The next morning, at dawn.
Everything in the deep mountains had just awakened. Dawn broke through the thin mist and spilled across the forest, coating it in a layer of gold.
From somewhere unknown, birds perched on the treetops chirped merrily, seemingly calling out to their companions as they welcomed the arrival of a new day.
Lin Yuan got up, stretched, and habitually threw two punches, producing a crisp crack.
The air in the mountains was exceptionally fresh, tinged with a faint grassy scent. After he took a deep breath, the remnants of his sleepiness vanished instantly.
Everyone gradually awoke from their dreams.
On an autumn morning, the dew was heavy. The surfaces of their sleeping bags were already covered in a layer of moisture.
"Ah—ya—ya—"
Liu Shan climbed out of his sleeping bag, stretched out his arms, and let out a long, strange cry.
"My arms, legs, and back are going numb. Once we get back, I'm definitely finding a massage parlor and getting a proper massage."
Before long, another fire had been lit where the campfire had gone out.
Han Shusheng was making breakfast.
"Uncle Han, where did you get this water?" Xun Ruobing asked politely.
"There's a small stream nearby, right over there." Han Shusheng pointed in that direction.
Xun Ruobing picked up her toiletries and walked that way.
Sure enough, she heard the sound of running water after she had not gone far.
Xun Ruobing quickened her pace. Before long, she saw a clear stream.
At the same time, she saw Lin Yuan washing up.
Lin Yuan scooped up water with his hands and repeatedly rubbed it over his face. After three times, he was done washing.
"Do you want some facial cleanser? I can lend you mine."
Lin Yuan turned his head. "Why use facial cleanser? Just rub it a couple of times and you're done."
"If you don't want it, then forget it. I couldn't be bothered to lend it to you anyway." Xun Ruobing walked over to a bluestone slab on her own and began brushing her teeth and washing her face.
Lin Yuan quickly finished washing up and was about to head back.
But after he had taken only a few steps, Xun Ruobing's voice came from behind him. "Thanks for last night."
"It was nothing."
At around nine in the morning, everyone was more or less ready to set out.
This time, they did not bring all their luggage. Instead, they left behind anything they did not need, reducing the burden they carried.
Han Housheng carried his saber, a coil of hemp rope over his shoulder, and a water flask at his waist. Han Shusheng held his javelin.
Xun Haotian carried the Tang Saber in his hand, while Zhao Youjia carried his Compound Bow and a bag of arrows on his back.
As for Lin Yuan, he had only put a pair of gloves in his pocket.
Liu Shan and Han Fei each carried a stick about as thick as a wrist. Xun Ruobing, meanwhile, had brought practically nothing.
Liu Shan looked over everyone and laughed. "We've got a full party: warrior, archer, healer, and jungler."
"What are you?" Xun Ruobing asked, puzzled.
"I'm obviously the jungler."
"Bah, you're a jungler? At most, you're a minion."
"All right, let's get going." Han Housheng spoke up.
Following the formation they had agreed on the night before, the Han brothers and Xun Haotian took the lead.
Zhao Youjia and Lin Yuan followed close behind.
At the rear were Han Fei, Xun Ruobing, and Liu Shan.
Each pair was about four or five meters apart.
The eight of them slowly advanced in the same direction.
After walking roughly two kilometers, Han Shusheng crouched beneath a pine tree and touched the marks that remained there.
"Brother, it's a wild boar."
Wild boars had an extremely strong sense of territory. They usually marked their territory with feces and scratches on tree trunks.
Seeing this, Han Housheng nodded, then turned to the others. "We've more or less entered the wild boars' territory. Everyone needs to be more careful from here on."
"Shusheng, go ahead and check the traps we set before. Scout the path while you're at it."
"Mm."
"If you run into danger, climb a tree and shout as loudly as you can."
"Got it."
With that, Han Shusheng went ahead of the group.
"Everyone, stay alert. Let's keep moving."
As they went deeper, the surrounding terrain grew flatter, and their field of vision widened.
"These wild boars really know how to pick a place," Liu Shan muttered from the rear.
"In central China, wild boars have practically no natural enemies in the wild. Of course they'd occupy the best territory and become the mountain's local tyrants," Xun Ruobing said.
"We've already seen quite a bit of wild boar feces along the way. It probably won't be long before we run into one."
"So what if we do? It'll be the perfect chance to try out my boar-beating stick!"
Liu Shan brandished the stick in his hand a couple of times.
Xun Ruobing shook her head disdainfully.
"Do you know what kind of trees these are? Have you seen the marks the wild boars left on them?"
"Pine trees. So what?"
"Wild boars often scratch themselves against pine trees. The trees leave pine resin on their bodies. Over time, the boars' skin and bristles become smooth and hard, just like..." Xun Ruobing smiled faintly. "Your face."
"Oh, so you're insulting me in a roundabout way?"
"So your lousy stick probably couldn't even injure a single hair on a wild boar. Besides, I don't believe you have the courage to take on a wild boar one-on-one with that stick."
Liu Shan immediately protested, "Just wait and see."
Before long, Han Housheng stopped up ahead.
Several meters away from him was the place where they had set their trap earlier.
But now, the trap had been completely wrecked.
Han Shusheng, who had been waiting there, jogged over and said to Han Housheng, "Brother, the wild boars destroyed the trap."
Xun Haotian said, somewhat surprised, "Are these wild boars really this smart? They even know how to destroy traps."
"You might not know this, Brother Haotian, but although we often say pigs are stupid, pigs actually have very high intelligence."
Han Housheng's brows were tightly furrowed, and he felt vaguely uneasy.
It wasn't just because the traps he had set earlier had been destroyed. After entering the wild boars' territory, the journey had been unusually peaceful.
"Shusheng, come over here first. Have you noticed anything unusual?" Han Housheng asked.
Han Shusheng shook his head. "I searched this entire area and didn't find any sign of the wild boars."
"Could the wild boars have moved to another territory?" Xun Haotian asked.
"No. There are many fresh traces left by wild boars along the way, and some of the droppings on the ground couldn't have been left more than two days ago."
Even Han Housheng couldn't make sense of it now.
"Let's keep going deeper."
Lin Yuan and Zhao Youjia walked side by side in the middle of the group, hardly speaking to each other along the way.
Lin Yuan was, however, somewhat interested in the bow and arrows in Zhao Youjia's hands.
"There are trees everywhere here. Hitting a wild boar won't be easy for you."
Zhao Youjia let out a cold snort.
"You'd better worry about yourself. You don't have anything at all—do you really plan to fight a wild boar bare-handed? I honestly don't understand why they made you walk with me."
"It's your good luck that you get to walk with me."
Zhao Youjia was amused by Lin Yuan's words. "My good luck? I couldn't tell. I didn't realize you were so narcissistic."
"Can I borrow the bow and arrows in your hands to play with?"
"Dream on!"
"Playing with them for a bit won't kill me. We're teammates, at least for now."
"Who's your teammate? Don't try to cozy up to me."
"Fine." Lin Yuan stopped insisting.
Before you continue