Her bare feet, tough as cured leather from a lifetime of running through the wilderness, dug into the rich soil, propelling her forward.

  Ying Xia slipped through the dense foliage like a predator born to it, a wide, excited grin splitting her face, a bright glint of anticipation in her eyes.

  Her hand held the stolen bandit's dagger with a familiar, comfortable weight.

  Excitement, pure and unadulterated, ravished through her bones.

  Boars! I hope it's with a group! I can already imagine the feast we're going to have tonight!

  Following closely behind, a silent shadow in her wake, Bi Kan’s own grip on his dagger tightened.

  He was a different kind of hunter, his focus a cold, calculated constant.

  It wouldn't do for any of the larger boars to escape, wasting energy in a prolonged chase would be detrimental, especially in a forest that still held unknown dangers.

  She's very excited, he observed, a flicker of admiration in his thoughts. It's not her first hunt, yet she has the energy of someone who had just begun. She must really love this.

  Her eyes widened as she broke through a final screen of ferns, the sight of the herd laid out before her.

  Without a moment's hesitation, she launched herself from the brush.

  She landed squarely on the back of the largest boar, her hands shooting out to drive the dagger deep into the thick muscle of its neck.

  "Caught ya!"

  The beast let out a pained, furious squeal, its powerful body bucking and twisting, trying to shake the tenacious girl from its back.

  But it was far too late. Ying Xia laughed, the sound a sharp, joyous bark that echoed through the clearing.

  "Haha! You're quite the fighter, eh?!"

  The rest of the herd, thrown into a panic by the sudden, violent assault, scattered in every direction.

  The larger boars squealed and made haste, crashing into the dense undergrowth.

  Oh? Trying to run? Not so fast! She leaped from the back of the first dying boar, her momentum carrying her in a graceful arc towards the next one.

  Her dagger sank into its back, and the pig squealed, churning and spinning in a desperate attempt to dislodge her.

  Her eyes scanned the chaos.

  One of them is getting too far… It's quite fortunate I grabbed two daggers! She reached into the back of her pants, her hand closing around the hilt of her second blade.

  With a grunt of effort and a full, powerful swing of her arm, she threw it.

  The dagger whistled through the air, a spinning sliver of steel that struck the fleeing boar squarely in its side.

  "Squeal!" The beast stumbled, its escape reduced to a begrudging, wounded walk.

  The dozens of little ones, their high-pitched squeals a chorus of terror, scattered towards the right.

  "Tch!"

  While Ying Xia was a storm of joyous ferocity, Bi Kan was the silent, killing frost that followed.

  He focused on the bigger boars, his superior speed allowing him to close the distance with an effortless grace.

  He weaved between the trees, a blur of motion, his own dagger flashing in a series of clean, efficient slashes that severed tendons and pierced hearts.

  Despite being fat lumps, they can dwindle away quickly through these forests, he thought, pulling his blade free from another kill.

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  Luckily, there's four of us. The baby piggies will probably be…

  "Hah! The little ones are here! Get them!"

  The stubbled man burst through the bushes, his large frame crashing through the foliage.

  He began scooping up the squealing baby boars, tucking them under his arms.

  "I won't let you go!" he laughed, his voice booming.

  The other man was right behind him, just as efficient at gathering the fleeing piglets.

  "Phew, luckily we were far enough behind that we managed to get these piggies before they disappeared into the brush!"

  The hunt was over in a matter of minutes.

  Bi Kan pulled his dagger from the last of the large boars, wiping the blood on a broad leaf before sheathing it.

  He began to count. "Looks like we got seven big ones. Will this be enough?" The two men returned, their arms full of wriggling, squealing piglets.

  "Hmm, they sure are big ones," the stubbled man said with an appreciative nod.

  Ying Xia strode up, her chest heaving as she caught her breath, her face flushed with the thrill of the hunt.

  "There might be more. We should spend a few more hours, who knows what else we might catch?"

  She grinned, not ready to give up just yet.

  Her eyes swept the clearing and paused, her head tilting.

  "Hm? So bright," she muttered, her gaze fixed on a soft, pulsating luminescence coming from deep within a thorny bush.

  "You two should bring back those little pigs," Bi Kan said to the villagers, his tone practical.

