"Sure, what are your prices?" Li Xiang asked. He had almost forgotten about this.

The restaurant owner said, "Thirty a jin for live ones, twenty for dead. If you have any extra-large ones, over four hundred jin, it’s fifty yuan a jin."

This was because the stomachs of large wild boars were very valuable. There was a folk belief that a wild boar’s stomach could cure stomach ailments. The `Compendium of Materia Medica` also recorded that pig stomach is slightly warm in nature and sweet in taste, with the effects of alleviating gastritis, strengthening the stomach, and remedying deficiencies. As a result, people often sought to buy them at high prices.

For example, there was once a news story about a man whose son had suffered from stomach problems since he was six years old. In hot weather, he would feel nauseous no matter what he ate, and in cold weather, he was prone to acid reflux. They had been to many hospitals, but his condition never showed significant improvement.

Someone suggested that he should get a wild boar stomach, and that eating it would cure the stomach problems.

The man searched everywhere for one, even asking newspapers and radio stations for help, hoping the media could connect him with a seller.

But for something like a wild boar stomach, there were many people scrambling to buy them, so they were very hard to find. Usually, you had to place an order in advance with a hunting team.

And as for wild boar stomachs, only those from large boars had any therapeutic effect. The ones from small boars weighing only a few dozen jin were basically useless.

This was because wild boars are omnivores. Bamboo shoots, medicinal herbs, bird eggs, mushrooms, wild rabbits, mountain rats, venomous snakes, centipedes—they would eat anything they could get their jaws on.

Although there was currently no evidence to suggest that wild boars were immune to toxins, judging from the fact that they didn’t die immediately after eating poisonous food, one could say their stomachs were impervious to a hundred poisons.

According to folklore, when a wild boar swallows a venomous snake, like a Qi viper, the snake’s fangs bite the inner wall of its stomach. The stomach, steeped in the essence of various medicinal herbs consumed over a lifetime, has its own masterful way of neutralizing venom and healing the wound. Granulation tissue grows at the base of the injury, which then forms fibrous and scar tissue, leaving a ’ding’—a type of lesion—on the gastric mucosa. The more ’ding’ a stomach has, the higher its medicinal value.

However, a reporter interviewed an old TCM doctor in his eighties from a famous clinic. The doctor said that in his sixty years of practice, he had never seen any record in a formal medical text stating that wild boar stomach could cure stomach ailments. He advised that it was more appropriate to use scientific methods and go to a proper hospital to treat stomach problems.

Of course, since this folk belief existed, and wild boar stomach was also listed as an ingredient in the `Compendium of Materia Medica`, even if it didn’t have miraculous effects, it still had significant health benefits. Therefore, many people still sought to buy it.

This restaurant owner had received several orders requesting him to procure wild boar stomachs, which was why he called Li Xiang. He also bought small wild boars because they could be used for "roasted suckling pig," which offered a unique flavor compared to domestic pigs. Never mind whether it tasted good; the main thing was the gimmick.

It was just like bat soup. Was it really delicious? But there were still plenty of novelty-seekers who wanted to try it, and it sold for a rather high price.

However, in ancient times, bats were indeed a very peculiar "medicinal ingredient," used in remedies for chronic coughs, malaria, gonorrhea, cataracts, and more. Bat feces, known as "yemingsha," was also an important Chinese medicinal material used for eye diseases.

But to modern people, the soup was a bit disgusting and extremely toxic. Bats carry hundreds of viruses, some of which might not even be deactivated by high temperatures. Only the most daring people would try it.

Also, large wild boars might have "pig sand" inside them. Cows have "bezoars," dogs have "dog treasures," so naturally, pigs also have "pig treasures." This "pig treasure" is "pig sand," which is actually a pig’s gallstone. They are extremely expensive and rare.

The last time Li Xiang’s family butchered that wild boar, they had looked for one. They did indeed find a hard, egg-like lump covered in hair inside the pig’s stomach, but Li Yucheng said it was just a ball of pig hair and threw it away.

In reality, even if they did find "pig sand," its medicinal value couldn’t compare to cow bezoars or dog treasures.

...

After a detailed discussion with the restaurant owner, Li Xiang naturally agreed, but he made one request: the payment had to be prompt.

After all, this was a private deal. If the payment was delayed and a dispute arose, it would be troublesome. He could certainly teach the other party a lesson, but it was better to set the terms clearly in advance. The less trouble, the better.

The boss was quite straightforward. He immediately thumped his chest over the phone and said, "I guarantee immediate payment. You give me the goods, and once they’re counted, the money will be in your account within two hours. When I, Old Huang, do business, I’m always clean and decisive. You can ask around."

"The number of wild boars might be a bit high. When the time comes, I’ll give you a location on the side of the provincial highway. You can send a big truck to pick them up," Li Xiang said after a moment of thought.

