novelSusiti Chapter 4 Attack in the Mountains
Chapter 4 Attack in the Mountains
Unexpectedly, after going around in circles, they still ended up back at the place where they had marked the spot. This happened several times in a row, and fear gradually spread through their hearts. But as the saying goes, misfortunes never come singly.
Just as they were feeling disappointed, they suddenly heard the grunting of a pig. Overjoyed, Qiaoyun exclaimed excitedly, "Miss, there's a pig squealing! There must be houses nearby. We're saved!"
Ruan Shanruo immediately came to her senses, her expression turning serious: "This place is deserted, how could there be domestic pigs? They must be wild boars."
No sooner had they spoken than they saw the boar—it was indeed a wild boar. Though not large, the boar already possessed tusks, a long head with a pointed snout, and its face was covered in brownish-black hair mixed with a few white hairs. Its two slightly curved, gleaming white tusks shimmered faintly in the sunlight. Its bristles stood erect like steel needles, and its small eyes gleamed with a fierce light.
The wild boar growled menacingly and approached them step by step.
"Run!" Ruan Shanruo grabbed Qiaoyun and tried to escape.
But the wild boar had already charged forward. In the nick of time, Ruan Shanruo pushed Qiaoyun aside, but was grazed by the boar and stumbled to the ground. The boar turned around, its tusks pointing directly at Qiaoyun.
"Qiaoyun, watch out!"
Everything happened too fast. The wild boar rammed into Qiaoyun, sending her flying. Qiaoyun screamed and tumbled down the hillside, disappearing into the dense bushes.
Ruan Shanruo was extremely anxious and wanted to rush over to check on Qiaoyun's condition, but the wild boar blocked her way. The wild boar turned around, grunted at Ruan Shanruo a few more times, and looked like it was about to charge at her again.
Ruan Shanruo prayed silently, hoping that her younger brother, Ruan Yichen, would see the letter left at home soon and come looking for them. As long as he could get there quickly, it wouldn't be too late; whether they lived or died might all depend on him.
However, her younger brother had not yet appeared, and the wild boar was already close at hand. Ruan Shanruo gritted her teeth and gripped the dagger tightly in her hand. Her hand trembled slightly with tension. Having always been pampered and never experienced danger, she suddenly felt powerless in the face of this situation. She was actually so scared that she shed tears, but this was not the time to cry. She quickly wiped away her tears and looked at the wild boar clearly. In this critical moment, she had to ensure that she and Qiaoyun survived.
The wild boar suddenly roared and pounced on Ruan Shanruo. Ruan Shanruo dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the boar's attack.
At the same time, Ruan Shanruo had no time to think and instinctively stabbed the dagger into the boar's back. With a "thud," the dagger pierced the boar's body, but due to insufficient force, it did not cause fatal damage. The boar, in pain, became even more frenzied, violently shaking its body and throwing Ruan Shanruo aside.
Ruan Shanruo fell to the ground, scraping her arm. But ignoring the pain, she quickly got up and picked up the dagger. At that moment, she felt no fear, only the will to survive.
She took a deep breath, gripped the dagger tightly with both hands, and prepared to face the boar's next attack.
At this critical moment, an arrow pierced the air and struck the wild boar in the hindquarters.
Most wild animals, when injured, would flee to what they perceive as a safe place. However, this wild boar, accustomed to its domineering nature and never having encountered a natural enemy, suddenly felt pain and turned around in a rage to find a predator. Unexpectedly, a gray-clad youth leaped down from a nearby tree and, just as the boar turned back, swiftly plunged a boar-hunting spear directly into its neck.
The wild boar, enraged, howled and struggled desperately, but it was no match for the boy's strength. With just a hunting spear, the boy easily pinned the boar to the ground, the spear bearing deep blood grooves from which boar blood gushed. This wild boar probably never knew that it too was vulnerable, that it could be injured, and that it could be killed as easily as an ant. Soon, the blood drained, and the boar lay lifeless on the ground.
The young man then turned around, frowning as he looked Ruan Shanruo over: "Young Master, are you alright? This is deep in the mountains, you..."
Ruan Shanruo then got a good look at him—about seventeen or eighteen years old, similar to her age, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. A faint scar on his right cheek added a touch of vicissitude to his handsome face. He was tall and slender, and although his gray cloth clothes were covered with some dust, they could not hide his heroic spirit.
But she didn't have time to explain, pointing to the hillside: "My companion has fallen! Please save her!"
Without a word, the young man planted his spear in the ground and slid down the steep slope like a swallow. A short while later, he returned carrying the unconscious Qiaoyun. Qiaoyun had blood on her forehead, but her chest was still rising and falling.
"She's just unconscious, not seriously injured," the boy said after examining her. He took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket, poured out some powder, and applied it to Qiaoyun's wounds. "Who are you people? Why are you in this dangerous place?"
Ruan Shanruo wiped away her tears: "We...we came to gather herbs. My father is ill and needs Paris polyphylla for medicine."
A look of understanding flashed in the boy's eyes: "No wonder you came to this deep mountain forest. But there is no Paris polyphylla in these mountains. My home is not far from the foot of this mountain. I grew up in these mountains since I was a child. In recent years, there has been no Paris polyphylla in the mountains."
Upon hearing his words, Ruan Shanruo felt as if she had fallen into an icy abyss, and couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Then is my father beyond cure?"
The boy paused, taken aback. His family did have some of this herb, which they had acquired by chance a few years ago and carefully cultivated. Now, after much propagation, they had more than ten plants. But his father always taught him, "Mind your own business, and come home early if you have nothing to do." Besides, if he took this Paris polyphylla to a pharmacy in the city, he was sure to get a good price, which would help supplement the family income. When poor people want to be generous, they always have to consider their family's hunger first.
He glanced at the sky and changed the subject: "It's getting dark. Where do you live? You should hurry back! It's cold and dangerous in the mountains at night."
Ruan Shanruo hesitated for a moment, then said truthfully, "My home is in Yuanzhou City, which is about 20 or 30 miles away from here. I'm afraid I won't be able to get back tonight." She looked at the unconscious Qiaoyun and had no idea what to do.
The boy scratched his head: "My home is very close by, but it's small and inconvenient for you to stay overnight. There's a temple called Cihua Temple not far down the mountain. They have meditation rooms for pilgrims there. You can stay there for the night and go home tomorrow!"
Ruan Shanruo was somewhat at a loss: "But my companion hasn't woken up yet, and I don't know the way to Cihua Temple. Young master, could you please take us there?" She looked at the young man's simple and kind face, and his eyes were full of sincerity, making people want to trust him and entrust him to others.