"Dad, look over there!"
While Yang Zhengshan was searching for wild animal tracks, Yang Mingzhi suddenly ran up to him, lowering his voice and pointing to the distant bushes.
Yang Zhengshan looked up and his eyes instantly lit up.
Wild boars!
Two large wild boars, and four piglets—that was a whole family!
The piglets were only about two feet long, probably born last year, while the adult boars were over one and a half meters in length and likely to weigh three to four hundred pounds.
Yang Zhengshan started calculating in his mind.
According to the price of pork in Anning County City, those two large wild boars could fetch at least twenty taels of silver.
Wild boar meat should be more expensive than domestic pork; if he was lucky, perhaps he could get thirty taels for them.
Yang Zhengshan didn't expect to be so lucky to encounter a group of wild boars so quickly.
However, wild boars were not easy to deal with. There's an old saying, 'first wild boar, second bear, third tiger,' not because wild boars are more formidable than bears and tigers, but because wild boars have a more volatile temperament. Once they encounter humans, they will furiously charge at them.
Moreover, wild boars are more numerous than tigers and bears, making them more dangerous to hunters than the latter two.
"I'll handle the two adult boars; you go for the piglets later," Yang Zhengshan fastened his wood-cutting knife to his waist and pulled out two short spears from his back.
"Dad, wild boars are too dangerous!" Yang Mingzhi said worriedly.
Yang Zhengshan reassured him, "Don't worry; I'll be careful."
He wasn't foolish enough to clash head-on with the wild boars. Even if he could overpower two large boars, he wouldn't take the risk.
Carrying the two short spears, Yang Zhengshan quietly approached the location of the wild boar herd.
About a quarter of an hour later, he stopped fifty meters away from the wild boar herd.
He shook the short spears in his hands and then threw them vigorously at the boars that were nibbling on the grass.
Though he wasn't adept at using a bow and arrow, he had some skill in throwing short spears. Yang Zhengshan inherited the original person's memories. Although he couldn't master all of the original's abilities, he could still grasp seventy to eighty percent of them.
For such a large target as a wild boar, grasping seventy to eighty percent of the original person's throwing techniques was sufficient.
With a whoosh, the short spear flew out with a piercing whistling sound.
The next moment, Yang Zhengshan suddenly burst forth like a wild beast leaping out of the bushes.
The mountain forest was complex, but Yang Zhengshan ran through it as if it were flat ground.
This almost made Yang Mingzhi's eyes pop out from behind.
"Dad is a Martial Artist!"
"No, that's not right; Dad's injury has healed!"
Yang Mingzhi muttered in both shock and joy.
As a son, he knew very well about the original person's physical condition. He was aware that the original had been tormented by concealed injuries for many years, and his health was deteriorating.
Especially after his Mom passed away, the original person appeared increasingly aged.
Just as Yang Mingzhi was feeling both surprised and elated, the short spear thrown by Yang Zhengshan hit a large wild boar in the back.
The sharpened spearhead penetrated the boar's body, and the powerful force caused the massive animal to collapse with a painful scream.
The piglets scattered in all directions, while the other adult boar, noticing Yang Zhengshan rushing over, charged at him with a roar.
Seeing this, Yang Zhengshan's eyes gleamed; with one hand gripping the wood-cutting knife and the other holding the short spear tightly, he charged forward to meet it.
The distance between man and boar closed rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, they collided.
Yang Zhengshan naturally wouldn't try to match the wild boar's strength, not believing his own to be greater.
In the instant of the collision with the boar, Yang Zhengshan swiftly sidestepped, avoiding the boar's charge, while his short spear thrust fiercely into the boar's throat.
With a swoosh, their figures crossed, and the spear's blade pierced through the boar's neck.
The next moment, the boar smashed into a large tree. Yang Zhengshan didn't bother with this boar and, holding his wood-cutting knife, rushed towards the one that had just fallen.
The shot just now only hit the wild boar's back and was not fatal. Now the wild boar had gotten up and was charging toward Yang Zhenshan.
