crisp sound the beast’s head was severed.

　　By then Dong Yifeng, mounted, had also reached the spot. He examined the creature carefully: it was the size of a yellow ox, with horns like those of an ox; apart from the horns the rest of its body closely resembled a tiger.

　　Fangs protruded from its mouth; its body was marked with tigerlike stripes; along the spine ran long spines like those of a hedgehog, rising from the head all the way to the tail.

　　The renowned butcher of Wangqiu City, Ding Wen, was already rapidly dismembering the carcass. The meat was plentiful; after skinning and removing the entrails he divided the flesh into smaller portions, packed it together with the hide into the leather bags they carried, and finished the work.

　　When all was ready Gongdian’s party prepared to return to the forest.

　　At that moment dust rose in the north; a troop of cavalry came galloping toward them, the foremost standardbearer holding aloft a banner.

　　Gong Yi, who had practiced archery from childhood and possessed extraordinary eyesight, recognized the banner and reported: “Father, they are cavalry of the FireWorship Clan; Lian Kui himself appears to be among them.”

　　At the previous humansacrifice combat tournament Dong Yifeng had glimpsed Lian Kui from afar among the crowd upon the southern platform, yet the distance had been too great for him to discern the man’s features clearly.

　　When the cavalry drew near Dong noted that there were about twenty riders, all clad in black with a red phoenix painted upon the chest.

　　The Gongyou Clan wore yellow; the FireWorship Clan wore black—a striking contrast. Apart from the difference in color, the Gongyou bound their heads with cloth while the FireWorship people did not.

　　The leader of the cavalry was darkskinned and rather stout, his round face fleshy, small eyes darting restlessly, a red alcoholic nose beneath them, and two tufts of goatlike beard under the nose. His age was close to Gongdian’s.

　　“That is Lian Kui,” Gong Yi whispered to Dong.

　　Dong looked again and noticed that the camelhorse ridden by Lian Kui was distinctive.

　　The tall, powerful mount stood a full head higher than the others, pure white without a single speck of other color, yet its tail was jet black.

　　Most remarkable of all, a single horn grew from its head, resembling that of a unicorn. Its hooves likewise differed from those of ordinary camelhorses and were clawed like those of a wild beast.

　　Lian Kui spoke with a stammer. Seeing Gongdian upon his own territory he was immediately filled with anger, and the stammer grew worse: “I… I was just wondering who would be so bold as to… to… to hunt upon our clan’s land, and it turns out to be Chieftain Gong… Gong… Gongdian of the Gongyou Clan. Our two clans long ago made an a… agreement that without… without permission neither may… may cross into the other’s territory.”

　　It happened that Lian Kui had also been hunting upon the nearby grassland that day. The Gongyou pursuit of the beast had already penetrated deep into FireWorship territory. The beast’s piteous cries had alerted Lian Kui’s scouts; upon receiving the report he had spurred his mount at full speed and arrived just as Gongdian’s party was about to turn back.

　　“How dare you come hunting upon our territory! Do you hold our clan in such… such contempt?”

　　Both sides stood with hands upon weapons, on the verge of open conflict.

　　Gongdian remained calm, clasped his fists from the saddle, and said: “Great Chieftain Lian Kui, please do not misunderstand. This beast has killed several of my brothers. In order to avenge them we pursued it all the way and inadvertently entered FireWorship territory. I beg Brother Lian’s generous forbearance!”

　　“Brother Lian, this beast is extremely fierce; had it reached FireWorship land it would inevitably have wrought havoc there as well. Therefore it had to be destroyed. The creature’s flesh is quite abundant; I am willing to divide half of it with the FireWorship Clan. Come—bring the meat!”

　　Seeing Gongdian’s generosity, Lian Kui’s expression softened considerably: “Chief… Chieftain Gongdian, let there be no… no next time.”

　　“Oh, and by the way—the Green… Green Clan celestial gods have already received the joint pe… petition of our two clans. The Ea… EagleGod King, acting upon the will of the celestial gods, has issued an ed… edict to us…”

　　Gongdian asked in surprise: “Is that so? Our clan has not yet received any imperial decree. What does the Eagle King’s edict say?”

　　“The Eagle King is willing to me… mediate the dis… dispute between our two clans. He bids the two of us go… go to the capital to receive his in… instruction, and he himself will decide this year’s quotas of sacri… sacrifices and la… laborers for both clans.”

　　“Very well. Once I have returned and arranged the affairs of the clan I shall accompany Brother Lian to the capital to pay homage to the EagleGod King.”