infodatos Chapter 30 The Long-Toothed Boar King
Chapter 30 The Long-Toothed Boar King
As Cai Xuan ate, he turned his head to look around and suddenly noticed an ancient tree not far to his right, standing there dark and conspicuous.
Upon closer inspection, it was discovered to be a tree struck by lightning.
This tree, whose age is unknown, had a trunk so thick that two people couldn't encircle it. After being struck by lightning, most of it was gone, the bark peeling away to reveal the dark wood beneath. But the tree didn't die; a few branches at the top stubbornly survived, sprouting clusters of vibrant green leaves. The old and new intertwined, life and death coexisted, exuding a tenacious vitality—truly a "miracle of humankind."
This lightning-struck wood is a top-grade material for making ritual implements.
Suddenly, Cai Xuan became interested. He quickly finished his food and started slashing upwards with his knife.
"Clang!"
With a soft click, the blade snapped back, leaving only a faint white mark on the tree trunk. This tree was ridiculously hard. Seeing this, Xi'er came over to help, raising her little fist and casually throwing a punch.
"Snap!"
The lightning-struck tree, as thick as two people could hug, snapped in two, leaving only a waist-high stump standing there all alone.
"Xi Xi, you're amazing!!!" Cai Xuan looked at the jagged broken ends on the tree stump, then at Xi'er's small, white, tender fist that hadn't even turned red yet, his expression complicated.
"That's natural."
Xi'er stood tall with her chin held high, not feeling proud at all, because it was just a very ordinary thing.
Cai Xuan couldn't help but want to roll his eyes, but ultimately refrained, instead focusing his gaze on the tree stump. He didn't know what kind of tree it was; the color of the broken section was somewhere between rose gold and copper, and when he brought it closer, it had a natural, pleasant fragrance. It smelled like sandalwood, or perhaps agarwood, but even more refreshing and pleasant than either.
Feeling that the tree was quite nice, Cai Xuan secretly made a note of it, planning to bring some wood back to use as incense in the future.
Just as I was about to turn and leave, I suddenly noticed something that seemed to be embedded in the broken surface of the tree stump.
Upon closer inspection, it was a round, dark bead about the thickness of a thumb. Cai Xuan raised an eyebrow, thinking he could take it back. He could then cut some wood from the tree stump, grind it into beads, string them together, and wear it on his wrist—that should be quite nice.
So, I carefully pried it out with the tip of the knife.
The beads felt warm to the touch, neither cold nor hot, with a smooth, mirror-like surface where one could faintly see their reflection. After examining them several times, I still couldn't figure out what they were, so I put them in my pocket.
After resting for a while, the two continued on their way.
After walking for a while, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a large patch of bushes.
The shrubs were about waist-high, with branches that grew like vines. The leaves were small, and the branches were covered with clusters of purplish-black fruit, each cluster heavy, bending the branches over.
Those fruits are shaped like grapes.
Strings and clusters of them, a deep purple-black, glossy black, covered with a thin layer of white frost, resemble strings of black agate in the sunlight.
As Cai Xuan approached, he realized it wasn't grapes at all, but a wild fruit he had never seen before, emitting a rich, sweet aroma that attracted ants, insects, bees, and butterflies to crawl and fly among the bushes.
Cai Xuan picked one and put it in his mouth to taste it. It was very sweet and had no sour or astringent taste at all.
The peel is as thin as a cicada's wing, breaking open with a gentle bite. The flesh inside is soft, smooth, and juicy, sweet like drinking honey water, yet not cloying, with a subtle floral fragrance in the aftertaste.
It was absolutely delicious! Cai Xuan couldn't resist picking a handful and eating it.
Xi'er ate some too, but there wasn't any special expression on her face; she didn't seem very enthusiastic about these things.
After Cai Xuan finished eating, he picked some more and stuffed them into his basket. Looking up at the sky, he couldn't help but ask, "Xi Xi, how much further is it?"
