Paying Taxes

The Wild Boar in the grass nest, struck by this heavy blow, suddenly lurched upright.

This Lone Boar's eyes were blood-red, instantly locking onto Lu Chuan not far away.

That arrow had indeed dealt it a fatal wound.

The arrowhead had fully penetrated deep into its organs; this giant beast could not possibly survive another quarter-hour.

Yet a dying beast is often at its most terrifying.

It mustered the last of its life's strength, lowered its massive head, and charged straight at Lu Chuan with both tusks bared!

A reeking wind swept forward as that hill-like body rapidly closed in on Lu Chuan.

Up in the tree, Lu Danian watched, his soul nearly fleeing his body, almost crying out aloud.

But Lu Chuan, facing the charge of this giant beast, kept his gaze steady and calm, his fingers already nocking a second arrow.

The arrowhead of this shaft was different from the last—it was the Mysterious Iron Arrowhead prepared earlier, dark and somber in color.

The Wild Boar's massive frame had already closed to within thirty paces, roaring, its crimson eyes fixed dead on Lu Chuan.

Now!

The pitch-black arrow left the bowstring, split the air, and flew straight to meet the wildly charging boar's head.

Thud!

A sound of penetration rang out.

The Mysterious Iron Arrowhead, relying on its hardness and the immense force Lu Chuan had poured into it, actually broke through the thick armored hide and the hard skull beneath, burying itself entirely!

The Wild Boar's roar cut off abruptly.

Its forward-charging body, its brain destroyed, instantly lost all driving force.

Yet the powerful inertia from over five hundred catties of weight did not vanish at once.

The Wild Boar still kept its forward momentum, continuing to crash toward Lu Chuan.

Lu Chuan neither dodged nor evaded. He planted his feet in a firm bow stance, channeled all his strength into his right leg in an instant, and kicked out fiercely!

Bam!

Lu Chuan's frame swayed slightly, then he stood solid.

And the Wild Boar's massive body, blocked by that kick, lost all forward motion and went utterly still.

Up in the tree, Lu Danian had long been stunned speechless. Only now did the stone in his heart finally fall heavily.

His voice trembled as he said excitedly, "Chuan, Chuanzi... you... you just... laid it flat like that?!"

Lu Chuan revealed a relieved smile: "Dad, it's all right. Come on down."

Only then did Lu Danian snap back to reality. He stumbled a little as he ran over to the Wild Boar.

He circled the massive creature twice, couldn't help nudging it with his foot to confirm it was truly dead.

"Heavens above..."

Lu Danian exclaimed in wild joy, "Two arrows... just two arrows... and this is a fully armored old Lone Boar! Chuanzi, your strength, your archery..."

His eyes even reddened a little. "Good! Good lad! Dad... Dad admits defeat!"

"Hey, Dad, we couldn't have found this big fellow without you," Lu Chuan said with a grin.

As he laughed, he also pulled both arrowheads out of the Wild Boar's body.

The Mysterious Iron Arrowhead was perfectly intact, though the shafts would need replacing.

"That's right. I've been figuring out the tricks of these mountains for decades. No matter how cunning this beast is, when it passes through, it always leaves some trace."

Lu Danian thought for a moment, then frowned: "But a thing this big... how are the two of us going to get it back? It's at least five hundred catties."

Lu Chuan considered it: "We can carry it back!"

As he spoke, he drew his hunting knife from his waist and cut two sturdy wooden poles.

Lu Danian took one look and understood his son's plan. He smiled wryly: "Guess that's the only way..."

Then the two of them tied the Wild Boar securely with ropes.

Father and son worked together, threading the poles through the rope loops, one at the front and one at the back.

"Lift!"

Both of them exerted force together, and that five-hundred-plus-catty behemoth was actually raised off the ground.

Father and son then carried this astonishing prey, step by step, onto the path down the mountain.

Before it was fully dark, the father and son finally hauled the five-hundred-plus-jin wild boar back to Kaoshan Village.

Their entry into the village stirred quite a commotion.

Many folks saw Lu Danian and his son carrying the wild boar one behind the other, and the place instantly erupted.

"My god! Is that... a wild boar? That big?!"

"Didn't they just bag a Snow Fox and a Golden Pheasant a few days back? Barely a breather, and now they've hauled back the pig king?"

"I heard it was Chuan kid who shot it dead! Damn, old Lu Danian's ancestors must be smoking green smoke..."

Among the crowd, Wang the Blacksmith was also watching, the stone in his heart finally hitting the ground: Holy shit! The bow he'd pawned out on credit that very day had brought back such a beast!

That four-tael silver debt was solid now, and he'd even scored a favor for free!

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Lu Danian went to invite a few friendly villagers, along with Uncle Zhao.

Together, they hoisted the wild boar onto a large flatbed cart and set off for Qinghe County.

They pushed the cart straight to a big restaurant.

This place often had Martial Artists training in martial arts stopping by, craving the thick, vigorous blood-energy of wild game.

The shopkeeper came out personally to inspect.

"Five hundred and eight jin total. Wild boar meat prices fluctuate, but for such a complete and sturdy specimen, I'll give you twenty coppers per jin. How about it?" The shopkeeper stroked his beard.

That price was nearly double what ordinary domestic pig fetched, and it was fair enough.

Lu Danian looked at his son; Lu Chuan gave a slight nod.

"Deal! As the shopkeeper says."

The silver changed hands, a small, heavy pouch.

After deducting the fifty coppers each promised to the neighbors for their trouble, Lu Danian clutched the rest tightly in his bosom.

On the way back, Lu Danian muttered under his breath: "Five hundred and eight jin, twenty coppers a jin, that's..."

Hearing this, Lu Chuan couldn't help but say, "Dad, no matter how many times you count it, the number won't change."

This wild boar sold for a total of ten taels and one mace of silver.

After paying back Wang the Blacksmith's four taels, the Mountain Tax of one tael and two mace, and the travel expenses for the fellow villagers, they had four taels and seven mace left.

Lu Chuan was also thinking about those four taels and seven mace in his mind. Such a paltry sum really wasn't enough to spend.

Especially now that his consumption of blood-food was growing.

"Forget it, I'll head up the mountain again when the time comes..."

Soon, it was the day for the Black Tiger Gang to collect the Mountain Tax.

That morning, three Black Tiger Gang members entered the village at daybreak.

They knocked on doors one by one, loudly announcing the household head's name, the number of people, and how much Mountain Tax silver was due.

Most villagers had already prepared their copper coins and loose silver, silently handing them over in exchange for a coarse paper slip stamped with a blurry red seal.

When it was Lu Chuan's family's turn, Lu Danian had the one tael and two mace of silver ready early and handed it over.

But his gaze lingered on the leading man for just a moment.

"Blood-energy full and surging, circulation controlled... This one's truly trained in martial arts. He's probably already touched the threshold of the Blood Pass," Lu Chuan mused inwardly.

This man was completely different from the two lackeys beside him.

The leading man took the silver, tore off a receipt slip, and handed it to Lu Danian, then led his men to the next house.

Lu Danian let out a sigh of relief and tucked the slip away.

"Good, good. The one who came this year actually follows the rules..."

But soon, things went wrong.

From next door, Uncle Zhao's voice came out, urgent and pleading:

"...Kind sir, have mercy, just give me two more days!"