"What?" Boss Huang was stunned and couldn’t help but ask, "How many can you get?"

Li Xiang said coolly, "At least thirty."

"Great!" the other man said, very excited. If Li Xiang could get him thirty, or even more, then he wouldn’t be short on stock for a while. He would surely have an advantage in his upcoming business dealings.

He could still easily take forty or fifty wild boars off Li Xiang’s hands.

He had actually asked the `Forestry and Grassland Bureau` before, but they wouldn’t sell to him. They said they didn’t recommend consuming wild boars because the wild animals might carry deadly pathogens, which could lead to an unmanageable situation.

After the major events of the past few years, the government was being very cautious. What happened in the private sector was a matter of market regulation, but they themselves would not get involved.

Their superiors had not authorized them to resell the boars.

When the `Sichuan Province` government collected wild boars, they were indeed disposed of harmlessly, but not by selling the meat as everyone imagined.

Live boars would be transferred to zoos, research institutions, and the like that had a need for them, but the majority were still disposed of through "deep soil burial."

But there was a gap in the market. Especially with the recent continuous heavy snow, prices had skyrocketed, and the demand for wild boar meat far outstripped the supply. The various bosses were getting anxious.

That `Boss Huang` expressed his anticipation, chatted with Li Xiang for a few more moments, and then hung up the phone.

Afterward, Li Xiang went all out.

He had basically scoured the ten-kilometer radius around his home. The number of wild boars farther out was limited, so he decided to use the `Divine Movement Technique`, crossing mountains and ridges until he entered the `Primitive Forest Reserve` closest to his house.

The journey was about fifty kilometers, and he arrived easily within an hour. He could have been faster, but it would have been more tiring. ’Besides, I need to save my strength for catching wild boars.’

This reserve wasn’t very large, only a few hundred square kilometers, but it was teeming with wildlife. It was also overgrown with weeds and shrubs, making it extremely difficult for an ordinary person to traverse. This was nothing like the mountains near his home.

After venturing deeper, Li Xiang activated the `Mutant Creature Identification Function` and channeled the `Bright Pearl Darkens` `Magic Skill` to conceal his aura. While searching for wild boars, if he encountered any potential `Mutated Creatures`, he would naturally kill them immediately.

System: "Discovered a `Tier Three` `Mutated Creature`: `Three-eyed Flower Sparrow`."

Li Xiang scanned his surroundings and, sure enough, saw a magpie perched on a branch, pecking at some kind of frozen berry.

SWISH~

With a flick of his hand, Li Xiang sent the `White Fang Dagger` shooting out like a streak of white light. After being nourished by his `Spiritual Power` for the past few days, the `White Fang Dagger` had become increasingly easy to handle. It was fast, and he could guide its direction for a perfect hit every time. In the blink of an eye, the `Three-eyed Flower Sparrow` fell to the ground.

System: "Congratulations, Host. You have slain the `Tier Three` `Mutated Creature`, `Three-eyed Flower Sparrow`. You have received a surprise reward: three `Tier Two` `Mutated Spirit Fruits`—`Silver Bud Golden Hook Pears`."

`Golden Hook Pears` belong to the *Hovenia* genus of the Rhamnaceae family. The `Silver Bud Golden Hook Pears` rewarded by the System were naturally no `Mortal Item`; they emitted a fresh, fragrant aroma that tickled the nose.

Li Xiang continued forward. After harvesting three hibernating "`Spicy Strips`," a nest of centipedes, and two wild rabbits, he finally found a herd of wild boars.

The herd consisted of only nine boars: one male, two females, and six young. Li Xiang didn’t even use his `High-Density Blade`. His figure flashed through the air, descending from above. He directly activated the `White Fang Dagger`’s "`Wild Boar King’s Suppression`," instantly frightening the entire herd into submission. Then, one by one, he picked them up and tossed them into the `System’s Otherworldly Warehouse`.

The warehouse could not store living things; any living creature that entered would undoubtedly die. This also had a benefit: food stored inside would not spoil.

This was because food spoilage is caused by microorganisms, and microorganisms couldn’t survive inside. Even anaerobic bacteria were no exception.

Although dead wild boars fetched a lower price than live ones, for Li Xiang, transporting dead boars was far more convenient.

Among this herd of boars was a potential `Mutated Black-Maned White-Toothed Beast`, a `Tier Three` creature. When Li Xiang tossed it into the System’s warehouse, he obtained three `Tier Two` `Spiritual Medicines`—Pig-snout Fungi.

The `System’s Otherworldly Warehouse` was a full eight cubic meters. Items placed inside would float. Li Xiang cleared a small area in a top corner to store his `Spiritual Medicine`.

’There’s no way I’m putting `Spiritual Medicine` together with something as filthy as wild boars.’

Additionally, miscellaneous debris in the warehouse, like residual dirt, could be "shaken out" with a thought. With regular cleaning, he could keep it spotless.