Cleverly Killing the Mountain Boar, Feasting to Fullness

Li Bufan's heart sank. Had the worst happened? Had some beast taken advantage of his absence, been drawn by the scent of the cave, and tried to claim his den?

He cautiously poked his head out. Borrowing the last dim afterglow of the setting sun and the reflection off the snow, he held his breath and looked toward the cave a hundred meters away.

Beside the rocks at the entrance that formed a natural barrier, a massive black shadow was pacing and rooting about restlessly. It stood nearly half a man tall, its entire body covered in dense brown-black bristles speckled with snow and mud. Its limbs were thick as pillars, muscles knotted beneath its hide, and its huge hoofed claws impatiently scraped at the snow and frozen earth before the cave. Its heavy, snorting breaths sent plumes of white vapor into the frigid air, forming distinct clouds of mist that seemed especially clear and terrifying in the silent dusk.

A mountain boar! And judging by its enormous size, far beyond that of an ordinary wild boar, as well as those savage tusks exposed outside its mouth, curving upward and gleaming with a ghastly white chill, it was no common wild boar. It was likely a vicious creature on the verge of becoming a demon beast!

Creatures like this had coarse hides and thick flesh, with tenacious vitality. Once they went mad, their charge was terrifyingly powerful. Even seasoned hunting parties needed to lay traps and stand ready in full battle formation; they would not lightly provoke one head-on.

It seemed to have been drawn by the lingering scent of food Li Bufan had left in the cave yesterday—perhaps dry rations dropped during last night's meal—or by the smoky scent left by the fire. It was trying to force its way into the cave in search of food, or perhaps to claim the place for itself.

Li Bufan's expression turned incomparably grave, his brows tightly furrowed. This cave was the foundation for his survival and hunting in this frozen wasteland over the next half month. It provided crucial shelter. He could not let this beast occupy or destroy it.

But how was he supposed to deal with it? A direct confrontation was absolutely not the best course. This beast likely carried a thousand jin of force when it charged. His saber and arrows would find it hard to inflict a fatal wound through the protection of its thick fat and muscle. Instead, they might enrage it and bring about a frenzied counterattack. The risk was far too great.

Li Bufan took a deep breath of air cold enough to pierce his bones and forced himself to calm down. His mind raced as he analyzed the surroundings, his opponent, and the advantages and disadvantages on both sides.

He carefully observed the terrain and the mountain boar's condition. Unable to immediately force its way into the relatively narrow cave entrance, the beast seemed to be growing ever more agitated and furious. From time to time, it slammed its thick body and shoulder against the rocks at the entrance, producing dull, terrifying thuds that shook loose powdery snow. Its attention was completely fixed on the cave.

I've got it!

Li Bufan's gaze sharpened, and a risky yet highly feasible plan instantly took shape in his mind. He removed the leather bag holding his prey and his heavier pack, gently placed them in a hollow of snow beneath a tree, and hid them. He kept only his longbow, quiver, and the saber at his waist.

Then, like a ghost, he used the rises and dips of the land, along with dead trees and shrubs, as cover and began circling along the edge of the clearing toward a broken slope above and to the side of the cave.

He remembered that the broken slope stood higher, and several enormous rocks there seemed somewhat unstable. It was the perfect place to make use of them.

His movements were incredibly light and slow. Every step landed firmly, and he made full use of the howling wind and the tremendous noise created by the mountain boar itself to conceal his tracks. The precise control over his own strength gained after reaching Grand Completion of Skin Refining was displayed to the fullest here. He made no unnecessary sound at all.

At last, without incident, he silently reached the top of the broken slope. Keeping low, he looked down. The mountain boar was still venting its rage at the cave entrance, completely unaware of the danger about to descend upon it.

Li Bufan slowly drew three Armor-piercing Arrows. He firmly planted two of them in the snow within arm's reach, then nocked the third onto his bowstring.

This time, he did not aim for the mountain boar's hardest skull or its thick shoulder blade—where an arrow would likely glance away or fail to penetrate. Instead, he aimed for its relatively vulnerable rear flank and belly, a spot more likely to enrage it!

He needed to provoke it first, guide it with precision, and lure it to the designated spot rather than immediately fight it to the death.

Whoosh!

The arrow tore through the air and struck its target precisely! Though most of the force was cushioned by the thick hide and muscle, it still buried itself several inches deep!

Aooargh—!

