Chapter 6 Let Me Help You Kill

“Master, it seems the wild boar fiend won’t be easy to deal with. Shouldn’t we just head back?” Li Guo whispered apprehensively.

Seven or eight hunters had failed; no matter how brave he was, he doubted that the two of them could kill the wild boar fiend.

If there was a choice, naturally Li Yi would not wish to take risks. Yet now, their household was on the verge of running out of food. In the bitter cold of winter, corpses of the starved littered the land. If they didn’t seize this chance to fight for survival, should they wait until they were too weak from hunger to try?

“Leave? It’s just a wild boar. Would a living man let himself die of fright?” Li Yi declared loudly, casting a glance at the villagers. “It’s only a beast; if these hunters can’t kill it, I’ll help you rid yourselves of it.”

The villagers’ attention was drawn to him. Though his face still carried youthful traces, Li Yi stood tall and imposing, a long spear in hand, a short lance strapped to his back, and a hint of hope flickered in their eyes.

The elder at the forefront grew excited. “Young man, you really dare climb the mountain?”

“How much silver can you offer?” Li Yi asked directly.

“There was originally a reward of ten taels, but Hunter Liu wants five taels for medicine,” the elder said, casting a dissatisfied glance at Hunter Liu. “Right now, we can only offer five taels.”

Li Yi had intended to hunt the wild boar anyway; earning extra silver was naturally welcome. Just as he was about to accept, Hunter Liu’s expression turned sour.

“Old Gao, you hired us for the job—how can you let someone else take it? Are you ruining our reputation?” Hunter Liu gripped his spike-staff and strode forward, several hunters following behind him, faces hostile and intimidating. The villagers stepped back a few paces in fear.

“So it’s the Li family’s boy,” Hunter Liu sneered as he scanned the villagers, his face dark. “Shouldn’t you be recovering at home? What are you doing here?”

“Uncle Liu, my master and I are here to kill the wild boar fiend,” Li Guo replied, sniffling.

“We, six or seven strong men, couldn’t kill it. What business have you two greenhorns here? Get lost!” Hunter Liu, playing the elder, barked harshly.

He then turned to Old Gao. “He’s from our village, thinks he’s tough because he practiced martial arts, but never stays out of trouble. Last time he provoked the Ai family and was beaten badly. I wonder what madness brings him here today.”

At the mention of the beating, a flicker of satisfaction passed through Hunter Liu’s eyes. Years ago, he had tried to seize Li Yi’s land, thinking the boy too young to resist. But his plan backfired; Li Yi had beaten him, making him a laughingstock. Since then, Liu had harbored a deep grudge.

The villagers, hearing Hunter Liu, began to suspect Li Yi was merely a troublemaker out for their money, and the hope in their eyes slowly dimmed.

Li Yi frowned, his gaze cold. “Ai Wanhua harassed my betrothed and ordered his servants to injure me. How is that my fault?”

Hunter Liu interrupted Li Yi. “The Ai family has produced so many officials and has plenty of silver—what could they possibly want from your fiancée? You should reflect on yourself. Why does the Ai family trouble you and not others?”

Such familiar rhetoric.

Li Yi was nearly amused, furious to hear such nonsense even here in Ming.

“So you’re saying, any woman harassed by Ai Wanhua must have been lacking in virtue, and deserved it?”

Hunter Liu was left speechless.

In every village for miles, there wasn’t a girl who hadn’t been harassed by Ai Wanhua. The villagers loathed the Ai family; none would ever agree with such reasoning.

Li Yi grinned at Hunter Liu. “No matter how powerful the Ai family is, they cannot turn black into white. I stand opposed to them, will settle my scores as needed. I won’t grovel for their favor like you—licking their filth, without feeling the slightest disgust.”

The villagers burst into laughter at his words.

Hunter Liu’s face flushed crimson, glaring fiercely at Li Yi. “You disrespectful brat, is this how you speak to your elders?”

“Elder?” Li Yi sneered, sizing him up. “My elders bear the surname Li. What are you, anyway? Whose loose belt let you slip out, making a fool of yourself?”

The insult was sharp and cutting, its impact severe.

Hunter Liu trembled with rage and suddenly thrust his spike-staff at Li Yi’s face.

Rural arguments were common, but no one expected Hunter Liu to resort to lethal force so suddenly. Cries of alarm rose from the crowd.

Li Yi hadn’t expected such ferocity, but his senses were keen—he narrowly dodged the blow, grabbed the spike-staff with his right hand, and kicked Hunter Liu hard in the chest.

Even through thick winter clothing, Hunter Liu was sent flying over three meters, clutching his chest in pain.

Several hunters cursed angrily and charged forward, but before they reached him, a whooshing sound rang out; Li Yi slammed the spike-staff into the earth.

