Chapter 47: Some Things Still Need to Be Explained

“I won't be participating in the rest of the work,” Harimu said. “I’ll go tend to the horses. In a little while, you ride the horse and drag these two wild boars back to the carriage, load them up, and take them away.”

Li Long knew this was due to certain local customs that were difficult to discuss openly. Feeling a mix of curiosity and gratitude, he said

“Actually, you don't have to come. I could have done it myself.”

“No, I must take down that big one. My winter shelter is only a mountain ravine and a ridge away. I’ve observed him; he has already finished rooting through the eastern ravine. If we don't stop him, he’ll lead this sounder of boars to my winter shelter in a few days, and that will be a massive problem.”

Although Li Long wasn't sure exactly how much trouble it would cause, knowing that Harimu was willing to risk breaking a taboo just to help him take down this boar told him how serious the situation was.

Moreover, this large boar had clearly been shot and yet continued to charge forward, attempting to kill the shooter. This showed just how ferocious the beast was!

If it truly made it to Harimu's winter shelter, it would likely be a disaster!

Harimu left, leaving Li Long behind.

Li Long stretched his limbs, engaged the safety on his gun, slung it over his back, and walked up to the smaller boar.

He had killed this boar with a single shot; a large pool of blood had already soaked into the snow and frozen.

The main reason Harimu left him here was to prevent wolves from coming to eat the boar if both of them left.

If that happened, wouldn't Li Long's hunt have been for nothing?

He knelt down and saw that the bullet had passed under the shoulder blade, likely hitting the heart before exiting through the other side.

Li Long grabbed the boar by its ear, trying to drag it toward the large boar so it would be easier to drag with the horse later.

At that moment, Li Long realized the true meaning of "dead weight." Using every ounce of his strength, he managed to move the boar only a tiny bit. Having no choice, he had to clear the snow himself before dragging the pig; he worked up a sweat before finally managing to pull the two boars together.

Next came the waiting.

The large boar had two tusks protruding from its mouth; one had a crack, while the other was sharp, looking as though it were used frequently, much like a dagger.

To Li Long's disappointment, these two boars—especially the large one—did not possess the "shoulder armor" described in novels.

He had read novels in his previous life, and they often spoke of "one tiger, two bears, and three boars," or "one boar, two tigers, and three bears," hyping up wild boars immensely. They claimed that because boars frequently rub against pine trees, the resin sticks to them like a layer of armor, making them difficult for ordinary blades to pierce.

This large boar seemed to be quite old, yet there was no armor on its shoulders or body; there was at most a layer of grime under its fur that would fall off with a touch, offering no real protection.

Was it the novels that lied, or had he just not encountered a boar with actual armor yet?

While Li Long was pondering this, Harimu came rushing back.

He dismounted, handed the rope to Li Long, and instructed him to tie both boars securely. Then, he attached the rope to the saddle and told Li Long to mount the horse and begin dragging them.

After a couple of attempts, the horse failed to move them. Harimu said

“Give it a whip to make it exert itself. Once it starts moving, just keep it running. If you're scared, grab the pommel tightly.”

Li Long did as he was told. With a crack of the whip, the horse immediately put in the effort. After two or three pulls, the boars began to move.

Under the power of Li Long's whip, the horse began a trot, winding along the side of the ridge following Harimu until they reached the carriage in front of the winter shelter.

Harimu and Li Long worked together to back the carriage into a gentle slope, positioned directly below the boars.

Once the carriage was secured, Li Long climbed up to untie the ropes binding the boars. Using the friction of the snow, he slowly pushed them down until both the pigs and the snow were pushed onto the carriage.

He repeated the process for the second boar. By the time it was loaded, Li Long felt too exhausted to move.

He was both tired and tense. While riding the horse to drag the boars, he had been incredibly worried—worried about falling off, and worried the horse wouldn't be able to pull them.

“Wipe the horse's sweat; it's exhausted too,” Harimu reminded him. “Don't feed it anything right now; let it rest.”

Li Long took the old blanket Harimu tossed to him and wiped the sweat from the horse's neck and body.

The sun was high in the sky, and Harimu's wife emerged from the winter shelter, calling out to them.

“Come, come inside for some milk tea,” Harimu said with a smile.

Li Long led the horse to the front of the shelter, tied it up, and followed Harimu inside.

After setting down his gun, taking off his heavy coat and shoes, and climbing onto the *kang*, he took the bowl handed to him by the woman and drank the milk tea in large gulps. Only when the scalding tea hit his stomach did Li Long feel like his body truly belonged to him again.

He had been reborn many days ago, but today he truly felt the weight of exhaustion and tension.

After a simple breakfast, Li Long took the bullets from his pocket and handed them to Harimu

“There are a few rounds left in the gun, but these are all I have on me. Please return the gun to Brother Yushanjiang and give him these bullets as well. I'll bring more the next time I come.”

“Alright.” Harimu accepted them without hesitation; in these dangerous mountains, bullets were more useful than anything.

“Then I'll be going.” Li Long knew that since he was carrying boars, he couldn't linger. “I'll come back in a couple of days. By the way, if you need anything else, I'll bring it with me next time.”

Harimu thought for a moment and said

“If possible, bring some rice. Not much, just a little bit.”

Li Long nodded. “No problem.”

He stood up to say goodbye to the old woman and the others, put on his clothes, and left the winter shelter.

On this trip, he had harvested jade and two wild boars. He had originally thought about gathering some wood to fill the carriage, but he simply had no strength left.

Harimu placed a bundle of grass on his carriage, helped him hitch it, and waved goodbye.

Li Long carefully drove the carriage down the mountain. Going down was different from going up; now he was alone, yet the carriage carried two boars. He had already returned the gun, so while he wasn't exactly unarmed, he only had an iron pipe he had confiscated earlier, which wasn't very useful.

After driving a few hundred meters, Li Long stopped. He unpacked the bundle of grass to clumsily cover the two boars, then searched along the way for some branches to weigh the grass down before finally driving the carriage out of the mountains.

He didn't stop until he reached the county town.

He felt hungry. He had drunk a lot of milk tea this morning but eaten very little *naan*, and his energy expenditure last night had been high. His stomach was completely empty.

Li Long drove the carriage to the entrance of the Great Meat Canteen, lifted the curtain, and shouted to the waiter inside for three meat buns. After paying, he ate while driving the carriage toward the procurement station.

He wanted to know if they would accept the two pieces of jade.

He didn't know for sure, because since he hadn't returned overnight—combined with the business involving Gu Ermao and Tao Dayong—rumors had already spread through the team that he had been arrested!

(End of Chapter)