Mountain Night

Moonlight rested on the treetops, its radiance flowing like silk.

Before they knew it, darkness had fallen, and the Milky Way hung across the heavens.

A bonfire had also been lit in the hollow between the mountains.

Everyone sat around it, using the flames to drive away the chill of the autumn night.

The night in the mountains was completely different from the night in the city. Untainted by light pollution, it was pure and spotless, just like Autumn Night under Lu Xun's pen.

As it happened, there were jujube trees here too—though not merely two of them.

The autumn night in the mountains was beautiful, but the only unsettling thing was that whenever one looked casually in any direction, the darkness and mystery between the dense trees would always bring some unpleasant things to mind.

Especially since strange sounds would occasionally emerge from within, like the cries of some animal.

Lin Yuan stirred the firewood in the bonfire with a stick, his eyes fixed on the flames as if he were thinking about something.

At that moment, Han Housheng spoke. "There are already traces of wild boars nearby. Everyone needs to be more careful tonight."

"Uncle Han, how many wild boars are there on this mountain?" Han Fei asked.

Han Housheng shook his head. "I don't know the exact number either. Since the beginning of the year, we've found a lot of wild boar tracks around here. In short, there are definitely quite a few."

"Then there's probably a herd. Wild boars are herd animals," Lin Yuan said.

Han Housheng nodded.

"Does that mean there'll be a boar king?" Xun Ruobing asked.

"That's right. Every wild boar herd must have a leader, so these wild boars won't be easy to deal with." Han Housheng's expression grew serious.

He then looked at Xun Haotian and the other wealthy young men, his expression solemn. "If you only want to watch the wild boars from a distance, I can secretly take you there for a look. After all, I took your money. But if you have other plans as well, I suggest we lay everything out tonight. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, I can't bear the responsibility alone."

"You've probably already researched what kind of animal a wild boar is."

Han Housheng's words undeniably added a few degrees of solemnity to Xun Haotian and the others' faces, reducing their youthful contempt and their belief that they had nothing to fear.

They had already looked up information online about how ferocious wild boars could be in the wild.

Zhao Youjia glanced at Xun Haotian, seemingly waiting for him to make the decision.

Xun Haotian then spoke. "Brother Han, you're right. In fact, we didn't come here just to take a look. We also intend to hunt wild boars."

Han Housheng felt relieved when he heard that.

What he feared most was that these people wouldn't be honest, and would act recklessly when the time came. That could truly get someone killed.

"All right, then let's discuss the plan. First, tell me what each of you can do."

"I'll go first." Seeing that no one else was volunteering, Han Housheng began by introducing himself and his brother.

"I, Old Han, have had plenty of strength since I was young. When I was a child, I learned a saber technique from my grandfather called the [Taiping Saber Technique]. My ancestors learned it in the army when they joined the Taiping Army's uprising, and it was passed down through the generations afterward."

He then undid a cloth bundle he carried with him and showed everyone what was inside: a broad saber.

This kind of saber fell somewhere between a great saber and a single-edged saber. Its handle was somewhat long, making it a two-handed saber that could fully utilize its wielder's strength.

"Three strikes." Han Housheng raised three fingers. "If I'm facing an adult wild boar, I can barely manage three strikes. If those three strikes don't finish it, I'll probably have to turn around and run."

After saying this, Han Housheng pointed to his younger brother and introduced him.

"My younger brother, Han Shusheng, didn't train in saber techniques with my grandfather like I did when we were young, but he has a skill that'll be quite helpful for this operation. He's extremely accurate when throwing things. Last time, he used a javelin to drive a wild boar off course, making it fall into a trap we'd prepared in advance."

Han Shusheng looked pleased with himself as he took a roughly one-meter-long javelin from behind him. A rope was tied to the javelin's tail so that if he missed, he could quickly retrieve it and attack again.

"I don't just know how to use a javelin. I'm also famous in our village for my tree-climbing skills. When the time comes, I can climb a tree and look for a chance to throw a javelin at the wild boars."

