All Heavens Strategy Game

Chapter 45. The Mountain God Sacrifices to the Butcher.

The courtyard was deathly silent, with only the faint sound of the cold wind swirling through the snow.

All eyes were still on Su Ming.

Or rather, it lingers on his seemingly casual yet weighty words.

"Kill all the other wolves, then kill the wolf king last. Then there won't be any wolves blocking our way, right?"

Does this mean the other wolves were also killed?

Su Dashun was the first to recover from the immense shock. He opened his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing several times before he could utter a somewhat hoarse voice, confirming again: "Sanlang, you—you mean, there are other wolf carcasses in the mountains besides the wolf king's corpse here? A lot of them?"

""

Su Ming nodded, leaning wearily against a wooden stake supporting the courtyard gate. His voice was low due to weakness, but unusually clear: "Yes, and one more."

"Including the wolf king, there are probably about twenty."

"Most of them are in the valley, and a few are on the hillside and near the eagle's beak."

"Snow is heavy. I'm all alone and can't carry so many wolves, so I carried the wolf king back first."

"The other wolf carcasses are probably still on the mountain. We need to send someone to retrieve them quickly, otherwise the smell of blood will attract other jackals and wild animals, and they'll be ruined!"

"There's so much meat and skin; it would be a waste to waste it!"

"Twenty or so?!" Su Dashun gasped, feeling a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, colder than the winter wind.

He had seen the wolf king's corpse before, and although he was shocked, he still harbored a sliver of hope—perhaps the boy was lucky and brave enough to have stumbled upon the wolf king alone, and with his extraordinary skills and good bow, he had managed to kill the giant wolf by sheer luck.

While this is astonishing, it is still within the realm of "human capability," at most a "brave young man who appears only once in a century."

But now————

This isn't a one-on-one fight, it's annihilation of the entire clan!

It wasn't a stroke of luck, it was a massacre!

For a day and a night, one man with a bow and a knife went deep into the wolf den and wiped out the entire wolf pack, from the wolf king to the sentinel wolves, who had been entrenched in Xiaochongshan for a long time and were feared by the whole village and even the surrounding villages!

This goes beyond the description of "bravery".

This is simply inhuman!

No, this is a miracle!

He never dreamed that someone could do something so amazing!

"My God!"

Su Dashun muttered to himself.

The wrinkles on his old face trembled.

The way he looked at Su Ming completely changed.

In addition to the previous relief, gratitude, and lingering fear, there was also a sense of unfamiliarity bordering on awe.

The surrounding villagers finally digested the information, and the news caused an uproar.

"They...they were all killed? A dozen or twenty wolves, all taken down by Sanlang alone—?"

"This—how is this possible?! Those are wolves! A dozen of them gathered together, even a tiger would run away!"

"There's more in the valley? My goodness, how much meat and hide is that!"

"A whole day and night—he—how did he do that? Without eating, drinking, or sleeping?"

"Did you hear what I just said? Kill all the other wolves!" — as if it were an easy task —

"I thought he lured the wolf king out and killed it alone, but I didn't expect he fought so many wolves by himself and wiped them all out!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" someone whispered, but couldn't hide the tremor in their voice and a certain unwavering belief: "I believe it's God!"

'

"Think about it, is this something a human could do? What else could it be but a reincarnation of a mountain god?"

Some whispered amongst themselves, while others answered with great enthusiasm, "Last time, when Uncle Nian said Su Sanlang was the reincarnation of the Mountain God, I didn't entirely believe it, but now—I believe it! I believe it from the bottom of my heart!"

"Yes, yes! It's the Mountain God! Only the Mountain God has this ability—to wipe out a mountain wolf in a day and a night!"

"May the Mountain God protect our Sishui Village!"

This time, no one questioned it or thought it was a joke.

The title "reincarnation of the mountain god" has gone from being a joke to being doubted by some, but most people still don't believe it and think it's just unfounded praise.

Even now, with this incredible achievement, it has been like a hammer blow, deeply embedded in the hearts of every villager in Sishui Village.

Even though they hadn't seen that many ordinary wolf carcasses yet, they didn't believe Su Ming would lie, after all, the wolf king's corpse was already in front of them!