The mountain boar immediately let out a cry of pain and rage at its peak, the sound thunderous enough to deafen the ears. It whirled around, and its tiny scarlet eyes instantly locked onto Li Bufan on the broken slope!

The stabbing pain in its belly was not fatal, but it completely ignited its ferocity and madness!

Snort! It roared, thick jets of white vapor blasting from its nostrils. Its four hooves pawed up great sprays of snow and dirt as it lowered its head, baring those savage tusks capable of ripping open bellies. Like a heavy war chariot that had lost control, it charged toward the broken slope where Li Bufan stood with destructive momentum!

The earth itself seemed to tremble beneath its hooves. The sight was terrifying.

Li Bufan's heart hammered like a drum, his blood rushing faster, yet he remained exceptionally calm. He stared fixedly at the charging mountain boar, calculating the distance, speed, and slope.

The instant the mountain boar rushed to the foot of the slope and began violently charging up the steep incline on sheer brute force, he abruptly threw away his longbow, twisted aside, and used all the strength in his body to kick viciously at the base of the huge boulder beside him—the one he had long since picked out, half embedded in frozen soil and gravel!

Get down there!

The strength of Grand Completion of Skin Refining erupted in an instant. The frozen soil and rubble at the boulder's base cracked apart, and the massive rock suddenly broke loose. It howled down the steep slope, tumbling faster and faster as it crashed downward, carrying a cascading torrent of snow and shattered stones with it!

The mountain boar was charging forward with its head down, relying on its savage momentum. It never imagined that a giant boulder would fall from the sky. Caught completely off guard, it was struck squarely by the rolling rock! The main impact landed on its front shoulder and the side of its head!

Boom! A thunderously heavy muffled impact rang out, accompanied by the horrifying sound of bones shattering that made one's teeth ache!

The mountain boar's wild charge came to an abrupt halt. It let out an even more miserable, agonized howl, one that even carried a trace of disbelief. Its massive body was knocked off balance by the tremendous force carried by the boulder, rolling sideways before crashing heavily to the bottom of the slope and kicking up a great cloud of snow dust.

It struggled to rise, but its forelimbs seemed to have broken, and blood streamed from its head. It could only kick its hind hooves futilely and emit pained snorts.

An opportunity!

A fierce glint flashed through Li Bufan's eyes. Without the slightest hesitation, he decisively grabbed the other two Armor-piercing Arrows at hand, leaped down the broken slope from the gentler side, and sprinted toward the mountain boar, which was struggling in pain and had temporarily lost most of its ability to move.

He calmly avoided its hind hooves, which were still kicking wildly with astonishing force. Spotting the vital point of its scarlet, unfocused eye sockets, he used all his strength and body weight to drive the two sharp Armor-piercing Arrows in one after the other—ruthlessly, completely—until they were buried to the fletching!

Awoo—

The mountain boar gave a brief, despairing cry. Its massive body convulsed violently several times before finally going completely limp in the snow. Blood gushed from its eye sockets, ear holes, mouth, and nose, rapidly staining and melting a broad swath of white snow into a shocking pool of red.

Li Bufan panted heavily and released the arrow shafts from his tightly clenched, somewhat pale fingers. His arms trembled faintly from overexertion. Looking at the enormous prey before him, now thoroughly dead, joy filled his heart.

But this was absolutely not the time to relax. The sky was nearly pitch-black, the last remnants of light fading swiftly, while the cold cut to the bone. The heavy stench of blood was like a stone dropped into still water, its ripples rapidly spreading through the entire dark mountain forest. Uninvited guests could arrive at any moment.

"We have to deal with this quickly!" Li Bufan suppressed his excitement, and his gaze became sharp and focused once more.

He first hurried toward the dead tree where he had hidden his pack. Vigilantly scanning the surroundings, he confirmed there was no immediate danger before quickly shouldering his leather bag and pack again. Then he returned to the mountain boar's corpse.

Faced with such a colossal creature, taking the whole thing away was impossible. He could only take the essence and abandon the rest. Drawing his saber, he began processing it against the faint light reflected by the snow, racing against time.

His first target was those savage tusks. After some effort—prying with his knife and smashing with a rock—he finally separated the two curved tusks, hard as iron and smeared with blood, from the jawbone. They were the most valuable part. He carefully wrapped them in thick cloth and placed them deep within his pack.

Next, he tried to skin it. But the mountain boar had coarse hide and thick flesh, with an enormous amount of fat beneath the skin. In the dim light and with time pressing, peeling off the entire hide was extremely difficult. He could only settle for the next best thing, selecting a large, relatively intact section of thick hide from its back, dense with bristles. With difficulty, he cut it off, roughly wiped it with snow, rolled it up, and tied it tight.

