Chapter 232 Lingzhi and the Five-Paced Snake
Several male wild boars, upon hearing the whistle, were just about to take action when Second Senior Brother wouldn't have it!
He got up from under the tree, staggered in front of the other wild boars, lowered his head, and let out a "huff, huff, huff..." as if threatening them with his growls.
Like most social animals, the hierarchy in a boar herd was strict. As the boar king, Second Senior Brother always ate the best food first, played with the best toys first, and got the prettiest sows first... He was used to being overbearing!
Intimidated by Second Senior Brother's roar, the other male wild boars grunted their discontent, shook their little tails, turned around, and went off to find something to eat. Only one fellow, weighing probably around four hundred pounds and not much smaller than Second Senior Brother, confronted him for a while. However, when Second Senior Brother bared his tusks, even that guy chickened out and slinked away with his tail between his legs.
Suming had anticipated this outcome. Working at the zoo, his greatest gain was understanding the habits of many animals. With the help of spiritual power, this understanding was extremely important.
His plan was to first lure Second Senior Brother over, then quickly subdue him with Su Meng's help, aided by spiritual power!
Weighing six or seven hundred pounds, Second Senior Brother was like a small mountain, the most difficult one in the herd. In a one-on-one, Su Meng might not be his match, but with spiritual power to aid him, it shouldn't be a problem.
As long as Second Senior Brother was taken care of, the rest would be a piece of cake!
Quickly, Second Senior Brother began waddling over, shaking his big belly and wobbling his head as he left the herd and walked this way.
"Get ready!" Suming signalled to Su Meng with a look. Last night, Su Meng had suffered because Second Senior Brother had used momentum to his advantage. Today they would give him a taste of his own medicine. They'd have Su Meng jump down from the tree in a free fall, aiming to daze Second Senior Brother with the impact!
Since wild boars have poor eyesight but a keen sense of smell, Suming had borrowed the tiger's method of hunting wild boars and hid downwind. Second Senior Brother, swaying with every step and panting heavily, approached, full of anticipation to cause havoc, wholly unaware of the danger.
Just as he was about to get close, Second Senior Brother suddenly stopped. Cocking his head, he snorted "huff, huff, huff" towards the back left.
"What's going on?!" Suming was startled and instinctively looked in that direction.
Not a single hair in sight. In the broad-leaved forest, there were only dead leaves on the ground, a few trees, and rocks of various sizes.
But through Second Senior Brother's 'eyes,' it wasn't the same.Nôv(el)B\\jnn
Clearly attracted by something on the left, he didn't hesitate at all and turned to trot in that direction, not even caring about the pretty sows anymore.
"It must have found something tasty to eat," Suming thought.
For animals, eating and reproducing are top priorities, and it's food that comes first. It's the same for humans; filled stomachs lead to wandering thoughts, except for perverts who wouldn't masturbate on an empty stomach... Anyway, Suming wouldn't.
Wild boars have an extraordinary sense of smell; they can detect things buried one to two meters underground, so he must have smelled something delicious!
Second Senior Brother didn't walk far before stopping under a tree. With its head lowered, its long snout dug chaotically beneath the tree, quickly pushing aside the thick layer of fallen leaves to reveal a large hole big enough to bury its head in.
Curious, Suming wondered what delicacy the wild boar had found. Since he couldn't see clearly from the tree, he sent Haidong Qing down to perch on the treetop where the boar was digging. He projected his spirit into Haidong Qing, looking down from above.
Pulling back the view, he saw that the boar had uncovered a large area of dead leaves, revealing a Lingzhi mushroom growing beneath that tree!
The Lingzhi wasn't very big, just slightly larger than the palm of an adult man, light purple and somewhat whitish.
Suming wasn't well-versed in plants and couldn't determine the exact grade or value of this Lingzhi.
Lingzhi mushrooms are often considered treasures in legends, but most Lingzhi are hyped up. Depending on their appearance, variety, and age, their value can vary greatly, with the most expensive being astronomically priced, while the cheaper ones can be bought for just tens or a hundred yuan and are not considered rare treasures at all.
Second Brother was clearly attracted to this particular Lingzhi, his small ears flapping excitedly back and forth as he approached it, his snout pouted, snorting as he began to gnaw.
Gnaw gnaw gnaw... In just a few bites, the Lingzhi was completely devoured.
Such a small Lingzhi would hardly be enough to fill a dog, let alone Second Brother with his large frame. He clearly wasn't satisfied, and after finishing off the top, he wanted to eat the bottom...
To 'eat the bottom' meant that Second Brother began to dig at the ground with his mouth and teeth, trying to unearth the roots of the Lingzhi.
Kerch kerch, after digging just a few times, Second Brother suddenly "whooshed" backwards several steps, his two glossy black eyes alertly watching the ground.
Suming was taken aback, had he discovered something good?
At the base of the Lingzhi, there was a fist-sized hole. From above, it appeared quite deep, pitch-black, and nothing inside could be seen.
Haidong Qing, upon seeing this hole, couldn't help but flutter his wings, ready to fly. Suming quickly asked him to wait, not wanting to scare Second Brother away.
Second Brother stared at the hole for a while, then suddenly stuck his long, pointed beak into it and started to huff and puff, as if he was blowing air into the hole.
Suming almost laughed at the sight, what was he doing? Blowing up a balloon, a big balloon?
After a few blows, Second Brother retracted his snout, stepped back two paces, still staring intently at the hole.
From within the hole, a triangular head slowly emerged, followed by a grey-brown neck. At a glance, it looked almost like a dried leaf, and if it weren't for Haidong Qing's excellent vision, Suming might have had trouble seeing it clearly.
It was a five-step snake!
Suming suddenly realized why Second Brother was blowing air. The five-step snake was probably hibernating, and by blowing warm air into the hole, Second Brother was trying to wake it up to eat it!
Haidong Qing had fluttered his wings suddenly, wanting to fly, because he too had spotted the snake hole.
Just judging by its head, this five-step snake was not small, and it was uncertain whether Second Brother could handle it.
Faced with such an interesting situation, Suming wasn't in a hurry to deal with Second Brother anymore and was perched in the tree, eagerly observing the confrontation.
After the five-step snake showed its head, it seemed to be unaware of what was happening and hissed a few times, as if testing the environment around it.
With agility that completely belied his size, Second Brother rushed over with a boom, his fangs hooking onto the snake's neck, then with a forceful shake of his head!
Crash! It was like a mischievous child tugging on a yarn roll, Second Brother dragged the entire body of the five-step snake out of the hole, which was at least one and a half meters long!
"Hiss!" The five-step snake was not one to be trifled with either, and it lunged to bite Second Brother's nose. If it got a hold of him, even if First Brother came, he'd be out of luck.
Second Brother shook his head, and before the snake could bite him, it was flung away, landing among the withered grass.