“Looking for death? I wonder if the Ai family would bother to collect your corpses,” Li Yi said, patting his short lance with a mocking smile.

The hunters were startled.

The frozen ground was hard as iron, yet the spike-staff sank three inches deep; if it had struck a person, it would have impaled them.

Though they were bold, none wished to die here.

Hunter Liu glared venomously at Li Yi, clutching his chest. “Li family brat, if you want to die, I won’t stop you. If you kill the wild boar fiend, the ten taels of silver are yours. But if you fail, you’ll kneel and beg my pardon!”

His words were a concession, and the villagers hurried to mediate.

Old Gao spoke up. “It’s better to resolve than deepen grudges. You’ve taught Hunter Liu a lesson, but if you act rashly and end up in trouble with the authorities, none of us will fare well.”

With so many eyes watching, Li Yi had no wish for more trouble; he’d wait for another chance to deal with this sycophant of the Ai family.

“Since the villagers have spoken, I won’t bother with him. Now I’ll climb the mountain to rid us of this menace. Please wait here.”

Old Gao quickly agreed, “That’s right. If you can slay the wild boar fiend, you’ll save the people of Chai Mountain and all the neighboring villages. We’ll all remember your kindness.”

The villagers responded with cheers, watching Li Yi and Li Guo climb the mountain, their eyes filled with hope and anxiety, reflecting the harshness of survival.

Hunter Liu rose painfully, cursing, “We’ll head up as well. I want to see that bastard torn apart by the wild boar fiend.”

Mountain paths were treacherous, and the danger of death ever-present.

The two crossed a slope, passed through a withered forest, and came to a clearing where the terrain was gentle.

The hunters' traps lay ahead in the woods; not much time had passed, so the wild boar fiend should still be nearby.

Li Yi took down his spear, slowly wrapped a strip of cloth around it, his demeanor growing solemn.

Li Guo sensed the shift in atmosphere and asked in a low voice, “Master, can we really kill the wild boar fiend?”

Li Yi smiled, “Weren’t you full of confidence when we set out?”

Li Guo laughed nervously, trying to string his bamboo bow, but his hands trembled so badly he failed several times.

“Damn the heavens, my hands are too numb to obey me,” Li Guo cursed.

His chest felt heavy, as though he were falling, his limbs quaking, unable to concentrate.

Li Yi took the bow, strung it, and tested it—it was soft, lacking power.

He handed it back, stood up, and said, “If I shout for you to run, you must run straight down the mountain without looking back. Remember, don’t turn around.”

Li Guo crouched stiffly, his nose tingling as he gazed at Li Yi’s back. “I won’t run. If we die, we die together.”

“Die my foot,” Li Yi interrupted irritably, mocking, “I’m just afraid you’ll drag me down, get yourself hurt or crippled.”

He glanced at Hunter Liu and his group nearby and sneered, “Let them have a good laugh.”

Li Guo wiped his tears awkwardly, pursing his lips in silence.

Li Yi didn’t bother saying more, gripping his spear as he slowly approached the woods ahead.

Winter was bitterly cold; on Chai Mountain, only the wind howled through the barren trees, slicing painfully across their faces as it blew along the gentle slopes.

Li Yi, his hands bound with coarse cloth, bent low and entered the woods. Not far in, he heard heavy snuffling.

Climbing a dead tree, he saw a well-fed, massive wild boar gouging at the ground for food. Nearby, a wooden cage lay overturned, its thick timbers broken in several places, twisted and splintered.

Though he’d expected it, the sheer size of the boar still startled Li Yi.

Most shocking was how the boar’s casual rubbing made the thick trunk tremble and sway; Li Yi’s lips twitched involuntarily.

Was this even a wild boar? It looked more like a rampaging tank.

Li Guo stared wide-eyed at the wild boar fiend, swallowing hard. “Master, should we attack?”

Li Yi gritted his teeth; he’d come ready to risk his life, and he couldn’t retreat now.

“If we die, we die. You distract it with arrows; I’ll go first.”

Determined, Li Yi crouched and crept closer, spear in hand.

“First the boar, then the bear, then the tiger”—wild boars were not only armored and robust, but also irritable and violent, with powerful jaws and a devastating charge. Even tigers and bears would avoid them. To deal with such a ferocious beast, only a surprise attack could inflict serious injury, then let it bleed out slowly.

Li Yi considered this, feeling proud of his quick thinking and cleverness.

Then, as he looked up, he found himself eye to eye with the wild boar fiend.

There was no affection—only a strong sense of danger.

Every hair on Li Yi’s head stood on end; his muscles tensed as he faced those cold, furious, beastly eyes, suppressing the urge to strike.

Damn it, was this wild boar truly possessed?