Chapter 28: The Hunting Moment, A Sudden Lifesaving Benefactor

“Big Brother, you take these medicinal herbs down the mountain first; I’ll be back quickly.” Lin Luoxi was also surprised by her own strength—when did she become so strong?

She had initially intended to scare her brother, but she never expected her display of power to be this impressive.

“Oh, right! I’ll go down now,” Lin Wenqian readily agreed, eyeing the tree that had been snapped clean in half. He hurried to carry the basket filled with herbs, reminding Lin Luoxi to be careful before quickly making his way down the mountain.

His stance suggested that any further conversation might provoke her into another powerful punch.

He asked himself; his waist certainly wasn’t sturdier than that tree.

“Ha ha…” Lin Luoxi couldn’t help but laugh as she watched her brother retreat in haste.

If she had known such a tactic was so effective, she would have used it much earlier and wouldn’t have wasted so many words persuading him.

Once she was sure Lin Wenqian was safely down the mountain, she turned and stepped deeper into the mountains.

Not long after crossing a hillside, Lin Luoxi found a medicinal herb that she had needed and started digging it up as fast as she could.

Perhaps heaven wanted her to return home early, for after just a few more steps, she encountered another herb.

“Today is truly a lucky day,” Lin Luoxi remarked happily while digging.

With an idea in her mind, she looked at the several dozen plants crowded together in front of her. She decided to first dig up the older, mature herbs, toss them into her basket, and then plant the younger seedlings in a cleared patch for her to return and cultivate later.

The medicinal herbs deep in the mountains were far more abundant and of better quality than those outside.

Lin Luoxi quickly gathered enough of what she needed, put her tools away, and was about to hoist her basket of herbs onto her back when she heard a noise nearby.

In an instant, she was on high alert, scanning her surroundings and homing in on a nearby tree.

She threw the basket into her spatial storage, grabbed a piece of firewood, and made her way up the trunk of a large tree with a few swift movements.

Once she stood firmly on a branch, the sounds from the thicket intensified, and she soon spotted something pushing through the underbrush.

A wild boar, larger than an adult, charged toward her.

Instead of fear, Lin Luoxi felt exhilaration; images of delicious pork danced in her mind.

Gripping the piece of firewood tightly in her hand, she poised herself as she awaited the right moment.

When the boar was just around five meters away from the tree, she calculated the distance and, as it approached the base of her tree, she took advantage of its unawareness, leaping onto its back at lightning speed.

She quickly clamped her legs around the boar’s flank to avoid being thrown off as it began to run.

Raising the firewood high, she aimed for the creature’s neck and struck as quickly as possible.

Her first strike only made a shallow cut; the boar’s hide was tougher than she had anticipated.

However, upon seeing the wild boar become agitated after her strike, Lin Luoxi didn’t hesitate. If one blow wouldn’t finish it off, she was prepared to deliver several more.

As Lin Luoxi continued to strike the wild boar with the firewood, her eyes remained fixed on the direction from which it might escape.

Just as the wild boar seemed ready to charge and collide with a towering tree, it suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground.

Finally, Lin Luoxi’s persistent strikes had taken effect. The boar’s neck was nearly severed, with its head hanging precariously, only attached by a thin layer of skin.

Due to the unexpected lunge forward, Lin Luoxi became entangled with the boar’s blood and its dark head, rolling three times on the ground before coming to a stop.

“Are you okay?” she heard a voice call out.

After dealing with an adult-sized wild boar alone and rolling around in the mud and blood, it took her a moment to regain her composure. It wasn’t until she saw a young boy’s face suddenly appear in front of her that she jumped up in surprise.

“Who are you?” Lin Luoxi racked her brain but couldn’t recall who this boy was.

Upon hearing Lin Luoxi’s question, the boy’s expression dimmed slightly. He looked up and introduced himself earnestly. “My last name is Xie, first name Hanchuan. I also live in Wutong Village…”

“What’s your point?” Lin Luoxi began to eye the unexpected young boy warily. Could it be that he wanted to steal the wild boar she had just fought so hard to kill?

“I mean you can sell this wild boar with my help,” Xie Hanchuan stated, realizing how odd that sounded coming from him.

He hadn’t actually intended to imply he wanted to rob her but rather considered her family’s situation subconsciously when he made that offer.

“Why should I believe you?” Lin Luoxi was cautious. She had no impression of this unfamiliar boy and wasn’t inclined to trust a stranger so quickly.

“Because I was the one who saved you when you were pushed into the river. If I had really meant you harm, I wouldn’t have brought you to safety that time,” Xie Hanchuan tried explaining, noticing the wary look in Lin Luoxi’s eyes and feeling a strange, painful sensation in his heart at her suspicion.

“Are you threatening me? Trying to make me repay my life to you with this wild boar?” Lin Luoxi’s line of thought was often less conventional than most.

“No, I didn’t save you expecting any kind of repayment. I’m just saying that if you try to carry the boar down the mountain alone, even if you don’t plan to sell it, eating it would be a problem,” Xie Hanchuan interjected, attempting to remain patient in the face of Lin Luoxi’s defensiveness.

“If you trust me, I can help you handle this wild boar, and any money from the sale, I’ll personally deliver it to you…” He looked at the girl before him, bristling with suspicion, and continued to explain.

“Why do you want to help me?” Lin Luoxi couldn’t help but question him, especially since he seemed to understand her family’s situation so well.

“It’s nothing really. I’ve been in the rain before, and now seeing someone in a tough situation always makes me want to help,” Xie Hanchuan replied, somewhat awkwardly. He hadn’t expected such empathy to arise since he brought her ashore that day, but he found himself drawn to this girl.

Their encounter today was unexpected, but he genuinely wanted to help her, even if she doubted his intentions.

“Alright then! How about we split it nine to one? I take nine, you take one,” Lin Luoxi suggested, seeing the sincerity in the boy’s eyes and subconsciously inclined to trust him.

“No need for that…” Xie Hanchuan quickly waved his hands, feeling it was more than he deserved.