113 Raising Pigs on a Large Scale and Becoming Wealthy (Part 3)

With a rough plan in mind, only practical execution remained—how to obtain a lively and immune-resistant group of piglets?

In Shen Tang's mind lingered the phrase "more exercise."

Uncastrated piglets tend to have unfriendly temperaments. For food, territory, or establishing dominance, they fight and bite each other, pushing and shoving. Though they were just piglets, their combat prowess was not to be underestimated, as they engaged in brawls instinctively.

They didn't know when to stop.

With fighting comes injuries, and with injuries comes the risk of infection. Once infected, illness and even death weren't far behind.

To ensure adequate exercise and avoid brawls, Shen Tang devised a method—emulating the dog-walking and cat-walking duties of a pet owner, pig-walking!

Every day, she would lead the piglets on a couple of laps around the mountain paths. This would expend excess energy, exercise their bodies, and also familiarize them with the surroundings, preparing them psychologically for castration.

Upon hearing this "brilliant" plan, Chu Yao had doubts.

Shen Tang smiled with determination, saying earnestly, "Wu Hui approves."

Chu Yao had to ask, "What if the pigs run away?"

These weren't like the raccoon slaves raised by Qi Shan, wandering outside all day before returning home. If a group of piglets scattered and romped around the hills, who knew how many could be retrieved in the end? At worst, they might become an extra meal for starving wild beasts.

Shen Tang replied, "We'll put them on leashes."

Dogs and cats are always leashed when taken out for walks, so why shouldn't piglets? Are they unworthy? No, they deserve it too.

Leashes?

Even from the literal meaning, one could understand what they were.

Chu Yao said, "It's worth a try."

Thus, the next day, Shen Tang was seen walking more than twenty piglets, with Lin Feng dragged along for relaxation. Despite being burdened with mourning, Lin Feng couldn't neglect her own health; keeping one's worries bottled up all day had made her face visibly thinner.

During the walk, a minor incident occurred—

The grunting of the piglets attracted a real black-faced lord!

With a large, black face, short bristles, and thick skin.

With a thick, long snout and a pair of large ears.

It was clear this was a skilled crop-raider.

At that moment, it was hiding in the nearby bushes, emitting an air of ferocity as it eyed Shen Tang, Lin Feng, and the group of piglets. Lin Feng caught sight of it unintentionally. The pig lowered its center of gravity, hooves pounding the ground, its fat jiggling as it charged towards them.

In that instant, Lin Feng could even distinctly feel the trembling of the ground as the wild boar thundered towards her, as though it weren't a fat and fearsome black boar charging, but a small black mountain.

However, before Lin Feng could even pale, her husband raised his hand, and a beautiful, gleaming longsword appeared out of thin air. With a shout, he exclaimed, "Beast, you're asking for death!"

Like a gust of wind, he rushed towards the oncoming wild boar.

One man and one pig engaged in a fierce battle for dozens of rounds.

Unsure of her husband's concerns, after some maneuvering, Shen Tang abandoned the sword and instead utilized a swift shove and kick, aiming at the raised hooves of the wild boar. This startled Lin Feng, who was hiding in the bushes, causing her to exclaim and cover her eyes with her hands. She knew her husband could handle a wild boar, but despite her belief, the slender stature and young age of an eleven or twelve-year-old were no match for a wild boar; they were like a piece of paper compared to it.

The visual impact of the confrontation made Lin Feng unable to look directly. With her eyes closed, she felt something heavy crashing to the ground with a thud. Peeking through a tiny gap, she saw her husband straddling the fallen black boar, his legs firmly planted, while his arms swung in circular motions, delivering two slaps to the brute's head.

Using an extra waist rope as a rein, he secured the wild boar's neck. The boar, furious beyond measure, emitted angry and frantic roars. It kicked, jumped, ran wild, and screamed, attempting to dislodge the small human seated on its back, and then trample them into mush with its hooves!

And the result?

Naturally, it ended in failure.

Shen Tang remained as steady as Mount Tai, gripping the waist rope firmly, maintaining her balance throughout. Seeing her husband handle the situation with ease, Lin Feng finally let go of her suspended heart and began to involuntarily daydream. She recalled a story she vaguely heard one afternoon while waking up early. It was about a sturdy man who single-handedly subdued a wild boar, making it kneel and beg for mercy.

When had the inner court maidens ever heard such an intriguing tale?

It was both embarrassing and curious.

Lin Feng didn't understand, what was so curious about a wild boar "kneeling and begging for mercy"?

It wasn't until many years later, when she accidentally stumbled upon an old scroll, that she discovered the wild boar subdued by the sturdy man was actually a malevolent spirit, a demon in disguise. It transformed into a woman when the sturdy man refused to relent. Seeing the man's satisfaction, they became a couple and lived happily ever after.

When Lin Feng returned from her wandering thoughts, the wild boar had completely lost its vigor, lying exhausted on the ground, panting heavily. Her husband triumphantly stepped on its head, saying, "Get up, aren't you so arrogant?"

Lin Feng:

She felt her husband was even more arrogant.

It vaguely matched the "sturdy man" mentioned by the maid in that afternoon story.

The wild boar, in pain from the kick, whimpered a couple of times. Gone was its former arrogance and fierceness, replaced with a hint of pleading, showing a surprisingly docile demeanor.

However, Shen Tang was not one to be swayed by emotions.

If she hadn't been able to engage the wild boar bare-handedly, not to mention more than twenty piglets, both she and Lin Feng would have been bitten and devoured by this wild boar. Ultimately, she gave the wild boar a chance to make amends, using it as a ride for transportation, making pig-walking much easier.

Wild boars aren't easily tamed.

But Shen Tang wasn't one to be lenient.

Disobedience warranted punishment; the wild boar was thoroughly intimidated.

As highly intelligent creatures driven by survival instincts, they seemed to understand the concept of "a wise man knows the times." What couldn't be eaten by the twenty or so piglets, what couldn't be provoked by the diminutive humans, and what couldn't be defied by the ferocious demon on its back!!!

"Let's go! Let's go!"

Amidst the mountains and fields, Shen Tang's laughter echoed.

Worried about the unpredictable, Chuyao observed quietly:

Concerned about the possibility of Chuyao encountering danger, Gongsu Wu hesitated:

They remained at a distance, observing from afar, unable to discern much more than the faint outlines of Shentang and Lin Feng, lost for words.

Gongsu Wu hesitated, "Should we perhaps acquire a horse for Wulang?"

Although Shentang possessed a motorcycle, it was still not comparable to the grace of a steed.

There was reason to suspect that Shentang's gleeful pig-riding and her repeated use of "drive" were expressions of resentment towards the absence of equine company in her literary pursuits.

Perhaps the acquisition of a foal could ameliorate Shentang's exuberance?

Chuyao remained silent, feeling that the matter was unrelated.

It was simply Wulang's penchant for amusement, albeit expressed with a touch of madness.

Thus, came the scene witnessed by Qishan, where Shentang, astride a wild boar, led a troupe of piglets, while Lin Feng struggled to keep pace.

A tale truly captivating...

Captivating? More like hogwash!

Qishan gazed upon Shentang, with her makeshift reins still fastened around the neck of the boar, and felt a darkness creeping over his vision.

Then, a furious roar echoed through the mountains and the clouds.

"Chuyao! Wuhui!"

_(:з」∠)_