Wild Boar

As he moved, the strength within his body seemed to find an outlet, and an invisible aura radiated from him.

Chu Ning's expression was grim. He drove his feet into the ground and charged at the scar-faced man like an enraged bull.

He moved with incredible speed, kicking up a howling wind that caught everyone present completely off guard.

The smile on the scar-faced man's face instantly froze. He hurriedly raised the club in his hand, trying to block Chu Ning's sudden attack.

However, Chu Ning's strength at that moment far exceeded his imagination. Chu Ning threw a punch that slammed directly into the club. The immense force instantly snapped it in two, and its momentum unabated, the punch crashed heavily into the scar-faced man's chest.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, the scar-faced man flew several meters through the air like a kite with its string cut. He slammed heavily into the ground, sending up a cloud of dust.

His underlings were all stunned. They stood rooted to the spot, at a loss for what to do. None of them had expected the timid and cowardly Chu Ning they knew to possess such terrifying strength.

Chu Ning gave them no chance to react. He strode forward as if entering an empty realm. Every punch he threw carried a howling wind, and every kick sent one of the men crashing to the ground, vomiting blood.

In no time, Chu Ning was the only one left standing.

"Get lost!"

Chu Ning barked coldly, and the scar-faced man and his men immediately fled in panic.

He could teach them a lesson, but he could not kill them. Chu Ning knew that the Wang family had a Ranked Martial Artist, and the gap between a martial artist who had reached a rank and one who had not was like the distance between heaven and earth.

Late that night, Chu Ning tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

At this time of year, there were no wild rabbits or pheasants left around the outer reaches of the mountains. If he wanted to make a catch, he could only venture deeper into the mountains.

But the deep mountains were full of large animals, and rumors of the Mountain Lord eating people had never ceased.

Ordinary hunters would never choose to hunt in the deep mountains. Only Chu Ning's father had dared to venture there a few times, relying on his Hardening Cultivation Technique.

"I have to settle this debt completely. Otherwise, if they send a Ranked Martial Artist after me, the authorities definitely won't interfere."

Chu Ning clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles cracking.

At the first hint of dawn, Chu Ning had already slung his bow over his back and left.

Reaching the mountains required a long journey. That way, he could arrive just when the sun was high and the temperature was comfortable.

The cold morning mist spread through the forest like a thin veil. Every breath carried a biting chill.

Chu Ning tightened the hunting bow on his back. His steps were firm and hurried as he walked over the withered yellow leaves, their rustling sounds especially clear in the silent forest.

As he went deeper into the forest, the light grew dimmer. The surroundings were eerily quiet, broken only now and then by the low cries of unknown beasts that sent chills through anyone who heard them.

"I hope my luck is better this time. I'll have to be exceedingly careful in the deep mountains."

Relying on the memories of his previous life and the hunting experience left behind by the original owner, Chu Ning carefully searched the forest for traces of prey.

His gaze was sharp, missing no suspicious trace. Footprints in the grass and feathers on tree branches were all clues he could use to track his prey.

Suddenly, the grass beside him began to tremble violently...

Chu Ning moved nimbly, instantly nocking an arrow and drawing the bowstring. His eyes blazed as he locked onto the swaying patch of grass.

In the blink of an eye, a wild boar nearly two meters tall and covered in coarse black hair burst out of it.

Its two long tusks were like a pair of sharp blades, flashing with a cold light in the dimness. It let out a muffled roar, its front hooves repeatedly pawing the ground and kicking up clouds of dust.

"A wild boar—and it's this huge! Could it be that in a few more years, it'll become a monster?"

The wild boar seemed to sense the threat Chu Ning posed, and it pawed the ground even faster.

"Snort!"

After a muffled snort, the wild boar charged at him like an arrow loosed from a bow, moving so fast that it whipped up a fierce gust of wind.

"Not good! This beast—"

Chu Ning's expression changed slightly. He twisted aside, narrowly evading the wild boar's first attack.

He swiftly turned around, drew his bow, and nocked another arrow.

The sharp arrow shot out with a whoosh, but only grazed the wild boar's back, leaving a shallow bloody mark in its hide.

Wounded, the wild boar grew even more violent. It twisted its body furiously and charged viciously at Chu Ning once more.

Chu Ning constantly shifted his position, calmly searching for the best angle to shoot.

With his cultivation technique, Chu Ning was still quite confident in hunting this wild boar.

The wild boar was highly intelligent, roughly equivalent to a seven- or eight-year-old child.

A man carrying a bow had crept into its territory, instantly reminding it of the memories of being hunted by humans when it was young.

It had finally grown this large, and naturally lived as it pleased. Since this man had dared to trespass on its territory, that was a provocation.

Since it was a provocation, there was nothing more to think about. It immediately attacked the man carrying the bow.

But it had never expected the man to be so cunning. Not only had he dodged several of its attacks, he had even wounded it and made it suffer.

Watching the wild boar charge toward him like a mad beast, Chu Ning had no time to think. The instant his muscles tensed, his skin shimmered with a strange luster, as if covered by a layer of solid rock. His defensive power surged!

The next moment, Chu Ning advanced instead of retreating. His eyes blazed as he watched the wild boar's movements.

"Damn it, if you want me dead, don't think you'll get off easy either!"

Just as the wild boar charged within reach and its foul stench swept over him, he suddenly bent his knees and exerted force. With a loud shout, he borrowed that explosive power to leap into the air. His body was as agile as an eagle's, and he landed firmly on the wild boar's back.

Chu Ning roared angrily and clamped both legs tightly around the wild boar's body to keep from being thrown off.

Amid the violent jolting, he gripped the wild boar's mane tightly with one hand and swiftly drew the short blade from his waist with the other.

The blade glinted coldly, reflecting his resolute gaze.

The wild boar was now frantic because an "uninvited guest" had suddenly appeared on its back. It twisted and leaped wildly, trying to throw Chu Ning off.

Chu Ning clenched his teeth. No matter how violently the wild boar struggled, he remained firmly seated on its back.

"Damn it, you accursed beast."

Seizing the brief moment when the wild boar paused, he raised the short blade high. Summoning all his strength, he plunged it viciously into the wild boar's neck with an angry roar.

The short blade sank into flesh, and blood gushed out in an instant, splattering Chu Ning's face and body.

But he did not pause for even a moment. He raised his hand again and stabbed down hard.

"Squish, squish!"

After blow upon blow, the wild boar let out a series of shrill cries. It struggled frantically several times, then swayed on its massive legs and crashed to the ground.

Chu Ning rolled off the wild boar's back and collapsed onto the ground, gasping heavily for breath.

"It's finally over..."

Sweat mixed with blood and streamed down his cheeks, soaking through his clothes.

His hands trembled uncontrollably from tension and exertion, but his eyes shone with the relief of surviving a disaster and the excitement of killing the wild boar.

"With this, my elder sister will be safe for the time being, and I'll be able to repay the debt."

Chu Ning lowered his arms and replayed everything that had just happened.

At that moment, he felt incomparably exhilarated.

After resting for a while, Chu Ning finally rose and walked toward the wild boar.

The final stab had gone extremely deep, and it took considerable effort for him to pull the short blade from the wild boar's body.

Chu Ning's expression was grim.

"With this boar, I can settle all my debts. Wang family, the debt between us won't be so easy to settle..."