The Truth Behind the Spiritual Energy Revival

The wild boar was so big that Shangguan Dandan slowed down her sweet potato-eating and slicing movements as she watched this wild boar, which should symbolize the revival of spiritual energy, rush out of the river.

Its fur was covered with splashing water, its well-built muscles bulged with strong lines, and its unruly eyes were full of wild abandon. Its strong limbs, as reliable as jacks, left deep hoofprints on the riverbank. Its thick neck and leg muscles had a powerful burst of explosive force. This behemoth was like an emperor ruling the world. No wonder it could easily trample and crush the Rolls-Royce that blocked its path.

"Roar!"

The wild boar's thick neck trembled, emitting a roar that seemed to shake the mountains and rivers, as it charged towards the shore with lightning speed.

Liu Chang'an was taken aback when he saw it charging towards him. He quickly punched it in the head, killing it.

Shangguan Dandan's sweet potato slices fell to the ground because she had just been thinking that the wild boar was so majestic, and wondered if it could replace Lu Si'en as Zhou Dongdong's mount to take her to school. Little did she know that Liu Chang'an would be so rude. She couldn't help but feel a little fortunate that when he took her little carriage to play, he didn't kill her dwarf horse or dismantle the little carriage.

When the sweet potato slices fell to the ground, Shangguan Dandan quickly picked them up, looked at them, and felt very sad. After touching them, she stuffed them into the mouth of the wild boar lying on the ground, whose muscles and limbs were now only twitching.

"You... how could you just kill it like that?" The one who couldn't accept it the most was Su Nanxiu. She was reflecting on what she had lost, and how she was different now from before. The sorrow and grief she felt seemed to have been knocked off balance by his punch, and it wavered in her heart, no longer firmly dominating her current mood.

Liu Chang'an ignored Su Nanxiu and bent down to examine the huge wild boar.

Big.

Quite big.

Su Nanxiu described it as a wild boar the size of an ox, but that's not entirely accurate, since there's a significant size difference between different oxen.

The wild boar in front of me is comparable in size to the largest Asian buffalo, but its muscles and body lines are more like those of the white-legged bison. The white-legged bison has very attractive muscle lines, unlike the Belgian blue and white cattle, which look like fitness enthusiasts getting injections.

Such a big wild boar! It's been so long, even Liu Chang'an felt it had been a long time. The Earth back then was completely different from now. In a sense, Shangguan Dandan's "spiritual energy revival" really does have a bit of that era's flavor... Of course, cultivation doesn't exist.

"Such a mutated species should be preserved alive to study the cause of its mutation, its current body structure, cell state, and DNA data. You killed it... As a former expert in the field of biology, don't you know that the value of a living organism far exceeds that of a dead one?" Su Nanxiu found Liu Chang'an much more incomprehensible than before. The reason she was still standing there after the wild boar hit the car was because she had already sent people to search for the wild boar's tracks in the upper and lower reaches of the Xiang River, hoping to catch it and study it in the laboratory... She liked to collect all kinds of mutated organisms, not just those of humans.

"Why should I let your needs and thinking dictate the meaning of my actions?" Liu Chang'an waved his hand. "If you're really interested, you can collect specimens now."

How could Su Nanxiu possibly carry collection equipment and preservation containers with her? Judging from the blood flowing on the ground, Su Nanxiu could tell that the blood in this wild boar had a very high oxygen content and possessed super strong energy bursts, far exceeding those of ordinary wild boars.

Su Nanxiu had no choice but to ask the driver, who was standing not far behind her, to notify someone to come and collect the specimen. The driver looked bewildered... He wasn't shocked by Liu Chang'an's punch, but he failed to react quickly enough when the wild boar showed signs of charging, which could be considered a failure to fulfill his security responsibilities.

He's right. He really has no reason to act according to her position and perspective, but this is ultimately just because he doesn't like her anymore. If he cared about her, he wouldn't act recklessly on his own; he would always be aware of what she wants to do.

