Brian Clark recognized him—the newcomer was that very uncle! He moved nimbly; as the wild boar charged, he calmly circled the big tree, dodging the boar’s attacks while preparing to deliver a fatal blow.

Unfortunately, the uncle’s quiver got caught on a vine, and as he turned, arrows scattered all over the ground. There was no time to pick them up—the wild boar rushed forward.

The uncle’s expression changed drastically; he hurriedly ran and happened to end up under the locust tree.

“Here you go!”

Without thinking, Brian Clark threw the half-broken spear in his hand to the uncle. The uncle caught it decisively. At that moment, the wild boar charged with a furious roar, its wide-open mouth spewing a foul stench.

The burly man seized the opportunity—this was it! He thrust the spear with all his might into the wild boar’s upper jaw and quickly rolled away. The several-hundred-pound boar couldn’t stop its momentum and crashed straight into the locust tree. The spear broke again, but it pierced through the fragile upper jaw into the back of the head.

A fatal blow!

The wild boar collapsed with a thud. The uncle kept his distance, and only after the boar stopped struggling did he approach. He looked up at Brian Clark in the tree and couldn’t help but shake his head.

“Kid, we really are fated to meet. Come down—Third Master will treat you to some meat!”

Chapter 2: Brocade Robes

A blazing campfire, a wild boar haunch weighing dozens of pounds, sizzling and dripping with oil—the aroma wafted straight into the nose. Brian Clark was already starving, and after being scared half to death by the wild boar, he wished he could stuff the whole pig into his belly.

But he still kept a bit of composure. This uncle had clearly told him to fend for himself, so why did he come back a few hours later? Not only did he step in to save him, but now he was inviting him to eat—wasn’t that a bit too kind?

Looking at his beaming face, he seemed like a completely different person from before!

If not for his unchanged clothes and appearance, Brian Clark wouldn’t have believed it was really him! Brian Clark watched the burly man warily. Compared to last time, the guy looked much more disheveled, with several new cuts on his arms and legs, and his straw sandals were torn, his big toe cheekily poking out.

It looked like he’d suffered in the forest, wandered for hours, and just happened to return to the pool near the hut, running into him again!

Brian Clark seemed to realize something. “You got lost, didn’t you?”

The burly man froze for a moment, then blustered, “With Third Master’s skills, what’s a little mountain forest? Third Master just has a good heart—didn’t want you to end up as wild boar food, so I came to save you.”

“So you can predict the future now, and knew I’d run into a big wild boar?” Brian Clark grinned, showing his white teeth.

The burly man was instantly at a loss for words!

Brian Clark saw through him—this guy wasn’t that kind-hearted. If he’d really wanted to save him, he would have taken him away the first time, wouldn’t that have been better?

But Brian Clark also knew he couldn’t survive in the woods alone—he had to get out as soon as possible. With his skinny arms and legs and tender skin, never mind another wild boar—even a wolf could swallow him whole.

Even if he managed to get out of the forest by luck, he’d be completely in the dark about the situation. He didn’t have a legitimate identity, and if he ran into bad people, he could be sold to a rich family or end up somewhere chaotic as a lowly outcast—then he’d really be doomed!

Brian Clark studied the burly man carefully. He seemed honest and straightforward, and his skills weren’t bad.

He had no choice but to bet on this guy—he’d better have a conscience!

Brian Clark silently prayed, then stopped talking nonsense and just muttered, “I can find my way in the dense forest! I can find the way out of the mountains!”

“Really?”

Now the burly man couldn’t keep up the act—he really was lost. He’d wandered for hours and ended up back where he started. The two rabbit legs he’d eaten were long gone, and his stomach was growling. Even though he had skills and could hunt, he couldn’t stay in the forest forever. Besides, he had important business to attend to and needed to get out as soon as possible.

If this kid could really help him, that would be perfect!

He couldn’t help but say, “You’re a mountain kid? No wonder you can find your way!” The uncle quickly used his knife to cut off a big chunk of meat and offered it to Brian Clark in a fawning manner.

“Eat! Have some more!”

The wild boar meat sizzled with oil, perfectly marbled, the lean not tough, the fat juicy!

Even if you weren’t starving, you could still gnaw a few bites. Brian Clark reached out, took the meat, and bit into it. Damn wild boar—wanted to eat him, but who’d have thought it would end up as his delicious meal in the blink of an eye!

So tasty!

Brian Clark ate heartily. Since the burly man needed his help, eating his roast meat was only fair.

He ate three big chunks in a row—three or four pounds of meat in his belly. The rich juices melted on his tongue, and for such delicious pork, Brian Clark even let go of his grudge against the wild boar.

Brian Clark lay back with his head up, his belly bulging, a bit of pork still in his mouth, and mumbled, “All things grow thanks to the sun. The bark of a birch tree is whiter and smoother on the side facing the sun, while the other side is much duller. Also, pine trees facing south will ooze more resin. By checking where the pine resin is, you can tell which way the sunlight is coming from!”

The burly man, now full, listened intently. He had to admit, the kid made sense. He’d heard people who often went into the mountains mention this, but never as clearly as the kid explained.