“Girl Lan, look, the two of us sitting here with nothing to do—why not walk a bit further inside, what do you say?” Old Master Zhao was a restless man. Having been quiet for less than half an incense stick’s time, he walked over to Li Menglan’s side and said with a shameless grin.
Li Menglan glanced at the busy Li Dazhu, Zhang Wenli, Li Zhiming, and Li Zhihao. She was rather tempted by Old Master Zhao’s proposal.
Er… with an expert like Old Master Zhao by her side, safety definitely wouldn’t be an issue.
Li Menglan thought for a moment and said loudly, “Dad, Little Uncle, you all pick chestnuts here. I’ll accompany Grandpa Zhao to look around and see if we can find anything else?”
“Daughter, be careful. Come back early.” There were still more than three chestnut trees nearby that hadn’t been harvested, so Li Dazhu was also terribly busy; he thus only offered a brief instruction and left it at that.
“Grandpa Zhao, neither of us is very familiar with the mountain terrain in this area. You must take care not to go too far.” As she walked, Li Menglan cautioned Old Master Zhao.
“Girl Lan, this old man isn’t a child. Do I need you to tell me this sort of thing?” Looking at Li Menglan nagging at his side like a little old lady, Old Master Zhao was both amused and irritated.
The old man and the young girl had walked probably less than three or four li when Old Master Zhao stopped, his expression grave.
Li Menglan blinked, puzzled, and asked, “Grandpa Zhao, why did you stop walking?” At that moment, not far in front of them was a fir forest.
Old Master Zhao frowned as he looked at the other side of the fir forest. He detected some strange movement. His expression changed slightly. Suddenly he reached out, grabbed her around the waist, and lifted her off the ground. With a vigorous aerial flip, the two of them landed in a large tree.
“Girl Lan, stay here obediently and don’t move. Remember… hold tight, be careful not to fall.” Old Master Zhao repeatedly instructed Li Menglan.
Old Master Zhao’s movements were too fast. By the time Li Menglan reacted, the two of them were already more than ten zhang up in a large tree.
“Grandpa Zhao, you…” Li Menglan was stunned.
“Hush! Stay quiet.” Old Master Zhao made a gesture to be silent toward Li Menglan beside him. Li Menglan immediately sensibly shut her mouth.
Because Li Menglan had also sensed unusual fluctuations in the air around her. The heightened perception she had gained after her rebirth told her that there was a dangerous aura on the other side of the fir forest, and it was racing toward this open flatland at great speed.
In the blink of an eye, a series of slight tremors came from the ground. Then dust filled the sky, and the strange roars of wild beasts grew increasingly clear.
“Grandpa Zhao, what is that sound?” Li Menglan lowered her voice and softly asked.
“Two wild boars fighting.” Old Master Zhao’s gaze was firmly locked not far ahead, where two wild boars with bloodshot eyes were biting and fighting.
Hearing the words “wild boar,” Li Menglan subconsciously recalled their long tusks and scarlet eyes. She recalled the wild boars she had seen on television in her previous life… that terrifying appearance of sharp snouts and tusks, and she couldn’t help but shudder.
Li Menglan’s body involuntarily tensed, and she nearly fell from the large tree. Suddenly, a pair of warm, large hands rested on her head, gently patting it. A deep, mellow, yet calm and steady voice sounded from above: “Girl Lan, don’t be afraid. With Grandpa here… Grandpa will protect you, rest assured!”
“Mmm… Grandpa Zhao, I’m not afraid.” Li Menglan’s face was somewhat pale, but her expression was very calm.
“It’s fine. This old man’s martial arts are formidable; I guarantee Girl Lan won’t suffer the slightest harm.” Old Master Zhao’s martial arts had been tempered in the fires of war—extremely formidable.
“Lan’er knows.”
Old Master Zhao conveniently broke off a few branches and held them in his hand, saying consolingly, “Mmm… these hateful wild boars actually dare to frighten this old man’s Girl Lan. In a moment, Grandpa will beat them all to death. Tonight we’ll eat roasted wild boar.”
“Alright!”
On the open ground not far beneath the large tree, two brown animals that looked very similar to domestic pigs—but larger in build, with longer, slenderer legs—were fiercely goring each other with their tusks, back and forth, advancing and retreating, both sides fighting fiercely.
“Aren’t wild boars the same species? How can they fight so brutally?” Li Menglan glanced over and muttered, shrinking her body down slightly lest she draw the attention of those two red-eyed wild boars. What if both wild boars went crazy and started goring this large tree?
“Like attracts like, people divide into groups; animals, too, have similarities to humans in certain matters. For example—they are also polygamous.” Old Master Zhao gazed intently at the fighting boars, but his words carried obvious teasing.
Clearly—the fight between these two male wild boars should be a battle concerning male dignity!
A battle between men? Li Menglan felt somewhat surprised, and instantly understood. So it turned out the two male wild boars were fighting over a mate. Now that he put it that way, it really made… Li Menglan feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Old Master Zhao presumably also sensed the awkwardness in the atmosphere and quickly said self-reproachfully, “Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey… Girl Lan, what Grandpa said just now was nonsense. You’d best forget it immediately upon hearing it.”
Old Master Zhao didn’t hear Li Menglan’s voice and suddenly realized… apparently this girl was still a little girl. Er… he had been careless.
“Grandpa Zhao, I’m fine. It’s just… exactly when will they stop fighting?” Li Menglan quickly shook her head and asked.
“Without a victor and loser, they absolutely won’t give up!” Old Master Zhao still had some understanding of wild boar habits.
“Grandpa Zhao… then us hiding in this big tree, they won’t notice?” Li Menglan lowered her voice and cautiously asked. “I’ve heard that wild boars’ ears and noses are extremely sensitive.”
“Girl Lan, rest assured. This place is open and the wind isn’t weak. Besides—the two of us are up in a big tree. As long as we don’t make a sound or move carelessly, they shouldn’t notice us.” Old Master Zhao patiently explained to Li Menglan, “Compared to true wild beasts, wild boars aren’t actually that ferocious. They have always adhered to the principle that if people don’t offend me, I won’t offend them. Of course—if the two of us went down right now, there’s no guarantee those red-eyed boars wouldn’t get startled. They’d likely treat the two of us as intruders… that would be greatly unfortunate.”
“Er… is this old man’s analysis and estimation really… reliable?” Li Menglan felt extremely uneasy. Glancing at Old Master Zhao, who was as composed as ever, she muttered to herself.
As they spoke, the large tree where the two of them hid suddenly shook violently. Both of their expressions changed. It turned out the two fighting wild boars had already shifted their battlefield to this side; right under the noses of Old Master Zhao and Li Menglan.
The tusks of the two great beasts were locked in a deathly grip. One wild boar had pinned the other against the tree trunk. Although this tree was quite large, the strength of the wild boars couldn’t be underestimated. The large tree was already showing obvious shaking. If this continued, the two of them would sooner or later be exposed beneath the boars’ gaze—danger!