"Is this a spiritual energy revival?" Shangguan Dandan had a chance to speak, looking at Liu Chang'an expectantly.

Liu Chang'an didn't want to answer such a question, but she was Shangguan Dandan, a woman who would keep repeating the same question if you didn't answer her.

"No." Liu Chang'an didn't even look at her directly, letting her understand on her own. He turned and looked across the road, where there were also signs of damage to the hedges and landscaping.

Looking further ahead along these traces, that direction leads to Elephant Nose Hollow Mountain. Yan'gui Lake is not far from Elephant Nose Hollow Mountain, and this is a straight line, with few dense residential or commercial areas in between.

"Why isn't it a spiritual energy revival?" Shangguan Dandan was greatly disappointed. She took out another scraping slice and ate it, holding the bottom of the slice tightly with both hands.

"Don't you remember that someone almost experienced a strange phenomenon this afternoon?" Liu Chang'an did not mention Zhu Juntang's name.

Shangguan Dandan understood immediately. After all, she was the Empress Dowager, and there were people here who needed to be guarded against. She could also quickly understand that Liu Chang'an did not mention Zhu Juntang's name because he was wary of this wicked woman.

It seems she won't be able to be a daughter-in-law; Shangguan Dandan has already changed the label she has placed on Su Nanxiu in her heart.

Shangguan Dandan could see that Liu Chang'an didn't deliberately guard against the women he liked, such as Qin Yanan and herself, or even Zhu Juntang. Sometimes he wouldn't talk to others about certain things, just because he felt that the other person wouldn't understand, such as Zhou Shuling... but not out of defensiveness.

"So it wasn't a spiritual energy revival after all. What an unlucky... pig." Shangguan Dandan was very disappointed. She instinctively wanted to touch and comfort the dead wild boar, but then decided against it and gripped her sweet potato scraper tightly.

Su Nanxiu looked at Liu Chang'an and Shangguan Dandan with slight suspicion. They didn't seem particularly surprised by the wild boar's unusual behavior, and even seemed to know the reason behind it.

So Su Nanxiu followed Liu Chang'an's gaze and looked towards Elephant Nose Hollow Mountain, revealing a thoughtful expression.

Liu Chang'an stretched out his finger and made a cut on the wild boar's body. The taut boar skin burst open, revealing the tight and smooth muscle texture inside. Liu Chang'an then made a cut on the muscle tendon, and the bright red color of the cross-section even emitted an enticing aroma that is usually only found in stewed pork bones.

"Are you checking its muscle strength?" Su Nanxiu asked, watching Liu Chang'an's actions.

"I'm checking if it tastes good." Who cares about muscle strength or anything like that? Liu Chang'an wasn't particularly interested at the moment, and he didn't lack research material... If he had his own research lab right now, he probably wouldn't have killed this wild boar, but he didn't.

"You're going to eat it?" Su Nanxiu looked at Liu Chang'an in astonishment. This... this is like an ordinary person seeing a panda as so cute, and then suddenly someone runs over and cooks the panda into barbecue, soup, or even sashimi without saying a word.

"Eating the prey you kill is a virtue, a sign of respect for life." Liu Chang'an certainly had his own reasons.

"Couldn't you... couldn't you let me take it back to the lab to study it?" Su Nanxiu felt that even though it was already an inanimate object, its research value was greatly reduced, and many experiments couldn't be done with it, it was still more valuable than eating it, right?

"No, I killed him, so he's my prey. If you want him, you should make your move before I do." Liu Chang'an disagreed.

"Fine, since it's your prey, and it hit my car earlier, you have to take responsibility for it hitting my car. Otherwise, it should belong to me to compensate for my losses." Su Nanxiu had no choice but to reason with Liu Chang'an. "Tell me, isn't that reasonable?"

"Okay." Liu Chang'an was a reasonable person. "You can ask Zhu Juntang for the money another day. Just say it's what I owe you, and she'll give you the money."