"We're almost there," Xi'er replied, and continued walking forward.
Cai Xuan looked at the endless, dense forest before him and took a deep breath. "Well, I'm already here. Can I really go back?"
After walking for about another hour, the woods ahead gradually thinned out, and the soil beneath our feet changed from loose humus to sandy loam mixed with fine mica fragments. A faint, indescribable scent filled the air. It wasn't the fragrance of flowers or fruit, but a deeper, more ancient earthy aroma, as if something buried deep within the earth for millions of years had finally been brought forth by the wind.
"arrive."
Xi'er put away her wood-chopping knife, stopped, and looked back at Cai Xuan, a rare serious expression appearing on her little face.
Cai Xuan quickened his pace, parted the last patch of bushes, and looked out.
Ahead lay a small valley, surrounded by low hills on all sides, like a slightly clasped hand. The valley floor was low-lying, covered with dark green moss and unidentified ferns, extremely humid, and filled with a thick, earthy scent.
In the center of this wetland, there is a slightly raised mound.
The mound was barren, with only dark brown soil exposed, its surface glistening with a layer of oily sheen, as if it had been soaked in something.
"That's it."
Xi'er pointed to the mound and said, "What's buried underneath is what the younger sisters need."
Just as Cai Xuan was about to ask her how she knew that was what the younger sisters needed, he suddenly heard a "humming" sound.
The sound was deep and heavy, like a dozen huge wild beasts panting at the same time.
Before Cai Xuan could pinpoint the source of the sound, the bushes shook violently, and the ground began to tremble. Sensing something was wrong, he tried to run, but then, sensing something, he turned around and saw a group of enormous black figures bursting out of the nearby woods and charging towards them!
A ferocious boar with long tusks.
Cai Xuan's pupils suddenly contracted.
This is a ferocious beast recorded in the Great Wilderness Materia Medica. It is enormous, covered in gray-black mane, with two curved fangs protruding from its upper jaw like two sharp scimitars, gleaming with a deathly cold light in the sunlight. At this moment, its eyes are dark red, like two burning embers, staring intently at the intruders who have entered the valley.
The largest of the long-tusked, ferocious boars, running at the very front, was as big as a small mountain.
It must be the head of this group of long-tusked ferocious boars—the Long-tusked Ferocious Boar King. Its tusks were at least half a foot long. When it ran, it lowered its head and bared its teeth, charging straight at Cai Xuan and Xi'er with an overwhelming force!
"Xixi, get out of the way!"
The herd of tusked boars arrived too quickly; there was no time to run. Cai Xuan had no choice but to bite the bullet and meet them head-on with his spear.
But before he could take a step, Xi'er had already run out.
The tiny figure moved like lightning, charging towards the mountain-like, tusked boar king. Seeing a mere child dare to challenge its royal authority, the boar's eyes turned bloodshot, and with a roar, it charged forward with its head bowed.
In an instant, sharp fangs, accompanied by a whistling sound that tore through the air, pierced towards Xi'er's chest.
Xi'er neither dodged nor avoided, but reached out and grabbed the two fangs!
"Haaah—!"
A sharp, childlike shout.
With a powerful thrust of her arms, Xi'er stood like an iron stake driven into the ground, firmly resisting the onslaught of the tusked boar king. Four deep furrows were plowed into the ground, mud flying everywhere, but the tusked boar king could no longer advance an inch.
The tusked boar king's eyes widened instantly, filled with disbelief.
But the next moment, his expression turned violent.
It roared and lowered its head to gather strength, preparing to charge again. But Xi'er didn't give it the chance. She grabbed its fangs with both hands and pressed them down, slamming its ugly, ferocious head heavily onto the ground. Then she stomped hard on its forehead.
"boom!"
With a loud bang, his skull split open instantly.
Before the tusked boar king could even let out a scream, it collapsed limply to the ground and died.