Su Ming seemed oblivious to the surrounding chatter; he was simply too exhausted. He only said to Su Dashun, "Grandpa Dashun, hurry and call for help before it gets completely dark."

"Yes! Yes! Hurry up!"

Su Dashun suddenly came to his senses.

He immediately suppressed the turmoil in his heart, turned around and shouted at the still-shocked crowd, "Don't just stand there!"

"Those who are truly strong, grab your carrying poles and ropes, and follow Yuanbao and Dashan into the mountains!"

"Go and bring back all the game that Sanlang has hunted! Not a single piece of meat, not a single hide, can be left behind!"

"Walk!"

"Let's go into the mountains and move the wolves!"

This time, no one backed down.

fear?

All the wolves are dead, so what's there to be afraid of?

cold?

Just thinking about all the wolf meat and pelts on the mountain makes my heart burn with rage!

They were proud of what Su Ming had accomplished and felt that they were also quite impressive. They couldn't wait to go up the mountain to see what was going on!

Before long, a group of twenty-odd young men, along with some teenagers who had come after hearing the news, carrying simple tools, led by Su Yuanbao and Su Dashan, the village chief's son, and following the directions pointed out by Su Ming, rushed into Xiaochongshan in a grand manner.

Su Ming watched them disappear into the mountain pass where the wind and snow were gradually subsiding before slowly walking back to his low mud-brick house with the help of Liu Shi and Su Yuyu.

The hot water had already been boiled, and with tears in her eyes, Liu carefully cleaned his wounds and applied herbal medicine.

Su Yuyu quietly went to the kitchen and brought over the thick porridge and venison that had been kept warm.

Su Ming used almost all his strength to eat something quickly, and without caring about being covered in dirt, he collapsed onto the kang (a heated brick bed) and fell into a deep sleep almost instantly.

He was exhausted after a long day yesterday, and today he hadn't had a proper rest before carrying the wolf king's heavy corpse back. He was so tired that he couldn't even dream.

No one in Sishui Village slept that night.

The villagers went into the mountains in the afternoon, but the group didn't return until late at night.

Each heavy footstep and suppressed cry of alarm at the village entrance meant that one or more wolf carcasses had been dragged back.

When all the wolf carcasses—a total of nineteen gray wolves—along with the four deer carcasses that the wolf pack had hunted, were piled up in the open space in front of the village ancestral hall, the entire village erupted in jubilation.

The torches illuminated the open space.

Nineteen wolf carcasses lay scattered about, frozen stiff, but their ferocious heads, sharp fangs, robust bodies, and especially the horrifying wounds on their bodies—arrow holes piercing their necks, knife wounds that ripped open their bellies, and the swiftness of a single, fatal blow—all spoke of the ferocity of the battle and the hunters' terrifying efficiency.

The villagers surrounded this "Wolf Mountain," pointing and marveling at it.

The children were both scared and excited, peeking from behind the adults.

The women were already calculating how many pelts could be made from these wolf skins and how many full meals could be prepared from the wolf meat, marveling at Su Sanlang's prowess.

"This—this—"

The tall Su Xiong Gou squeezed into the crowd, his body a full head taller than the other villagers, standing there looking exactly like a door panel.

He stared blankly at the wolves that had once deterred the entire village from venturing up the mountain, now piled up like dead dogs, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He recalled a few years ago when he was the leader of the village's children, relying on his strength to try to steal the opportunity to practice martial arts from Su Sanlang, who had suddenly "gotten it".

At first, it was just to seize the opportunity to practice martial arts, but later it was simply to beat Su Ming once!

He refused to believe he couldn't beat this boy who was shorter and thinner than him!

He was burning with competitive spirit!

For this reason, he has put in a lot of effort over the years, training like crazy, saving every penny to go to the city to learn a few tricks from that down-on-his-luck old swordsman, hoping that one day he could get his revenge.

Returning to the village this month, he was eager to find an opportunity to "challenge" Su Ming, to see how much he had improved over the years, and to win back his title.

But now————

Looking at the enormous corpse of the silver-white wolf king, and then at the wolf carcasses scattered all over the ground, dead from a single blow, Su Xiong Gou's lips curled into an extremely bitter smile.

challenge?