Su Nanxiu was speechless, and couldn't help but look up at the Baolong Center in the far northwest. If she had a hole in her forehead right now, it would be like incense burning in the sun, producing purple smoke.

"Miss Xiao Tang is so rich, can she afford to play mahjong for ten yuan?" Shangguan Dandan asked enviously. "Ten yuan mahjong" was a phrase that Old Man Qian often used to brag. He said he had played mahjong for ten yuan, and everyone would look at him with envy.

Su Nanxiu took a deep breath to calm herself down. At that moment, another Rolls-Royce Phantom, an identical older model, pulled up beside her. Su Nanxiu didn't greet Liu Chang'an and Shangguan Dandan. The convoy drove away quietly.

"As people live longer, their ways of living change. Do you want to live like me, or like Su Nanxiu? To play mahjong for as much money as you want?" Liu Chang'an watched Su Nanxiu's convoy disappear into the darkness of the night, then turned to Shangguan Dandan, who was holding a mahjong tile, and asked.

"I'll live with you." Shangguan Dandan showed no emotion, continuing to munch on the sweet potato slices in her hand.

Liu Chang'an reached out and scratched Shangguan Dandan's head.

Shangguan Dandan frowned. How could he touch the Empress Dowager's head? How disrespectful!

Liu Chang'an made a phone call to Old Man Qian, "It's me, Liu Chang'an... Does your sworn brother have a car available? Don't worry, I won't let you down! I hunted a wild boar, I'll give you the address, have him drive over... Really!"

Liu Chang'an made a phone call and waited for the car with Shangguan Dandan. Occasionally, passersby would stop and watch, and soon a crowd gathered. Fortunately, Old Man Qian's sworn brother worked in the area and arrived quickly. Together with Liu Chang'an, they managed to get the wild boar into the refrigerated truck.

When the car arrived at the residential area, a dozen or so elderly men and women had already gathered at the entrance, led by Old Man Qian. As soon as the car drove in, the group quickly followed, cheering, jeering, and calling out to Liu Chang'an. Old Man Qian had already spread the word that Liu Chang'an had hunted a wild boar.

Even Zhou Shuling has come back.

Liu Chang'an got out of the car and saw Zhou Shuling. "What are you doing here?"

Because Zhou Shuling seemed very eager to do something.

"Uncle Qian said you hunted a wild boar and asked me to come back and help slaughter it." Zhou Shuling's cheeks were flushed with an inexplicable excitement.

Never mind, Liu Chang'an didn't need help in the first place, but she's being so enthusiastic.

Shangguan Dandan glanced at Zhou Shuling, then at her own hands. Should she help with the work? Forget it, her hands were currently held captive by the sweet potato scraper; she couldn't let go, and there was really no other way.

The back door of the refrigerated truck opened, and everyone immediately craned their necks to look, exclaiming in surprise.

"That's a wild boar demon!"

Where can you find such a big wild boar?

"It seems you've captured Marshal Tianpeng, Chang'an!"

"Don't talk nonsense, this is a cow!"

"Pig! Did you see the cow's horns?"

Old Man Qian waved his hand and said with imposing air, "This is a wild boar... You haven't seen one before. Those wild boars used to come down the mountain and ruin the crops. A few of us young men formed a grain protection team, specifically to kill wild boars. Later, the wild boar king came down the mountain to take revenge. That wild boar king was about this size, and we killed it too... But the key is my shot..."

"Stop bragging! If a wild boar that big ran right up to you, you'd be scared out of your wits!"

"That's right! That's right!"

Old Man Qian's face turned red as he shouted loudly. Liu Chang'an pulled the wild boar off the bus, causing the car to shake. Suddenly, no one argued about the previous issue anymore.

"This pig is only brain dead. I bled it, slaughtered it, and sold the meat. Those without money can go back and get some, and those with cell phones can pay by phone!" Liu Chang'an shouted, then said to Zhou Shuling, "Bring a few basins. Also, you're in charge of collecting the money."

