Full of Strength

Lu Chen looked at the enormous wild boar on the ground, somewhat troubled.

After some thought, he figured that if he really carried such a huge boar down the mountain, someone in the village would surely notice, and the whole village would be shocked.

He had been injured only a short while ago, yet he could already go into the mountains and hunt a wild boar, and such a huge one at that. It defied all common sense.

"Forget it. I'll keep two legs and take the stomach, heart and liver. I can't carry the rest anyway."

Lu Chen immediately positioned the boar, picked his spot, and brought the knife down, cutting an opening in one of its hind legs.

In no time at all, he cut off one hind leg and one front leg.

He slit open the boar's belly and cut out the stomach, heart and liver in a bloody mess. He also cut a slab of fat from its back, the tenderest strip of loin, and a piece of pork belly. Finding some large leaves, he lined the bottom of his carrying basket, put the offal and legs inside, laid the little wild boar on top, and covered it with some leaves.

He tried hoisting it onto his back.

It was quite heavy, but still manageable.

He could only leave the rest to nature.

He chopped the bamboo spear down to half his height to use as a walking stick, picked up his machete, and hurried away.

The smell of blood was too strong. It would be bad if it attracted other wild beasts.

"Phew... phew..."

Lu Chen had walked for nearly half an hour, stopping and starting along the way. He was so tired he was panting, and beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his forehead and fell to the ground.

He leaned against a tree, put down the basket, and rubbed his shoulders, his thoughts wandering. When Dad used to work on construction sites, was he even more tired than this?

At that thought, his nearly exhausted strength welled up again.

[Detected host's Robust Strength skill. Trait generated]

[Robust Strength (beginner)]

Lu Chen froze.

Robust Strength?

He was overjoyed.

A pillow had arrived just when he was getting sleepy!

He hurriedly added points to it.

Fate Value -10.

[Robust Strength: Minor Achievement (1%)]

[Increases overall strength by 20%, and improves explosive power and endurance]

He stood where he was and waited for a while.

That familiar warm current surged through his body, strengthening his overall physique considerably once again.

His earlier fatigue vanished without a trace.

Clenching his fist, he felt he could punch a cow to death.

"Ah, that feels good!"

A smile appeared on Lu Chen's face. At last, before dark, he returned to the village entrance.

He saw a somewhat strange man lying beneath a tree not far from the entrance, apparently asleep.

Who's that? He probably isn't from the village, is he? Why is he lying there?

Lu Chen found it strange, but paid him no mind and hurried home.

Lu Tang and Lu Ming had long been watching for him until their eyes ached, anxious as ants on a hot pan.

If Lu Chen hadn't told them not to go out before he left, and if someone hadn't been walking back and forth outside the house that afternoon, they would have gone looking for him long ago.

Now that Lu Chen was back, Lu Tang's lips puckered. Her eyes reddened as she rushed over and hugged her brother without a word.

"All right, it was my fault. I came back late this time!"

Lu Chen handed the machete to Lu Ming.

At the sight of the bloodstains on it, Lu Ming's heart tightened. Then he noticed something amiss with his brother's clothes.

"Brother, what happened? Are you hurt?"

he asked hurriedly.

"I'm fine. It's not my blood. I ran into a wild boar. It was too big for me to carry down. What a waste of all that meat!"

Lu Chen put down the basket and rubbed his shoulders, baring his teeth in a grimace.

Lu Tang looked at the basket, packed full as it was, but instead of cheering and jumping for joy as she had before, she went over to Lu Chen and massaged him.

"Brother, you must be tired. Sit down, quick, and I'll massage you!"

Lu Tang pulled Lu Chen onto a little stool and kneaded his shoulders vigorously.

The basket had pressed against them, and they were probably rubbed raw.

"Ah, Little Tang's massages really do feel good!"

Lu Chen chuckled as he watched Lu Ming struggle to carry the little wild boar from the basket into the kitchen, then make trip after trip carrying the assorted pieces of meat inside.

Lu Tang was astonished by now. "Brother, there's so much?"

"Yep. We won't be short of meat from now on. We'll eat meat every day! Aren't you happy?"

"I am!"

They cooked together, and as Lu Ming cut the meat, he said to Lu Chen, "Brother, I heard Lu San, Lu Si and the others died. People from the Green Bamboo Gang brought their bodies back today."

"Hm?" Lu Chen paused. "They brought the bodies back? Someone from the Green Bamboo Gang came too? Where is he? Has he left?"

"I don't know. After you left this afternoon, that man walked around our house several times."

Lu Chen immediately frowned.

He remembered the stranger sleeping beneath the tree at the village entrance.

Could it be him?

Keeping his expression unchanged, he said to Lu Ming and Lu Tang, "It's all right. You two keep cooking here. I'll go take a look. He might be here to demand money again. I'll send him away."

With that, he glanced at the machete and thought for a moment, but decided against taking it. Instead, he picked up a few stones in the courtyard and went to the village entrance.

The man who had been sleeping there was nowhere to be seen.

Did he leave?

He turned back and saw someone loitering outside his house, occasionally peering inside.

It's him!

Lu Chen recognized the man at once. He was the stranger who had been sleeping beneath the tree.

"You're Lu Chen, right?"

Huang Chao had also spotted Lu Chen.

A stalk of foxtail grass hung from his mouth, and he held a small wooden stick, twirling it and waving it back and forth. Standing before Lu Chen, he looked him up and down.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?"

Lu Chen stood at the entrance, his gaze calm, and glanced behind Huang Chao.

There was no one else. He was alone.

