Chapter Thirty-Five: The Indomitable Pig

For Zhang Cheng and Zhao Hong, whether it was the mighty warhorse clad in armor beneath Xu Kang, or the gigantic wild boar clearing the path ahead, both sights left them deeply astonished. At the same time, their belief in Xu Kang’s “divine” status grew ever more resolute. If he were not a divine being, how could he, in the dead of night, procure such a magnificent warhorse? How could he subdue and command such a colossal wild boar?

With these thoughts, any dissatisfaction or resentment from their night’s toil evaporated completely. Once Xu Kang’s figure disappeared, the two quietly returned to the camp, each heading to his own tent, pretending as if nothing had happened. After all, as subordinates, discovering too many secrets about their superior was not necessarily a good thing; some matters, even if known, must be feigned ignorance.

Yet, with secrets weighing on their hearts, neither could sleep. They endured until dawn, then impatiently stepped out of their tents, seeking information from the sentries and patrols stationed outside the camp gate.

“Did anything happen in the camp last night? Any unusual occurrences?”

To them, the armored warhorse Xu Kang rode and the enormous wild boar were both so conspicuous that, if Xu Kang had returned to camp, surely the sentries and patrolling soldiers would have seen them.

But to their surprise, upon hearing their inquiries, both the gate sentries and the patrol soldiers replied that everything had been normal, nothing out of the ordinary.

The soldiers were not lying, for after Xu Kang returned to camp last night, he dismounted, sent Pig Strong to hide in the nearby woods, and only then stealthily slipped back into camp—naturally, the soldiers saw nothing.

Unaware of this, Zhao Hong and Zhang Cheng were thrown into confusion by the soldiers’ answers.

“Could it be that the Marshal didn’t return last night?”

With this possibility in mind, the two wasted no time, hurrying to Xu Kang’s tent and apologetically calling out in unison, “Master, it’s time to depart!”

They had braced themselves for the worst, but to their surprise, no sooner had their words left their lips than Xu Kang’s voice, laced with a yawn, rang out from within the tent.

“Mmm… Is it dawn already?”

Though fatigue was evident in his tone, to Zhao Hong and Zhang Cheng, it sounded no less than heavenly music.

“Thank goodness, he’s returned!”

Confirming Xu Kang was inside, both men breathed a sigh of relief, then once more cupped their hands toward the tent and said, “Master, it is already the hour of the hare. The troops are ready!”

“Very well. I’m aware.” Hearing their words, Xu Kang promptly donned his clothes, stepped out, and gestured to them.

“All right, you two go and lead the soldiers out. Let’s strive to reach Chang She within three days and reinforce Lord Lu Zhi!”

“Yes, sir!”

Upon hearing this, the two immediately responded and went off to organize their respective subordinates for departure. Xu Kang, as he had the day before, boarded his carriage, adjusted himself to a comfortable position, and slowly closed his eyes.

Unlike yesterday, this time he closed his eyes not to sleep, but to use that thread of connection in his consciousness to summon Pig Strong from the woods.

After issuing the command, he lifted the curtain of the carriage window, called Zhao Hong over, and instructed him, “Zhao Hong, pass the word: if a large wild boar approaches shortly, the soldiers need not be alarmed. It’s my pet—let it through to lead the way.”

“Yes, sir!” Hearing Xu Kang’s words, Zhao Hong immediately cupped his hands in salute and went to relay the message to the soldiers. This time, he conveyed the order with even more clarity and detail.

“The Marshal keeps a wild boar seven feet tall and weighing over two thousand pounds. It will soon arrive. No one is to attack or obstruct it!”

Upon hearing this command, nearly all the soldiers were filled with doubt—was it possible for such a giant wild boar to exist in the world?

Yet their skepticism soon vanished, for before long, they saw dust billowing in the distance, caused by a monstrous creature—Pig Strong!

“What in the world is that?”

“It’s a wild boar—a huge wild boar!”

“Stand guard… All troops, stand guard!”

Faced with Pig Strong, a beast as massive as a small hill, the soldiers lost all composure, completely forgetting Zhao Hong’s earlier order. In truth, in this era without firearms, the very fact that they didn’t immediately flee at the sight of such a ferocious beast was proof of their extraordinary courage.

When Pig Strong came within a hundred meters of the army, several squad leaders stepped forward and shouted at the top of their lungs.

“Protect the Marshal! Archers, advance!”

“Yes, sir!”

At their command, over a hundred archers stepped out of formation, drew their bows, and, with the squad leaders’ shout of “Loose!”, unleashed a volley of arrows at the charging Pig Strong.

Regrettably, Pig Strong did not fall beneath the hail of arrows as they had imagined; instead, he barreled through, undeterred, closing the distance to fifty meters!

Now, the soldiers could clearly see the bristles on Pig Strong’s back and the sharp tusks protruding from his mouth.

Many at the front felt their legs grow weak, yet none retreated; once again, they drew their bows to the fullest and unleashed a second wave of arrows.

This time, they saw their arrows strike the target, but it was as if they were hitting stone—each was blocked and bounced away, causing no harm whatsoever.

Pig Strong had already reached them, and those at the front could even smell the pungent, animalic stench.

Despair seized them.

“This is the end!”

Just as they braced themselves for a lethal blow from the beast, a familiar voice rang out from behind.

“Little Strong, lie down!”

As the voice sounded, before anyone could react, the ferocious beast before them flopped onto the ground with a loud thud.

The entire crowd was dumbfounded.

What was happening?

In their stunned gaze, Xu Kang slowly stepped out from among them, walked up to the wild boar, and patted its broad head.

“Little Strong, you rascal, why cause such commotion? Look at how you frightened my men! Next time, don’t do this!”

He then rubbed Pig Strong’s large ears, turned to the soldiers, and smiled.

“Haha, as you can see, this big fellow is my pet, named Pig Strong. Rest assured, he won’t harm anyone. Also, I’m very pleased with your performance just now!”

He raised his hand, pointing at the supine Pig Strong.

“Faced with such a fierce beast, not a single one of you flinched. You are the bravest and most resilient soldiers—I’m proud of you. With you at my side, our army will be the strongest!”

Xu Kang’s words, both soothing and praising, instantly galvanized the troops. The squad leader, Niu Sheng, couldn’t help but raise his arm and shout.

“We must be strong… Strong… Strong… Strong…”

With his lead, many soldiers joined in; their voices merged into a roaring tide.

Nearly a thousand men shouted together—Strong!

Witnessing this, Xu Kang too was moved, joining their chant, arms raised high.

“Strong… Strong… Strong… Strong strong strong strong… strong strong strong strong strong… strong strong???”

As he kept shouting, Xu Kang’s expression gradually faltered…