Zhou Shuling hurriedly wiggled her hips and ran upstairs to get a basin, because she needed to put pig's blood and various offal in it. She didn't need a scale, as Liu Chang'an was known for his accurate weight. When he used to sell dog meat, he could just grab a handful and tell you the weight, and you could trust him... Everyone would weigh their meat at home, and no one ever complained about being shortchanged.

"Wild boar meat! It's rare to get freshly killed like this! Hurry up, or it'll be gone, no wonder others are complaining." Old Man Qian helped to hawk the food, feeling he had some authority and that a few shouts would help Liu Chang'an's business improve.

"Young man, I won't charge you for the ride, but could you give me some meat?" Old Man Qian's sworn brother said with a smile.

"No problem."

"Young Liu is easy to talk to," Old Man Qian said to Liu Chang'an again, "Give him an extra half jin."

"OK."

Old Man Qian was quite satisfied; he still felt he had some face.

Wild boars are mostly lean meat under the skin, with almost no fat, and have a strong gamey smell... This wild boar was a bit special, though, as it had almost no gamey smell. But no one doubted that it wasn't a wild boar, because everyone here is old enough to know that domestic pigs can't be this strong and huge, with hair and needles piercing through their flesh.

Most importantly, the health benefits of this wild boar far exceed those of ordinary ingredients... Ordinary wild boar meat is suitable for stewing and then making a dry pot dish, as it has a strong gamey smell and is not suitable for stewing. It has a very good nourishing effect for the elderly and children.

Liu Chang'an knew very well why the wild boar had mutated, so there was no need to hand it over to Su Nanxiu for research.

As expected of Zhu Juntang... The strange phenomenon that occurred on Zhu Juntang was first discovered in a wild boar.

However, Zhu Juntang's mutation was suppressed, but this wild boar was not so lucky. If it hadn't mutated, it probably wouldn't have recklessly rushed into the human world and would have been living a good life.

The changes in both Zhu Juntang and the wild boar were all caused by that tiny drop of blood that Liu Chang'an squeezed out that day.

Zhu Juntang was probably the only human affected on Elephant Nose Hollow Mountain that day. As for other creatures, Liu Chang'an couldn't be sure how many there were. There were probably quite a few rats the size of a mongrel dog, rabbits the size of a domestic pig, and so on.

If we catch them all, we'll have more than enough preserved meat for the Lunar New Year.

After selling the wild boar meat, Zhou Shuling was calculating the cash and money in her WeChat. Even though the restaurant's income was considerable, she still showed the happy expression often seen on a thrifty woman's face, her fingers clicking rapidly on the calculator.

"As for pig's blood, I need to make pig's blood balls while it's still fresh. The pig's blood balls I ate when I was a kid had a lot of tofu and little meat, or sometimes just some fat. Now I'm going to make them with lots of fresh meat and a hard-boiled egg inside!" Zhou Shuling looked at Liu Chang'an expectantly, hoping he would agree. After all, he was the one in charge when it came to how to eat and cook.

"Okay, go and mix the pig's blood with salt first. Set some aside so we can cook some tonight; it's nourishing." Liu Chang'an had no objections; it was only natural to kill a pig and save the blood to make pig's blood balls.

Pig's blood sausage, also known as pig's blood cake, is a traditional dish from Baoqing and Louxiang in South Hunan. Every year after autumn when the weather turns cold, families begin making it. It is eaten during the winter solstice and the Lunar New Year. It has a long history and the method of making it is very particular. The key is the smoking and roasting process after it is made, which affects the aroma of the pig's blood sausage. Pig's blood sausage bought online often lacks that smoky aroma because it is mainly made in an oven. The traditional method involves mixing various grain husks, peanut shells, melon seed shells, and even orange peels with some fragrant ingredients, which makes the flavor more distinctive.

"Put the rest in the fridge first. Luckily, Miss Qin had the foresight to prepare a super big fridge for you. I'll go organize the big fridge first." Zhou Shuling was happy that her time to show off her skills had come again, so she went off to get busy.

