RPS – Chapter 25 The Prey in the Trap

Li Feng and the others returned to the trap site. Several pit traps had been damaged—clear signs that prey had stepped into them. But the most eye-catching sight was the wild goats, deer, muntjacs, and elks hanging in midair like they were on swings—herbivores all caught in the suspended traps.

Li He and Bu wanted to kill them all on the spot and carry them back, but Li Feng stopped them. What a joke—live prey was worth much more than dead meat! They could be raised as a food reserve for the winter. “We can just tie vines around their necks and lead them back. How would we carry the dead ones? There are too many, and they’re heavy. Sure, we have enough people, but judging by the number of animals today, even that might not be enough!” There were nearly ten animals hanging in the air alone, and they hadn’t even checked the pits yet.

Li Feng quickly set down his basket and rushed to the traps where the pits had been exposed. Before he even got close, he could already hear the bleating of goats. Looking inside, he was delighted by the lively chaos—red, green, white, yellow—a colorful scene! Three or four deer, several muntjacs that looked like a cross between goats and deer, and, to his greatest joy, several goats—including horned rams and pregnant ewes.

In total, Li Feng and his group had dug five or six large pit traps in the area. Due to the lack of good tools, that was all they could manage, and even that had taken them an entire morning. But the harvest from those pits was spectacular.

Everyone was overjoyed. It had been a long time since they’d had such a bountiful hunt—more than what they usually got from dangerous expeditions. Normally, their hunted prey was just enough to feed the tribe. But this time, just a handful of them had managed to catch so much!

Using a river clam shell knife, Li Feng cut a lot of vines and tied them to the animals’ necks. He then told Bu to inform the chief so the others could bring back their prey using the same method. Since they were all herbivores, they’d be relatively easy to keep alive after being brought back.

Li Feng asked Li to haul the pit-caught prey up using vines. Then, each person led a few animals, with one person staying at the rear to drive them along. Li Feng followed behind with his basket full to the brim. The chief and the others also led animals, both large and small, back to the tribe. A few young ones, even if not tied up, insisted on following their mothers.

This was truly a massive harvest. Except for Li Feng almost being eaten by a tiger at the beginning, the others had only minor scrapes. And beyond the hunt, Li Feng had also discovered large patches of corn and beans—solving their food worries. The traps, especially, had proven invaluable.

Once the animals were brought back, they reset the traps as before, so next time they could harvest again. Still, Li Feng knew these traps were crude. After at most ten uses, the animals would wise up, and future catches likely wouldn’t be this plentiful.

The herbivorous animals here were quite docile and unaware of the dangers of traps, which is why they were so easily caught this time. Since herbivores often lived in herds to guard against large carnivores, these big-pit traps were perfect—one wrong step and multiple animals would fall in.

The men of the tribe now admired Li Feng even more. Not only had he hunted a tiger, but he had also come up with this trap idea, leading to a catch beyond their wildest dreams. Their gazes toward him changed; many practically regarded him as a hero of the tribe.

On the way back, Li Feng was surrounded by Nuo and a group of the tribe’s more “talkative” men, all chattering away with admiration and curiosity. His vanity swelled to new heights. After all, he used to be seen as weaker than a woman—a deep blow to his pride. Especially after those same men had mocked him for going hunting with Li… Now, he’d finally proven himself. He hadn’t used brute strength, but had still caught more than any of them.

The journey back was smooth—no encounters with major predators. A few ferocious animals spotted their large group and didn’t dare approach. Still, Li Feng got a fright when he saw a few drooling wolves. Wolves were fierce and loyal to their packs—if they had run into a large pack, things could’ve gone badly. Luckily, there were only a dozen or so wolves this time, while their group numbered close to a hundred. In the end, they returned to the tribe safe and sound.

They were greeted with cheers and admiration from the women and children. The chief distributed the prey among households. The tiger Li Feng caught was kept for himself. Originally, tiger meat would’ve been shared, but with all the fresh, tender meat they had now, no one cared. Li Feng also asked the chief for several young animals and multiple pregnant female animals—these would be future food for his baby. Among the small animals were a few males too, so Li Feng’s household received several pregnant creatures of different species.

Especially goats, muntjacs, deer, and similar animals—there were enough for every household to receive multiple live animals. Li Feng explained that there was no need to slaughter them all immediately. They could be kept and fed on grass, then slaughtered in the winter when prey was scarce.

This news sparked another round of celebration. Finally, they could eat fresh meat regularly. Before, all prey was killed in the hunt and dragged back dead, so no one thought of raising them. Now with live animals, things would be much easier. The women, especially, wouldn’t need to rely so much on the men—just feed the animals some grass daily.

Li Feng brought the animals back to his home and had Li and the others hammer a thick wooden stake into a corner of the yard. They tied the animals with leather cords—not vines, or else they’d just chew through them.

He grabbed some tree branches, leaves, and wild grass and tossed them in front of the animals. The frightened creatures only started eating after a long while.

Li and the others went off to deal with the tiger. Though Li Feng felt it was cruel, that was simply the reality of life—especially in such a harsh environment. If they didn’t kill the tiger, it would’ve eaten them. That said, Li Feng actually quite liked tigers—they were majestic and adorable, like giant cats. But taming one was out of the question—it would only bring danger. So, he didn’t stop them from taking action.

He just didn’t want to watch. He told Li that the tiger’s entire body was valuable—every part needed to be kept, especially its bones and meat. Tiger bones and flesh could be used to treat the tribe’s rheumatism, a result of living in cold, damp caves for so long. In fact, everyone probably had it—they just hadn’t realized yet. Everyone needed to eat a little to start the healing process.