"I'm with the Green Bamboo Gang. Tsk, you're not that young anymore, so how come you don't know any manners? Aren't you going to invite me inside to talk?"

He spat out the foxtail grass and shoved Lu Chen aside, intending to push open the courtyard gate.

Lu Chen stepped sideways and stood in front of Huang Chao, his expression cold. "Whatever you have to say, say it here!"

Huang Chao snorted through his nose, cleared his throat, and spat a thick wad of phlegm at Lu Chen's feet. Then he leisurely took an IOU from his clothes.

"You owe Young Master Li ten taels of silver. Young Master Li transferred the debt to our Green Bamboo Gang. With interest, it's fifteen taels now. When are you planning to pay?"

Lu Chen didn't know whether the Green Bamboo Gang knew the poisonous mushrooms had come from him. He immediately said, "I don't owe Li Feng any money. I told Lu San and Lu Si the same thing before. Go ask whoever owes you."

Huang Chao was full of disdain when he heard Lu Chen mention Lu San.

"Those good-for-nothings, Lu San and Lu Si, came to collect money from you and fucking managed to eat themselves to death on mushrooms. Tsk, you didn't cause it, did you? Otherwise, why didn't they eat them sooner or later? Why did something happen as soon as they came looking for you?"

Huang Chao made the remark casually, intending to slander Lu Chen. Once Lu Chen got angry and argued back, he had plenty of ways to put pressure on him, making it easier to extort him.

He had used such methods of framing and falsely accusing people far too often.

Lu Chen's gaze remained unchanged as he said coldly, "They ate mushrooms and killed themselves, and you're still trying to pin it on me? If you don't leave now, don't blame me for calling people over. You're alone. Aren't you afraid you won't make it out of Qingshan Village?"

"Go on, call them! You brat, you don't know what our Green Bamboo Gang can do, do you? So what if I'm alone? Is there anyone here who would dare lay a hand on me? If you don't want your family ruined and your loved ones dead, I advise you to pay up obediently. If you can't, sell your house and fields!"

Huang Chao's tone was sinister, but then he chuckled and put the IOU away. He patted Lu Chen on the shoulder, seemingly afraid that he had scared him.

"Tell me, can a poor brat with no father or mother win a fight against our Green Bamboo Gang? You've got a younger brother and sister. If you won't think about yourself, shouldn't you at least think about them? I advise you to be sensible. Fifteen taels of silver isn't much. Scrape it together and you can definitely come up with it."

With a smile that never reached his eyes, he continued, "I have a good temper and I'm easy to talk to, but the others in the gang aren't the same. Maybe one day your brother and sister will disappear. Besides, you wouldn't want your house to accidentally catch fire while you were asleep one night, would you?"

Lu Chen said nothing. He looked elsewhere.

By now, the sky had gone completely dark. Most of the villagers were staying at home, and no one was outside.

Killing intent had already welled up in his heart, but he forcibly suppressed it.

Killing this man would be easy, but the Green Bamboo Gang stood behind him.

He really didn't want to deal with the old coming after the young were beaten.

He turned to look behind him.

Lu Tang and Lu Ming were crouched behind the house, watching through a crack in the door.

He took a deep breath, putting on an expression of fear and anger. "If you dare touch my brother and sister, I'll fight you to the death! I told you, I don't owe you money. Li Feng hit me, but he still wants me to pay him. What kind of justice is that?"

As soon as Huang Chao heard that, he knew he had a chance!

The brat was giving in!

Huang Chao sneered. "Justice? Here in Shahu County, our Green Bamboo Gang is justice! Young Master Li's father is the County Commandant, and he's justice too! And you? A poor brat with no father or mother, and you want to talk justice with me? Don't think I wouldn't dare do anything to you just because this is Qingshan Village. It's only right and proper to repay a debt. If you can't pay, I have plenty of ways to make you!"

Both his voice and expression were fierce.

Lu Chen seemed frightened and took a step back, then plucked up his courage and took half a step forward. "You're simply... you!"

He was so angry he couldn't get the words out. After a pause, his expression fell, and he seemed to resign himself to his fate.

"Fifteen taels... I can't pay that. It's too much..."

"That's got nothing to do with me. It has to be fifteen taels. Even if you can't pay, you still have to!" Huang Chao sneered. Looking past Lu Chen's shoulder, he saw two figures appear in the courtyard behind him, and the corner of his mouth curled up.

"Are those your brother and sister? Tsk, tsk! Oh, right, once today is over, the debt won't be fifteen taels anymore. With interest on the interest, it'll be sixteen! Drag it out another two days, and it'll be twenty!"

With that, he stopped frightening Lu Chen and turned to leave, saying as he walked, "I advise you to think it over carefully. I'm staying at Teng Jun's tonight. Once you've made up your mind, come find me."

Lu Chen panicked at once. "Don't go! Fifteen taels, I'll pay!"

Huang Chao stopped, a sly grin appearing on his face as he stood with his back to Lu Chen.

Hahaha, wasn't the money as good as his now!

He was just a child after all, easily frightened!

He turned around and smiled amiably. "See? Wouldn't it have been better to say so earlier? Don't worry. As long as you pay, we'll act like we never knew each other, and we won't trouble you again! Our Green Bamboo Gang has at least that much credibility."

"But... but I can't get the money right now. I need to borrow it from someone. Tomorrow... can I come find you tomorrow?"

Lu Chen said with his head lowered, his tone troubled.

"Fine. I, Master Huang, have always been easy to talk to! I'll give you one night. Just come find me tomorrow morning!"