Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Beside a secluded mountain spring, where Wei Chen and his master once used snares to catch badgers, only a few rotten and broken snare stakes remain, standing forlornly in the damp, cold air. Everything confirms Brother Feng's words: the living creatures nearby are truly on the verge of extinction.

Wei Chen sat down on a large, sheltered blue rock, took a sip of water, and gazed at the desolate forest before him. He wasn't truly worried about his prey. With a slight thought, the world before him instantly faded and distorted, and the next moment, he found himself in a completely different world.

Beneath my feet lay a soft, carpet-like, lush green lawn, exuding the fresh scent of fresh grass. Before me, a sleek, modern three-story villa stood quietly, its enormous floor-to-ceiling windows reflecting a vibrant, unusual scene in the distance:

In the neatly planned two-acre orchard, apple trees, pear trees, peach trees, jujube trees... all kinds of fruit tree seedlings that can be found in the north are laden with fruit under the magical "planting technique", defying the laws of the season. The air is filled with a mixed, sweet and intoxicating fruity fragrance.

Beside him was an eight-acre peanut field that had just been harvested, the soil still exuding the damp scent of freshly turned soil. Just a few days ago, this place was a lush green peanut field, but he used his "harvesting technique" to instantly harvest a mountain of shelled peanuts, which, after drying, weighed four or five thousand catties! He had planted it specifically for oil extraction.

Pushing open the heavy doors of the villa, he found himself in another world. The temperature and humidity were constant, the light soft. The leather sofas were supple to the touch, and a huge crystal chandelier reflected dazzling light. Wei Chen sank heavily into the sofa, a wave of exhaustion washing over him.

These past two days, he's spent his days "searching" in the mountains and his nights resting in this safe haven. Time flows at the same pace inside the hunter's hut as it does outside, allowing him to rest peacefully here.

He walked to a corner of the villa, where a small mountain of peanuts was piled up. With a slight thought, plump peanuts, each with a textured, sesame-like shell, detached from the "peanut mountain" and floated in front of him.

He tried using the "Gathering" skill to peel the shells directly, but the skill feedback was clear: he could only harvest the whole fruit or gather the fruit with the shell on. Helpless, he could only peel them one by one by hand, like the most primitive farmer.

Under the soft light of the crystal chandelier, Wei Chen sat on the comfortable carpet, mechanically repeating the action of shelling peanuts. The hard, rough shells pricked his fingers, and the fine red skins fell off in a soft rustling sound. At first, he could bear it, even with a bit of anticipation for the future—these peanuts would become life-saving oil.

But after peeling more than ten kilograms, his fingernails were filled with peanut shells. By the time he had peeled thirty kilograms, he felt as if his soul was being ripped away by the monotonous, repetitive action. The villa was eerily quiet, with only the crackling sound of peanut shells breaking apart—monotonous, tedious, and endless, like a form of torture.

"Eighty...Eighty-one..." Wei Chen stared at the small pile of shelled peanuts in front of him, then looked at the still huge mountain of peanuts in their shells next to him. A strong sense of irritability and nausea suddenly rushed to his throat.

He suddenly leaned back and fell onto the soft carpet, staring blankly at the magnificent crystal chandelier on the ceiling, muttering to himself, "No... I have to get a hand-cranked sheller when I get back... If I keep shelling like this, I'll be driven crazy by peanuts before those people in the courtyard even drive me to my death..."

Time passed quietly in the space. On the morning of the third day, Wei Chen appeared in the mountains, full of energy. He chose a cave that was far from the village road, extremely secluded, and whose entrance was covered by dense vines.

He focused his mind on his spatial inventory, selected "Wild Boar," quantity: 2. He confirmed the retrieval.

The power of space surged silently. Two enormous wild boars, already dead but still warm in body, appeared out of thin air on the cold cave floor.

Each beast weighed over 300 pounds, with thick, stiff manes like steel needles and menacing, curved fangs. Even in death, they exuded the ferocious aura of forest overlords. The pungent smell of blood instantly filled the narrow cave.

Wei Chen acted quickly, dragging one of the wild boars to a relatively conspicuous spot near the cave entrance. Then, he untied the water bottle from his waist and splashed the icy mountain spring water haphazardly on his face and neck. He then vigorously rubbed his trouser legs and sleeves on the gravelly ground, creating some disheveled marks.

He took a deep breath, adjusted his breathing, and his face instantly changed to a look of exhaustion, tension, yet also immense excitement. He turned and ran wildly towards the village at the foot of the mountain!

"Uncle! Uncle! Quick! Call for help!" Wei Chen rushed into his uncle's yard, panting. His voice was hoarse and distorted from "excitement." His face was covered in "sweat" and dust, and his clothes were also covered in grass clippings and mud. He looked like he had just gone through a fierce battle.

In the courtyard, Uncle Wei Changsheng was smoking a pipe with a worried expression, while Uncles Wei Laishun and Wei Feng were also there. When they saw Wei Chen rush in looking like this, all three of them were startled and stood up abruptly.

"What's wrong, Chenzi?! What happened?!" The uncle's heart tightened, and he almost dropped his pipe.

