Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 192 Wilderness Journey Begins, Beginner Level, The Pig Shadow Gazed Through Bloodshot Eyes. (3K First Update)
"Wild boars are found in several forests around the tribe, including four hunting grounds where there are more of them."

"Of course, there are also wild boars scattered outside the hunting area. Finding and catching them is more difficult than defeating them."

"I'd prefer you take a spear. A knife is convenient, but close combat with a wild boar is no joke."

"Without the help of hunting dogs, you're about to face a wild boar at its peak. Even if you're incredibly brave, you must be careful."

"Early morning, inside the wooden hut of the Mao Li tribe, preparing for the hunt."

Sama, the daughter of the chief of the Maoli tribe whom I met yesterday, was incessantly listing the precautions.

Qiao Ruoning, standing to the side, dutifully translated it for Xia Ming.
As a guide, "Sama" will not accompany Xia Ming to find the hunting grounds.

However, she wasn't worried that Xia Ming wouldn't be able to find him, because the animal hide she gave him yesterday had been marked with the surrounding terrain.

Compared to finding a direction, Xia Ming's decision to hunt wild boars was an unexpected one.

She knew that the props provided by the production team were limited, and she also understood that the wild boars on this land were all descendants of the European swine fever family, whose adult size could reach 2 meters.

Weighing between 80 and 200 kg, the average hunter's physique might not even be as robust as a pig.

The "Sama" also hunted wild boar, but they preferred to hunt in groups.

This involves forming a team of two or more people with three or more hunting dogs. Upon spotting a wild boar, the hunting dogs attack first, and then the team pursues and captures it.

Even so, hunting wild boars is not easy during certain seasons.

Of course, the tribe also has very experienced hunters who use traps to hunt. Although they need to prepare more in advance, it does reduce the probability of their hunting dogs getting injured.

Compared to Sama's concerns, Qiao Ruoning personally didn't want Xia Ming to choose wild boar as food.

"Xia Ming, you can choose the 'Hu Hu' insects; you just need to split the wood to get them."

"You can also go lobster fishing; you're extremely good at seafood. This is a jungle wilderness, and I know you have a lot of hunting skills."

"But with the saying 'one boar, two bears, three tigers,' when wild boars go berserk, sometimes even tigers can't handle them. Shouldn't you reconsider?"

Qiao Ruoning supports Xia Ming's appearance on a global variety show, but she doesn't want a top-notch chef, who is already a shoo-in, to put himself in danger just for a single ingredient.

Although the production team has arranged strict protective measures, in the event of a mistake during the capture and confrontation, they can quickly assist in the counterattack within 5 seconds.

However, five seconds is enough for a wild boar to charge twice, so its threat should not be underestimated.

Xia Ming smiled as he listened to the two women's words.

What a joke! He went through all that trouble, and he was finally about to draw blood, and now you're telling me it's too dangerous?

"It's alright, I have a 'plain broadsword' and a 'bloodthirsty broadsword,' that's enough."

"I also got some paracord and bottled water from the production team. Although they don't give us breakfast this morning, we ate quite a bit last night, so we still have time to find food."

"Who knows, I might just see a wild boar as soon as I step outside!"

Although Xia Ming spoke casually, Qiao Ruoning was still worried.

She couldn't quite understand why Xia Ming would choose a "plain knife," something she had never seen in wilderness survival shows.

Even the "Extreme" level gourmet hunter "Aster" carries a "military machete".

She seriously doubted whether a model knife with a focus on ancient martial arts could really be better than a modern, technologically optimized version.
Xia Ming, however, had a completely different opinion.

The reason for choosing a "plain knife" instead of a machete is that this knife can be used to its fullest potential within the "60cm blade length" specified by the program team.

On the other hand, it's because the appearance of this knife is very similar to the Blood Blade, the entry-level weapon of the Blood Blade Sect.

"You should know that no matter how the Blood Blade is refined by the materials as you progress in your cultivation, its initial form will always be the most suitable for beginners."

For him now, this knife, when held in one hand, is a powerful cleaver.

By binding it with wooden sticks, it can be transformed into a long-handled weapon, becoming a ranged attack.
While he is temporarily unable to unleash his inner energy, this sword can fill the gap in his mid-to-long-range combat capabilities.

As for why "mineral water" was chosen.
The reason is that the initial two items are limited, and different types of supplies have corresponding points.

The initial score only allows Xia Ming to retain the amount of "mineral water" after exchanging for "paracord".

However, Xia Ming is not worried about this, because he can get points whether it is the "program's cooking ranking" or disposing of "animal carcasses" to the program team.

Moreover, this "Chestnut Hunt Theme" in "New Zealand Blue" is essentially a beginner's introductory level.

It fully meets the needs of all types of chefs.

Whether it's "grains," "fungi," "insects," "seafood," or "meat," each has its corresponding flavor, giving contestants many choices.

