Chapter 58: Swapping for Kick-Mule, Directly Knocking Out the Fox

Zhang Hao shuddered violently, looking at Liu Wenchang with a trace of terror.

He really wanted to speak right now, to offer a word of praise and give him a thumbs-up.

This poacher was truly a legend!

Attending a wedding banquet was one thing, but to eat and also pack up leftovers to take away—well, that might be normal for ordinary human banquets, but this was a wedding feast hosted by spirits marrying foxes, and yet he still dared to pull this stunt. Extraordinary, a true man indeed.

Leaving aside whether he could even walk out of here alive, even if these foxes ultimately spared his life and let him leave, once he departed this place, descended the mountain, and pulled out these packed-to-go dishes, he would probably be scared half to death on the spot...

Just thinking about it sent a chill down his spine.

He watched helplessly as Liu Wenchang, licking his lips and swallowing hard, scooped up an entire plate of dead mice. With extremely deft movements and a casual, unrestrained posture, in the blink of an eye, the plate of dead mice was swept into a plastic bag.

Pulling both sides of the plastic bag with his hands, he tied it up with a swift motion and set it aside.

The entire sequence of movements was as smooth as flowing water, taking less than five seconds.

Good grief... This guy reminded Zhang Hao of the videos he had seen online before, where middle-aged women in the countryside raided wedding banquets, grabbing plastic bags and shoveling food into them even before anyone else could use their chopsticks, sometimes nearly coming to blows over a particular dish...

Tsk.

Given that almost everyone at this table today was actually a fox, if even a single typical auntie were here, she would have gotten into a brawl with him.

Because she certainly wouldn't be able to out-compete this brother.

And that wasn't all. Liu Wenchang was clearly not satisfied, not with this whole table full of dishes.

He opened another plastic bag and picked up the bloody half of an unplucked wild pheasant, its internal organs still mixed within...

After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Hao also stood up, suppressing his nausea, and began helping Liu Wenchang pack up the food.

It was better to get it all bagged up quickly so he wouldn't have to keep looking at these wretched things. The more he looked, the more disgusted he felt, and the closer he came to retching.

By the time all the visible dishes on the table were packed, Liu Wenchang's mouth was split nearly to his ears. "Thanks, buddy."

Zhang Hao waved a hand and turned his head away.

Liu Wenchang didn't linger. He picked up his chopsticks, held his stone cup, and turned to walk toward another table. He quickly blended in with the crowd of foxes there, eating, drinking, and gorging himself with great relish and boundless joy.

Zhang Hao was quite content with the peace and quiet. Crossing his arms over his chest, he surveyed everything inside the cave.

Where on earth was the mountain treasure hidden...

The ancient texts recorded it very clearly: whenever foxes married, a mountain treasure was bound to appear. Yet the wedding feast was already underway, surely the mountain treasure wouldn't wait until after the meal was finished to show up, would it?

That didn't make any sense.

Logically speaking, the mountain treasure should have manifested the moment the fox groom and bride bowed to heaven and earth.

It really was baffling.

Could it be that mountain treasures only existed when ancient foxes married, and stopped appearing in modern times?

That couldn't be right. Since ancient times, every recorded fox wedding had been accompanied by a mountain treasure, according to the records passed down through generations of mountain walkers. How could things change in his era? Absolutely impossible.

So, where exactly had something gone wrong...

"What kind of lousy wine is this? It has zero kick, tastes just like water, dammit." Liu Wenchang muttered as he walked back to the stone table, holding his stone cup.

He had been hoping to get thoroughly drunk, using the break in the banquet to drink, shake off his exhaustion, and relax his mind. Having been chased by the police for so many days, he was already at his breaking point.

Who would have thought this wine would be so utterly useless? It was as bland as plain water. Who knew how they even brewed this stuff? It was way too perfunctory.

"Sigh, buddy, are the mountain wines around here all like this? Totally devoid of strength." Liu Wenchang patted Zhang Hao's shoulder with a peculiar expression.

Zhang Hao was already deeply annoyed and naturally couldn't be bothered to entertain him. He merely waved a hand, showing no intention of responding, his mind tangled in chaotic thoughts.

Liu Wenchang didn't mind. Anyway, Zhang Hao was mute and couldn't possibly give him a real reply. So, he simply poured himself another cup of fragrant yet tasteless wine and gulped it down in one go.

At that moment, caught deep within his hallucinations, out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of a handsome groom and a seductive, curvaceous bride, led by several stooped elders, slowly walking in from one of the cave's entrances. Each of them held a cup filled with wine.

