Chapter 26: Showing True Skill in a Moment of Crisis

The two sides remained in a standoff for a long time. The two black bears eventually grew impatient, let out a few roars, and suddenly shifted their attack strategy. One bear continued to approach them from the front, while the other circled around to their rear.

Su Hehua was sweating profusely, her palms slick with moisture. She had just spotted two long sticks by the side of the road, and the group had been inching toward them. She felt a mixture of joy and anxiety; just as they were about to reach the sticks, one of the bears had flanked them. This was disastrous. If they were caught in a pincer movement, even with three sticks in their possession, Gu Qingsong and Gu Qingbai could not possibly handle a bear each. As for Zhen Mi’er, she had to protect Gu Tingzhi while also fending off the bears. Despite her stout frame, she was still a fragile woman. If she rushed to the front, she would likely be the first to be crushed under a bear’s paw.

*No, I must get those sticks!* she thought. *If Qinghe and I can protect ourselves, the men will have a better chance.*

Gu Qinghe shared the same thought. Driven by a sudden surge of courage, the two women lunged for the sticks at the same time.

"Hehua!"
"Qinghe!"

The others were horrified, their eyes wide with terror as the two bears lunged toward the women simultaneously. The two men rushed forward with their sticks, but they could not match the speed of the beasts. Just as it seemed the women were about to die beneath the bears' sharp claws, two stones flew from behind them, striking each bear directly in the eye.

"Roar!" The bears shrieked in pain, their swipes veering wildly off course. Because Su Hehua and Gu Qinghe were so close together, the bears had also converged. Unable to stop their momentum, the two beasts slammed into each other instead. Taking advantage of the bears' stunned and painful state, Su Hehua and Gu Qinghe snatched up the sticks and struck back, though their feeble efforts felt like nothing more than a tickle to the massive creatures.

The bears, their eyes bleeding and their bodies raked with deep claw marks from their collision, were driven into a frenzy by the pain. With a roar, they bared their teeth and leaped toward the women again. By this time, Gu Qingbai and Gu Qingsong had arrived, exerting all their strength to bash the bears' heads. Zhen Mi’er, trailing slightly behind, also threw herself into the fray, striking the injured eye of one bear with all her might.

The bears were forced to retreat. Zhen Mi’er did not look back to check on Gu Tingzhi; she grabbed his hand firmly and pulled him back. Now, with each person holding a stick and no one injured, their odds had improved. They formed a defensive circle, keeping Gu Tingzhi at the center.

In the heat of the crisis, no one stopped to wonder who had thrown those stones. Had anyone glanced at Gu Tingzhi, they would have seen his eyes were vacant, his face as cold as ice, and his expression unreadable—a far cry from the playful child who had been tossing stones on the cart earlier.

The bears did not give them a chance to retreat further. They charged again with ferocious intensity, ignoring the blows from the sticks as if they felt no pain. One bear opened its maw, ready to snap at Zhen Mi’er’s arm. Suddenly, a large, well-defined hand reached out from beside her, grabbed the stick from her hand, and brought it down with a thunderous force. The bear was slammed to the ground, its jaws still hanging open. As it struggled to rise, Gu Tingzhi struck its head once more. Brain matter splattered, and the bear collapsed, never to move again.

The second bear, seeing this, lost its ferocity and began to back away in terror. Gu Tingzhi gave it no chance to flee. With a few strides and a swing of his hand, he struck the second bear, sending it crashing onto the body of the first. Before Gu Tingzhi could even strike again, the bear closed its eyes in fright and went limp.

Gu Qingbai and the others stood frozen. Zhen Mi’er and Gu Qinghe recalled the wild boar from before. They had previously reasoned that Gu Tingzhi had only managed to kill it because it had been wounded by a hunter’s trap, but how could they explain these two black bears? Gu Qingsong and Gu Qingbai were equally baffled; they had grown up with their third brother and had no idea he possessed such strength.

Looking at the two bears piled together, Gu Tingzhi felt the danger had passed. He tossed the stick aside, clapped his hands, and turned to smile at Zhen Mi’er. "Manman, look how amazing I am!" He puffed out his chest, looking for praise.

Seeing him back to his usual self, Zhen Mi’er was confused but smiled. "Yes, husband, you are amazing." She gave him a thumbs-up.

"Amazing, amazing, Third Brother is truly amazing!" Gu Qinghe stared at him with stars in her eyes, full of worship. Gu Tingzhi stood tall, his grin stretching from ear to ear, looking as though he might float away with pride. The others, still puzzled by his hidden martial prowess, could not help but laugh at his antics.

Gu Qingbai retrieved a thick hemp rope from the ox cart and tied up the unconscious bear, while he and Gu Qingsong heaved the dead one onto the cart. With two massive beasts on board, there was no room left for the women, but they had already traveled halfway. Turning back now would have made their earlier suffering meaningless.

After a brief discussion, they decided to split into three groups. Gu Qingsong, Gu Qingbai, and Gu Qinghe would take the ox cart to town to sell sweet potatoes at various restaurants, while Gu Qingbai would use the money to rent a horse-drawn carriage to transport the bears to the county seat for sale. Zhen Mi’er and the others would wait and meet up with them later. They had enough silver for supplies, so each kept a tael for shopping and handed the rest to Gu Qingbai for emergencies.