What will be the challenge?

Challenge someone who can single-handedly wipe out a pack of wolves and is suspected to be the reincarnation of a mountain god?

He Su Xiong Gou is reckless and simple-minded, but not stupid.

He slowly exhaled a breath of white air, his clenched fist slowly loosened, and the competitive flame in his heart was completely extinguished in the face of this pile of wolf corpses.

"That's it—I'm afraid I'll never be able to beat him in this lifetime."

He muttered to himself, turned and squeezed out of the crowd. His figure looked somewhat lonely in the firelight, yet it also seemed as if he had unloaded a heavy burden.

On the other side, Aunt Stone, her hair disheveled, rushed to the pile of wolf carcasses like a madwoman, kicking, shoving, and scratching at the cold corpses, uttering incoherent, guttural cries of cursing: "You bastards who ate my grandson! You heartless beasts! Give me back Little Stone! Give me back my grandson! Waaaaah—"

Her cries and curses were shrill and desperate, and those who heard them felt heartbroken.

Several women stepped forward and finally managed to drag and hug her away.

Aunt Shi collapsed to the ground, gazing at the direction of the ancestral hall, then at Su Ming's house, tears streaming down her face—the extreme emptiness and sorrow that followed the avenging of her great grudge.

The next day.

Su Ming slept until the sun was high in the sky before waking up.

The soreness in my body has lessened considerably, and my internal energy has recovered to most of its original level. However, the wounds on my temples and arms still sting painfully.

He had just gotten up to wash up when the village chief, Su Dashun, arrived with his son, Dashan. His face showed excitement followed by exhaustion, and utmost seriousness.

"Sanlang, the wolf carcass, and those four deer—we brought them all back, nothing was missing!"

Su Dashun first shared the good news, then rubbed his hands together, a complex expression on his face: "In addition, we discovered a wolf den in the cave near Eagle's Beak."

"Look, there are six wolf cubs in total. We've brought them all back for you."

As he spoke, Su Dashun carefully placed an old basket on the ground, from which came faint sobbing and scratching sounds.

Su Ming stepped forward and looked down.

Six furry little creatures were crammed into the basket.

The two largest ones were about the size of a mongrel puppy, and had already opened their gray-blue eyes. Although they were still young, they bared their tiny teeth at Su Ming as he approached and let out threatening growls, full of wildness.

The other four were even smaller, their eyes not yet fully open, shivering and wriggling in the basket.

"You wolf cub!"

Su Yuanbao, who had followed them out, brightened up, leaned over to take a look, and clicked his tongue, saying, "Look at those sharp teeth and mouths! If we could tame them, they'd be incredibly fierce as guards. Who would dare steal from our house then?"

"Besides—if we take it hunting, it'll definitely be much better than a dog! Saburo, look at this—"

Su Ming did not answer, but simply watched the wolf cubs quietly.

They still carried bits of grass from their den and the scent of the mother wolf.

He recalled Aunt Stone's heart-wrenching cries yesterday, and Little Stone's torn, blood-stained little cotton-padded jacket.

He had seen Little Stone before. Little Stone was short and thin, and usually had snot bubbles running from his nose. He was a shy and introverted child.

"They'll all die from the fall." Su Ming's voice was calm, without a trace of emotion.

"Huh?" Su Yuanbao was taken aback.

Su Dashun also looked over.

Su Ming raised his head, his gaze sweeping over his elder brother and the village chief, and slowly said, "These wolves ate people."

"The little stones were carried away and eaten by them. These wolf cubs—maybe they've even tasted human flesh before."

"Do you think wolf cubs that have eaten human flesh can be raised tame? Even if they are raised to adulthood, would you dare to let them guard your home, take them into the mountains, or let them near your own children?"

He paused, and the image of that skinny little boy who always had a runny nose and timidly called him "Uncle Sanlang" seemed to flash before his eyes again.

"Let Aunt Stone handle it," Su Ming said finally.

Su Dashun fell silent and slowly nodded.

Su Dashan picked up his basket and silently turned to leave.

