Hunt

On the first day, after they had their midday meal, Tong Huakun declared that they should rest for a while and meditate in a valley between two large mountains.

Jack shrugged his shoulders and lay down to rest while he waited for her to finish her meditation.

A few minutes later, Tong Huakun stopped absorbing spirit energy and looked at Jack with a frown as she asked "Why aren't you refilling your spirit energy? We have to stay in our best shape in case we run into a wandering Haechi."

Jack opened one eye to look at her and answered "I'm already full. You do what you need to."

Tong Huakun's eyes narrowed as she said "I have felt spirit energy flow about your body for the entire morning as we ran. There is no way that your dantian has anywhere near the optimal amount of spirit energy for hunts."

Jack sighed and raised his hand into the air before Tong Huakun could keep going with her admonishments.

He kept his eye locked on her expression and started absorbing spirit energy through his skin as he explained "My cultivation technique doesn't require me to sit down and meditate. I've been absorbing spirit energy ever since we started our hunting trip."

Tong Huakun stared at Jack's hand for a dozen seconds; only after he stopped his absorption did she turn towards him with wide open eyes and asked "How did you do that? I have not heard of any other person from the other side of the River having this ability."

Jack studied her eager face for a few seconds before he gave a small smile and said "I told you, we're not from around here. Keep learning our language and you might pick up a few things."

Tong Huakun watched Jack's one open eye for a few seconds and gave him a small nod of understanding. After that, she closed her eyes and continued with her meditation.

Half an hour later, they continued their trek.

For the next three days, they kept to this pace. Jack stopped counting how many barren mountains, valleys, and small creeks or rivers of white water he crossed.

Tong Huakun explained that the distance of the Haechi habitats was one of the main reasons for their low yield from hunts. That, combined with the high mortality rate, made her people start focusing on other sources of income besides the Haechi, like raiding other tribes.

Their yearly hunts reduced by almost half, but their income started increasing. Even with that, they lost a lot more people in the raids than in the hunts.

On the fourth day, just as Jack started thinking about other sources of income, Tong Huakun stopped their advance up a rocky mountain and brought her hands to the sides of her face.

Numerous threads of spirit energy exited Tong Huakun's fingers as she looked into the distance.

Jack looked in the direction she did and could only see the usual mountainous landscape he got used to in the last few days. After a few seconds of waiting, he asked "What are you doing?"

Tong Huakun kept looking through her fingers for a while before she lowered her hands and said "It's an old tribal spell to make things from afar appear closer; I think I saw some Haechi digging traces in the distance."

Jack's brows rose in surprise as he asked "Can you teach the spell to me when we get back?"

Tong Huakun hesitated for a few seconds before she looked at Jack and said "I'm not sure. I think a lot of things depend on how this hunt goes." She turned back towards the traces in the distance and added "Let's go, we might get to it by sundown."

A couple of hours after they ate the midday meal, Tong Huakun spotted a black shaggy form moving through a distant valley and pointed it out to Jack.

Twenty minutes later, they lay on top of a small hill and watched the Haechi digging in the dirt with its hooves.

Tong Huakun glanced at Jack and whispered "What now?"

Jack gave her a signal to wait out of instinct, and then whispered back "Wait; let me see what it does."

They came across numerous holes dug out by the Haechi while they tracked it and Jack wanted to see for himself why it did that even though Tong Huakun had explained it before.

A few minutes later, the Haechi let out an excited bleat-roar and dug faster. Soon enough, it dragged out a couple of meters long and arm thick pure white worm.

Jack's brows furrowed as he looked at Tong Huakun and asked "You eat those?"

She returned the look with a calm expression on her face as she answered "If we get hungry enough, we do."

Jack froze for a second before he let out a soft sigh and said "I guess I would too."

While the Haechi ate its meal, Jack looked around at the surrounding mountains for a couple of minutes before he found the perfect spot for his plan.

He looked back at Tong Huakun and whispered "See that outcropping?" as he pointed towards a hundred and fifty meters high protruding chunk of rock on an almost sheer cliff face.

Tong Huakun followed where Jack's finger pointed and frowned as she said "I do, you want to use that one?"

Jack nodded before he returned to watching the Haechi beast and instructed "Go climb up to it; I'll come join you soon."

Tong Huakun kept frowning as she asked "What do you plan to do?"

Jack turned to look at her and gave a lopsided smile as he said "I'm going to throw rocks at the Haechi." His face turned serious as he added "When I give you the rope you have to quickly brace yourself or this whole thing will fail. Go, now."

Tong Huakun studied him for a couple more seconds before she sighed and followed Jack's instructions.