After the Han brothers finished, Xun Haotian and the others stopped holding back as well.

Xun Haotian rose and walked to a tree nearby. He opened a black cloth bag, revealing the weapons inside.

"Coincidentally, I use a saber too, just like Brother Han. I began training in the Xinyou Saber Technique created by Qi Jiguang when I was young. I've practiced for about ten years, so I've gained some insight."

Lin Yuan looked at the Tang Saber in his hand. He had naturally heard of the Xinyou Saber Technique. Qi Jiguang had once combined the strengths of Chinese and Japanese saber techniques to create it specifically for dealing with Japanese pirates.

After Xun Haotian finished introducing himself, Zhao Youjia followed up by revealing a Compound Bow.

The sight of this weapon immediately brightened the Han brothers' eyes.

How could they not know the advantages of bows and arrows? When it came to dealing with wild boars, the most effective weapon was undoubtedly one capable of attacking from a distance.

"How's Little Brother Zhao's aim?" Han Housheng asked at once.

Zhao Youjia smiled confidently. "Within twenty meters, if it's an inanimate target as large as a wild boar, I should have no trouble hitting it every time. Against a living target, my hit rate is around fifty percent."

Han Housheng nodded. "That should be enough."

"What about you two?" Han Housheng looked toward Liu Shan and Xun Ruobing.

Liu Shan gave an awkward smile. When the others had been introducing themselves, he had been racking his brain for some skill he could show off. In the end, he couldn't think of anything.

"Um... does being able to run count?"

Hearing this, Han Fei, who was sitting beside Lin Yuan, couldn't help chuckling under his breath. Though he kept his laughter restrained, Liu Shan still noticed.

"You little bastard, what the hell are you laughing at? I'd say you're about the same. You can't do anything either."

After being mocked, Han Fei suddenly remembered that he didn't seem to have any noteworthy skills either.

He could only force himself to say, "I can climb trees. When the time comes, I can pick up some stones and throw them at the wild boars."

Liu Shan chuckled. "That's it? You're actually proud of that? Even if those stones hit a wild boar, they'd only tickle it. What use would they be?"

After being ridiculed by him, Han Fei grew agitated. "At least I can be of some use. What about you? Besides running, what else can you do? Don't tell me you expect a wild boar to chase you while you run, until it dies of exhaustion."

"Exactly. Why not? I've already thought up a strategy. I'll lure the wild boars over and make them chase me at full speed. Then I'll find a sturdy tree, make a turn, and suddenly change direction. The wild boars won't have time to stop and will crash into the tree and die."

Only Liu Shan could come up with such an outrageous idea.

Xun Ruobing was laughing so hard her stomach hurt. "Liu Shan, I really suggest you go on a stand-up comedy show. With that mouth of yours, winning the championship would be a piece of cake."

"Right, I'd forgotten that I have this mouth too. I can even persuade the wild boars to surrender and obediently stretch out their necks for execution."

"..."

"All right, it's my turn." Xun Ruobing cleared her throat and said, "I know a little medicine. If any of you get injured, I can provide simple treatment promptly, so your wounds won't worsen."

Clearly, this was also an extremely useful skill. After all, no one could guarantee that they wouldn't get hurt. Having someone who knew medicine nearby might prove immensely helpful at a critical moment.

Finally, only Lin Yuan had yet to introduce himself, and everyone turned to look at him.

To everyone else present, Lin Yuan was undeniably somewhat mysterious. Even Han Fei, who had grown up playing with him, now found it difficult to see through his childhood friend.

Aside from the few skills he had displayed that day, several attentive people had already noticed certain oddities about Lin Yuan along the way.

For example, as they traveled, everyone had grown more or less tired, and their originally clean clothes had become quite dirty.

Yet Lin Yuan alone still looked the same as when they had first set out. He was simply too clean—so clean that it seemed abnormal.