About fifteen minutes later, Su Dashan returned and whispered, "According to Aunt Shitou's instructions, they were all—strangled to death."

Aunt Stone followed him in.

Overnight, she seemed to have aged ten years, but her eyes held an unusual calm.

It's a kind of emptiness where wishes have been fulfilled and there are no more worries.

She walked up to Su Ming, knelt down, and slapped her forehead three times, drawing blood immediately.

"Sanlang, I could never repay your great kindness, even if I were to be your ox or horse in my next life."

"My worthless life is now yours!"

"Don't mention it. In the future, if you need any dirty, tiring, dangerous, or life-threatening work, just let me know!"

"Although I am a woman, I am no less strong or brave than any man! I will brave mountains of knives and seas of fire without hesitation!"

Liu watched from the side, her expression somewhat indifferent.

She was kind-hearted and sympathized with Aunt Stone's plight.

But the thought that it was this woman's pleading in the middle of the night that led her son to venture alone into the mountains, risking everything and almost not returning—

She felt a tightness in her chest!

He turned his head away, unwilling to acknowledge him.

Su Yuanbao frowned even more, wanting to speak up and refuse on behalf of his younger brother.

In his view, Aunt Stone was a nuisance.

Su Ming stepped forward, offered a slight gesture of support, and calmly said, "Alright, Aunt Shitou, I've remembered what you said."

"I'll call you if anything comes up in the future."

"The ground is cold, get up quickly."

Aunt Stone looked up abruptly, her cloudy eyes flashing with disbelief, only to be overwhelmed by a torrent of tears. She choked back sobs and kowtowed deeply once more: "Thank you—thank you, Sanlang! Thank you!"

She left with profuse thanks, her back hunched, yet seemingly finding a new sense of support.

As Su Ming watched her retreating figure, he understood a principle very well.

After avenging herself, Aunt Stone had actually resolved to die.

Little Stone is gone; her life is meaningless now.

But deep down, she is someone who doesn't want to owe anyone anything and is kind-hearted to the point of being somewhat stubborn.

She felt she owed Su Ming a great debt of gratitude and a life. If Su Ming didn't want her to repay it, she felt that even ending her own life would be "reneging on her debt" and "being sorry to her benefactor."

Su Ming's promise to let her "pay off her debts" was actually giving her both a reason and a constraint to continue living.

"Sigh—" Su Ming sighed inwardly. In this world, it's not easy to live, and it's even harder for kind people to live.

"Sanlang, why are you paying attention to her!" Su Yuanbao said, dissatisfied.

Su Ming shook his head, offering no further explanation.

At this point, Su Dashun brought up the important matter again: "Sanlang, the wolf carcass and the deer are here. What do you think we should do with them?"

Su Ming had already made up his mind and said, "For ordinary wolves, skin them all and take their meat."

"Once the hides are tanned, hunters or impoverished families in the village who need warmth can share them, or sell them to supplement their household income."

"Wolf meat————"

He paused, then raised his voice slightly, as if making a suggestion: "This year's snow disaster has made life difficult for everyone, and the New Year is just around the corner. How about we use this wolf meat to hold a 'Mountain God Festival'?"

"We worship the mountain god, thanking him for the prey and for blessing our Sishui Village with good weather and a safe journey up the mountain next year."

"After the sacrificial ceremony, the remaining meat will be used for a communal meal for the whole village! How about that?"

"A mountain god sacrifice?!" Su Dashun's eyes lit up suddenly, and he excitedly slapped his thigh: "Great! That's a great idea!"

"Our village hasn't held a proper sacrificial ceremony for many years!"

"In previous years, we were poor and had nothing to offer as sacrifices. Now that there's so much wolf meat, it's perfect for a sacrificial ceremony!"

"We've offered sacrifices to the mountain god, worshipped heaven and earth, and eaten the blessed meat; next year will surely be prosperous!"

The Mountain God Festival is a particularly important ritual with a long history.

This ceremony is of great significance to the villagers who believe in ghosts and gods, as it can both unite people and bring good luck.

But after his initial excitement, Su Dashun calmed down. He looked at Su Ming's dilapidated mud-brick house and said in a low voice, "Sanlang, the sacrificial ceremony is a good thing, and everyone will definitely be happy about it."