  "It'll be hard to keep them safe while we're exploring further."

  "Okay, wait for us then! We'll be right back!" the two men agreed, and began the trek back towards the village.

  It would be an hour before they returned, but Bi Kan could wait. Ying Xia was another question.

  "Hah, if it was me, I could be back in ten minutes!" she boasted, already turning her attention back to the strange, glowing light

  As if in a daze, Ying Xia’s mind suddenly felt dizzy.

  The world tilted, the vibrant greens of the forest blurring into a swimming, indistinct haze.

  She felt an inexplicable urge to simply sit down, to let the strange, alluring light from the thorny bush pull her into a trance.

  But a firm hand snapped her out of it, the grip on her arm a grounding anchor that pulled her away from the faint luminescence, which vanished the moment her focus was broken.

  "Sister Ying Xia."

  She turned towards Bi Kan, a faint blush warming her cheeks as she realized how deeply she had been distracted.

  "Y-Yeah..?"

  He smiled, a gentle, reassuring expression as he rubbed her shoulders.

  "You're quite the feisty one, huh? You're not quite satisfied yet?"

  The last vestiges of the strange daze evaporated, replaced by her usual boisterous energy.

  She shook her head vigorously, pumping out her chest with a surge of pride.

  "Nope! Not yet! We can probably hunt a few more boars, and who knows," her voice dropped to a conspiratorial, excited whisper,

  "we might come across a three-horned boar!"

  Bi Kan rubbed his chin, a familiar pang of regret hitting him. He was completely unfamiliar with the unique fauna of this place.

  He had forgotten to head to the library within the sect before embarking on this mission; he should have prepared first.

  "Huh, if you don't mind me asking, what's a three-horned boar?"

  Her eyes sparkled, a brilliant, incandescent light of pure joy.

  Finally! I get to show off my amazing knowledge to our young hero! Hehe!

  "Well, if you must know…" she giggled, flicking her pink pigtails over her shoulder with a dramatic flair.

  "It's a boar with three horns! Two where its tusks should be, and one right on its forehead!"

  She brought her hands to her face, mimicking the boar’s form, creating a makeshift horn on her forehead with her fingers and letting out a playful snort.

  A three-horned boar… I wonder how strong it is… The question lingered in Bi Kan's mind, a tantalizing puzzle.

  "Not only that, its horn is abnormally large and sharp! It's very pointy!" she continued, her excitement infectious.

  "My grandpa once tackled it, along with his group. It took twenty people to take it down!"

  Bi Kan’s eyes widened, his hand gripping his chin in a gesture of intense concentration.

  Twenty people… how could a simple boar…?

  "How could that be? Why would it be so incredibly strong with just an extra horn on its forehead?"

  She shook her head, wagging a finger in front of Bi Kan’s face with a triumphant grin.

  "You didn't let me finish!" she giggled, twirling around as if unveiling a grand secret. She opened her arms wide.

  "It's huge as well! Probably five times bigger than the biggest normal boar!"

  The piece clicked into place. Bi Kan’s eyes widened further. No wonder.

  "And not only that," she added, her voice filled with a hushed awe,

  "its speed is also peculiarly fast! How could a heavy creature like that move with such speed!"

  "It's as if it’s a moving battering ram," Bi Kan said, his mind already calculating the forces involved.

  He nodded slowly. "What a formidable creature. It lurks within these forests?"

  She nodded, tapping her lips thoughtfully.

  "But it's been years since the village last saw one. When my grandpa and his group caught it, there were many injuries, but luckily no one died, thanks to my grandpa!"

  Her eyes sparkled with a fierce, familial pride. She loved her grandpa.

  "And it was huge! It fed the whole village for a week, and it was absolutely juicy and delicious!"

  The thought of such a beast sent a jolt of pure, unadulterated excitement through Bi Kan’s bones, a thrill that was entirely new to him.

  It wasn't the the desperate survival instinct of a cornered disciple.

  This was something else.

  If we get lucky enough, we might catch a glimpse of that boar, and I can test my full strength against it as well.

  He grinned, a wide, predatory expression of pure anticipation. His bones didn't just shake with excitement; they hummed with it.

  "So this is what it's like," he murmured, his voice a low rumble of newfound understanding, "to enjoy the hunt."