Chapter 226 Easy for You to Say (Seven Updates)
The sky was too dark, and the wild boar was too far away for the villagers to see clearly just how big it was, so they bravely surrounded it.
But Suming saw everything clearly through the eyes of Haidong Qing. A wild boar weighing five to six hundred pounds is a force to be reckoned with, capable of killing a cow when enraged. The other three, weighing three to four hundred pounds each, were not to be trifled with either.
If the boars were cornered to the point of desperation, it would spell danger for everyone present. Summing did not wish for anyone to die undeservingly, especially those in his village who had watched him grow up.
But it was already too late!
The temperament of a wild boar is inherently volatile, equivalent to what psychology terms a choleric personality. Zhang Fei was like a firecracker, exploding at the slightest touch! Moreover, they were feeding, and animals are extremely intolerant to disturbances during feeding.
Even Suming wouldn't interrupt the feeding of ferocious animals like Yangtze crocodiles or snapping turtles, as it would undoubtedly leave them irritable, despite the fact that they couldn't harm him.
What then of the ordinary townsfolk?
Before the words were out, the second brother pig's hooves suddenly kicked off, charging at Mr. Chen with a fearsome squeal, shaking the ground as it moved.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Who says pigs are dumb and clumsy? The second brother's speed over a short distance was astonishing, even faster than Liu Xiang, reaching Mr. Chen in the blink of an eye.
The night was pitch black, and the wild boars were huddled together, so no one had really seen how many there were or their exact size. But once the wild boar charged and broke away from the group, drawing closer to the humans, everyone realized the formidable size of the beast, prompting a chorus of panicked cries as people scattered every which way.
Spiritual power, of course, had effects on wild boars, but that didn't mean instant control over them. At the moment, it was a matter of life and death for them; if they didn't attack the humans, they would be the ones to die. Thus, suppressing their instinctual survival urge with spiritual power was not a simple task.
Despite this, Suming did not give up the effort and suddenly shot a wave of spiritual power toward the boar.
The second brother paused for a moment but didn't stop its charge! Given its weight and speed, the inertia was immense, and even if it wanted to, stopping was not an option.
On the contrary, this unfamiliar spiritual force shook the boar, revealing its sharp tusks as it bared them from the sides of its mouth!
Mr. Chen, given his advanced age, froze upon seeing the wild boar, forgetting to dodge. He just stood there stunned with a hoe in hand!
Just as the second brother was about to collide with Mr. Chen, a black shadow suddenly darted out at an angle, fearlessly throwing itself at the boar.
When there's a substantial gap in power, courage doesn't count for much. A sorrowful yelp followed, and the brave native dog was sent flying by the impact.
Without thinking, Suming extended spiritual power to the airborne dog. Although the dog was bound to be hurt by such a hit, the spiritual power would ensure it didn't die.
In what seemed like a moment, the second brother had reached Mr. Chen, and a violent collision appeared imminent.
"Look out, Mr. Chen!" Suming had been on guard, aware of the danger. With a loud shout, he tackled Mr. Chen to the ground and the two of them rolled away, narrowly avoiding the wild boar's charge at the last moment.
Immediately afterward, there was a low roar of "Ho!" from behind, followed by the wild cry of an enraged boar.
How fierce was Su Meng? Wild boars were nothing to him, he'd even dare to fight a bear. Having recently beaten up a Yangtze crocodile, it was clear Su Meng wasn't easily provoked. Seeing Suming almost hit by the boar, Su Meng couldn't stand idly by. He intercepted the boar head-on, grabbing its two sharp tusks with both hands.
Had it been a fair fight on level ground, Su Meng would have been a match for the wild boar, or at least, not far behind. But the boar was in full sprint, and the force of its momentum far exceeded its own strength. Not just Su Meng being human, even if there was an elephant in its way, it likely would've been toppled over!
"Ssshhh..." A violent friction noise sounded as Su Meng, with his arms extended and holding the boar's tusks, leaned forward almost parallel to the ground, his feet skidding backwards on the earth from the push of the boar.
That sound came from Su Meng's shoes as they scraped against the ground; his large feet, like a pair of hoes, plowed deep furrows into the field.
The people in Sun Town, not too far away and using their flashlights, saw everything quite clearly and couldn't help but exclaim in awe. How was this giant of a man still human? He was like a celestial warrior descended from the heavens!
But Su Meng's moment of glory lasted only a few seconds before he lost his balance and fell face down on the ground.
Yet the wild boar continued to run, its several hundred pounds of weight stepping over Su Meng's back as it dashed toward the mountains to escape.
Without hesitation, Suming sent a wave of spiritual power onto Haidong Qing, instructing it to follow the boar through the sky.
Such a large wild boar was a rare sight indeed, and it was unclear where it had come from. Following it to find out where its lair was seemed prudent. Besides, after causing so much damage to the crops, they couldn't simply let it go!
Su Meng had really bad luck today!