Jack watched her as she climbed up the steep mountain face faster than some people ran. He gave an appreciative grunt and stood up.

On the way towards the Haechi, Jack picked up a few rocks, took out his secret weapon, and started whistling.

The Haechi raised its brown-blood stained face from its half-eaten meal and watched Jack with cautious blood-red eyes. A few seconds later, it decided that its food was its top priority and continued eating.

Jack shrugged and uncoiled a thick rope he made himself with Xiezhi wool. It had a wide loop at one end ready which Jack laid down right in the path between himself and the Haechi.

When he backed away from the waiting rope, the Haechi had just finished its meal and started looking hungry once more as it growled at Jack.

Jack growled right back at it and started throwing rocks.

Once a rock hit it straight in its white face, the Haechi bleat-roared and charged straight at him.

Jack stood fifteen meters away from the laid trap and waited. When the Haechi ran over the rope with its front legs, Jack pulled on the rope with everything he had and managed to loop it over the beast's left hind leg.

As soon as the loop closed, Jack turned and started running towards the cliff where Tong Huakun waited. He had to manage his speed due to the rope so he could almost feel the Haechi's putrid breath on his neck.

When he reached the cliff, Jack placed his end of the rope between his teeth and started climbing up.

He didn't have the skill that Tong Huakun had in climbing, but he still managed to stay ten meters ahead of the slow Haechi as he reached the outcropping.

As soon as he reached her, Jack handed the rope over to Tong Huakun and said "Hold on tight to this and don't let go."

Before she could say anything, Jack turned to watch the coming Haechi.

When it came closer than five meters, Jack extended his right arm and blasted the unsuspecting beast off of the cliff with the Air Blast spell as it attempted to climb higher.

Its surprised cry ended abruptly as it started bleating on the end of the rope.

Jack looked over his shoulder at the slightly strained Tong Huakun and asked "Can you hold it?"

Her brows furrowed as she asked through gritted teeth "For how long?"

Jack looked back down at the helpless Haechi that swung by its left hoof over the precipice and said "Until it dies. It shouldn't take long; its upper body is too heavy to rise for any longer stretch of time. It should drown in its own blood or its lugs should get crushed sooner than we lose strength."

He sat down and leaned his back on the cliff as he added "Tell me when you start feeling strained and I will take over. This isn't a race, it's a long march."

For the next couple of hours, Tong Huakun and Jack switched places every ten minutes. Tong Huakun had more strength than Jack, but Jack could absorb spirit energy through his skin so he could afford to waste more while holding the Haechi.

After the beast stopped struggling, Jack still insisted to hold it for another half an hour just to make sure it died and didn't just pass out.

On the last exchange, Jack gave the rope to Tong Huakun and climbed down the cliff.

Once he got in place, he shouted "You can let it go!"

As soon as he did, Tong Huakun released the rope and the Haechi crashed down the cliff.

It didn't make any sounds of protest as it fell, but Jack still came up to it to check with his sword.

He stabbed the sword through its neck with some effort and watched the blood ooze out.

Tong Huakun soon joined him in front of the dead Haechi and said "I still think I should have just gone down there and stabbed it with my spear when it passed out."

Jack shook his head as he refuted "It could have woken up and raked you over the cliff with its horns."

Tong Huakun let out a grumbling noise but she didn't want to continue the argument.

Jack looked at the rock spear that Tong Huakun carried on her back and sighed. It had a Haechi horn tip and could pierce through its hide, but its body was made out of fragile rock so it caused problems for the Haechi Tribe.

Due to this, even when they hunted a Haechi down, it had numerous holes in its hide and lowered the price of the leather a lot.

It took Jack a dozen seconds to cover the dead Haechi with his spirit energy and stored it in his Star Bag.

He looked further into the mountain range and said "Let's go, we have to get a lot more."

Tong Huakun glanced at him and shook her head as she led the way.

When he first explained his plan to her she didn't even think it possible. Killing a Haechi beast just by hanging it upside down? Only now when she saw it in action did she start to believe that they might have a slight hope for the recovery of her tribe in the future.

A month after they left the Haechi Tribe's town, Tong Huakun and Jack stood on the slopes of a mountain and watched the small town in the distance.

Tong Huakun had a few scrapes on her arms and face, but she sighed in relief as she declared "When that rock broke and we tumbled down with the Haechi, for a breath, I thought I would never get to see this sight again."

Jack chuckled as his wounds had already healed and said "We needed the excitement, bagging them so easy started getting boring after a while."

Tong Huakun shook her head in bemusement and started walking down the mountain towards her home.

Jack patted his Star Bag with satisfaction and followed after her.