The three of them had entered the mountains at six-thirty. After reaching the hunting grounds, they took a shortcut toward their destination and arrived before half past eight.
The wild boars probably hadn't left their dens yet, so the three were looking for the tracks they'd left the day before.
As they had agreed beforehand, whoever found fresh tracks was to whistle for the others.
Hearing the whistle, Zhao Jun didn't even bother taking down his gun and strode southwest. He hadn't gone more than a few steps when he saw Zhang Yuanmin, who had three pairs of wild-boar-skin skis tucked under his arm.
Zhao Jun gave him a hand signal. Zhang Yuanmin, understanding tacitly, said nothing, simply nodding before following him.
When Zhao Jun and Zhang Yuanmin reached the bottom of the gully, they saw Li Baoyu waving at them from a short distance away.
It melted during the day and froze at night.
