Part II
Soon Jianzi arrived and realized that the wolf was nowhere to be found. He became very angry. He drew his sword to cut the hood off the shaft of his cart, and shouted, "Whoever dares to conceal the whereabouts of the wolf would be like this hood!"
Mr. Dong Guo fell to the ground, crawling forward and said, “I am not very smart, but I am one of those who want to contribute to this society, going to great efforts to accomplish that. But I lost my own way here. How can I possibly find traces of the wolf to show your hounds and hawks? I have heard that ‘forks on the major roadway can be reasons for lost sheep.’ Even a small child can easily handle a sheep since it is tame. But many forks can still cause many sheep to get lost. And a sheep is surely no comparison to a wolf. Since Zhong Mountain has many forks, and one can easily lose track of a wolf, there really is no comparison with losing sheep.
“If you only follow a simple path to look for the wolf, isn’t that a futile exercise? To me, it is as if you are waiting for a hare to return to the hole of the tree trunk where you saw him the last time. It is also as if you are following a tree trunk to find fish to eat. This is a hunting expedition. You should ask your skilled hunters to help.
“I am just an innocent passer-by. Although I am a little dull, I do know about wolves. They are inherently greedy and vicious, and they collaborate with the evil jackals. Without question, we should get rid of all of them. I will do my utmost to help you on this. How could I even contemplate hiding any of them!"
Jianzi was speechless. He went back to his cart and continued on his journey. Mr. Dong Guo also rushed to continue his journey with the donkey, doubling the speed on his own way.
After a long time, the yak tail flag of the hunting party disappeared in the distance, and the noises of the expedition gradually abated. The wolf figured that Jianzi was gone for sure, so he said inside the bag, "Sir, please pull me out of this bag, untie my rope, and pull the arrow out of my arm. I want to leave now!” Mr. Dong Guo released the wolf accordingly. But the wolf growled and said, "I watched the hunters coming. They were fast, and fortunately you saved me. I am exhausted and very hungry without food, so I will eventually starve and die from hunger on the roadside. I’ll be eaten by the beasts. It is better to die at the hands of the hunters and become food on a nobleman’s plate. You are a Mohist practitioner, and now you are tired from head to toe. Isn’t this your willingness to sacrifice yourself for others to make some contributions? Why don’t you give up your body for me to eat, so my life can be preserved?” The wolf then opened his mouth wide and stretched his claws towards Mr. Dong Guo.
Mr. Dong Guo fought back hurriedly with his hands, retreating and dodging behind the donkey, and running in circles. The wolf could not harm him. Mr. Dong Guo resisted with all his strength. Both of them were exhausted, panting at each other across the donkey. Mr. Dong Guo said, "You, wolf, betrayed me, you betrayed me!" The wolf said, "I did not want to betray you, but people like you are born to be devoured by us."
This standoff lasted for a long time, the sundial is now showing its long shadow. Mr. Dong Guo thought in private, "It is getting late, and the other wolves will come soon. Then, I'll be dead for sure." So he tricked the wolf and said, "It is a common practice when things cannot be resolved with certainty, that we look for three old wise men for their opinions. If they were to agree that I should be eaten, then you can have me. If not, then you don’t eat me." The wolf happily agreed to this plan, and they went forward to look for the old wise men.
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