Wei Chen, leaning against the doorframe and panting heavily, pointed towards the back mountain, his eyes shining with astonishing brilliance: "Boar! Wild boar! I...I hunted a wild boar! A big one! In...in the old badger's den below Eagle's Beak Cliff on the back mountain!"

"What?!" The pipe in the uncle's hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

"Wild boar?!" Uncle San and Wei Feng exclaimed in surprise at the same time, their eyes widening as if they had misheard.

"Really! Uncle! Quick! Quickly call some strong men! That thing is too big, I can't bring it back by myself! It's still there! Don't let other wild animals drag it away!" Wei Chen urged urgently, his tone filled with an undeniable sense of urgency.

Looking at the genuine excitement and exhaustion on his nephew's face, and noticing the stains and bits of grass on his clothes that looked like they were from a fight, Wei Changsheng's doubts were instantly overwhelmed by immense joy!

He slapped his thigh hard, his voice booming, his beard trembling with excitement: "Good lad! Really good! Really good! Heaven has opened its eyes! Fengzi! Go quickly! Go get those two boys from your third uncle's family, and Tiezhu and Erniu from the front yard! Bring them all! Bring the lever! The thick rope! Quickly!"

Like a rabbit with its tail on fire, Wei Feng yelled and charged out, shouting as he ran, "Wild boar! Brother Wei Chen has caught a big wild boar! Help!"

The news struck like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, instantly shattering the silence of Baoyuquan Village. Doors clattered open, and men, women, and children surged into Wei Changsheng's courtyard like a tidal wave, their faces filled with disbelief, shock, and ecstasy!

"Really? Wei Chen hunted a wild boar?" "Good heavens! It's been so long since I've heard of such good news!" "Uncle Changsheng! Quick! Go check it out!" "Grab your weapons! Don't let the beast snatch it away!"

Wei Changsheng quickly gathered Wei Feng, the two young men from his third uncle's family, and four of the strongest young men in the village—Tiezhu and Erniu—who had rushed over upon hearing the news. The group grabbed carrying poles, ropes, and machetes, and, led by Wei Chen, hurriedly headed towards the back mountain. Behind them followed a large group of villagers who had come to watch the spectacle and were also hoping to lend a hand, forming a large, imposing procession, like a military expedition.

The mountain path was difficult to traverse, but the fire in everyone's hearts burned too brightly, and they moved swiftly. When Wei Chen pushed aside the vines at the cave entrance and pointed to the enormous creature inside, everyone gasped!

The wild boar at the cave entrance, with its robust body and menacing tusks, lay there quietly, like a dark little mountain! The strong smell of blood and wildness wafted over, stimulating everyone's nerves.

"My goodness! It's so big!" Tie Zhu exclaimed, his voice trembling.

"It really is a wild boar! Alive... no, dead! We actually hit one!" Erniu rubbed his hands excitedly.

Uncle Wei Laishun rushed forward, squatted down, and carefully examined the pig's body, especially looking at the fatal wound. He then pried open the pig's mouth to look at the tusks and finally counted the pig's hooves.

He raised his head, his face filled with utter admiration and immense excitement, and nodded heavily to Wei Changsheng: "Big brother! That's right! It's a cannonball from the mountains! The real deal! Chenzi... he's fucking amazing!" His gaze toward Wei Chen was filled with disbelief.

"There's...there's one more!" Wei Chen said, pointing just in time to the dark depths of the cave, panting, "Inside! Even bigger!"

"There's another one?!" Everyone was stunned by this huge surprise once again! After a brief silence, an even more frenzied eruption followed!

"Quick! Go in and see!" "My God! Two! Two wild boars!" "Wei Chen! You...you must be the savior sent by the mountain god!" An old man's voice trembled with excitement.

Several young men, carrying torches, cautiously ventured deep into the cave. When the torchlight illuminated the even larger, more ferocious-looking wild boar inside, a deafening roar nearly lifted the cave ceiling! Over three hundred pounds! How much fat and meat that must have yielded! How much life-saving meat!

A surge of joy and strength filled everyone's bodies. With a flurry of activity, the group used the thick hemp ropes they had brought to secure the four hooves of the two wild boars firmly, then strapped them onto the carrying pole. The eight strong laborers, divided into two groups, shouted rough work chants: "Heave-ho! Give it your all! Carry it home! Share the meat!"

The heavy wild boar was slowly lifted. Wei Chen and Wei Feng carried the smaller one at the front, followed by four people carrying the other end. The long procession wound its way along the mountain path, like a vibrant dragon.

The villagers who remained outside the cave crowded around, helping to support the lever, their faces beaming with long-lost, heartfelt smiles and hope. They returned triumphantly to the village, their laughter echoing all the way. This mountain village, silent for so long, was completely enlivened by the two wild boars that had fallen from the sky!

Two enormous wild boars were placed side by side in the center of Wei Changsheng's yard, resembling two awe-inspiring black mountains of flesh. Almost everyone in the village gathered around, forming a dense, impenetrable crowd.

The children excitedly squeezed through the gaps in the crowd, their little eyes wide open, greedily inhaling the strong, mouthwatering smell of blood and the wildness in the air. The adults' faces were a mixture of ecstasy, excitement, disbelief, and a deep expectation—hoping that Village Chief Wei Changsheng would distribute this life-saving meat fairly.