Like a troop with a monkey king, the wild boar had their 'Boar King', and this huge wild boar was obviously the king of this group. Wherever it charged, the rest of the wild boars would follow suit, forming a line behind it.
Just as Su Meng was stepped on by the big wild boar from behind and hadn't yet gotten up, a squad of wild boars charged out, squealing loudly, stepping on his back, and broke through the encirclement.
"Think you can run? Not so easy!" Suming enveloped the last two small wild boars with his spiritual power and leaped into the air, grabbing the tails of the two small wild boars with one move.
Those two wild boars didn't look big, were not even as tall as a KFC, but they were frighteningly strong. Snorting and squealing, they dragged Suming, who weighed over a hundred pounds, along the ground.
Su Meng had just climbed up from the ground, his face covered in dust. Spitting out a few mouthfuls of spit, he saw what was happening and hurried over, grabbing each of the two small wild boars with one hand and forcefully pressing them down onto the ground. The two little wild boars were no match for Su Meng and were pinned down unable to move, just like little people flattened by a giant in an animated film, limbs spread out, squealing towards the distance.
The wild boars apparently didn't have much of a family concept, as those that escaped didn't even bother about their captured companions and dashed into the mountains without looking back.
In just a few dozen seconds, most of the wild boars had vanished without a trace. The townspeople who came to round them up gathered together, took a head count, and aside from Mr. Gu taking a tumble, no one else was hurt.
They had come to round up the wild boars, but unexpectedly, a counter-charge by the wild boars had scattered their encirclement. The main reason was the unusually large size of that Boar King, which scared everyone into a panic at the beginning; otherwise, it wouldn't have ended like this.
"I've lived in the mountains for half my life, and in the end, I was still caught off guard! It was also lucky that Suming acted quickly, otherwise, I might not have been able to save my old life, and the villagers would probably have suffered losses," said Mr. Gu, still in shock as he patted Suming on the shoulder. He then looked at Su Meng and gave a thumbs up, saying, "This kid did a good job too. If it weren't for him stopping that big pig... Hey..."
"This is my distant cousin." Suming smiled and then said, "Mr. Gu, there's no point in talking about merits or not at this time. Let's quickly see what has been lost."
There was really no need for a detailed tally; one flash of a flashlight showed that at least half of the several dozen acres of fields on the hillside had been ruined. Mr. Chen's family suffered the heaviest losses, with most of his crops destroyed.
Although other families hadn't suffered disaster, they were quite discouraged. Most people in the town were related somehow, and their fields were nearby. If the wild boars came here today, they might pillage theirs next time.
Mr. Chen, the mute, and the widow Mrs. Gu felt an injustice with nowhere to vent, and could only shed tears. The fields were the lifeline for farmers, who depend on the harvest for the year. With such a disaster striking this year, not to mention being unable to do what they had planned, they didn't even know how they would get by the next year.
"Mr. Gu, fellow villagers, there's no point in being too sad about things being this way," Suming said.
Hearing Suming say this, the three affected households thought it was merely consolation, which wouldn't be of any help, but still nodded politely, showing their gratitude. For Suming, the town's cherished university student, to risk his life late at night to help them drive away wild boars was an act of kindness to be acknowledged.
Mr. Gu, being a straightforward man and Suming's elder, waved his hand and said, "How can we not be upset? You live in the city and don't understand the difficulties of rural life. Mr. Chen has to provide for his son's education, the mute needs to find a wife, and though Mrs. Gu is alone, she also struggles. You're standing there without worrying, but that's because you're clueless. After all, you were just a small kid when you went to the city for school; you don't know the situation in the countryside."
Sometimes the truth doesn't necessarily solve anything. Hearing Mr. Gu speak like this made the three families even more upset. Thinking about the coming year, sorrow rose from their hearts, and they could not help but cry again.
"Mr. Gu, you've misunderstood me," Suming quickly clarified. "I'm not just talking without concern. You all need to quickly tally the losses — the government has subsidies available!"
Upon hearing this, their eyes suddenly lit up. Mrs. Gu stopped wailing, the mute ceased his cries, and Mr. Chen knocked his dry pipe on the ground a few times. The group stood up in a rush.
"Government subsidies? How are they provided, what kind of subsidies?" Mr. Gu asked, surprised.
The rest of the townspeople also gathered around Suming, waiting for him to explain in detail.
As farmers in the mountains, the crops of Sun Town are under constant threat from wild animals all year round; a new victim could emerge at any time! Therefore, this 'subsidy' that Suming mentioned was directly related to every single one of them.
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That's a wrap!
Never expected that we would hit 1500 average orders so quickly, you are all too powerful, and I must keep my word... right?
We will not do bonus chapters for average orders anymore; firstly, because the average order count increases slowly later on, making everyone anxious while waiting; secondly, two chapters of 20,000 words each really puts a lot of pressure on me.
So, bonus updates will be randomised throughout the days, often coming in threes, fours, or fives!
Huff huff, I can almost feel the exhaustion from a cat struggling to give birth, let me go collapse for a while~~