98: Hog Rider?

Lu Chuan leaned halfway into a crevice in the rocks, plucking the crimson petals growing within. He then looked up, through the gaps in the branches, at the fiery clouds in the sky.

"I've searched for so long and still haven't found anything suitable. I wonder how He Jingrui is doing."

He shook his head and turned to look for He Jingrui.

But when he reached their agreed meeting spot, he waited for a long time, yet He Jingrui was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did that guy run off to?"

Lu Chuan frowned and followed the direction He Jingrui had left in.

Carefully avoiding shaded areas and rocks where snakes liked to hide, he skirted half a mountain and finally found He Jingrui in a bamboo forest.

However, the scene before him almost made Lu Chuan question reality.

"Wi-wild boar rider?"

He Jingrui was riding on the back of an incredibly sturdy wild boar, his hands gripping its ears, his feet clamped tightly around its plump belly.

"Giddy-up, giddy-up!"

The wild boar cooperated, charging headlong in whatever direction He Jingrui pointed, knocking down and breaking countless thick bamboo stalks along the way.

The more Lu Chuan looked at the wild boar, the more familiar it seemed.

...

Wasn't this the same wild boar that had repeatedly caused him trouble before?

How did it become He Jingrui's mount?

And how did this man and boar get together?

Lu Chuan couldn't help but rub his eyes, then felt there were too many absurdities to process, leaving him momentarily speechless.

Just then, He Jingrui spotted Lu Chuan's figure, and a joyful smile immediately spread across his face.

At this moment, he was like a child who had found an incredibly fun toy. He steered the wild boar and charged towards Lu Chuan with a triumphant trot, eager to show off in front of his good friend.

However, what he didn't expect was that the moment the wild boar saw Lu Chuan, its eyes turned crimson as if it had seen an enemy, and it suddenly accelerated, charging straight at Lu Chuan.

Lu Chuan's scalp tingled instantly, and he retreated in alarm.

With the wild boar's almost 500-kilogram super-heavy body and that sudden burst of speed, it was akin to being hit by a high-speed car. He would likely suffer broken bones, torn tendons, and bleed three liters to death on the spot.

Just as Lu Chuan thought his life was about to end here...

He Jingrui, riding on the wild boar, reacted quickly despite the suddenness of the situation.

"How dare you!"

He immediately glared, letting out a furious roar.

Then he punched the wild boar's head directly, an astonishing killing intent erupting without restraint.

Under the stimulation of that bone-chilling killing intent, the charging wild boar snorted loudly, and its crimson eyes instantly cleared.

Feeling the sharp gust of wind approaching its forehead, its front legs immediately buckled, and it skidded to a halt, kneeling on the ground.

"Phew!"

Lu Chuan wiped away cold sweat, then looked at the wild boar being beaten by He Jingrui, his anger flaring up.

"How about we eat wild boar tonight?" he suddenly said.

His voice was low, but it made both He Jingrui and the wild boar freeze simultaneously.

The reactions of the man and the boar were completely different.

Although He Jingrui was reluctant to part with his newly acquired mount, saliva uncontrollably dripped from the corner of his mouth.

As for the wild boar, it trembled all over. Even though it was being savagely beaten by He Jingrui, it still tried to shrink behind him.

Lu Chuan was momentarily stunned, then an incredible thought flashed through his mind.

For the purpose of testing, he added:

"Although wild boar meat is gamey and tough, after stewing with strong spices, it has a unique flavor. And such a large wild boar is extremely rare, making one even more eager to try it."

Upon hearing Lu Chuan's words, He Jingrui pressed down on the wild boar with one hand and measured its body with the other, then nodded in agreement.

Under He Jingrui's immense pressure, the wild boar couldn't move at all, and the despair in its eyes was clearly visible.

Seeing this, a glimmer of interest appeared in Lu Chuan's eyes.

He knew that pigs were actually very intelligent animals, but he had truly never seen such a spiritual wild boar before.

The key was, this wild boar seemed to be able to understand human speech?

This greatly surprised Lu Chuan.

He carefully recalled the first time he encountered this wild boar.

He remembered it was a bright afternoon when he found a ginseng plant at the bottom of a slope.

After finally digging it out, he saw the wild boar charging towards him, panting heavily.

Later, relying on his size advantage, he evaded the wild boar's pursuit, and then returned to the village to sell the ginseng for a good price, living a comfortable life for a while.

But in subsequent trips to the mountains, this wild boar seemed to be deliberately looking for him, chasing him into a desperate flight every time.

Just three weeks ago, it was this same wild boar that caused him to fall off the cliff. If he hadn't gained the system, he would have truly met his end that time.

Pulling his thoughts back, Lu Chuan looked at the wild boar, whose eyes showed pleading and fawning emotions, and his eyebrows couldn't help but twitch.

Having just fallen off the cliff and lingered at the gates of hell, he naturally hated this wild boar.

But later, he gained the system through a blessing in disguise, and his hatred for the wild boar was no longer as intense.

In a sense, this wild boar was a major catalyst for his connection with the system.

This give and take, sometimes it's truly hard to explain.

Lu Chuan came back to his senses, his gaze shifting upwards. He saw He Jingrui patting the wild boar's muscular body, looking absolutely drooling, and couldn't help but shake his head.

"I sent you to find special plants, and you came back to cosplay as a wild boar rider?"

Hearing the displeasure in Lu Chuan's words, He Jingrui immediately cried out in protest.

"I did search! Look at that basket on the ground!"

Lu Chuan followed his gaze and only then noticed a basket filled with various plants placed at the edge of the bamboo forest.

"Where did you find so many?" Lu Chuan couldn't help but glance at the meager contents of his own basket and asked in surprise.

He Jingrui patted the wild boar beneath him and laughed loudly:

"Little Black found all of these. I don't have that kind of ability!"

Hearing Lu Chuan and He Jingrui discussing it, the wild boar immediately seized the opportunity, rolled over to expose its belly, then gently nudged He Jingrui with its snout, an expression of flattery on its face.

"Little Black? You mean this wild boar? It actually found so many?"

Lu Chuan was truly surprised now.

He turned his head again to look at the basket full of plants, a joyful smile on his face.

"Oh, He Jingrui, why are you so rough with Little Black? Get down quickly, don't hurt the child!"

He Jingrui was stunned for a moment, then reluctantly released Little Black, but still asked, unwilling to give up.

"You're not eating him anymore?"

Lu Chuan nodded with a full smile.

He Jingrui immediately looked disappointed.

And the wild boar, no, Little Black, snorted loudly, then stood up with a sense of relief, about to bolt.

However, Lu Chuan's next sentence made its legs go weak, almost causing it to collapse to the ground again.

"Not for now. But if you don't behave well from now on, then we'll eat you."

He Jingrui quickly nodded, then patted Little Black's sturdy body and said with a sigh:

"Little Black, you better be sensible!"

Little Black couldn't help but shiver, then snorted again, a complex emotion in its eyes.