You don't necessarily have to hunt wild boars like Xia Ming. Even if you just pick some mushrooms and ferns, you can still make dishes that meet the judges' requirements.

This is why Qiao Ruoning wanted Xia Ming to change the topic.

At this moment, Xia Ming finished listening to "Sama's" introduction and comforted Qiao Ruoning. He glanced at the time and found that there were only 5 minutes left until 8 o'clock, so he took the time to check the miniature recording device on his body again.

Then he waved to the "dedicated AI drone" floating in the air and walked out of the room.

On the plain, "Maka" and "Aster" were already equipped and waiting at the starting point.

Xia Ming glanced around and noticed that "Aster" was carrying a "machete" with a strong off-road vibe, while "Maka" was carrying a "war spear," a piece of equipment exclusive to the Mauryans. Judging from their appearance, their target should also be a "wild boar."

When they saw Xia Ming coming over, they looked him up and down.

Maka was very interested in the "plain knife" that Xia Ming was carrying, and Aster had obviously seen this kind of equipment before.

At that moment, he spoke with a smile.

"Your knife is quite interesting."

Xia Ming blinked, then deduced his meaning from the keywords, and smiled.

"Not bad~"

Upon hearing Xia Ming's eagle-like voice, Astor instantly realized that he was probably not good at this, so he didn't say anything more.

As the three waited to depart, viewers in the live stream began to discuss the matter.

[IP Hua: Come on, brothers, let's sing "The Begonia Flowers Are Still Sleeping at Four in the Morning" together~]

[IP Hua: This is ridiculous! The lyrics are borrowed from "Sunrise Island." It's fine for domestic audiences, but it'll make us a laughing stock internationally!]

[IP Hua: Watching "Wilderness Kitchen" while waiting for Star Trek to refresh, I really hope the Spring Festival holiday can be longer!]

[IP Eagle: We just finished dinner a little while ago and are on our way to our second jobs. By the way, do people in China really not need to work a second job? And do you really not have to spend over $1000 on doctor's when you have a cold?]

[“IP Gentleman”: We just had afternoon tea here, and we heard that takeaway services in China have already reduced the price of coffee to £0.42?]

[IP Hua: When we have a cold, a trip to the hospital only costs a few tens of dollars, and coffee was only 4 dollars a cup on Kangaroo a while ago, which works out to about 0.4 pounds!]

[IPAustralia: I'm so envious of you guys! Our exchange students say that Chinese food is especially delicious, and there are a lot of Chinese restaurants here too~]

[IP Bear: I've been to China, and it's very well-developed, but the fighting spirit there is still lacking. Compared to Ming, I have more faith in Aster; he's the true king of the wilderness.]

Just as netizens around the world were chatting and reconciling accounts, the clock struck 8.

The three quickly split up and began to act separately.

Astor took a liking to the local specialty, the "huhu worm," not only because he particularly enjoyed its texture, but also because he found it easy to prepare.

He felt that there should still be many herbs in the area, but in their eyes, many of them were meant to be sold. He could use these resources to slightly improve the dish.

In Maka's eyes, wild boar meat is undoubtedly a traditional delicacy of the area.

"Hum"'s actions were also very much in line with her concept of cooking, so she gave up the "grain gathering place" she had obtained and headed towards the "wild boar sighting spot" marked on the map.

The animal hide that Xia Ming obtained contained a record of "Heng Yi's" complete process.

Its ingredients can be simple or complex, and the overall seasoning has local characteristics.

But setting aside the local flavor, this "Hum Yi" dish is actually seriously lacking for Chinese chefs.

"Uncastrated wild boar meat has a distinct gamey smell, a firm texture, and low fat content."

"Locals use stewing or braising to tenderize the meat."

Xia Ming knew that in this place, scallions and ginger were more expensive than gold, while wild boar meat and crayfish were worthless.

The "Kawa Kawa" mentioned earlier cannot necessarily be harvested at the end of February. It usually takes another week for this plant to reach a more vigorous state.

Furthermore, although "Kava Kava" has minty and ginger flavors, it is essentially a "pepper family" plant, and its literal translation is "bitter leaf".

That is, the leaves will taste bitter when chewed further.

"This stuff also has anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, and can even help with mosquito bites."

Xia Ming would use it in his cooking as needed, but right now, he needed to mix it with other ingredients to deal with the mosquitoes that were always around.

But just as he went around in circles and happened to find a "Kava Kava" plant.

Suddenly he heard a very faint sound in his left ear, which meant that there was another creature far away from him.

"Is it a wild boar? Judging from this area, we should be close to where the map indicates!"

Xia Ming adjusted the angle slightly, and the next second, his Blood Eyes activated.

In an instant, the surrounding scenery was tinged with the corresponding colors. Xia Ming saw a four-horned creature walking upright in the distance, judging from its shape.
This is most likely a juvenile wild boar.
(End of this chapter)