Live Strong in the Wilderness-Chapter 282: Pig-Slaughter Feast

Once the two entered, they saw a black wild boar hanging in midair, its front hooves constantly scrabbling the soil.

Its body twisted relentlessly, trying to break free from the snare.

Unfortunately, the flax rope was extremely strong, and it had no way to escape.

Nearby, a few more wild boars were wagging their tails, eating.

Without a word, Xu Yi pulled out the Hunting Bow and nocked an arrow.

Lu Ke also raised her crossbow and aimed at the nearby wild boar.

If they could kill one of the nearby wild boars, the one trapped in the snare might be kept and slaughtered when needed.

They shot their arrows one after another, aiming straight at their targets.

However, neither arrow penetrated the boar’s hide.

Because they often rammed their bodies against trees, accumulating a lot of resin, their skin had become extremely tough.

So even bone arrows couldn’t penetrate their defenses.

The startled boars all ran away.

These wild boars must be a special breed; their size wasn’t very large, with the biggest one probably not exceeding two hundred pounds.

This result was unexpected for both Xu Yi and Lu Ke.

"Forget it, don’t chase them." Xu Yi called out to Lu Ke, knowing that these wild boars ran fast, making it unlikely they could be caught anytime soon.

Besides, if they chased them too far, the boar trapped in the snare might escape as well, resulting in nothing gained.

Lu Ke stopped in her tracks and watched as Xu Yi pulled out a knife.

"Are we going to kill it, not keep it?" Lu Ke looked at Xu Yi, puzzled, and asked.

"It’s hard to keep; I’m worried the deer pen won’t withstand its rampaging. Wild boars love to collide with things, and if it broke the fence and ran away, wouldn’t that be a loss?" Xu Yi explained, then slashed the boar’s throat.

Lu Ke nodded; she hadn’t known that.

Wild boars are quite different from domestic pigs. They have a fierce nature, even daring to provoke tigers.

If it wasn’t killed and was taken back, it would likely cause a disturbance along the way, attracting other wild beasts.

Xu Yi had suffered a loss yesterday, nearly getting surrounded by a pack of tigers with Lu Ke.

So it’s better to kill it first. Xu Yi wasn’t too concerned about the little blood.

After bleeding it out, the boar quickly died, and the Star Chart provided a notification.

"Hunted a Wild Fragrant Pig, earned 4 points."

"No wonder it wasn’t an ordinary boar but a Wild Fragrant Pig, that’s why it’s not that big. However, the taste should be better than regular wild boar meat, we’ve made a profit." Xu Yi said happily, considering pork as one of the meats they ate less frequently.

Mainly because they rarely encountered any, despite setting several traps without success.

Finally, they managed to catch one.

Without further ado, Xu Yi carried the Wild Fragrant Pig back.

Upon reaching the camp, it was still not eleven, yet Xu Yi was very happy.

The thought of pork made his mouth water.

He felt as if it was New Year back in his childhood.

Every household in the village would slaughter pigs for the New Year, with frequent feasts of pork, making it particularly lively.

But as life improved, that joyous feeling gradually faded.

However, today Xu Yi felt that feeling again, filled with anticipation.

Placing the Wild Fragrant Pig by the creek, Xu Yi then took off his basket and Hunting Bow, pulling out his machete.

Then, Xu Yi patiently started to strip the pig of its hair.

The pig skin could be fried for storage, or cooked and dried.

Whichever way it was processed, it could be preserved for quite some time, and tasted quite good when prepared.

So, Xu Yi didn’t want to waste such good food, and it had to be stored.

If they had a large pot, the leftover pork could be processed into pork jerky, quite a good snack.

Pig ears and tongue, if marinated with spices, would taste even better.

But Xu Yi realized that a portion of marinade cost 5 points, which he was reluctant to spend.

So, he opted for preservation through salt curing.

Curing would make it last a few more days and was good with potatoes.

He couldn’t sacrifice his set rules for temporary indulgence.

Xu Yi didn’t overlook the innards either; the pork wouldn’t be consumed all at once, so he planned to make some sausages for preservation.

Then, smoke a portion, and it would be about enough.

For lunch, they had braised pig’s trotters.

The four trotter pieces were chopped early by Xu Yi and handed over to Lu Ke to stew.

By the time the trotters were ready, Xu Yi had processed half of the pig.

In the camp, Lu Ke and Xu Yi sat around the table, while Giant Wolf crouched nearby, occasionally rubbing its head against Xu Yi or Lu Ke.

Clearly, Giant Wolf was eyeing the pig’s trotters with envy.

From the big bowl, Xu Yi took a piece and bit into it.

The pork was delicious!

"Still lacking some chili, some seasoning; if there was a bit, it would taste even better." Xu Yi said as he gnawed on the pig’s trotter.

"Yes, yes, so I’ve decided, when we get back, we’ll eat through the Eight Culinary Traditions first. Spend a year eating, then consider other things." Lu Ke said earnestly, making the pig’s trotter taste even better in her hands.

Xu Yi smiled; enjoying for a year might not be enough.

By then, with ten billion in wealth, it couldn’t be spent away due to extravagance. Not to mention, depositing in the bank to gain interest would provide plenty to spend monthly.

After a hearty meal, they left the bones for Giant Wolf.

It’s now become Lu Ke’s mount and pet, enjoying a better quality of life, even eating some salted cooked food.

After the feast, Xu Yi and Lu Ke were quite satisfied.

Now, compared to their camp on the shore, they lived more comfortably and better.

Not to mention, the food was much improved, with meals not just limited to meat, but paired with potatoes.

After a brief rest, Xu Yi and Lu Ke continued to process the pork.

Xu Yi needed to find all the fat to render into lard.

Lu Ke needed to clean the intestines, then mince the meat to stuff it and make sausages.

However, doing so would consume all their salt.

So, after tomorrow, they would face a salt shortage, needing to quickly get to the shore to collect some sea salt.

As for now, neither the Giant Wolf nor the reindeer were suitable for riding.

Especially the reindeer, which hasn’t been tamed and would still attack Xu Yi and Lu Ke.

So Xu Yi needed to quickly tame them in the coming days.

It’s not necessary to tame both, just dealing with one would suffice.

With the reindeer tamed, even if it couldn’t be ridden, it could carry items, making it much less labor-intensive than carrying them by themselves.

That way, the traveling speed would increase significantly.