Chapter 51 Wild Boar

Having dealt with the viper incident, Liu Jun and Fatty accelerated their pace significantly. Just as dusk was falling, they arrived at the wooden cabin and met the forest ranger, Lin Hai, whom the station master had mentioned.

Lin Hai looked to be about forty years old, appearing to be a demobilized veteran. His tall and upright frame looked extremely robust. He wore a military-green uniform with a hunting rifle slung across his back.

Because this area was a high-level nature reserve, veterans like Lin Hai who had undergone specialized training were legally permitted to carry firearms. After all, patrolling the forest involved not only poachers but also many fierce wild animals. Naturally, they were not allowed to take their hunting rifles outside the reserve.

"Hello, I am Lin Hai. The station master informed me that you are Old Liu's grandson and asked me to look after you," Lin Hai said straightforwardly.

"We will call you Brother Lin. We'll be troubling you over the next few days, Brother Lin," Liu Jun replied without any pretense. Given his and Fatty's wilderness survival skills, they certainly needed someone to take care of them.

Hearing Liu Jun's words, Lin Hai nodded silently and turned to walk toward the wooden cabin. The cabin was quite large, with some firewood neatly stacked in front of it and strips of cured meat hanging from the eaves. Upon entering, the first thing that caught the eye was a hearth with a pot set over it. It was impossible to tell what meat was boiling inside, but it smelled incredibly fragrant.

Inside the room were two large wooden beds, and the floor between them was covered with animal pelts topped with a quilt.

"At night, you two sleep on the beds, and I'll sleep on the animal pelts in the middle," Brother Lin said, turning to them as if noticing Liu Jun's gaze lingering on the furs.

"Brother Lin, you should sleep on the bed; we can just take the floor."

"Just sleep on the beds, no need to argue. The pot has wild rabbit meat in it prepared for you; I've already eaten. Don't wander outside casually at night, eat up and rest early."

After giving these instructions, Lin Hai walked over to the animal pelts and lay down to rest. The two of them didn't stand on ceremony and dug heartily into the rabbit meat. There must have been two rabbits boiled in that pot; otherwise, if he and Fatty had to compete for food, they would have starved.

After finishing their meal, they sat on the floor for a while. Fatty asked if they should go outside to take a look, but Liu Jun disagreed. Since they were unfamiliar with the terrain, going out at night was a good way to feed the wolves. Before going to bed, Liu Jun buried a yellow talisman paper by the doorway. It didn't have any mystical function other than acting as an alarm system, and then he lay down to sleep. It was a peaceful night, and the ginseng spirit Liu Jun was hoping to wait for never showed up.

When Liu Jun woke up, Fatty was still fast asleep, but Lin Hai was already up. Liu Jun stepped outside to greet Lin Hai and saw him practicing military boxing. Every movement and stance executed by Lin Hai was full of momentum.

"What are you two here to do?" Lin Hai asked, finishing his routine and looking at Liu Jun standing nearby.

"I came to look for something," Liu Jun replied after a brief pause. He couldn't very well just blurt out that he was hunting a spirit.

"There is porridge in the pot. Once you've eaten, I'll go out with you. Without experience, you're likely to run into danger," Brother Lin didn't probe further about what they were searching for, simply insisting on accompanying them to prevent accidents. What a good guy.

After finishing the porridge and checking their gear, Brother Lin also readied his things, taking his hunting rifle to guard against large predators.

"Brother Liu, where are we heading?" Fatty asked, while Brother Lin also looked at Liu Jun with curiosity.

Liu Jun took out the map, examined it, and said with full confidence, "There's a place called Giant Boulder Rock up ahead. There's a stream there with small ravines on both sides. Because it sits right in a wind gap, all five elements converge there. This place is bound to yield results. Right here."

Brother Lin cast a surprised glance at Liu Jun, seemingly not expecting him to be a Feng Shui master. Of course, he didn't actually know Feng Shui, but he certainly knew how to put on a convincing act.

The group set off toward Giant Boulder Rock. There were no trails leading there, and the vegetation grew wild and dense. Brother Lin took the lead with a large machete, clearing a path and sending surrounding rabbits, pheasants, and birds scattering in panic.

After walking for about an hour, they finally caught sight of a stream, and Brother Lin informed Liu Jun that Giant Boulder Rock was almost within reach. Ten minutes later, a massive boulder appeared before them. Half of this giant rock rested on the bank while the other half sat in the stream, cutting the waterway in half.

Liu Jun signaled everyone to split up and check for anything unusual, telling them to shout loudly if anything happened. Liu Jun cradled the small fox and headed toward the stream's spring source, Brother Lin went to the woods on the right, and Fatty searched the brush.

