Zhou Cheng would never listen to Jiang Yan’s words completely.

But when his wife spoke up, he’d brave mountains of blades and seas of fire – let alone something as minor as hunting wild boar. Zhou Cheng agreed without hesitation:

“Alright, let Jiang Yan lead the way.”

Jiang Yan turned away, missing the eye signals Zhou Cheng exchanged with Kang Wei and Shao Guangrong.

The two were very familiar with this signal, often using it during childhood fights.

Shao Guangrong pulled Little You back, “Go, go, go, all women stay in the back, don’t block the path up front. You won’t be able to run fast enough when we see the boar.”

Shao Guangrong’s tone was a bit harsh, but Little You was surprisingly tolerant.

This wasn’t like Shao Guangrong’s usual self – he wasn’t typically so bossy. Xia Xiaolan gave Zhou Cheng and the other two a curious look.

The formation now was interesting: Jiang Yan in front, Shao Guangrong behind her, Kang Wei after him, and Zhou Cheng at the rear, with the three women including Xia Xiaolan in between – Xia Xiaolan pondered, was Zhou Cheng guarding against Jiang Yan?

Xia Xiaolan discreetly pulled Little You closer: “Shao Guangrong just talks tough, but I can see he’s quite soft-hearted. Don’t take offense.” She didn’t know where Shao Guangrong found Little You as a companion, but at least he was being a man, pushing her to safety when danger might arise.

Little You nodded at Xia Xiaolan’s heartfelt words:

“Sister-in-law, I know he’s not bad.”

Shao Guangrong had a genuinely good reputation. When going out together, everyone had their own needs – he was generous and tried to fulfill his “girlfriend’s” requests, ensuring they wouldn’t lose out even after breaking up.

Shao Guangrong hadn’t had a girlfriend for a long time, and Little You had her motives for agreeing to accompany him when he needed to relax after exams.

If only Shao Guangrong were her boyfriend – Little You wouldn’t afraid of his harsh attitude, she feared being treated like air.

Xia Xiaolan smiled wryly – Little You completely misunderstood, they were talking past each other.

As for Shan Yujun, she clenched her fists nervously, but also curiously.

Senior Shan must have noticed something was wrong – she was truly perceptive. Xia Xiaolan smiled: “Senior Sister, would you like to visit the Special Zone together? I’ll invite you next time.”

Shan Yujun snorted lightly: “So it was your idea that Kang Wei used – I knew he couldn’t think of it himself. Don’t be afraid to drop the ‘Senior Sister’ – why do you keep forgetting?”

The two drew closer while talking, Shan Yujun’s eyes full of questions. Xia Xiaolan shook her head slightly.

She didn’t know what tricks Jiang Yan was planning either.

They traveled through the mountains, branches scratching their faces, grass seeds clinging to their trouser legs. Jiang Yan kept walking and looking, leading them deep into the forest.

“Shh—”

She stopped first, and everyone halted.

When quiet, they could hear grunting sounds ahead.

Some loud, some soft. Zhou Cheng protected Xia Xiaolan behind him, “Be careful, seems there’s more than one.”

Large numbers could be troublesome.

Wild boars liked rolling in wet mud, building layer upon layer of defense, forming old caked mud over time. Regular hunting rifles weren’t very effective. Guns suitable for pheasants and rabbits might not penetrate boar hide.

The boar herd made everyone nervous.

Jiang Yan seemed surprised too, walking back softly, “I couldn’t count clearly, but heard at least three or four. Zhou Cheng, are you confident? Maybe we should retreat.”

Her voice carried heavy regret, “If it were just us two, we could try.”

Implying that Xia Xiaolan and the others were a burden.

Kang Wei wanted to argue with this woman – what was wrong with her, taking credit and placing blame all by herself! Shao Guangrong held his sleeve – this wasn’t the time for impulse. Jiang Yan might not be afraid, but they each had female companions. Even if Little You was just there for show, Shao Guangrong wouldn’t put her in danger.

Not to mention Xia Xiaolan and Shan Yujun – Shao Guangrong didn’t know how deep Shan Yujun and Kang Wei’s feelings were, but Xia Xiaolan was Zhou Cheng’s life. If anything happened to her, it would hurt worse than Zhou Cheng being injured himself.

“Let’s go back, quietly.”

At the crucial moment, Shao Guangrong was calmer than Kang Wei. What was male pride worth compared to a boar’s leg? It couldn’t be eaten or drunk – being tough was fine, but not at the cost of the women’s safety.

Having reached a consensus, everyone began retreating quietly.

The atmosphere was tense when suddenly a pheasant burst from the bushes, startling Little You into crying out.

Though Xia Xiaolan quickly covered her mouth, it was too late. The boars were alerted, their grunts seeming to come from all directions. Zhou Cheng quickly loaded his gun. Xia Xiaolan saw a black shadow fall as gunshots rang out continuously. Jiang Yan also fired, while in the chaos, Shao Guangrong and Kang Wei’s shots weren’t very accurate – they were amateurs after all.

Zhou Cheng and Jiang Yan coordinated well, but they had stumbled into a boar herd.

A boar with large tusks charged them. Zhou Cheng fired several shots, hitting its neck and drawing blood, but instead of falling, it became more enraged – Zhou Cheng dropped his gun, drawing his carried three-edged bayonet. While Jiang Yan’s shots distracted the boar, he moved to attack from the side.

The boar was so close that Little You stumbled backward in fear and fell.

Xia Xiaolan, startled by Little You’s cry, moved her foot and stepped on a loose mountain stone, making her sway.

Only two people stood in front of her then – Zhou Cheng on the left, and Jiang Yan on the right. Xia Xiaolan instinctively reached for Zhou Cheng’s arm, but he had already stepped forward to ambush the boar. Jiang Yan was still in place, suddenly turning with quick reflexes to grab Xia Xiaolan.

With Jiang Yan’s sudden movement, her gun barrel struck Xia Xiaolan’s knee.

Xia Xiaolan’s knee went numb, and she fell backward.

As the boar charged, Little You behind her was also dodging. Xia Xiaolan grabbed a hand and fell together – they had unknowingly backed up to a steep hillside, and both tumbled down the slope.

Zhou Cheng’s bayonet struck swiftly and accurately through the boar’s eye, pinning it firmly to the ground. The boar gave a final, unwilling cry before succumbing.

When Zhou Cheng turned around, he only caught a glimpse of Xia Xiaolan’s clothes as she rolled down the slope.

Forgetting the boar, his heart stopped beating:

“Xiaolan—”

Little You sat paralyzed with fear; everything happened too fast for anyone to react. Seeing Zhou Cheng about to jump down the slope, Kang Wei, terrified out of his wits, firmly hugged his legs: “Brother Cheng, calm down! Jumping won’t help – there are many trees here, and Sister-in-law won’t be seriously hurt from the fall. Let’s find another way down to look for them.”

Would they be alright?

Shan Yujun looked worried. If Xiaolan had fallen alone, she might indeed have been fine as the terrain wasn’t too high.

But Xiaolan had fallen with her rival – how could she be alright?!