Encounter

After walking for about another five hundred meters, a rustling sound suddenly came from a low bush to their right.

Han Housheng raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop.

At this moment, he had already quietly drawn the pudao from his back, and Xun Haotian had also revealed his weapon.

"Brother, I'll test it out first."

Han Housheng nodded. Han Shusheng raised the javelin in his hand above his right shoulder, leaning his body back slightly.

"Whoosh!"

With a sound of breaking air, the javelin drew a perfect arc through the air.

It finally landed precisely in the bush.

At this action, the rustling in the bush immediately stopped.

Han Shusheng's face lit up with joy, thinking he had succeeded with one move. He quickly pulled the rope tied to the javelin.

But when he pulled, he found that the other end was light and limp.

Just then, a "Hmph hmph" sound reached everyone's ears.

Then, a sturdy wild boar suddenly leaped out of the bush. Upon landing, it charged towards Han Housheng and the others like a speeding chariot.

Judging by its size, it was no different from the one they had caught a few days prior.

"Not good, retreat quickly!" Han Housheng shouted.

Don't underestimate the boar, even though it was still about 30 meters away. Wild boars charge at speeds of 45 kilometers per hour, meaning they can theoretically reach speeds of 15 meters per second.

Thirty-odd meters was merely a matter of seconds for them.

Han Shusheng immediately climbed the nearest tree, his movements as agile as a monkey.

Han Housheng and Xun Haotian took up positions on either side, using the surrounding trees for cover.

Seeing the wild boar about to charge.

Han Housheng threw the rope that had been hanging on his shoulder towards Xun Haotian.

Xun Haotian immediately understood his intention. He grabbed the other end and pulled hard.

The rope immediately tightened into a straight line.

"Hold on tight!" Han Housheng roared.

Xun Haotian had initially planned to wrap the rope around the tree a few times, but there wasn't enough time. He could only kneel on one knee, gripping the rope tightly with both hands.

The rope was barely a centimeter off the ground.

At this moment, the wild boar also charged forward fiercely.

Not noticing the rope under its feet, it was instantly tripped.

However, the immense force of the charge also sent Xun Haotian and Han Housheng flying several meters away, crashing heavily to the ground.

Han Shusheng, who was in the tree, seized the opportunity and threw the javelin he had retrieved at the fallen wild boar with all his might.

"Squeal!"

The wild boar let out a pained cry. The javelin had actually hit its mark, piercing its rear. Although the depth was only about five centimeters into the flesh, it was enough to make the boar yelp in pain.

Seeing this, Han Housheng quickly got up from the ground and raised the pudao in his hand, intending to slash at the wild boar.

But he had underestimated the boar's reaction speed.

Before his chopping blow could land, the wild boar rolled to the side.

Enduring the intense pain, it pulled the javelin free.

Sensing danger, it immediately turned and fled in one direction.

Zhao Youjia, who was positioned behind and had already aimed his bow and arrow, saw it escaping and quickly loosed an arrow.

The arrow whistled through the air but missed, hitting the trunk of a pine tree.

"It's injured, it can't run far. Let's chase!"

The three leading the charge immediately followed in the direction the wild boar had fled.

The others behind them also quickened their pace to catch up.

Having successfully injured the wild boar, the tension that had gripped the group dissipated significantly, replaced by confidence and relaxation.

They followed the trail and soon arrived at a narrow valley.

Han Housheng crouched down, looking at the residual bloodstains on the ground.

"It can't have gone far."

"Shusheng, you've made a great contribution again." Han Housheng turned to look at his younger brother.

Han Shusheng chuckled, a look of pride on his face.

Meanwhile, at the very back, Liu Shan and the others had smiles of joy on their faces.

"I told you, a mere wild boar is nothing to worry about," Liu Shan said smugly, as if he were the one who had injured it.

Xun Ruobing couldn't even be bothered to mock him anymore.

"This time, I probably won't need to make a move. My pig-beating stick will likely be useless."

Liu Shan once again showed his talkative nature, chattering non-stop.

At this moment, they had no idea that a wild boar had been following them for a long time.

"Oink oink."

The sound was faint, and it would be hard to notice if one wasn't listening carefully.

All the way, Han Fei rarely spoke to them, which allowed him to maintain a concentrated state of mind.

Upon noticing the faint sound of the wild boar, Han Fei's senses instantly tensed.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Liu Shan asked, confused.

"The sound of a wild boar!" Han Fei lowered his voice.

"A wild boar? How could there be a wild boar here? Aren't wild boars supposed to be up ahead?"

Han Fei's brows furrowed, his eyes darting around. He didn't dare to harbor any wishful thinking.

Even if he had misheard just now, he had to assume it was real. Better safe than sorry.

"Run!"

Han Fei didn't want to explain further and just bolted. With just their group, they stood no chance against a wild boar.

Xun Ruobing was also quick-witted and, without a second thought, ran after Han Fei!

Only Liu Shan was left standing there foolishly.

"What are you guys running for?"

The wild boar, which had been trailing them, saw them running and its ferocity instantly surged. It no longer hid and immediately charged out from a hidden thicket.

This wild boar was even more robust than the one they had encountered before.

The immense commotion made Liu Shan involuntarily look back. Seeing the boar charging straight at him, he instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

He didn't dare to linger and ran forward with all his might.

As he ran, he shouted, "Help!"

It had to be said, he was quite good at running away. In a short while, he caught up to Xun Ruobing, who had run ahead of him.

Liu Shan's loud shouts soon reached the ears of those walking ahead.

Fortunately, there were many obstacles along the way. If it had been an open, unobstructed area, the wild boar would have caught up to them by now.

"Boom!"

Under the wild boar's reckless charge from behind, a flock of birds in the forest was startled.

At the front, the three who sensed the commotion didn't continue forward but focused their gaze on the source of the sound.

"This is bad, they might have encountered a wild boar," Han Housheng frowned.

"No, I have to go over there. My sister is there."

Upon hearing the commotion, Xun Haotian's face showed deep worry.

Han Housheng said, "Let's not go forward for now. The wild boar won't get far anyway. Let's go back and meet up with them first. Ensuring everyone's safety is the priority."

"We're doomed! Doomed! Doomed!"

Liu Shan watched as the wild boar wasn't far behind them, but his legs were already exhausted.

"Liu Shan, didn't you say you were going to use your pig-beating stick to fight the wild boar? Hurry up," Xun Ruobing panted.

"Sister, I was just joking."

"Quick, think of a way!"

Liu Shan looked at Han Fei. In this situation, he couldn't afford to save face and quickly pleaded, "Brother, do you have any ideas? If you do, spit them out quickly. I can't run anymore."

"Climb a tree."

Liu Shan's face turned bitter. "I don't know how."

"Even if you did, it would be too late," Xun Ruobing said with a wry smile.

Because the wild boar was less than fifteen meters away, even if they knew how to climb trees, by the time they stopped to climb, the boar would have already knocked them flying.

"It's up to luck. Let's split up and run," Xun Ruobing said calmly.

The implication was that one of the three was bound to be in trouble.