069 Black Bear?

Page 1

“Because this is fundamental training, something you must practice over a long period. You can't just blindly slap at the sandbag; you need to carefully sense the flow of force, and pay attention to the feeling when your hand meets the bag.

Your hand should feel comfortable when striking the sandbag. Don't rush or get impatient, or you'll injure yourself.

The most important thing is this: if you keep hitting the sandbag hard for a long time and your hand starts to hurt, even if you can push through mentally or physically, your hand will unconsciously want to pull back. Over time, you won't be able to use your strength fully, your technique will remain shallow, and your skill will never deepen.

The best practice is what feels comfortable for you, what feels comfortable for your hands. Once you've practiced enough and adapted, gradually increase the force, and your skill will deepen. Learn some routines, understand how to apply force, and when the time comes, you'll be able to slap a wrench with ease.”

Du Ruo spoke at length, and Qiangzi listened silently, memorizing every word Du Ruo said. Eventually, he stopped striking the sandbag altogether.

“Mm, mm.” Qiangzi nodded repeatedly, his eyes bright. Though this differed from his expectations, it was more than enough. With this approach, he could practice anywhere and need not worry about other distractions.

“That’s good. This one move is enough for you. Whether you train fists or feet in the future, you’ll need it. Go now. Don’t tell anyone I taught you—I don’t want any trouble.

One last thing: now we live in a society ruled by law. Once you’ve mastered this, always think carefully before using your fists or feet. Make sure you can bear the consequences of your actions.”

Du Ruo finished speaking and said no more, turning toward the hotpot just as the water boiled.

“Thank you, Boss Du. I… I’ll never forget what you told me.” Qiangzi bowed deeply to Du Ruo, his tone sincere.

“Eat well when you can, use medicated wine to protect your joints and hands if you have the means, balance work and rest, and don’t practice if your hands hurt.”

Du Ruo didn’t turn back, only waving his hand, but couldn’t help adding a few more words.

This gesture was something Du Ruo fully deserved, for a single sentence of true teaching can last a lifetime. Though Du Ruo hadn’t taught techniques, only methods, it could be of lifelong benefit.

When training in martial arts, mastering the application of force and changing your habits is essential. This is most efficiently achieved through the corresponding forms, but if you haven’t learned the core of the forms, you can still use sandbag training. As long as you practice with intent, over time your force will become clear and you’ll achieve the change in force, though this requires years and is less efficient.

Page 2

But with training, unless you can add something extra, it always comes down to patient grinding.

Qiangzi, as if he’d found a treasure, didn’t linger any longer and left immediately.

“All right, let’s eat.” Yang Chenguang came out holding freshly washed vegetables, and the two of them sat in the courtyard and started their morning hotpot.

Du Ruo drank, but Yang Chenguang didn’t dare. As a village official, he was always on duty, and could be called to handle affairs or drive at any time, so he never touched alcohol during the day.

Yang Chenguang soon finished eating and left first—he wasn’t as idle as Du Ruo.

Once Yang Chenguang was gone, Du Ruo went all out, devouring meat and even pulling out the medicated wine Yuan Yuan left last time, drinking slowly on his own.

With the strengthening of his “vitality, energy, and spirit” attributes, Du Ruo now drank wine as if it were water. His stomach absorbed the effects of the medicated wine efficiently, and the strengthening of his spirit allowed him to better tolerate alcohol.

He ate slowly, cooked slowly, and after finishing a hotpot with ten or so pounds of beef and vegetables, nearly two hours had passed.

While Du Ruo indulged himself, three people moved slowly through the forest, dressed in long sleeves and trousers.

“Huff, huff… Professor, we only installed this camera days ago, and now we’re coming to check it?”

One of the young men, out of breath, asked the middle-aged man beside him. Normally, these cameras were checked every three months, sometimes every six, so coming to check after just a few days was unusual.

“Huangshan hasn’t recorded a clouded leopard in nearly twenty years. The last time, we only got a few photos, which are extremely precious. This wild clouded leopard is pregnant—last time, it looked about sixty days along. We need to determine its movements as soon as possible. The gestation period is eighty-five to ninety-three days, and only by pinpointing its location can we observe further. If there’s any danger during pregnancy, we can intervene in time. We’re here—the camera’s right there. Open it up and check.”

The research supervisor from the institute appeared unusually relaxed, used to trekking through mountains and far more fit than his students. As they spoke, an infrared camera attached to a pine tree appeared before them.

“Wait, look over there!”

The man leading the way, who’d remained silent until now, suddenly spoke, pointing to a clearing not far away. His skin was tanned dark, and he carried a hunting rifle—a security officer from the research institute. Today he carried a rifle instead of a tranquilizer gun because wild boars were known to roam nearby.

Page 3

“That’s… a wild boar? How did it die here? Let’s go take a look.”

The supervisor spoke and walked over first.

“This is an adult male wild boar. There’s no smell yet—it must have died in the last couple of days. Its body shows marks of being bitten by animals.

Around here, only a black bear could kill an adult wild boar. This must be a black bear’s prey. I wonder why it killed the boar but didn’t eat it or take it away. There might be a black bear nearby. Let’s hurry; the camera over there should have caught the bear.

Old Yang, stay alert. Xiao Huang, grab a new memory card. Don’t check the camera here—just swap the card and we’ll review it back at the lab.”

The wild boar had been bitten, and only a wild black bear could hunt such prey here. Without time for further investigation, the supervisor immediately scanned the surroundings and began issuing instructions.

They worked at the Institute for Wildlife Observation and Protection, not as hunters, so in cases like this, the best choice was to leave immediately—confronting a black bear could be deadly.

He didn’t need to say it; Old Yang, holding the rifle, was already nervously scanning the area.

The three moved quickly, not daring to linger. They swapped out the camera’s memory card and left at once.

“Whew, we’re back. Old Yang, good job. Go return the rifle. Xiao Huang, let’s check the memory card.”

He was curious—what had killed the adult wild boar? If it was a black bear, he wanted to know why it hadn’t eaten the boar or taken it away. From the boar’s body, a large chunk of meat from the haunch to the leg had been eaten. If it were an adult black bear, surely it would have consumed more.

“This…”

As the photos from the memory card were exported, and they saw the captured images, the supervisor and Xiao Huang exchanged puzzled glances.

The infrared camera was both heat-sensitive and high-speed, unable to record video due to memory limitations and only able to take photos. Only animals with enough body heat passing by, or those moving fast enough, would trigger the camera. Because of the distance, the heat sensor hadn’t activated, but the rapid movement did, resulting in clear photos.