"But this wolf meat—after all, you risked your life to get it, so we can't let everyone eat and take it for free."

"Look, this month, following your suggestion—that the village be poor and that you have the ability to earn money—everyone's financial support for you has long since stopped."

"But you'll be spending a lot of money practicing martial arts in the future. You'll need plenty of meat and fish to replenish your energy, right? Besides, getting married will also cost money. You'll need money everywhere."

"What I mean is—"

He pointed to the yard: "Your house needs to be renovated. Your older brother is about to get married, and it's not right for him to be crammed into these few dilapidated rooms."

"Sell the wolf pelts, and with what you should have saved up, use the money to buy some bricks, tiles, and timber to build a house."

""

"As for the physical labor, leave that to the villagers!"

"Since everyone has eaten your blessed meat, wouldn't it be a win-win situation if they helped you build a few bright new houses?"

Su Ming felt a warmth in his heart upon hearing this.

The village chief was looking out for him in every way, saving face for the whole village while genuinely bringing him benefits.

He no longer declined and nodded, saying, "Then I'll do as Grandpa Da Shun says. I'll trouble you to make the arrangements."

"Sure, sure!" Su Dashun laughed, then pointed to the silver-white wolf king covered with a straw mat in the corner of the yard: "I have my own use for this wolf king, so I won't participate in the distribution." Su Ming said.

The wolf king is a treasure trove, far more valuable than an ordinary wolf, and he has other plans.

"Of course!" Su Dashun didn't mind at all. He had only intended to advise Su Ming not to take the wolf king. He swallowed and continued, "Keep the other four deer too. As a martial artist, you must have meat at every meal to replenish your qi and blood! This venison is perfect!"

Once the matter was settled, Su Dashun acted swiftly, immediately having his son Shanzi hitch up a donkey cart and head to Linjiang County.

—Skinning and butchering so many wolves is too much work for the villagers. Firstly, it's unprofessional and wasteful; secondly, it's too slow. They should hire a professional butcher.

As Su Ming watched Shanzi drive his skinny donkey cart, creaking and groaning, out of the village, a thought suddenly popped into his head:

Once the wolf pelts are sold, perhaps—I should buy a donkey cart myself.

It will be much more convenient to go to the city to buy and sell things in the future, and I won't have to borrow money every time.

Men have a special feeling about cars and houses.

Since we're planning to build a house, we need to figure out how to buy a car too!

In the afternoon, Zheng Zhenshan, a butcher from Linjiang County, along with his burly son Zheng Hanshan, followed Shanzi to Sishui Village.

The two men had thick beards and were quite overweight, much more robust than the average person.

Before anyone even entered the yard, a loud voice boomed in: "What wolf king? Is it as powerful as the pig king my dad slaughtered back in the day? My dad killed a 300-pound pig king!"

"A dozen or twenty wolves? Shanzi, are you saying your village is ganging up on us to make fun of us?"

"We turned down several business deals in town just to come here! If we make a wasted trip, hmph, for every wolf missing, I'll charge you an extra string of cash!"

Zheng Zhenshan was a burly man with a face full of scars and a thick beard. He wore a greasy leather apron and carried the stench and menacing aura of years of slaughtering pigs.

His son, Zheng Hanshan, was half a head taller than his father, like an iron tower, carrying a full set of butcher knives and hooks, making the ground tremble when he walked.

The two men clamored as they entered Su Ming's courtyard, their tone filled with disbelief and displeasure at having their business disrupted.

However, when they saw the mountain of gray wolf carcasses piled up in the yard, especially when Shanzi lifted the straw mat to reveal the majestic, even in death, silver-white wolf king—

The father and son seemed to have their throats grabbed at the same time, all their words stuck in their throats.

The two men's eyes widened and their mouths gaped open. Their fierce expressions froze on their faces, transforming into extreme shock and—a hint of barely perceptible fear.

A strong stench of blood and the distinctive stench of wolves wafted towards us.

The visual impact of the nineteen wolf carcasses, coupled with the wolf king's unusually large size and silvery-white fur, sent chills down the spines of these two butchers who were used to seeing blood and slaughtering livestock, and their hearts pounded like drums.

