Chapter 64: When the Snipe and the Clam Fight, the Fisherman Benefits
Two strong, muscular wild boars with gleaming tusks were already charging forward — and the direction they were coming from was exactly where Aunt Yangliu was running, cutting off her escape route.
The smaller of the two boars was already no match for the larger one. In the blink of an eye, it had been knocked down and slammed to the ground with a loud thud, unable to get back up — though not yet dead.
The larger boar, though wounded, still had some strength left. Spotting Aunt Yangliu nearby, it assumed she was there to challenge it. Its eyes, already bloodshot from rage, locked onto her, and it charged without hesitation.
“Ah—!”
Aunt Yangliu screamed at the top of her lungs and turned to run with every ounce of strength she had.
“Auntie, run toward me!”
In her panic, hearing Ning Xiyue’s voice was like finding an anchor in a storm — Aunt Yangliu dashed toward her desperately.
Ning Xiyue put down her basket, pulled a brick from her pocket, and got into a Tai Chi stance, ready to fight.
Beside her, Little Gray fixed its gaze on the oncoming boar, tense and alert, ready to pounce and tear it apart — showing the ferocity befitting the offspring of a wolf king.
In just three seconds, Aunt Yangliu reached Ning Xiyue’s side — and the boar charged at them right after. Seeing there was another prey, its eyes lit up with savage excitement, its charge becoming even faster and more powerful.
“Ah! Xiyue, run! We’re going to die — we’re going to die—!”
Aunt Yangliu’s legs turned to jelly from terror, no longer responding properly, and she couldn’t run anymore.
The worst part? When she got closer, she realized there was no way forward — just a wall of rocky mountain.
She felt certain that today would be the day she died. They never should’ve come this way, never should’ve tried to save time by taking the mountain path. And now, she was dragging poor young Xiyue down with her.
The boar was almost upon them. Aunt Yangliu collapsed to the ground, closing her eyes weakly, resigned to her fate.
But Ning Xiyue’s face showed no trace of panic. Brick in hand, she had gathered all her strength and Tai Chi momentum into that one hand holding it. Her movements looked slow but were actually incredibly fast as she lifted her arm.
She silently counted in her head:
One… two… three—
Now.
With a burst of power, she swung.
“Peng—”
The sound of the boar being smashed and sent flying.
“Boom—”
The sound of the boar crashing into a tree and then slamming to the ground.
“Crack—”
The sound of part of the rocky wall behind them shattering under the force.
The big boar’s tusk was broken in half, its head split open. It lay on the ground with its eyes wide open — dead, but unwilling.
Before the blood on the brick could be absorbed, Ning Xiyue wiped it onto the shattered rocks behind them. Then she grabbed a handful of stone fragments and sprinkled them over the boar’s split skull.
The smaller boar, still barely alive and lying on the ground, saw this scene and closed its eyes peacefully, letting out its last breath.
Aunt Yangliu, who was slumped on the ground, heard the series of loud crashes. But when no pain came, she trembled and slowly opened her eyes. Not seeing Ning Xiyue nearby, she panicked and shouted:
“Xiyue! Xiyue, don’t scare me! Where are you?”
“Over here, Auntie.”
Ning Xiyue was squatting about fifty meters away, one hand poking at the huge boar’s corpse, the other raised to wave.
“Xiyue, are you alright?” Aunt Yangliu scrambled to her feet and rushed over to check for injuries.
“I’m fine, I’m not hurt.” Ning Xiyue smiled softly, a little touched by her concern.
“Thank goodness… you scared me to death. Look at me, I’m drenched in cold sweat. Next time, let’s stick to the main road — never this path again. Too terrifying.” Aunt Yangliu wiped her forehead with her sleeve, relieved beyond words.
With the danger gone, she finally had the presence of mind to ask, “What happened to the boar? How is it dead? It was just about to pounce on us!”
“I stunned it with one brick,” Ning Xiyue replied calmly, pointing nonchalantly at the shattered rocks not far behind them. Then she started spouting nonsense with a straight face:
“Then I used a bit of technique and pivoted slightly. Little Gray helped me out, and the boar ended up crashing into the rocks behind us. With how fast it was charging and how strong the impact was, the collision sent it flying, shattered the stones, and killed it.”
“My goodness, Xiyue — you’re so strong and so calm!” Aunt Yangliu said, utterly impressed.
She glanced at the half-collapsed rocks and the boar’s skull covered in bloody stone fragments, and she completely believed Ning Xiyue’s explanation.
Overcome with gratitude, she grabbed Ning Xiyue’s hand tightly.
“Xiyue, I really can’t thank you enough. If it weren’t for you, I’d be dead today. Thank you, thank you. If you ever need anything, just ask — I’ll do my best to help.”
Ning Xiyue waved it off. “It’s nothing. I was just saving myself too, Auntie. You don’t need to feel indebted.”
But the more she downplayed it, the more grateful Aunt Yangliu felt, secretly resolving to treat her well and make sure no one bullied her in the team.
“Auntie, that smaller boar’s dead too. We’ve basically gotten two wild boars for free — that’s a lot of meat!”
At the mention of meat, Ning Xiyue’s eyes lit up with excitement.
“Auntie, I’ll stay here and watch them. Hurry back and tell the captain to bring people to carry them back. Everyone in our team will get a share, and they’ll have more strength for the autumn harvest.”
Aunt Yangliu looked at the two carcasses — together they probably weighed three to four hundred jin — and felt tempted. But she also worried about Ning Xiyue’s safety.
“No, it’s not safe here. The blood might attract other predators. If something happens to you, I’ll never forgive myself. I’ll stay, and you go get help.”
That wouldn’t do — she still had something to take care of.
“Auntie, please listen to me. People listen to you, and you know them all. If I go, I might not even find anyone. Besides, I still have strength left, and I’ve studied medicine a bit. I know how to use herbs to mask the scent of blood. Don’t worry — if you’re worried, just hurry and come back quickly. That’s what matters most.”
After a moment’s thought, Aunt Yangliu agreed and left, repeatedly reminding Ning Xiyue to be careful and promising to return as fast as she could.
Once Aunt Yangliu was gone, Ning Xiyue told Little Gray to guard the boar carcasses.
Then she walked toward the patch of forest where Little Gray had been barking earlier.
“Found it.”
In a clump of grass, she discovered the prey the two boars had been fighting over — a wild deer with blood gushing from its neck and one leg bitten clean off.
When Little Gray barked in that direction earlier, she had glimpsed a deer staggering toward them before collapsing in that area. That was why the boars had started fighting their way over here.
Ning Xiyue knelt down and touched the deer. Its body was still warm — but lifeless.
She looked around. Good — no signs of anyone nearby.
She grabbed the deer and stored it in her spatial pocket, along with the herbs she found growing around it.
After handling all that, she returned to where the boars had fallen, sat down with Little Gray in her arms, and waited for the captain to arrive.
She had a few ideas about what to do with the boars, but that would have to wait until the captain got there.
This whole situation was a perfect example of “When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman reaps the reward.”
Ning Xiyue propped her chin in her hand and sighed.
What a pity — if she were the only fisherman this time, it would’ve been perfect!
