Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Seeing his mother trying so hard to suppress her grief and stay strong, Wei Chen felt both heartache and helplessness. He knew that any words of comfort would be futile at this moment. A thought struck him, and he decided to distract his mother with something else. He lowered his voice, leaned forward slightly, and said with a hint of mystery, "Mom, there's something I didn't say earlier because there were so many people around."

Wang Xiulan looked up with teary eyes at her son, puzzled: "What's wrong?"

"I told you when I got back tonight! That friend who made the pig's head," Wei Chen lowered his voice even further, making sure only his mother could hear, "actually gave me some other meat, and... some really good stuff."

He paused deliberately, emphasizing the word "good stuff," and said, "I was afraid that bringing it back during the day would be too conspicuous and would arouse envy and gossip among the neighbors. So I've been hiding it in a safe place outside. Now that it's late at night and quiet, it's the perfect time to go and get it."

Sure enough, Wang Xiulan's attention was instantly drawn to the words "good stuff" and "afraid of being too conspicuous." Her sadness was replaced by intense worry and curiosity: "There's more stuff? What good stuff? Better than...better than meat?" She subconsciously glanced at the locked cabinet, inside which were the two pounds of meat that Director Wang had just delivered and the pig's head that Wei Chen had brought back.

"It's so dark outside, and it's cold and slippery. I'm worried about you going out alone! How about... we go together tomorrow?" Her instinct was to worry about her son's safety more than anything else.

"Mom, don't worry, it's not far, just a small alley to the south, only a few steps away. I'll ride my bike there, it'll be quick." Wei Chen smiled casually, patting his chest, "Your son is as strong as ever! You wait at home, lock the door, and don't open it for anyone except me. I'll be right back, I promise not a hair will be missing."

Looking into her son's determined eyes, Wang Xiulan knew she couldn't dissuade him, and she also knew that her son always acted with discretion. She sighed, her face full of worry: "Then...then please be very careful! Watch where you're going! Don't fall! Come back as soon as you get your things, don't linger outside!"

She got up, saw her son to the door, and watched him push his old bicycle leaning against the wall, step out of the courtyard, his figure quickly disappearing into the thick night. She stood inside the gate, listening to the sound of the bicycle chain turning until it was completely gone, before anxiously closing the gate, carefully bolting it, and leaning against the door, her heart pounding with anxiety.

The chill of the winter night, the moment Wei Chen pushed the cart out of the courtyard gate, felt like countless icy needles piercing through his cotton-padded clothes and into his very bones.

Wei Chen pushed the cart and turned into the narrow, secluded dead-end alley south of the courtyard house, piled high with broken baskets and rotten tiles. This place was rarely visited during the day, and at night it was as silent as a ghost town.

The moonlight was squeezed into a pale band by the towering walls on both sides, barely illuminating the uneven ground covered with a thin layer of ice.

The cold wind swirled in the narrow space, emitting a shrill, mournful wail, whipping up withered leaves and dust that stung the face. In the distance, a dog, startled by the wind, let out a few alert, drawn-out barks, adding to the desolation and eeriness.

Wei Chen leaned his bicycle against a relatively sturdy wall. He held his breath, and his powerful mental energy, like an invisible spiderweb, instantly spread outwards, covering an area of ​​several dozen meters in radius. The cold brick wall, the frozen ground, the dormant withered branches... there was no sign of life or warmth. Only a few rats shivering in the cracks of the wall, and a wild cat curled up under the eaves in the distance.

Once he was certain it was absolutely safe, he made a thought, and his figure rippled like water before disappearing into the frigid air, leaving only the old bicycle casting a lonely, blurry shadow in the pale moonlight.

In the game world, at the hunter's cabin, the warm, dry air, carrying the scent of pine, instantly enveloped Wei Chen, dispelling all the cold and gloom outside. Big Yellow barked happily, wagging its tail and leaping forward, licking his hand with its warm, wet tongue.

"Good buddy!" Wei Chen smiled and ruffled Da Huang's hair, but his movements didn't falter at all. Time was of the essence! He immediately calmed himself down and began preparing for today's monster-hunting adventure.

Three grayish-brown hares pricked up their ears alertly as soon as they landed, their ruby-like eyes darting nervously around; two pheasants with colorful feathers flapped their wings and clucked in alarm.

The most conspicuous creature was a robust wild boar with fierce eyes and protruding tusks. It seemed to be enraged by the sudden change in environment, letting out a low roar, pawing the ground with its hind hooves, and spewing white breath from its nostrils.

Wei Chen's eyes instantly sharpened like an eagle's. He didn't use his bow and arrow, but wanted to thoroughly test his physical abilities and combat instincts after being tempered with true essence. He took a deep breath, his true essence surging through his limbs and bones, and like a cheetah poised to pounce, he silently slipped out of the hut and disappeared into the shadows.

His targets are hares and pheasants! He doesn't even need weapons to deal with these small prey, and he can hone his speed and control over his strength.