Finally came the meat. He swung his blade and cut off the two plumpest hind legs, each chunk heavy enough to weigh nearly dozens of jin. He also sliced several large strips of lean meat from the thick shoulder. Mountain boar meat had a strong gamey odor, but it was rich in vigorous blood and qi. To a warrior, it was a nourishing treasure and could not be wasted. Using a large oilcloth he carried with him, he carefully wrapped the meat in several layers to minimize the scent leaking out.

As for the remaining enormous skeleton and organs, he had neither the strength nor the means to deal with them, and could only abandon them regretfully.

All this took less than half an hour, but sweat had already appeared on his forehead again from exhaustion. Daring not to linger any longer, he took as much valuable loot as possible. Carrying the heavy chunks of meat in one hand and holding his saber alertly in the other, he quickly went behind the tree where he had left his pack, picked it up, and headed for the cave entrance.

The area around the entrance was a complete mess, covered in marks from struggling and impacts, as well as splattered blood. Li Bufan carefully checked the entrance and only ducked inside after confirming that the mountain boar had not successfully broken in.

The familiar earthy smell mixed with the faint smoky scent left from the earlier campfire rushed over him. At this moment, it felt incomparably reassuring. He set his heavy haul down deep inside the cave. Rather than resting first, he immediately moved the natural rocks at the entrance, blocking it as tightly as possible while leaving only a narrow gap for ventilation. This would keep out the bloody scent from outside and guard against beasts that might follow it here.

Only after dealing with the entrance did he truly let out a breath, as a powerful wave of exhaustion washed over him.

But the hunger in his stomach was even stronger. A day of intense hunting and life-or-death combat had long since burned through the little dry ration he had eaten that morning.

He carefully rekindled a small fire in the sheltered part of the cave entrance—the blocked rocks concealed the firelight, making it less likely to leak outside. The orange flames brought warmth and light once more, driving away some of the cold and darkness within the cave.

He set his waterskin beside the fire to warm, then impatiently took out a chunk of mountain boar hind leg meat. The meat was dark red, threaded with white fat. He cut it into thick slices with his knife, sharpened several branches into skewers, and set them over the fire to roast.

Before long, a rich aroma of meat replaced the earlier stench of blood, filling the small cave. Fat dripped into the flames with enticing sizzles. Though he had no salt or other seasonings, this primal fragrance was supreme delicacy to his ravenous stomach.

The meat was charred outside and tender within. Li Bufan ignored how hot it was and tore into it in great mouthfuls. The meat was coarse and chewy, carrying a distinctive wild, gamey flavor. Yet with every bite, he could feel a faint but real warm current spread from his stomach into his limbs and bones, slowly replenishing his depleted strength.

"Just as expected, this is good stuff!" Li Bufan's eyes lit up, and he ate with even greater vigor. Washed down with hot water, several large skewers of fragrant roasted mountain boar meat disappeared cleanly into his stomach. His belly felt immensely full, and warmth spread through his entire body.

After the feast, exhaustion surged over him like the tide. But he forced himself to stay alert and sorted through all of today's gains: Snow Fox hide, mountain pheasant, Snow Rabbit, and the most valuable mountain boar tusks, hide, and meat. He properly stored them in the driest spot at the innermost part of the cave.

Afterward, he carefully inspected the blocked entrance, added several pieces of long-burning firewood, and placed his saber where it was easiest to reach.

Outside the cave, the howling winter wind seemed to grow louder. Faintly, there even seemed to be several distant, mournful wolf howls mixed within it, making one's scalp tingle.

But inside the cave, Li Bufan leaned against the cold stone wall. Feeling the increasingly vigorous warmth in his body from eating demon beast flesh and blood, and listening to the crackling firewood, his heart was filled with an unprecedented sense of security and satisfaction.

This day, he had not only survived, but also gained a bountiful reward. The path of martial arts was to fight amid danger and press forward through hardship.

He closed his eyes but did not immediately fall asleep. Instead, he replayed every detail of today's battle with the mountain boar in his mind, reviewing his gains and losses. The [Heaven Rewards Diligence] fate mark grew faintly hot. It did not only aid cultivation; it also aided the insights gained between life and death.

Only after a long while did he finally fall into a deep sleep beneath the campfire's protection, storing up strength for the greater challenges tomorrow might bring.