Chapter 64: Chapter 64: Hunting Wild Boars

"Little Sis, I’d still prefer a real wife."

"Besides, this is a rooster."

A real wife? A rooster?

An Ning was completely bewildered. She asked, not understanding, "Second Brother, what are you talking about?"

"I just want the rooster to run with you. Where did your mind go?"

An Guoming, who had little strength, gave an awkward laugh.

"It’s nothing, it’s nothing. How is it supposed to run with me?"

An Guoming changed the subject, and An Ning didn’t press the issue. Instead, she placed the large rooster on the ground.

"Follow Second Brother. Go."

An Ning urged An Guoming to keep running with her eyes. Dubiously, An Guoming started to move.

The big rooster behind him actually followed along. It even seemed to think An Guoming was too slow, so it ran ahead and turned back to look at him.

Once An Guoming caught up, it continued on.

Watching from behind, An Ning saw that it was really working.

She had been using her spiritual power to continuously give the big rooster suggestions, telling it to follow An Guoming. The effect was quite good.

An Ning had successfully found a supervisor for An Guoming. She didn’t waste any time either. She went to the fields, and without any tools, she started working with her hands, communicating with the crops to recover her spiritual power.

When she had done enough, An Ning went home to eat. After eating, she returned to the fields.

For two consecutive days, An Ning worked in the fields. She didn’t go to the irrigation canal or help with the watering.

After the whistle signaling the end of the workday blew, An Ning walked back with everyone else. Jiang Xia, coming up from behind, left her with a single sentence the moment he passed her.

"Three in the morning. Wild boars."

An Ning, having heard him, glanced hesitantly at Jiang Xia. She thought for a moment but decided not to call out to him.

’But why be so secretive about it?’

Not quite understanding, An Ning went home, ate, practiced her characters, and drew up some blueprints.

She was researching a machine that could produce new textile products. After all, Director Li had helped them a great deal.

In An Ning’s worldview, everything should be fair.

If you’re bullied, you get revenge.

If you receive a kindness, you return the favor.

Direct, simple, and clear.

That night, An Ning went to sleep early. At two in the morning, she got up.

She moved with extreme quietness, leaving the courtyard without waking anyone. She shushed the big rooster and vaulted over the wall.

Once over the wall, An Ning ran up the mountain.

She ran to the foot of the mountain and into the outer woods.

"WOOF WOOF WOOF!"

The sound of Da Huang’s barking brought a smile to An Ning’s face. She followed the sound and met up with Jiang Xia.

"Not bad, it’s only—"

Jiang Xia was about to check his watch, but he had underestimated just how dark it was.

"Two-thirty, probably."

Jiang Xia, having casually stated a time, was quite satisfied with An Ning’s early arrival.

"This way. I’ve been observing them for the past two days. The sounder of wild boars comes to a spot around here to drink at this time. I dug a trap there; it should be able to hold one or two."

Jiang Xia paused and asked, "How many can you handle?"

"How many are there in total?"

"Thirteen. Nine large, four small."

"Then how many can *you* handle?"

"Together, Da Huang and I can take three, four at most."

"You and Da Huang take two. The rest are mine."

Jiang Xia continued to lead the way in front, the two of them talking as they walked.

But both of them were very satisfied with this rhythm—no nonsense, just the important details.

"Are you sure? We could also draw the attention of two more to give you more space. Besides, we don’t need to wipe them all out. We can let a few go to reduce the danger."

In that moment, Jiang Xia had none of his usual arrogant young master air, but was instead the epitome of calm.

An Ning didn’t dismiss Jiang Xia’s proposal out of hand, either. Instead, she considered it seriously.

"We’ll assess the situation as it unfolds. I don’t mind letting a few get away."

An Ning truly didn’t mind, but not because she couldn’t defeat them. It was more for the sake of future sustainability.

In any case, the two of them had reached an agreement.

The night deepened. Aided by the faint moonlight, the two moved swiftly through the mountains.

Whether intentionally or not, Jiang Xia took the lead, with An Ning in the middle and Da Huang bringing up the rear.

The mountain path was steep, and the mountain wind whistled through the trees, making a constant RUSTLING sound.

Under the pale moonlight, the mottled shadows of the trees looked like monsters emerging from the darkness.

Jiang Xia, leading the way, began to walk faster and faster. It was a good thing An Ning was behind him; an ordinary person might not have been able to keep up.

"We’re here."

Jiang Xia stopped abruptly. An Ning, not paying attention for a second, came within an inch of bumping into his rear end.

She stopped just in time, crouching down beside Jiang Xia and hiding behind a thick patch of grass.

Da Huang, coming up behind them, was also an experienced old hunting dog. He crouched down without a sound, his ears pricked up, on high alert.

For a moment, there was no sound but the mountain wind.

The two humans and one dog lay in wait for more than half an hour before they finally heard a sound coming from the woods.

Jiang Xia nodded at An Ning. She understood immediately, spreading her spiritual power and readying herself. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Though the sky had yet to fully brighten, the moonlight was no longer necessary; there was now enough light to see by.

A fat, sturdy wild boar, its body glistening with mud, emerged majestically from the eastern woods.

After the first one emerged, the others followed. Four piglets trotted in the middle, with two sows bringing up the rear.

Jiang Xia pointed a finger at the sows in the back. An Ning nodded in understanding, mouthing the word "Okay" without making a sound.

At that moment, the lead boar had reached the area of Jiang Xia’s trap.

It was less than a meter away.

With a BANG, accompanied by the sound of something collapsing, the lead boar fell into the trap. The rest of the sounder instantly fell into chaos, scattering in all directions.

"I’ll take the west!"

"Got it!"

Jiang Xia and Da Huang shot out, working in perfect sync. In that instant, Da Huang showed none of the goofy, fawning behavior he’d displayed with An Ning. The wolf side of his shepherd nature was on full display.

He leaped, fangs bared, and bit down hard on a boar’s neck.

Blood sprayed instantly, but the boar wasn’t dead. It began to struggle violently, flinging Da Huang through the air in an arc.

But Da Huang was a seasoned veteran. He used the momentum from being thrown to rake deep gashes across the boar’s hide with his claws.

On the other side, Jiang Xia was putting on a ferocious display of his own, completely different from the arrogant youth he usually was.

Wielding a large machete, he charged out, chose his moment, and brought the blade down on a boar’s neck.

The boar thrashed about madly, and the machete got stuck for a moment. Jiang Xia rolled, sprang up on the other side, wrenched his blade free, and struck again.

As for An Ning, with Jiang Xia having gone west, she went east, flanking all the remaining boars.

She also held a machete, but unlike Jiang Xia, when her blade fell, the boar’s head came off.

The head even gave a little, mischievous roll.

"Holy shit, are you even human?!"