"She's truly a good woman who's suited to managing a household," Shangguan Dandan commented, leaning against the sycamore tree.

Liu Chang'an nodded. The Empress Dowager, who only criticizes others and does nothing herself, or who thinks she has done her best, has no self-criticism.

At this moment, Zhu Juntang finally brought Zhou Dongdong back. Since it was already past dinner time, Zhou Dongdong had eaten and drunk her fill, and her cheeks looked round and chubby as if they were about to puff up at any moment.

"Brother Chang'an, you killed Lu Si'en?" Zhou Dongdong rushed over, grabbed a wild boar leg, and was about to wail.

"No, this time it really was a pig that was slaughtered." Liu Chang'an pointed down the stairs.

Upon hearing Zhou Dongdong's voice, Lu Si'en ran out, shaking his head and circling around Zhou Dongdong several times, excitedly sticking out his tongue to lick Zhou Dongdong's hand.

Zhou Dongdong then hugged Lu Si'en with relief; her beloved dog, dogs are the cutest.

"Has your cousin contacted you?" Liu Chang'an asked Zhu Juntang casually.

Zhu Juntang withdrew his gaze from Lu Si'en, then chuckled and gave Liu Chang'an a meaningful look.

Liu Chang'an didn't try to be curious or understand her inexplicable behavior; he simply asked her the same question again.

"No, why would she want to see me?" Zhu Juntang shook her head. This cousin... how to put it? She liked her a little, or rather admired her, but Zhu Juntang didn't play with her much. There was an indescribable feeling about this cousin that always made Zhu Juntang feel a bit pressured.

"My pig hit her car, and she asked me for compensation. I told her to ask you for the money." Liu Chang'an still had to greet her politely.

"She's not that petty, is she?" Zhu Juntang waved his hand dismissively. "It's alright, I'll just say hello to her, ask how much it costs, and compensate her."

Zhu Juntang was very self-aware of being a little fat sheep and didn't care about cleaning up the mess left by the Sect Master.

"Thank you." Liu Chang'an nodded.

"Then I want to be the protector of the Saintess of the Nine Provinces Wind and Thunder Sword Sect."

"Bamboo Protector."

"Haha..." Zhu Juntang patted Liu Chang'an on the shoulder happily, because it was a gesture full of chivalrous spirit, she was no longer a small fry.

"Don't get into the habit of patting me, especially don't pat my shoulder from behind in the future," Liu Chang'an kindly reminded her.

Zhu Juntang quickly ran up behind him and patted him on the shoulder.

Liu Chang'an ignored this troublemaker, picked up a pig's leg and a bag of pig's blood and went upstairs. There was no other way; he couldn't let Zhou Shuling.

Liu Chang'an went upstairs and downstairs, and saw Zhou Dongdong struggling to drag another pig leg, while Lu Si'en helped by biting the pig skin.

Liu Chang'an glanced at Zhu Juntang and Shangguan Dandan, but said nothing.

Shangguan Dandan hesitated for a moment. She had already finished eating the meat scraps, so she looked around, picked up the cleaver that Liu Chang'an had used to cut the meat, and took it to her room downstairs.

She never came out again.

"Dongdong! Go Lu Si'en!" Zhu Juntang also felt that she should do something, so she ran over to cheer for Zhou Dongdong and Lu Si'en.

Liu Chang'an sighed. "You can't make a living off someone else. A supporting character is just a supporting character; they only exist to highlight the protagonist's diligence."

After playing for a while, Zhu Juntang received a call from Zhong Qing, who informed her that she was under house arrest again and needed to return home immediately. Fortunately, this time it was only for three days.

Zhu Juntang was bewildered and furious, yet helpless. Had her mother gone through early menopause?

Since the wild boar meat didn't have a gamey smell today, Liu Chang'an took a piece and stewed it briefly, then stir-fried it in hot oil. He also made a side dish of pig's blood with scallions, and that was it—just two dishes to make do with Zhou Shuling.