Swift as a rabbit! No, even faster than a rabbit! His figure left a blurry afterimage in the moonlight, faster than any ordinary person could perceive! Thud! Thud! Thud! True essence flowed from the edge of his palm, hard as iron, fast as lightning, precisely slicing through the neck bones of three wild rabbits! The faint sound of bones cracking was masked by the wind.

Snap! Snap! Hands like iron clamps instantly gripped the necks of two pheasants and twisted them with force! Swift and clean! From start to finish, the whole process was as smooth as flowing water, taking less than ten seconds! The five small prey didn't even have time to react before they were dead and fell to the ground, their struggles appearing weak.

Only the wild boar, utterly enraged, remained! Sensing the deadly threat and the shock of its companion's instant death, it let out a deafening roar!

With a powerful stomp of its hind legs, its massive body, like an out-of-control tank, swept up a foul-smelling gust of wind, lowered its head, aimed its pair of sharp, gleaming fangs at Wei Chen, and charged forward violently! The ground trembled slightly!

Faced with this overwhelming and savage charge, Wei Chen not only did not retreat, but his eyes blazed with fierce fighting spirit! He lowered his waist and stood on his horse, his feet sinking deep into the ground like iron nails, and his true energy from his dantian surged wildly into the meridians of his arms!

Just as the wild boar's massive head, tusks gleaming, was about to ram into his chest and abdomen— "Hey!" Wei Chen let out a deep exhale! His hands, like giant pythons hunting their prey, shot out with lightning speed! They gripped the base of the wild boar's thick, mud-covered tusks with perfect precision!

An extremely violent impact came instantly! Wei Chen's arm muscles bulged instantly, and two shallow pits were trampled into the frozen ground beneath his feet, but he remained as immovable as a rock, relying on his powerful physical strength and the support of his true essence!

He forcefully choked the wild boar's impact—enough to snap a tree as thick as a bowl—between his arms! The wild boar let out a scream of terror and rage, its four hooves pounding the ground frantically, sending dirt flying, its massive body twisting and struggling desperately, trying to break free of the iron clamp's grip! Its tusks rubbed against Wei Chen's palm, which was infused with true energy, making a teeth-grinding "crunch," but it couldn't budge it an inch!

"Rise!" Wei Chen's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and his core strength burst forth. His arm muscles coiled like a dragon, and his true energy surged!

Whoosh! A breathtaking scene unfolded! He actually grabbed the hundreds-of-pounds-heavy wild boar by its tusks and swung it off the ground! The massive body traced a violently beautiful arc through the air!

Boom! Like a heavy hammer slamming into the ground! The wild boar was slammed hard onto the hard, frozen earth! A dull, heart-stopping thud echoed! Dust mixed with bits of grass shot into the sky! The ground seemed to tremble!

"Awooo—!" The wild boar let out a piercing, painful scream. The heavy fall had caused its internal organs to churn, and it seemed that several bones were broken! It struggled to get up, its ferocity fully unleashed!

However, Wei Chen's attacks were relentless! He gave it no chance to breathe! Just as the wild boar struggled to raise its head, Wei Chen's figure appeared beside it like a ghost! A heavy hand chop, infused with all his strength and true energy, tore through the air with a whooshing sound, and precisely struck the most vulnerable part of the wild boar's neck, the spine!

Crack! A clear, piercing sound of bone breaking rang out! The wild boar's massive body convulsed violently a few times, its limbs kicking futilely before collapsing completely, blood gushing from its mouth and nose, and then fell silent.

"Hoo..." Wei Chen slowly finished his stance, exhaling a long breath of stale air mixed with white mist. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, glistening faintly in the moonlight. The feeling of crushing a powerful prey purely through physical strength and combat skills was exhilarating!

The notification sounds of experience points being gained rang in my mind one after another.

Next, we'll test the effects of this newly learned collection technique!

With a calm mind, he locked onto the five prey pieces on the ground: three rabbits, two chickens, and one pig. He began to plan his needs: skin and gut the rabbits, keeping the skin and meat intact; remove the feathers and guts from the pheasants; remove the feathers and guts from the wild boar meat; and divide the pork into ribs, belly, leg meat, and pork fat…

As Wei Chen conceived the plan in his mind, he used the "Gathering Technique," and a pale green, vibrant light enveloped the prey on the ground one by one.

The light flowed, like a miracle.

After the light faded, the rabbit disappeared, leaving behind cleaned rabbit meat and intact, tanned, soft rabbit skin; the pheasant became smooth, gutted chicken meat; and the huge wild boar was perfectly dissected: several large pieces of fresh and tempting pork (ribs, forelegs, and rump), a piece of streaky pork with distinct layers of fat and lean meat, and a huge piece of white, incredibly thick pork fat with pure, solidified fat!

A complete pig skeleton was neatly stacked beside it; Wei Chen had deliberately left it to try making soup. All the unwanted fur, entrails, and filth had vanished without a trace, and the ground was spotless, as if the fierce battle had never happened.