The wild boar was clearly wary of the pitchfork in Zhang Ergou's hand.
As Zhang Ergou advanced, it retreated; as Zhang Ergou retreated, it advanced.
A standoff ensued between man and beast.
Li Dazhuang hefted his iron rod, crept around behind the wild boar, and prepared to land a solid blow on its hindquarters.
Just as the iron rod was about to strike the boar's lower back, the animal suddenly turned. Li Dazhuang, who had been feeling a bit smug moments before, his face paled dramatically.
Not only did the wild boar evade his strike, but it also bared its teeth, emitting a low growl at him.
Cold sweat instantly broke out on Li Dazhuang's brow, and the hand holding the iron rod began to tremble.
However, Zhang Ergou seized this golden opportunity. He raised his pitchfork and thrust it directly towards the wild boar's anus.
"Owww..." a world-shattering scream erupted. Zhang Ergou's pitchfork had lodged squarely in the wild boar's posterior.
Agonized, the wild boar became ferociously aggressive and charged towards Li Dazhuang.
Li Dazhuang lost his footing and stumbled to the ground in a panic.
"Dazhuang!" cried Li Dayong, who had just arrived, seeing Li Dazhuang about to be gored by the boar.
In a moment of desperation, Zhang Ergou leaped high and kicked the wild boar in the head. The impact spun the boar around, and the fallen Li Dazhuang narrowly avoided being run over.
"Dazhuang, get up quickly!"
Zhang Ergou did not help Li Dazhuang up. The boar, having been kicked away, had by now regained its composure.
The wild boar turned, glaring with rage at the two puny humans who had inflicted damage upon it twice, letting out angry, low growls.
This wild boar, over a meter long, clearly possessed a degree of intelligence.
It was filled with caution towards Zhang Ergou, who had wounded it twice.
The wild boar eyed Zhang Ergou intently, making no rash moves, having realized how troublesome he was.
Zhang Ergou, however, was in a state of extreme panic. His only weapon was currently stuck in the wild boar's hindquarters.
If this beast were to react, and he was disarmed, he would be in serious trouble.
While cautiously watching the boar, Zhang Ergou quickly contemplated his options.
"Ergou, take this!"
From a distance, Li Dayong threw a stick-like object.
Just as Zhang Ergou prepared to catch it, the wild boar attacked, charging ferociously at the leaping Zhang Ergou.
The three men nearby were stunned. None of them had anticipated such cunning from this wild boar.
Despite its severe injuries, it could endure so much. Li Dazhuang and the others could only watch helplessly, too far from the boar and Zhang Ergou.
Zhang Ergou was also greatly surprised. He was already in mid-air and it was too late to change his trajectory. The wild boar was closing in.
With a surge of desperation, Zhang Ergou ignored the charging boar and caught the wooden stick thrown by Li Dayong.
As Zhang Ergou was about to land, the wild boar reached him from below.
The leaping Zhang Ergou landed precisely on the wild boar's back.
Zhang Ergou was speechless at his own luck. Why land anywhere but on the back of a rampaging boar?
Upon landing on its back, before Zhang Ergou could steady himself, the boar shot forward, nearly throwing him off.
Zhang Ergou quickly regained his balance. The boar's bare back offered no grip.
He had no choice but to clamp his legs tightly around its back to avoid being thrown.
"Brother Dayong, give me the rope!"
Having stabilized himself, Zhang Ergou shouted to the bewildered Li Dayong.
"Oh! Here!" Li Dayong, snapping out of his daze, quickly threw the rope to him.
Zhang Ergou grabbed the rope and almost fell again. In his panic, he grabbed the boar's ears with both hands.
The wild boar, feeling the weight on its back, could no longer stop and began to run at full speed.
The whistling wind in his ears told Zhang Ergou that the boar was accelerating. This was not a sustainable situation.
The wild boar wasn't running in a straight line; it was changing course, attempting to shake Zhang Ergou off its back.
Despite its rage, the boar's mental fortitude made Zhang Ergou wonder if it was truly a pig.
Zhang Ergou's legs remained clamped tightly around the boar's body as he carefully removed one hand from its ears.
He cautiously began to untie the rope.
Then, Zhang Ergou leaned his upper body forward against the boar's back, slipping his hands beneath its neck. After completing these actions, Zhang Ergou was drenched in sweat.
But he could not afford to relax for a moment.
Seeing that it couldn't shake Zhang Ergou off, the wild boar changed tactics and charged towards a tree. A collision would surely result in Zhang Ergou being killed or severely injured.
Zhang Ergou quickly looped the rope twice around the boar's neck.
With everything prepared, Zhang Ergou hardened his resolve and leaped backward off the boar.
"Ergou!" Two panicked voices cried out simultaneously.
Li Dayong and Li Dazhuang watched Zhang Ergou fall to the ground and tumble for more than ten yards, their hearts in their throats.
Pain! Intense pain!
Zhang Ergou's only sensation was pain.
After rolling a few times on the ground, Zhang Ergou, enduring the agony, got to his feet and quickly wrapped the rope around a tree.
Having accomplished this, Zhang Ergou's vision went black, and he collapsed.
"Ergou!" Li Dayong and the others rushed to Zhang Ergou's side, no longer concerned about the wild boar. Zhang Ergou's second fall indicated a serious injury.
Lin Zicong, however, paid no mind to Zhang Ergou. He watched the wild boar ensnared by Zhang Ergou's rope, and a selfish idea formed in his mind.
Lin Zicong quickly went to the tree where Zhang Ergou had tied the rope and secured it with a knot.
Then, he watched as the charging wild boar was yanked forcefully to the ground.
"Brother Dayong, haha, look! I've taken down the wild boar! Come quickly, let's kill it!"
Lin Zicong shouted towards Li Dayong and the others.
Hearing Lin Zicong's call, the faces of the Li brothers grew even more grim.
Zhang Ergou was now unconscious, and Lin Zicong dared to claim the credit for his efforts.
If Zhang Ergou hadn't risked his life, there would have been no opportunity for Lin Zicong to snatch the credit.
Li Dayong ignored Lin Zicong's shouts. Instead, he picked up Zhang Ergou and gently laid him on a relatively flat patch of ground.
"Ergou, Ergou, wake up. Can you hear me?" Li Dazhuang gently patted Zhang Ergou's face.
But Zhang Ergou showed no response.
If not for the breathing from his nostrils, Li Dazhuang would have thought Zhang Ergou had already perished.
"Brother, what should we do now?"
Li Dazhuang looked at his older brother and asked.
"You go quickly to the village and get help. Preferably the village doctor, and some strong young men. Now that the wild boar has been taken down by Ergou,"
"and Ergou is so seriously injured, there's no way the few of us can transport both him and the boar back to the village."
Li Dayong did not hesitate and immediately gave instructions.
"Alright, Brother, I'll go now..." With that, Li Dazhuang stood up and ran towards the village.
Li Dayong looked at Zhang Ergou, who remained unresponsive, and felt helpless.
He stood up, picked up a knife, and walked towards the downed wild boar.
He worried that the boar might not be dead. As an experienced hunter, a follow-up kill was common sense...