“They wouldn’t listen to advice, and their thinking is this simple…”
Li Chen was truly speechless.
Behind those villagers came heavy hoofbeats like pounding drums, and from time to time there were screams of pain.
A cold light flashed in Li Chen’s eyes. He swiftly pulled the cloth cover off the crossbow on his back, raised the powerful weapon in his hands, drew the string, and aimed forward.
This was also a perfect chance to test its power.
The villagers ahead scattered in all directions. Behind them, trees snapped and splintered as a massive wild boar charged out violently.
Its enormous body and terrifying tusks proved beyond doubt its destructive strength.
And the thick, hardened resin coating across its hide made it clear. This was likely the armored wild boar he had long suspected.
Now it was completely enraged. Even from such a distance, Li Chen could see its small eyes glowing blood-red, filled with savage ferocity.
In front of it, a thin young boy was running desperately.
But the wild boar was astonishingly fast. In moments it caught up. Lowering its head, it let out a muffled roar and was about to thrust its tusks forward, intending to pierce the boy’s body and fling him into the air.
“Monkey, get down!”
Li Chen shouted from afar.
He recognized him. It was his childhood companion and shadow, Hou Xiaobai, one of the two boys who had greeted him before he went up the mountain the day before.
Hearing Li Chen’s roar, Hou Xiaobai reacted instinctively. He threw himself flat onto the ground, exposing the huge boar’s head behind him.
Li Chen held his breath and instantly entered a state of utter stillness. In his vision, the wild boar 100 meters away seemed to draw near, magnified as though right before him.
His finger tightened.
With a heavy twang, the crossbow string snapped forward. The bolt crossed nearly 100 meters in an instant.
The next moment, there was a dull thud and a burst of blood. The triangular bolt, driven by immense force and penetration power, pierced straight through the center of the boar’s forehead and into its brain, sinking in almost halfway.
The wild boar let out a heaven-shaking scream, staggered sideways, plowed a deep furrow into the ground, and collapsed.
Li Chen immediately drew the string again, holding the crossbow ready as he advanced cautiously, his eyes fixed on the boar. “Monkey, are you all right?”
“Chen-ge… I’m fine, I’m fine.”
That wild boar had been terrifying.
“Monkey! Monkey!”
Another tall youth rushed over and helped Hou Xiaobai up. It was Zhao Dashí, another childhood companion who had greeted Li Chen the other day.
Both of them looked toward Li Chen with eyes full of gratitude.
“The boar may not be dead yet. Stay back, just in case!” Li Chen shouted as he hurried forward.
At that moment, however, a sturdy man limped out from the side, gripping a hunting spear and cursing, “You damned beast!”
He thrust the spear toward the boar’s neck, intending to finish it off.
But unexpectedly, the boar suddenly leapt up with a shrill roar. It lowered its head and its tusks pressed against the man’s chest and abdomen. With the slightest push, it could pierce through him and toss him into the air.
“It’s over!”
The man squeezed his eyes shut, waiting in despair for death.
Then came another sharp twang from afar.
Silence.
He opened his eyes in shock.
A bolt had entered through the boar’s right eye and exited the other side, extinguishing its last spark of life.
Looking up, he saw Li Chen approaching, carrying the strange-looking crossbow.
“Chen-ge’er… this wild boar… you killed it?” the limping man asked in disbelief.
“Uncle Zhou, wasn’t it Chen-ge? If not for him, you’d have been skewered just now!” Zhao Dashí and Hou Xiaobai cried out, still shaken.
More villagers who had fled began to gather, having witnessed the scene clearly. Waves of astonished murmurs spread among them.
“My heavens… from over there to here, at least 100 meters. One arrow through the forehead, one through the eye. It’s beyond belief…”
“This is the skill of a master archer.”
“Nonsense. Even master archers aren’t that good. This is a divine archer!”
“Good thing Chen-ge’er arrived in time. Otherwise, who knows how many would have died…”
The villagers surrounded the fallen boar, exclaiming in awe. They looked at Li Chen with respect and even a trace of fear.
If he were at Beiyan Pass, he would surely hold high rank.
“Chen-ge’er, thank you. You saved my life!”
The limping man finally came to his senses, dropped his spear, and knelt toward Li Chen.
Li Chen quickly grabbed him and helped him up, smiling lightly. “Uncle Zhou, we’re from the same village. Helping one another is only right.”
“Chen-ge, you saved us too. That boar was too fierce. Without you, we don’t know how many would have died…”
Hou Xiaobai, overwhelmed, tried to kneel as well, but Li Chen caught him in time.
Other villagers crowded around, all shaken and deeply grateful.
Hou Xiaobai was right. Without Li Chen, today would have been a tragedy.
For a moment, everyone surrounded him, clapping his shoulders, grabbing his arms, praising him warmly.
That split second between life and death had completely changed their view of him.
The former idle troublemaker had suddenly become the village’s hero.
“Save the thanks for later. First treat the wounded. And bring men to carry the boar back. But let’s be clear. Chen-ge’er killed it. From now on, it belongs to him. Any objections?”
Village head Xu Jiang returned, directing villagers to tend to the injured while speaking solemnly.
“Of course not.”
“Chen-ge didn’t just kill the boar. He saved our lives. Who would dare compete for it?”
“That’s right. Anyone who tries to snatch it from Chen-ge isn’t a man!”
The simple villagers understood gratitude. They loudly agreed with Xu Jiang.
“Wait. I disagree.”
Li Chen’s voice suddenly rang out.
Everyone stared at him in astonishment.
“Chen-ge’er, what do you mean?” Xu Jiang asked in confusion.