"Oh, look, the bride and groom are coming around to toast us," Liu Wenchang said, patting Zhang Hao's shoulder with a laugh.

Frowning, Zhang Hao turned his head to look at the approaching fox groom, bride, and the elder foxes.

Toasting...

These foxes really fancied themselves human, even including a toasting ceremony.

Suddenly, Zhang Hao's pupils constricted and his expression froze as he stared blankly at the incoming fox couple.

He suddenly figured out how to escape.

Moreover, this method wouldn't just allow him to escape; it would even render the poacher completely useless as a scapegoat. He might even be able to swagger out of here carrying the mountain treasure.

At this thought, Zhang Hao narrowed his eyes and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Immediately afterward, he stood up and pulled two glass bottles from his spirit-anchoring basket.

The surfaces of the bottles bore no labels, and they were filled to the brim with a transparent liquid.

These were two bottles of high-proof white liquor, with an alcohol content as high as 73 degrees—even stronger than standard high-potency spirits—brewed domestically by the villagers themselves.

When venturing into the mountains this time, Zhang Hao had deliberately brought two bottles, not for drinking, but for emergencies.

His calculation at the time was that he would be in the mountains for several days, so he had brought along various items that might come in handy. Since liquor had numerous practical uses, he had simply packed two bottles.

He hadn't expected that after surviving for several days without needing them, they would come in useful right here.

Seeing Zhang Hao pull out two glass bottles, Liu Wenchang blinked. He picked one up, sniffed it under his nose, and his eyes lit up as he asked excitedly, "Buddy, is this... liquor?"

Zhang Hao nodded heavily, pointed at the high-proof liquor, and gestured for him to taste it.

Without standing on ceremony, Liu Wenchang dumped out the "wine" in his cup, unscrewed the cap, and poured himself a small cup of the new liquor.

Inhaling the pungent aroma that pierced straight into his nose, Liu Wenchang looked like an old drunkard experiencing a sudden craving. He downed the cup of white liquor in a single gulp.

"Ah~" An expression of pure bliss spread across his face, a sound of ultimate comfort escaping his throat. Re-examining the liquor bottle, he declared heartily, "Refreshing! Now *this* is liquor!"

Right at that moment—

Just as Liu Wenchang finished tasting the liquor, he saw the groom, the bride, and the elders arrive at the stone table.

Following that, he saw the white-haired old man standing at the very front grin broadly, raise his wine cup, and say, "Two little brothers, we old fellows have brought the newlywed youngsters today to toast the two of you. We hope you won't disdain our humble company."

"Squeak, squeak, squeak."

To the clear-headed Zhang Hao, however, it was merely an old fox letting out a couple of cries.

Liu Wenchang, completely trapped in his hallucinations and naturally oblivious to the truth, felt a smile curve his lips. He poured himself a full cup of liquor and muttered to himself, "Naturally, naturally. Come, come, I'll drink first."

Just as he was about to raise the cup to his lips, Zhang Hao grabbed his arm, frowned, pointed at his cup, then pointed at the cups held by the elders and the newlyweds, and finally pointed at the two bottles of white liquor.

Liu Wenchang paused for a long moment, pointed at the liquor bottles, and asked tentatively, "You mean... let them try this wine instead?"

Zhang Hao nodded heavily.

Liu Wenchang paused, then broke into a hearty laugh. "I was only thinking of my own enjoyment and forgot to share with everyone!"

Snatching up a liquor bottle, he looked at the elders, the groom, and the bride. "Hey everyone, this is some fine liquor my buddy brought along. You all should try this—I guarantee it tastes way better than what you've got! Come on, let me fill your cups!"

As he spoke, Liu Wenchang snatched the stone cups from their hands, dumped out the transparent liquid inside each one, and poured a splash of the high-proof white liquor into every single cup.

"This white liquor is strong and packs a real punch. Try it first and see if you can handle the kick."

Afterward, Liu Wenchang raised his own cup of high-proof liquor, gesturing for everyone to toast together, and laughed, "Everyone, let's toast to the newlyweds joining in marriage and growing old together!"

With that, he downed the liquor in his cup in one gulp.

As for the old foxes and the newlywed fox couple who had come to offer the toast, they alternately looked at him and at the newly replaced white liquor in their cups. Mimicking human behavior, they picked up their cups, stretched out their small heads, and sniffed repeatedly with their noses twitching.