Normally, others are the ones who are afraid of them, but now, as they stepped into Su Ming's courtyard, the two of them were the ones who were frightened first!

Shanzi chuckled and pointed at the pile of wolf carcasses: "Uncle Zheng, Brother Hanshan, count them? See if there are enough. If any are missing, just tell me, and I'll go find them for you!"

Zheng Zhenshan's Adam's apple bobbed, he swallowed hard, his face twitched, and he forced a smile that was more like a grimace. His voice involuntarily dropped eight octaves: "Count—what's there to count? It's definitely enough, definitely enough—Uncle Zheng, I was blind to your greatness—"

He was filled with suspicion and uncertainty. His first thought was: This must be the government sending elite troops into the mountains to encircle and suppress them!

How could a poor village possibly kill so many wolves? And even the wolf king? These villagers must have received some kind of favor and are using this situation to intimidate others!

Just as he was thinking this, Shanzi said with a hint of pride, but deliberately in a low voice, in a mysterious tone, "Uncle Zheng, Brother Hanshan, guess who killed these wolves, and the wolf king?"

Zheng Zhenshan subconsciously said, "It must be soldiers sent by the government, sir?"

"No, no!" Shanzi shook his head and pointed into the house: "It was Su Sanlang from our village, Su Ming, who went into the mountains alone for a day and a night and single-handedly wiped out this entire wolf pack, pot and all!"

"What?!" Zheng Zhenshan and his son Zheng Hanshan exclaimed in unison, their eyes almost popping out of their sockets as they stared at the low mud-brick house as if some prehistoric beast lived inside.

A person?

A day and a night?

Slaughter the wolf pack? Kill the wolf king?

Zheng Zhenshan felt a chill run up his spine.

He spent his life slaughtering pigs and sheep, and he knew better than anyone the ferocity of wild beasts.

A single strong adult wild boar is enough to take on several skilled hunters, let alone a pack of wolves led by a alpha wolf! And such a large silver wolf alpha!

Is this even human?

Zheng Hanshan subconsciously shrank his neck. He was fearless, but at this moment his heart was pounding.

"Could it be... the reincarnation of the Mountain God?" Zheng Zhenshan murmured, these words were unintentional remarks made in his extreme shock.

To everyone's surprise, Shanzi immediately nodded, his face serious and proud: "Everyone in our village thinks so too!"

Zheng Zhenshan and his son exchanged a glance, both seeing immense shock and a hint of awe in each other's eyes.

Awe of the unknown.

"Ahem—" Zheng Zhenshan coughed lightly, quickly adjusting his expression, his face plastered with utmost warmth and respect, rubbing his hands together as he said, "Um—Shanzi, I was just talking nonsense earlier. I won't charge you for this job! Not a penny!"

"Hehe—it's an honor for my son and me to process this young master's prey!"

He was quick-witted and instantly calculated the accounts:

Firstly, dissecting so many wolves greatly improved my anatomical skills and techniques.

Secondly, the wolf king!

This is a once-in-a-century find.

Even if ordinary people had the money, they couldn't find a place to dissect the wolf king's corpse!

He's lucky; he can solve it without spending any money!

Furthermore, it can enhance his reputation as Zheng the Butcher.

When he goes out in the future, everyone will know that he slaughtered and dissected a big wolf king.

Finally, when it comes to processing these wolf carcasses, most of the villagers either don't want the "scraps" like intestines and offal, or they find it too troublesome, so most of them end up going to him, which allows him to make a considerable profit.

The thought of dissecting a wolf king filled Butcher Zheng with excitement. This experience was something he could boast about for the rest of his life, and it would definitely elevate his status in the butcher's business!

"What's the point of counting?" he said with a forced smile. "Being able to serve these mountain gods and have them personally hunt the prey is our good fortune!"

"Handsome man, what are you standing there for? Hurry up, get your tools ready, and get to work!"

Zheng Hanshan realized what was happening and quickly nodded.

The father and son dared not be arrogant in the slightest. They carefully, even with a touch of piety, began to prepare their tools, looking at the silver wolf king's corpse as if it were a sacred object.