Zhou Dongdong had already eaten, but she insisted on having a little something with Liu Chang'an and Zhou Shuling. After they finished eating, she and Liu Chang'an sat together and watched TV.

Liu Chang'an was originally going to help Zhou Shuling make pig's blood sausage, but Zhou Shuling insisted on proving her skills and told Liu Chang'an and Zhou Dongdong to watch TV together.

Zhou Shuling brought pig's blood and various dishes to the living room. She sat on a small stool, making pig's blood balls while watching TV... After a while, she noticed that Zhou Dongdong had somehow climbed into Liu Chang'an's lap, her head resting on his arm. Both of them were engrossed in watching a childish cartoon. Zhou Shuling couldn't help but smile. She felt so happy right now. Life was like this; she was already content. She really didn't understand why those people who kept trying to set her up with potential partners always treated Zhou Shuling with such an attitude of "you're unhappy now, you deserve my sympathy, and I really want to help you."

"You are not a fish, how can you know the joy of fish?" Zhou Shuling had long forgotten this saying, but some people, even if they remember it, do not understand it, while others, though they do not remember it, have come to understand it on their own.

After watching TV for a while, Zhou Dongdong fell asleep, and Liu Chang'an took her upstairs to sleep... Because Zhou Dongdong was no longer a kindergarten student, and at six years old, Zhou Shuling had some difficulty carrying her, so usually when she fell asleep downstairs, Liu Chang'an would take her upstairs.

"I'm always troubling you." Zhou Shuling was still making pig's blood dumplings, almost finished.

"No trouble at all," Liu Chang'an said politely.

"Why are you being so polite?" Zhou Shuling was taken aback.

"Then why are you being so polite?"

Zhou Shuling laughed and playfully hit him; this guy was really annoying.

Liu Chang'an, disgusted by the oil on her hands, washed his arms and then began to process the remaining offal and pieces of meat.

The next morning, Liu Chang'an placed the pig blood sausages made by Zhou Shuling on a pile of orange peels and began to smoke them. These orange peels were leftovers from eating oranges. The older generation, who were good at managing their finances, knew that orange peels were a good thing. They could be used to make tea, or to make a drink for coughs, colds, or other ailments. The extra peels were also used to make smoked bacon and pig blood sausages, which were especially fragrant.

Liu Chang'an was certainly a thrifty older generation man.

"Take some to An Nuan's family to eat." Zhou Shuling chopped up some pork leg meat, put it in a plastic bag, and handed it to Liu Chang'an, reminding him not to forget.

Liu Chang'an sold a lot of wild boar meat mainly to nourish the elderly. An Nuan and Liu Yuewang didn't need it at all, so he hadn't thought about it. However, Zhou Shuling's reminder made sense, so Liu Chang'an went to An Nuan's house with plastic bags.

The autumn sun was shining brightly today. An Nuan and Liu Yuewang sat on the balcony. Liu Yuewang was tidying up her flowers and plants, while An Nuan was knitting a sweater.

"Ouch, I pricked my hand with a knitting needle," An Nuan suddenly cried out in pain.

Liu Yuewang glanced back, then continued spraying the flowers and plants with the sprayer, making them look beautiful and wet.

"Liu Chang'an didn't see it! I wanted him to see it and feel sorry for me." An Nuan was very regretful that Liu Chang'an wasn't by her side when she was injured.

"Then you'd better take a picture and show it to him quickly, otherwise it'll be over in three minutes," Liu Yuewang kindly reminded her.

An Nuan rolled her eyes at Liu Yuewang. Her phone beeped with a notification sound. An Nuan glanced at the message and felt incredibly proud. What perfect timing! The prick mark on her hand would probably disappear in three minutes, but Liu Chang'an was already at the entrance of the Juyuan. He appeared within three minutes and started acting cute for An Nuan!

An Nuan quickly put away the knitting needles and yarn balls, then hurriedly went to open the door, ready to act cute.

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The Silver Alliance has released its fifth update! Today's chapter is truly massive! Please vote with monthly tickets to continue Xia Hua's explosive power.