The pain made the wild boar even more frenzied, recklessly rushing towards Yang Zhenshan.
However, this time Yang Zhenshan did not tangle with the wild boar again. The crazed wild boar was even more dangerous, and he was not in a hurry to kill it but instead started dodging around it in the forest.
The boar that had crashed into a tree had already passed out. Now, Yang Zhenshan had time to slowly wear this one down.
Several charges by the boar were dodged by Yang Zhenshan, making it more irritated, but the prolonged evasion had significantly drained its energy, and its injury on the back made it much weaker.
Yang Zhenshan found an opportunity and landed a cut on the back of its neck.
This cut made the wild boar fall heavily to the ground.
Seizing the moment of its weakness, Yang Zhenshan swiftly slit its throat, granting it a quick end.
Looking at the boar writhing on the ground, Yang Zhenshan pulled out the broken Short Spear and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Without the strength of a Martial Artist, he would not have dared to confront two large wild boars at once.
However, this battle also made him fully aware of a Martial Artist's strength.
Even though he was only a Martial Artist of the lowest realm, his strength was still far beyond that of ordinary people.
His stamina, strength, speed, and reaction time were all far superior to normal, and even his hearing and eyesight were better than the average person's.
This could not be solely attributed to being a Martial Artist; part of it was thanks to the Spiritual Spring Water, which enhanced the body in every aspect.
Afterward, Yang Zhenshan went to check on the boar that had hit the tree. It was already dead, with a spear piercing through its throat and blood spilled all over the ground.
"Dad, Dad~~"
Yang Mingzhi ran over, calling out as he held two small wild boars.
"Dad, your wounds are healed!"
He had only caught two of the four small boars, but compared to wild boars, he was more concerned about Yang Zhenshan's well-being.
"Yep, all healed!" Yang Zhenshan replied nonchalantly, frowning.
He was troubled about how to get the two large wild boars down the mountain.
The two large wild boars probably weighed over seven hundred pounds, and it wouldn't be easy to take them down the mountain with just the two of them.
A Martial Artist may be strong, but that's explosive strength. Yang Zhenshan could manage carrying two to three hundred pounds, but over seven hundred pounds was simply too much for him to shoulder.
Fortunately, it was already autumn, and the temperature was not too hot, so it wouldn't be a problem to spend a day or two.
Yang Zhenshan looked up at the sky and said, "Go to the Jiang family village and have Jiang He bring some people over."
There was still some time before noon, and if Yang Mingzhi moved quickly, he could return to the Jiang family village by afternoon and, hopefully, bring people over by tomorrow noon.
Jiang He was the son-in-law of his original body, and his first daughter, Yang Yunyan, was married into the Jiang family village.
"Dad, will you be okay here by yourself?"
Yang Mingzhi realized he misspoke as soon as he said these words.
His dad was a Martial Artist; there was nothing to worry about.
"Hurry back quickly!" Yang Zhenshan said.
He had grown somewhat fond of his adopted son, as human hearts were made of flesh after all. At home, Yang Mingzhi was quiet and reticent, but these two days in the mountains, he constantly showed his concern and worry for Yang Zhenshan, which made Yang Zhenshan feel somewhat emotional.
Having a son seemed to be a rather good thing after all.
Yang Zhenshan had never been a father before and didn't know what it felt like. Now, his feelings for Yang Mingzhi were more like the recognition one has for a friend or a partner.
After Yang Mingzhi left, Yang Zhenshan began dragging the boars towards the foot of the mountain, like ants moving their nest.
Two large boars and two small ones, Yang Zhenshan would have to make three trips back and forth.
Although the process was slow, he managed to drag them for four or five miles by the afternoon.
At night, Yang Zhenshan found a relatively secluded spot and lit a fire.
He certainly couldn't sleep this night; he had to watch over the boars to prevent other wild animals from coming over, attracted by the scent of blood. For this, Yang Zhenshan also gathered a lot of firewood to ensure the fire would not go out during the night.