Chapter 135: The season of rebirth is upon us once again, and the packing squad is officially online!

After their previous "friendly" encounter, Zhou Sinian made it a point to steer clear of the kitten whenever he saw it in the space. Unfortunately, the kitten had taken a liking to him and spent its days chasing him around. This led to a routine where Zhou Sinian would carefully observe the area before opening any door; if the kitten was there, he would climb out the window instead. Ming Dai watched with a smile, neither intervening nor stopping them, letting them work out their own dynamic. After all, the golden rule of cat ownership is: your only job is to bring the cat home; it will handle everything else itself.

Amidst the cat-and-mouse drama between Zhou Sinian and the kitten, the snowy season in Heilongjiang faded, and the earth began to stir with life. Ming Dai planned to take Zhou Sinian to the city to visit Uncle Wei. However, before they could depart, visitors arrived at the village.

Shortly after the snow melted, the Huang family from the mountains came down to deliver the hazelnuts and forest goods they owed Ming Dai—two full, large burlap sacks. They had likely been generous because Ming Dai had helped them sell the tiger bone. Unfortunately, they had encountered a pack of wild boars on their way.

Spring is a season of rebirth, but it is also when mountain animals become active. The men, nicknamed Black Tiger and Leopard, had been unlucky enough to stumble upon a wild boar "mating convention." They were chased so relentlessly that they only survived because they were carrying guns.

When Liu Dazhu learned of the number of boars, he fell into deep worry. In previous years, the boar population in Daqing Mountain was nowhere near as dense as it was at Boar Ridge, near their village. If the population at Daqing Mountain was overflowing, the situation at Boar Ridge would be even more dire. Usually, when small groups of boars descended, the village would organize men to dig traps or bang on drums and gongs to scare them off. But if the numbers were high, they would have to call in the local militia to clear them out.

Liu Dazhu sighed bitterly. The militia was not easy to manage. Because the Red Flag Commune’s director, Wang Youcai, fostered a corrupt culture, the militia was even worse; demanding food and bribes was standard practice, and they certainly wouldn't share any of the hunted boar with the village. Yet, they had no choice; if the boars descended and found no food in the fields, they would storm the village.

Listening from the side, Ming Dai formed a plan. Packing and clearing things away was something she and Zhou Sinian excelled at! She didn't speak up immediately, intending to discuss it with Zhou Sinian first. She also informed Liu Dazhu of her plans to go to the city.

Liu Dazhu looked at the quiet Zhou Sinian and asked quietly, "If you don't take him, will he agree to it?"

Ming Dai nodded. "He wants to see the mountains; he hasn't been in a long time."

Liu Dazhu’s eyes lit up. He wanted to ask for help with the wild boars, but seeing Zhou Sinian’s expressionless face, he held his tongue. Ming Dai understood his implication—it wasn't impossible to have Zhou Sinian help deal with the boars, but they needed to scout the situation on the mountain first.

Springtime makes wild boars particularly agitated, and she needed to be sure Zhou Sinian could handle them.

After carrying the two heavy sacks of mountain goods home, she sorted them. Most were various mushrooms, along with some medicinal herbs—likely given because they knew Ming Dai was a doctor. The rest were large, plump hazelnuts and pine nuts, which Ming Dai planned to turn into hazelnut butter.

Once Black Tiger and Leopard left, Ming Dai and Zhou Sinian slipped away to the mountain. It was the same familiar posture, the same familiar arm-clamping method. Ming Dai was profoundly grateful that Zhou Sinian didn't have body odor. She had once gently suggested that he carry her on his back or that she could walk herself, but Zhou Sinian had insisted that carrying her on his back was uncomfortable, and clamping her under his arm was just right. As for walking, it would take them half a day just to reach their destination. Ming Dai could only accept her fate.

The temperature on the mountain was lower than at the base, so while the snow had melted below, it still lingered up here. Boar Ridge was Zhou Sinian’s backyard; it didn't take long for them to find the lair.

When Ming Dai saw the number of boars, she gasped. It was no wonder Liu Dazhu was worried; there were far too many. A typical boar pack consisted of twenty, but this group, large and small, totaled nearly forty! Zhou Sinian noted that this was just for one peak, and there were three such peaks at Boar Ridge—meaning there were nearly 120 boars in total.

Ming Dai counted them carefully. There were seven or eight boars weighing over 300 pounds, and one massive boar king that looked to be over 400 pounds, surrounded by its mates and piglets, rooting through the snow for food. Looking at its sharp tusks, Ming Dai sighed. The saying "first the boar, second the bear, third the tiger" was no exaggeration; even a Northeast tiger would likely steer clear of a group like this.

She glanced at Zhou Sinian, who was already eager to leap into action. The man who had been terrified into using the window to avoid a kitten was now incredibly excited at the sight of the boars.

"Ming Dai, Ming Dai, I want that one—the big one!"

Ming Dai looked at the boar king and held a moment of silence for it. Being targeted by Zhou Sinian could be considered its "blessing." Since they were already here, they certainly couldn't return empty-handed.

"Wait for me to get closer. Once I’m within ten meters, I can pull them into the space. You go in first. I’ll send one in, and you take it down. Remember: kill the big ones, keep the small ones, understand?"

Zhou Sinian was initially annoyed that he couldn't charge in immediately, but after Ming Dai described how much boar dung he would be stepping in, he happily agreed.

Zhou Sinian carried Ming Dai silently toward the herd, then gently placed her on a tree branch. As Ming Dai felt the familiar sensation beneath her, she could have wept—it was another large locust tree!

She settled herself, tucked her legs, and pulled Zhou Sinian into the space. Once he was ready, she targeted the boar king, which was busy courting a female, and activated the space’s collection function.

*Whoosh!* The boar king vanished. The female boars looked around in confusion, quickly distracted by other males. Meanwhile, in the space, the boar king was bewildered. *Who is this ugly two-legged creature? Where are my stinky, sturdy, poop-covered boar sisters?!*

Frustrated, the boar king dug up the ground and charged at the excited Zhou Sinian. It clearly hadn't realized the gravity of its situation.

Ming Dai, perched on the branch, listened to the sounds coming from the space—the initial arrogance, followed by anger, then wails, and finally, a sudden silence. She knew the boar king had likely departed quite peacefully.

Inside the space, Zhou Sinian looked at the boar king in the pool of blood with lingering dissatisfaction. He had just warmed up, and it was already dead; what a letdown! The small sheep and the others heard the commotion but didn't dare approach, cowering behind the pasture. The naturally dim-witted roe deer came to watch, saw one, fainted from fear, and eventually ended up in a heap on the ground.

The kitten, however, earned Zhou Sinian’s respect. It wasn't afraid at all; it climbed onto the dead boar king, swiped at it a few times, and tried to drag it away by its flesh. The result was obvious—the kitten wasn't even the size of one of the boar’s hooves.

Once Zhou Sinian had cleared the space, Ming Dai climbed down from the branch and entered. She was met with a meadow stained red and the entire boar family lying on the ground. *Tsk, tsk,* so violent, truly violent! But what was going on with the roe deer? Were they addicted to fainting now?