Reborn in 78, I made my fortune by working in the mountains, supporting three families on my own.

The excruciating pain Zhao Chenghu anticipated did not reach his neck; instead, a violent impact struck his abdomen.

Instantly.

Zhao Chenghu lost his balance and staggered back several steps before falling heavily onto the muddy ground.

After a long while, he opened his eyes blankly and stared at Zhao Lei in front of him.

Zhao Lei's sword swing was merely a feint, intended to intimidate his opponent.

A swift, direct stomp was the real lesson learned!

Zhao Lei has a large family to support; it's not worth risking a life for someone like him!

In the blink of an eye, the offensive and defensive positions had shifted!

Zhao Chenghu's eight men froze on the spot, gripping their knives and guns, not daring to move.

Zhao Lei's fearless and ruthless skills had already terrified them.

at this time.

Zhao Lei casually loosened his hot shotgun, flicked his wrist, and slammed the gun heavily into the mud in front of Zhao Chenghu.

He scoffed, "Tch, I thought you were so brave, turns out you're afraid of death too!"

Zhao Chenghu's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and a layer of cold sweat seeped from his forehead.

For a fleeting moment, he truly thought he was going to die here.

Zhao Chenghu scrambled to his feet: "Zhao Lei, I'll remember this. Just you wait and see!"

"Let's go!"

After uttering a harsh remark, Zhao Chenghu led his men away in a sorry state.

Qin Bowen stared at the direction Zhao Chenghu had disappeared in, gripped his hunting rifle tightly, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Brother-in-law, are we just going to let them go like that?"

Zhao Lei shook his head: "It's not worth fighting with this kind of person. We're here to make money, not to cause trouble. Let's take care of business first."

Qin Dashan let out a long sigh and wiped his forehead: "Lei Zi is right, there's no point in arguing with them. Let's take our prey back first."

Wang Zongbao glanced in the direction Zhao Chenghu had left and muttered, "Zhao Chenghu is usually so arrogant, but I never expected him to back down when he's around Brother Lei."

"Don't just stand there, get moving!"

Before long, the four men carried the two wild boars back to the old mulberry tree.

They tied it securely to the side of the oxcart with hemp rope and then covered it with an old piece of burlap.

The ox, tethered to a tree stump, swished its tail, completely oblivious to the gunshots that had just rang out.

Zhao Lei looked at the moon's position and estimated it to be around 10 p.m.

"Qingshui Gully is a large area, and the wild boars, having been frightened, won't return for a while. I estimate they'll come out to forage again late at night, so let's rest for a bit and then sneak back."

Qin Dashan nodded and took out dry food and water bags from the oxcart and distributed them to everyone.

The four of them sat down against the roots of the mulberry tree, ate something, and rested.

It was past 3 a.m.

Everyone was starting to doze off, but Zhao Lei, who appeared to have his eyes closed, was actually listening intently to the sounds around him.

Zhao Lei suddenly opened his eyes and patted the three people beside him: "Wake up, there's movement."

Qin Bowen sat up abruptly, rubbing his eyes. "Brother-in-law, the wild boar is back?"

"Everyone, perk up! Tonight's success depends on this!"

Under Zhao Lei's leadership, the four of them once again lowered their bodies and crept along the field ridges toward the crops.

Looking from afar.

Sure enough, a dozen or so dark figures were moving about in the field, burying their heads and munching on the crops.

Although there were fewer than the first time, there were still at least five or six adult wild boars.

Wang Zongbao, his voice low and slightly excited, exclaimed, "Brother Lei is amazing! These wild boars were starving and they really came back!"

Zhao Lei pointed to the northwest corner, "We'll flank them from there in a bit. Listen for my gunshot; no one is allowed to fire without permission, understand?"

"clear!"

"I'll do whatever you say!"

"Alright, let's move out!"

Zhao Lei led the group slowly toward their prey.

This time everything went smoothly, and they successfully reached the vicinity of the wild boar.

boom! !

Gunfire erupted suddenly.

Qin Dashan, Qin Bowen, and Wang Zongbao followed suit and pulled the trigger.

bang bang bang! ! !

The four gunshots rang out almost in quick succession, and all the iron pellets hit the wild boar herd!

The wild boars immediately erupted into chaos, squealing and scattering in all directions.

The adult wild boar that Zhao Lei had aimed at fell to the ground with a thud, twitched a few times, and then went still.

Qin Dashan also hit the front leg of an adult wild boar, which staggered and fell to the ground.

Qin Bowen reacted quickly and rushed forward to deliver the final blow.

Wang Zongbao fired a shot into the back of a medium-sized wild boar, which then charged more than ten meters before collapsing on the edge of the field.

The gunfire stopped abruptly in less than two minutes.

Only the sounds of pigs fleeing in the fields faded into the distance.

Qin Bowen ran over to count them, shouting excitedly, "Exciting! We killed four adult pigs and two half-grown ones!"

After inspecting the animals, Qin Dashan estimated, "Each adult wild boar weighs at least 300 jin (150 kg), and the two half-grown ones together weigh nearly 100 jin (50 kg). This whole batch weighs at least 1300-1400 jin (650-700 kg)!"

Wang Zongbao plopped down on the ground, grinning foolishly: "I've never seen so much wild boar meat in my entire life."

Zhao Lei checked each of the wild boars on the ground, confirming they were all dead, and nodded: "Alright, our trip tonight wasn't in vain."

Qin Bowen grabbed Wang Zongbao's shoulder: "Goudan, did you hear that? Over a thousand jin! We're really rich this time!"

Wang Zongbao nodded repeatedly: "I've struck it rich! I can brag to my grandpa about it for half a year when I get back."

Qin Dashan squatted on the edge of the field, pondering for a while, then looked up at Zhao Lei: "Leizi, tonight's harvest has far exceeded our expectations. One large pig weighs over 300 jin, so four pigs would be over 1,000 jin. Add to that two medium-sized pigs, and just getting them back, cleaning them, and taking them to the market will take several days. How about we call it a day and stop here for tonight?"

Qin Bowen immediately objected upon hearing this.

He was just getting excited, how come it's over already?

"Brother, it's only a little past four in the morning, there's still a long way to go before dawn. Your brother-in-law's trick is so effective, if we stake out for another hour or two, we might catch a few more. Why are you stopping? Do you think you've made too much?"

Wang Zongbao chimed in, "Brother Dashan, Bowen is right! It's a rare opportunity; it would be a waste not to take a couple more trips back."

Zhao Lei glanced at the sky.

The time was neither too early nor too late.

Moreover, such an easy hunting opportunity was rare, and Zhao Lei didn't want to call it a day too early.

If it weren't for the unique opportunities provided by Qingshuigou, Zhao Lei would have had to go all the way to Qingfeng Mountain to hunt a wild boar.

Even if we can't hit it, just finding it would take several hours.

"Brother-in-law, it's rare to see a herd of wild boars coming down the mountain to forage. It would be a shame to miss it tonight. How about we stake out for another hour, and call it a day before dawn, no matter how much we catch?"

Qin Dashan felt that Zhao Lei's words made sense.

"Okay, I'll do as you say."

The four men dragged the six wild boars to the edge of the field, piled them up, reloaded them with gunpowder and iron shot, and then sneaked back into the farmland to ambush them.

About thirty or forty minutes later, sure enough, a few more wild boars cautiously poked their heads out of the woods.

"Brother-in-law, it looks like wild boars are out again!"

"Brother Lei, when are we going to make our move?"

"Wait a minute, let the wild boar get a little closer..."