Chapter 379 The Deepest Part of the Mountain Withers First
After the village meeting, some villagers were organized to go into the mountains. They needed to figure out what was happening, otherwise, going into the mountains to grow crops in the future would be fraught with danger.
Ye Mu'en also went up the mountain with a few people. Living in Bai Rong Brigade required a sense of belonging and participation. It would be too much to not be involved in anything.
As they traveled deep into the mountains, they noticed a significant increase in small animals along the way, giving a sense of flight.
Suddenly, a tiger's roar echoed through the mountains, instantly scattering birds and beasts.
"Everyone climb trees and hide."
Those who went up the mountain were all experienced hunters. At the command, they scrambled up the surrounding trees and fell silent.
Ye Mu'en watched as tigers, not just one but a whole family, large and small, dashed towards them from a distance. They tore into their prey, eating it as soon as they caught it.
The tigers continued to hunt, as if they had been starving for a long time.
The people in the trees dared not move, their breaths barely audible. If discovered, they would surely become tiger food today.
However, they overlooked their scent. Human scent naturally attracted tigers, and there were quite a few of them.
"Roar ~ Roar ~"
The tigers had given up chasing the smaller prey and were now circling the trees where they were hiding. Ye Mu'en saw a lead tiger directly beneath his tree.
As it was about to climb, Monkey, on another tree, watched anxiously.
"Hey, tiger, your grandpa is here."
Ye Mu'en had just taken out the medicinal powder his sister had made, and before he could sprinkle it, the tiger was lured away.
"Sprinkle the medicine Shengge gave you onto the tiger."
Monkey was also scared, but he didn't want Mu'ge to be in danger. After being reminded by Mu'ge, he remembered his trump card.
"Heh heh, watch this, I'll skin these tigers today and make cushions for Shengge."
Monkey provocatively slid down the tree a bit. When he saw the tiger's front paws almost reaching his feet, he sprinkled the powder directly into its face.
Fearing a counterattack, Monkey retreated to his original position after sprinkling the powder and waited.
The people Ye Mu'en brought all had the medicinal powder, so anyone with a tiger beneath their tree did the same. Within half a minute, three tigers were dealt with.
The remaining two tigers were under the trees where the villagers were, and they seemed to know that the people in the other trees could harm them, so they didn't come any closer, only guarding the villagers.
Furthermore, seeing their family members fall, the remaining two tigers became even more ferocious. They were about to climb the trees, and if they did, they would be caught with a single bite.
The villagers with shotguns also began shooting at the tigers. The more they shot, the more frenzied the tigers became.
Ye Mu'en saw his chance and signaled to Monkey. They slid down the tree and sprinted towards the tigers, sprinkling the powder before quickly climbing the nearest tree.
Ye Mu'en didn't mind wasting the powder and sprinkled some more down from the tree.
As expected, Ye Shengge's sleeping powder was superb, capable of knocking down even these massive creatures from a distance.
"They're all unconscious, all unconscious."
"Scared the life out of me."
Everyone climbed down from the trees and milled around the five tigers of various sizes.
"If Mu'en and the others hadn't followed us today, we would have been food for these big guys."
"Yeah, who knew we'd encounter five tigers at once."
A torrent of grateful words washed over Ye Mu'en and his group. However, Ye Mu'en wasn't in the mood to listen to their drivel. Tigers, the kings of beasts, had ample food in the deep mountains; why were they chasing small animals out?
"I'll leave these tigers to you. I'll take some people to investigate further."
"No, it's too dangerous. We should all go together."
Seeing the villagers stubbornly block their path, Ye Mu'en had no choice but to compromise.
"Kill them first. We don't know how long the medicine will last. If they wake up, it will be a big problem."
The villagers were very proactive. They directly plunged their machetes into the tigers' necks, stopping only when they were certain the tigers were dead.
A group of people worked together to move the tigers to one spot. They planned to drag them back to the village later.
Ye Mu'en and his party quickened their pace, but the further they went, the more desolate it became. Many trees had already withered.
"What's going on? The outer perimeter isn't withered yet, so why is the inside like this?"
"No wonder the tigers are coming out to find food. If this continues, all the wild beasts will come down the mountain."
Ye Mu'en was also very worried. If there was no food in the mountains, the people downstream would become their food.
But what could they do about nature's problems? The entire country wasn't experiencing rain, so even praying to the Dragon King would be useless.
"Notify the village chief and have him report this situation to the government to see if they have any countermeasures. Also, someone needs to patrol the village every day from now on, otherwise, we won't know when the wild beasts come down the mountain."
Although the group who went up the mountain had acquired five tigers, none of them were happy. Who knew when the wild beasts in the mountains would slaughter the village?
When the tigers were brought down the mountain, the village erupted in excitement. Their Bai Rong Brigade was mighty; who else could take down five tigers at once!
The village chief was also all smiles, squatting beside the tigers, reluctant to leave.
"Village chief, what should we do with these tigers? The weather is so hot, they'll start to rot in a couple of days."
"Let's divide and eat them."
The village chief patted a tiger's hide, his mind made up.
Meanwhile, Elder Fan and Elder Dang, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, wished they could stare at the tigers all day.
Ye Shengge and a few others also came to join the fun. They had seen tigers before, but never this close.
"Shengge, we must keep the treasures from these tigers. This is too rare."
Ye Shengge naturally understood and nodded before finding her elder brother.
Ye Mu'en casually walked up to the village chief and whispered a few words before leaving.
The village chief and the brigade leader discussed for a long time before making a decision.
"Everyone, quiet down. You've all seen the weather situation. This year's harvest will definitely be poor. How about we sell these tigers for money and then buy grain? With grain, we won't starve."
The brigade leader also spoke up, looking at the villagers who were salivating at the meat with a bit of pity, but he could only endure.
"The village chief is right. Even if we divide the tiger meat, it'll only last for one or two meals. It'll be gone by the time we go to the latrine. It's better to exchange it for grain so we don't have to eat half-full every day."
There was very little discussion among the villagers, as everyone understood the importance of grain.
"The village chief is right. If we sell the tigers, I'll be satisfied with seven-tenths of a full stomach."
"Hahahaha, exactly. Let's sell them quickly, and our mouths won't be so greedy."
The village chief smiled and waved his hand, and the crowd quieted down.
"Since everyone agrees, let me be clear about the rules. According to regulations, half of any large game caught in the mountains must be handed over to the government.
Now that we've decided to sell them, we must keep this a secret, not even telling our relatives at home. Otherwise, if the higher-ups find out, they will definitely punish us."
After all, the village had women married in from other villages, as well as knowledgeable people. Since they were taking the grain, these people had to keep their mouths shut, otherwise, everyone would suffer together.