bookrebus Chapter 309 Ventriloquism So skillful even mules couldn't tell the difference
Chapter 309 Ventriloquism So skillful even mules couldn't tell the difference
Li Ju'an held the gun to his face, sparks flying, aimed at the rapidly flashing black shadow, and fired immediately.
He had just fired the gun when it exploded with a loud bang, and Big Tiger led a pack of hunting dogs to charge forward, tearing at the dark figure with ferocious bites.
Li Ju'an did not stop the hunting dogs from biting. Da Hu, along with Hua Er, Bai Danzi, and Xiao Gangpao, bit the black shadow's thigh, slammed their limbs to the ground, and tilted their heads back and left and right, seemingly trying to tear the black shadow apart alive.
He didn't stop them to protect the hunting dogs' fighting spirit. Good hunting dogs need stamina and the fighting spirit to confront and intercept prey. If he fired and prevented the dogs from rushing in to bite, it would mislead them into thinking that they shouldn't approach when they hear gunshots, which would corrupt their training.
Song Desheng pulled out his scope and exclaimed, "Damn it! He really is a greenhorn!"
Li Ju'an pulled the trigger, and a bullet precisely pierced Qingpizi's abdomen, leaving a small incision and a large gaping wound. Blood, along with churning intestines, gushed from the gruesome wound. However, this severe injury did not immediately take Qingpizi's life. Enduring the excruciating pain, it strained its legs, attempting to escape this death trap.
Seeing this, Big Tiger's eyes flashed with a bloodthirsty glint. He led his pack of hunting dogs in a frenzied attack, finally pinning the exhausted Green Skin to the ground. The hunting dogs went berserk, their sharp teeth tearing mercilessly at Green Skin's body, biting it until its skin was torn open and blood and flesh flew everywhere.
The green-skinned dog tried several times to get up and fight back, baring its fangs covered in mud and blood, but it was helplessly suppressed by the white mastiff's heavy body.
The white mastiff bit down on the green dog's ear, dangling it like prey. Its entire body lowered, using its massive weight as a merciless lever to pin the green dog firmly to the ground. The white mastiff's majesty and power were overwhelming. The green dog tried desperately to turn its head and stand up, but was pinned down by a pack of hunting dogs, dragged and bitten until its skin was torn and bleeding, and it died.
Li Ju'an grabbed his gun and ran over quickly, shouting, "Uncle Qian! We're truly impressed this time. Your ventriloquism is absolutely amazing!"
Old Qian cupped his hands around his mouth and made a rabbit-like sound, mimicking the simultaneous calls of three or four rabbits, attracting a lone wolf. This wolf was unlucky; lone wolves already struggle to survive in the wild. Winter might be a little better, as several lone wolves, especially older ones, might team up to increase their chances of survival. But a lone wolf in autumn, especially encountering a hunter with such ventriloquism, met a humiliating end.
Old Qian grinned smugly. He had just fired two shots, but his old-fashioned pistol wasn't very powerful and its accuracy was poor. At that distance, he missed the fleeting wolf shadow.
He quickly snapped the gun handle down with his right hand, pinched the empty bullet casings out with his thumb and forefinger, stuffed a handful of bullets into the chamber, and pretended to fire a shot, saying, "Nephew, isn't this a good move? Call me master and I'll teach you."
Li Ju'an had been waiting for these words. If it were Lu Zhiqiang and Lu Jinyang from the Lu family, even if they wanted to call him "Master," they would have to consider the Lu family patriarch's feelings. Sun Weimin wouldn't dare to do it either. These two families were renowned hunters in the village, and their skills were passed down from their ancestors. But Li Ju'an was different. He took out the deer blood wine from his waist, grinned, and shouted, "Master, teach me! I promise I won't embarrass you when we go out in the future."
Old Qian was getting on in years, and his only grandson wasn't around; he'd gone to work in a factory in the city. He took the deer blood wine from Li Ju'an, uncorked it, and took a sip. The warmth of the wine traveled down his spine, making him feel cozy inside, and he grinned broadly: "Alright, nephew, come and imitate my pronunciation!"
While Song Desheng and Lao Zhang were gutting the shrew, they listened intently to Lao Qian's ventriloquism skills.
Old Qian first taught Li Ju'an the sound of a mule braying. Li Ju'an led a mule over as a large animal to pull a cart. In the autumn, when they hunted game, they could have the large animal pull it back. He glanced at the mule, took a deep breath, and slowly released the breath from his chest through the vibrations in his mouth.
A vivid, lifelike bray rang out; it was a somewhat restless mule, kicking up its heels in protest. Old Zhang chuckled upon hearing it and said, "Isn't that a female mule in early spring? Be careful not to get ridden on by this beast."
For a time, Lao Qian went to the frontier to support development, his footsteps extending to the vast grasslands of the west, where nomadic peoples lived by following the water and grass. In that boundless land, he adhered to his principles and did not seek a partner in this foreign land. Later, the policy of supporting the border regions began to change, and Lao Qian was finally able to apply to return home, bringing with him the whistling skills he had learned from the nomadic people, and returned to his familiar village.
On the vast grasslands, the distance between people is infinitely stretched. Even the loudest shouts struggle to penetrate the expanse and accurately convey information to distant companions. The locals thus invented a unique form of communication—whistling. This is a testament to the wisdom of survival on the grasslands.
People often say, "Looking at a mountain makes a horse run itself to death," which describes the huge contrast between the visual and actual distance on the grassland. From seeing a person's silhouette in the distance to actually being able to talk face to face, the journey can take anywhere from a few minutes to half an hour or even longer.
It was in this environment that Lao Qian gradually mastered the language of the whistle. When he returned to his homeland with this unique skill, he also brought back the vastness and freedom of the grassland to the village. The whistle, because of its sharp sound, could travel very far.
Old Qian, rousing himself, puffed out his cheeks and shouted at the clasped hands. The mule's braying made the mule tied to the tree stump behind Li Ju'an prick up its ears and twitch. The mule actually turned its head to look over, then excitedly tilted its neck back, trying to break free from the reins, and brayed excitedly in Old Qian's direction.
Old Zhang laughed heartily, "See? I told you, this mule wants to find a wife. Old Qian, it's a good thing Xiao Li tied the mule up, otherwise you really would have been chased by a male mule."
Several people burst into laughter. Old Qian laughed too and said, "What's so great about a mule's bray? Back in the day, I could imitate a horse's neigh perfectly. Just you wait, I'll give you a real bray."
Old Qian stood upright, and as he took a deep breath and spoke, he slightly bent his waist and let out a long, melodious neigh. Li Ju'an followed Old Qian's movements, trying to imitate him, but when he didn't understand something, Old Qian sternly slapped him with his hand, telling him that he had to change the way he resonated his voice.
The stricter the master, the better the apprentice. Li Ju'an learned the cries of pheasants, silly half-pounders, and flying dragons from the sounds of four-legged animals.
Song Desheng dragged out the wolf's intestines, which smelled so bad that he pinched his nose and almost gagged. He hung the intestines on a high branch, and then he and Lao Zhang began to skin the wolf, butchered the wolf meat, and threw it onto the cart.
Old Qian listened to Li Ju'an's ventriloquism and nodded with great satisfaction. He sat on the bluestone slab, leaning to one side, listening as Li Ju'an played and recounted his experiences of supporting the border regions when he was young.