Hunting Wild Boars

For several days in a row, Li Yuan traveled back and forth between the county seat and Blue Stone Village.

He had no house in the county seat, and the tuition he paid didn't include lodging. Fortunately, the two places weren't far apart.

Meanwhile, Chen Qing's death had stirred up a wave of discussion in the village. It had even brought his older brother, Chen Xiao, back to the village to raise a huge commotion.

In the end, they couldn't find the killer, so the matter was temporarily left unresolved.

But both his food and silver were running low, so he had to go hunting in the mountains again.

That day, Li Yuan rose early and was practicing the stance technique behind his house.

[Technique: Five Animals Fist Stance (Beginner)]

[Progress: 70/300 points (Cannot Break Through)]

[Hint: Heaven Rewards Diligence. As long as you put in the effort, you will be rewarded.]

"At this rate, it'll probably take another half a month for my stance technique to reach the Minor Achievement stage.

"Internal training with the stance technique, external training with fist techniques—only when they're practiced together can I make rapid progress."

It was the depths of winter, and in the past, no matter how thickly Li Yuan dressed, he would eventually feel his hands and feet go cold.

But now, as he practiced the stance technique according to its instructions, he felt a faint current of energy flowing through his body.

His body grew hot, his hands and feet burning warm.

"So this is what tempering qi and blood feels like. Sure enough, learning martial arts was the right choice—it just costs a lot."

It was the first time Li Yuan had experienced such a strange sensation, and he was a little surprised.

After finishing his practice, Li Yuan wiped the fine sweat from his brow. Warmth spread through his whole body, and the fatigue and soreness that had built up overnight had eased considerably.

This stance technique was truly wondrous. It could temper his qi and blood, and seemed to restore his energy as well.

He was planning out the day's hunting trip when a familiar voice called from outside.

"Brother Yuan, are you home?"

Outside stood a dark-skinned young man with a smile on his face. It was Li Yuan's good friend, Chicken Brother.

"I'm home. What brings you here?" Li Yuan opened the door.

Chicken Brother leaned closer and lowered his voice. "I heard Chen Qing sold a mink at the market for over ten taels of silver, then got killed that very night in the county seat."

"His brother Chen Xiao's gone crazy, looking for the killer everywhere.

"And Pizi and Laizi disappeared that same day, too. No one's found them yet. They're probably gone as well."

Chicken Brother shook his head. In their village, if someone couldn't be found for several days, everyone basically assumed they had died in the mountains.

"Chen Qing's dead? When did that happen?" Li Yuan asked, feigning surprise. Of course, he couldn't admit he had killed him.

Li Yuan didn't care about the others anyway. At least he had gotten the silver back.

"Forget it. Let's not talk about such depressing things." Chicken Brother rubbed his hands together and blew out a puff of white breath.

He had only come by to give Li Yuan a heads-up.

Chen Qing had thrown his weight around in the village, relying on his older brother's martial skills. He wasn't well liked, and quite a few villagers had secretly applauded his death.

"Brother Yuan, I came to find you today because I heard there've been signs of a wild boar herd in the old forest on West Mountain. Someone even hunted a deer there.

"Let's team up and try our luck. If we get a wild boar or a deer, we can take it to the county market. They're worth a lot more than rabbits and pheasants!"

Chicken Brother had followed his father into the mountains since childhood. When it came to experience, he was no worse than an old hunter.

Wild boars were fierce beasts, and plenty of hunters had suffered at their tusks.

"Sounds good."

Li Yuan had been thinking the same thing. He was nearly out of food and silver, and he needed meat to replenish his qi and blood.

After checking their gear and getting ready, the two set off toward the old forest, braving the biting morning wind.

As they walked, Li Yuan silently practiced the breathing method of the stance technique. He felt the faint but steady warmth of his qi and blood coursing through every limb, driving away the cold and building up his strength.

He realized that walking mountain trails took less breath than before, and his steps were steadier.

As they chatted along the way, the two soon reached the woods.

They carefully searched for traces left by wild beasts.

Chicken Brother had a sharp eye. He quickly spotted a jumble of hoofprints on a slope, along with a few stray black hairs.

"Wild boars! Judging by these tracks, they're pretty big, and there's more than one." Chicken Brother bent down and picked up some black hair from the ground.

Li Yuan confirmed it, too. "Mm. There are quite a few—at least two.

"Judging by the hair and the tracks, they passed through less than two hours ago."

They followed the trail onward.

Normally, Li Yuan would have needed to eat some jerky to keep up his strength by now. Today, however, he felt unusually light on his feet.

This is what martial arts training gives you.

Before long, they heard faint grunting up ahead, along with the sound of dirt being churned up.

"Found them!"

The two exchanged a glance and slowed their steps.

They parted a clump of withered shrubs, and the sight before them made their spirits lift.

In a forest clearing torn up by wild boars, two of them were rooting around. One of the males was a hefty beast.

"Would you look at that! The big one must weigh over two hundred pounds!" Chicken Brother licked his dry lips, his eyes blazing with excitement.

Even the smaller one looked to weigh at least a hundred pounds.

But he didn't dare act rashly. Wild boars in a herd were dangerous, especially a male leading the group. If it charged in a frenzy, even tigers would think twice about facing it.

Li Yuan scanned the area and spotted a relatively narrow slope nearby, just thirty meters from the boars.

The closer the target, the more powerful the arrow—but the greater the danger, too.

He pointed in that direction and made a few hand signals to Chicken Brother.

They would attack at the same time, each hunting one boar.

Li Yuan took down his bow and nocked a leaf-shaped iron arrow, designed to make the target bleed.

He aimed at the male boar's lungs. To kill a wild boar, you had to strike its belly with a lethal shot.

He drew a deep breath, raised his bow, and took aim.

Nowadays, Li Yuan only needed to exert a little force to draw the bow fully.

"Whoosh!"

The string snapped forward, and the arrow flew!

The boar was suddenly struck in the belly. It squealed in alarm, trying to figure out which direction the arrow had come from.

Li Yuan didn't panic. He pulled out another arrow and shot it straight into the boar's belly.

When the boar spotted Li Yuan, it didn't run. Instead, it dug in its hind legs and charged at him, snorting and grunting.

If a wild boar got you in its sights and gored you with its tusks, you'd either die or be maimed.

That was a lesson written in the blood of generations of hunters.

Li Yuan didn't panic. He backed away, readying himself as he went.

The arrow had pierced the boar's chest. It could only breathe in a little and breathe out a lot; the harder it charged, the more blood it lost.

Then he fired a third arrow, followed by a fourth.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"

With each arrow that struck, the boar slowed down.

Sure enough, before long, its legs gave out and it collapsed to the ground, motionless.

Chicken Brother had used the same approach, but the other boar was chasing him all over the place.

Li Yuan shook his head and had no choice but to wave for him to come over.

In no time, Li Yuan's quiver was empty, and both wild boars lay at their feet.

"Two wild boars. Even if Chicken Brother and I split the money evenly, we'll still get quite a bit of silver."

Chicken Brother was quick on his feet. He grabbed the hatchet tucked at his waist, chopped down a few pieces of wood, and used them to bind the boars. Then he and Li Yuan lifted them together.

With the heavy boars slung between them, the two trudged toward the village, puffing and panting.

The load weighed around four hundred pounds. Even divided between them, it was far from easy to carry.

Chicken Brother was out of breath after only a short distance. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he had to stop and rest several times.

Li Yuan had sweated, too, but his breathing was clearly steadier and more measured, and his steps remained firm.