075 More and More Anomalies

"Then why don't they dare come in?" Chen Anquan pointed at the three quiet, terrifying wild boars.

"They just seem afraid to come inside!"

"Why?"

Chen Juanjuan rolled her eyes. "How am I supposed to know? Maybe there's something they're wary of!"

She chuckled, picking up a sprig of flower from the ground. "Look."

"That plant! They actually gave it to you!" Chen Anquan stared at the flower in her hand in disbelief.

Those three wild boars had nearly been killed by him over the crimson blossom, and now they were willing to give up such a hard-won prize to Juanjuan willingly!

"It's not a matter of willingness; the biggest boar seems to be telling me that what’s here is far more valuable than the crimson blossom!"

"You mean these rehmannia roots?"

Chen Anquan found it all rather incredible.

After all, even the best quality rehmannia roots, once processed, would fetch no more than two hundred yuan a kilo. But the crimson blossom was a miraculous herb capable of reviving a dying mutant boar—a life-saving treasure whose value on the market was simply incalculable.

"So what do they want in return?"

"They want the herbs growing here!"

"Damn it! More wild boars trying to steal my rehmannia roots!"

"So, is it okay?" Juanjuan looked to Anquan for his opinion.

"Fine," Anquan replied, gripping his sickle as he began searching the ground.

The flowering rehmannia plants had not yet produced mature roots, so he had to seek out the older specimens if he wanted suitable roots.

Fortunately, he’d deliberately left some behind last time, and quickly found three robust roots.

After digging them up, he tossed them toward the three wild boars.

The boars, their hungry eyes fixed on him, opened their jaws in anticipation, and each caught a root in midair, swallowing it whole.

"Now get lost!" Anquan shouted at them.

The wild boars paused, gazing longingly at Juanjuan for a moment. Only after she waved them off did they finally turn and leave, clearly reluctant to go.

They seemed almost possessed—had they recognized her as their master?

Woof woof woof!

As soon as the boars left, the pit bull, acting like a lapdog, started wagging its backside frantically at Anquan, clearly hoping to get in on the good stuff as well.

"You? In your dreams!" Anquan had no intention of indulging that wretched beast.

"Anquan," Juanjuan had already come back to herself from the sea of blossoms. "I think the herbs here must be worth a fortune. If others find out, the place will be stripped bare in no time."

Anquan nodded. He had thought of this as well. That was why he hadn’t wanted Juanjuan to know his secret.

"Promise me you'll keep this quiet? We can split what’s here."

"Keeping it secret is no problem, but I don’t want anything," Juanjuan agreed readily.

"These processed roots can be sold for good money. Are you sure?"

"Even if you added them all up, they’d only fetch ten or twenty thousand at best. Why would I care?"

Since she insisted, Anquan didn’t push her. With sickle in hand, he began searching the mountaintop—about the size of a basketball court—for mature rehmannia roots.

After half an hour, he had dug up more than twenty. He made Juanjuan promise again to keep the secret, and she agreed without hesitation.

"Let’s head down!" Anquan slung the basket over his back, grabbed Juanjuan’s wrist, and set off down the mountain without waiting for her response.

It was the first time Anquan had taken her hand like that. She didn’t pull away, but instead looked back wistfully at the sea of flowers. "Are we just going to leave? What if someone else discovers this place?"

"What else can we do? We can’t live here to guard it forever, can we?"

She sighed, resigned to following him down the mountain.

On the way down, Anquan retrieved two more baskets. Not wanting him to be overburdened, Juanjuan took one, though hers was empty except for her hiking pack.

"Here, Anquan." She stopped, took out a bottle of water and a packet of bread from her pack. "You must be starving."

Unnoticed, the afternoon was already waning. Anquan gulped down the 300ml bottle in one go, tore open the bread and finished it in a few bites.

Seeing him devour the food so hungrily, Juanjuan was surprised. Luckily, her pack was well stocked with snacks.

So the two of them found a clearing halfway down the mountain, and sat back to back on a large rock, each with snacks in hand, replenishing their energy.

Even while resting, Anquan didn’t sit idle. He opened his status panel, and was amazed to find that all his attributes had improved:

Name: Chen Anquan
Age: 24
Strength: 2.5
Agility: 2.25
Spirit: 6
Constitution: 3.02
Unused Attribute Points: 0.2
Skills: [Tai Chi LV1 (250/500)], [Wudang Forty-Nine Form Tai Chi Sword LV1 (100/500)], [Dragon Subduing Palm LV1 (140/500)]

Strength and constitution had each increased by 0.2, agility by 0.3, and he had 0.2 more unallocated points. Tai Chi proficiency had risen by 100, as had Dragon Subduing Palm!

A single battle had improved him more than two or three days of hard training.

No wonder some battle maniacs love real combat—they grow and learn through fighting.

Could it be that he, too, was a natural-born fighter?

Anquan chuckled, taking another swig of water.

"Hmph! And you told me not to bring so much water, but you’re drinking more than anyone!" Juanjuan pouted.

"I was thirsty. That fight was exhausting," Anquan replied casually.

"Hmph!" She puffed out her cheeks. "You’ve finished all my water!"

"I could always find a corner to relieve myself—would you dare do the same?"

"You beast!" She blushed, clearly not daring.

*

At the foot of the mountain.

Juanjuan was already out of breath.

Though she’d grown up in the countryside, she’d never done much farm work, much less heavy labor like planting or harvesting grain.

Her family’s status in the village was akin to landlords in ancient times. Lazy landlords don’t farm themselves.

At the foot of the mountain, the two of them stopped, still holding hands, and looked back at the towering peak.

There, a mutant wild boar the size of a rhinoceros had appeared, along with two others that seemed like its underlings.

Never mind why the mutant boar was so enormous—even the two ordinary boars were huge by any normal standard.

"What do you think will happen if someone else finds them?" Juanjuan gazed wistfully toward the mountain.

She wasn’t sure why, but she felt somehow able to communicate with the three wild boars. Though she couldn’t command them, she could sense their simple thoughts.

She truly felt reluctant to just leave.

Anquan, too, looked back at the mountain, squeezing her soft, delicate hand with a bit more strength, feeling utterly content as he gazed at her. "Don’t worry—wild boars are protected animals. As long as no one finds out they’re mutants, no one will bother them."

The sudden pressure on her hand hurt a little. She looked down at their linked hands, her heart complicated. Gently withdrawing her hand, she looked uncertainly at his resolute face. "But don’t you think things are getting stranger around here?"

"What makes you say that?"

Juanjuan, working in the public sector, knew more inside information than he did. She glanced anxiously at Ao Bei Mountain. "Ever since the meteor shower here, strange things have been happening."

She grew more serious, analyzing the situation, "Think about it: I heard that both the provincial and city authorities sent a lot of personnel to investigate Ao Bei Mountain. Even though they didn’t find much unusual, they’re taking it so seriously. It must be related to the thirty-two simultaneous meteor showers around the globe."