Chapter 13: A Killing Intent Arises
Just as Zhang Yuan returned to Chenjia Village, a trail of "tails" quickly formed behind him.
The village children were very curious about the wild boar slung over his shoulder. They stared at the ferocious boar's head, both scared and fascinated, their shrieks rising and falling.
"Yuanwa'er, you killed a wild boar?"
The villagers he passed were shocked, each one staring in disbelief.
Adult wild boars are considered fierce beasts. Villagers who go into the mountains to chop wood or collect herbs often suffer casualties when they encounter wild boars—everyone fears them.
In Chenjia Village, the only person capable of taking down a wild boar was undoubtedly the skilled hunter, Master Gao.
But he had a lame leg and moved with difficulty, so he had never specifically gone after wild boars.
Now, a mere fifteen-year-old Zhang Yuan had actually hunted such a large boar—people were truly impressed.
"Just lucky today," Zhang Yuan sighed. "Unfortunately, the boar was too heavy, so I only brought half back. The rest had to be sacrificed to the mountain god."
"What a pity!"
The villagers who had asked clenched their fists in regret, as if they'd lost a fortune.
Although wild boar meat is tough and gamey, meat is meat. The villagers rarely got to eat meat, so nobody would ever turn it down.
And now, half of such a large wild boar had been wasted—what a tragedy!
Some villagers, consumed by envy, couldn't understand how an outsider like Zhang Yuan managed to bag such a prize.
A few even began contemplating going into the mountains to hunt themselves.
When Zhang Yuan returned home, his mother—who had been anxiously waiting—was both joyful and alarmed.
She was glad he had returned safely, but shocked that he had dared hunt a wild boar. "You reckless child!"
To Zhang's mother, poverty was bearable—but safety was most important.
Zhang Yuan smiled. "Mom, I caught it using a trap. It wasn't dangerous."
Fearing more questions, he added, "Let's smoke it quickly—if it goes bad, that would be a huge loss!"
Her attention shifted immediately, and she rushed to the back room to fetch dry pine branches.
Over the past few years, Zhang Yuan had occasionally brought home game after learning how to hunt.
To prevent the meat from spoiling, they would smoke it before selling it in town.
They rarely ate it themselves.
Zhang Yuan first rinsed the wild boar meat in clean water, then used a dagger to peel off the thick, tough skin. He then cut the large chunks into strips.
These strips were tied with hemp rope and hung on a wooden frame to be smoked by pinewood smoke.
"Cough! Cough!"
Zhang's mother was choked by the thick smoke, tears streaming from her eyes.
"Mom."
Zhang Yuan quickly handed her two strips of boar meat. "Let me handle this. You take these to Uncle Fu and Auntie Qi."
They were close neighbors who often helped them out.
Each piece weighed about three to four jin (1.5–2 kg). Not expensive per se, but in a village, it was a decent gift.
Zhang's mother had no objections.
She returned with a beaming smile, looking noticeably healthier.
It took until late at night to smoke over a hundred jin (50 kg) of boar meat. Zhang Yuan was exhausted.
Because he had gone to bed late, he woke up late the next morning.
While still lying in bed, he faintly heard his mother speaking with someone outside.
Just as he got up, his mother knocked on the door: "Yuanwa'er, come quickly—Master Gao is here!"
Master Gao?
Zhang Yuan was surprised and quickly dressed to go out.
He found the hunter standing in their small courtyard, expressionless.
Zhang Yuan bowed. "Master Gao."
"Hmm."
Master Gao nodded with a calm face. "I came to discuss something with you."
Without waiting for a reply, he continued, "You've probably heard about Mr. Chen. I've accepted his offer—I'll be going to the Chen family estate in a couple of days as an instructor."
"You've always wanted to learn martial arts, right? Come with me, and act as a sparring partner for the Chen family kids."
"This way, you'll not only learn skills, but also get a monthly stipend."
"A win-win!"
Zhang Yuan was stunned. "This…"
At this moment, his inner world was far from calm!
He seriously suspected the Chen family had it out for him. Otherwise, why did they keep targeting him?
First they forced labor service on his family, then tried to trick him into signing a slave contract.
Zhang Yuan had managed to fend those off, and now Master Gao was here, trying to make him spar with the Chen family's children!
He painted it nicely, offering dreams on a silver platter.
If it were another naive teenager, they might agree immediately, thinking it was a great opportunity.
But Zhang Yuan, who had lived two lives and was already on guard, would never fall for sweet talk.
Seeing Zhang Yuan hesitate, Master Gao's face darkened. "What, you're unwilling?"
He looked visibly displeased.
Master Gao knew Zhang Yuan wasn't like other village boys—he could read and write, and was mature and steady.
But he didn't think Zhang Yuan had the right to refuse him!
The middle-aged man with a military background glanced at Zhang's mother, who was boiling water nearby, and said coldly, "Zhang Yuan, I'll give you two days to think it over. You better make up your mind."
That look was filled with threat.
Zhang Yuan understood.
He watched Master Gao leave, and flames seemed to rise in his eyes.
A deep crimson.
He clenched his fists tightly, and a strange mark—the Divine Nest Sigil—appeared on the back of his left hand!
He must die. He must be killed!
"Yuanwa'er?"
His mother came over, puzzled. "Why did Master Gao leave so quickly?"
"He had other matters," Zhang Yuan said with a smile. "Mom, I'm going to the county today, no need to make lunch."
Zhang's mother was confused but nodded. "Alright."
She still felt a bit uneasy. "Yuanwa'er, if anything comes up, make sure to talk it over with Master Gao. Don't be reckless."
Though she hadn't clearly heard their conversation, she could tell Master Gao wasn't too pleased.
Zhang Yuan smiled. "Don't worry, I understand."
Only then did she relax.
She could never have imagined that at this moment, her son's heart was full of murderous intent.
Zhang Yuan had developed a killing intent toward Master Gao!
Even when Gao ignored his years of effort and played him like a fool, Zhang Yuan hadn't held much resentment.
After all, the hunter had taught him valuable hunting skills.
But a few days ago, their relationship had already been severed—by Master Gao himself.
And now, not only did he want to force Zhang Yuan into serving the Chen family, he even used Zhang's mother as leverage.
That was the last straw.
Now, Zhang Yuan would show no mercy!
(End of Chapter)
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