Ginseng loved cool and damp environments, making the area around the stream a high-probability spot. Liu Jun searched meticulously, firmly believing that with his radar-like scanning, he was bound to find something. As it turned out, he found nothing at all. Just as Liu Jun turned to leave, the small fox leaped out of his arms and began frantically clawing at the dirt by a patch of weeds.

Liu Jun picked up the fox and scooped up a handful of earth to sniff it. A faint fragrance lingered, accompanied by a trace of demonic aura. This aura didn't belong to the small fox; it was identical to the ginseng tendril in his Second Grandpa's possession. Ever since Liu Jun had consumed the Taisui given by Dog Brother, his sense of smell had become exceptionally acute, and his mild nearsightedness had also cleared up. Therefore, he couldn't possibly mistake the scent—he had finally found a lead.

Just as Liu Jun was pondering how to capture this ginseng spirit, Fatty's cries for alarm rang out from the brush.

That fiery temper of Liu Jun flared up. If this Grandmaster doesn't show his might, do you people take me for useless deadwood? Being scared by a snake earlier was one thing, but what was it this time? He charged toward the thicket to back Fatty up.

"What are you yelling for? What are you panicking about, your big brother is here!" Liu Jun shouted at Fatty. The moment he reached the bushes, Fatty came barrelling out.

"Brother Liu, run!" Fatty yelled, not even looking back as he bolted toward the boulder. Liu Jun looked in the direction Fatty had come from, his mind filled with thoughts of showing off his skills and dealing this creature a crushing blow.

Then, heavy thudding footsteps shook the ground—*thud, thud, thud*. A small tree the thickness of a rice bowl was snapped clean in half by the impact. Most importantly, this unidentified creature did not slow down in the slightest, barrelling forward like a tank.

Finally, they saw clearly what it was. The creature had small eyes, but its gaze was fierce and malevolent. Its sharp canine teeth curled upward into protruding tusks, and its rigid, coarse bristles were caked with dried mud, making it look as though it were clad in armor.

All of Liu Jun's bravado vanished instantly. Every hair on his body stood on end, and he fled at top speed toward the boulder. What the hell kind of wild boar was this? And a solitary male boar at that! Given its massive size, had it become a spirit or something? It easily weighed six or seven hundred catties, far larger than any wild boar he had ever seen before.

Just how terrifying was a solitary male boar? Old hunters often said, "First the boar, second the tiger, third the bear." When people spoke of wild boars, they weren't referring to a sounder of boars, but specifically to these solitary males. Such boars were extremely ferocious when facing enemies, essentially fighting to the death the moment they spotted a target. With thick skin, a layer of fat, sharp tusks up front, immense strength, and the ability to charge relentlessly, how was anyone supposed to fight a tank with high defense, high health pool, and heavy damage output?

When Liu Jun scrambled up onto the boulder, Fatty and Brother Lin were already standing there. Fatty still wore a look of lingering fear, while Brother Lin gripped his hunting rifle tightly with a grave expression, clearly well aware of how formidable a wild boar could be.

The wild boar burst out of the brush and, seeing them perched on the rock, did not slow down. Just as they thought the boar was going to smash itself to death against the stone, it pulled off a sudden, sharp drift, kicking up a trail of dirt, and screeched to a halt right beneath the boulder, gazing up at them with a look of utter mockery.

"Damn it, Brother Liu, this wild boar is looking down on us! We can't stand for this!" Fatty fumed.

"If you can't stand it, why don't you get down there and have a chat with it? Maybe it'll look at your physique and mistake you for one of its own," Liu Jun retorted speechlessly. He hadn't expected to be despised by a wild boar. Had Grandmaster Liu really fallen this low?

"Brother Lin, can your gun kill or scare off this boar?" All their hopes were pinned on Lin Hai's rifle. True, he was a master, but he specialized in catching ghosts, not pigs, Liu Jun thought with helpless resignation.

"It's a long shot. The hunting rifle has low power, and wild boars have thick hides and heavy fat. If we're lucky, we might wound it," Lin Hai shook his head and said.

"What about aiming for the eyes? Aren't a wild boar's eyes its fatal weak spot?" Liu Jun recalled from watching nature documentaries in the past.

"Can't hit it. I've never used this hunting rifle before, I have no confidence," Lin Hai shook his head again. Great, totally useless to count on him.

"Move aside, let me try! My grandpa used to be a hunter, and I've played with hunting rifles several times. Shoot for the eyes, right? Let me give it a shot," Fatty said as he took the rifle from Lin Hai's hands and aimed at the wild boar. With a sharp *bang*, a spray of blood erupted from the boar's rear end.

Howling in agony, the wild boar squealed at the top of its lungs, circled the giant boulder dozens of times before finally coming to a stop. It glared with small, bloodshot eyes, fixing a look of pure hatred on the three of them—a gaze that suggested if it could climb up there, it would tear them to shreds in an instant.