After walking into the tavern.
Li Xing spotted Yilaikesi talking with the young hunters around him.
He went over and greeted everyone.
Li Xing patted Yilaikesi on the shoulder and said, "Yilaikesi, there's something I want to ask you! If you're not busy, I'll wait for you outside. It won't take long."
After hearing this, Yilaikesi excused himself to the others and went out of the tavern with him.
"What is it, Li Xing? Couldn't you say it inside?"
Yilaikesi looked at Li Xing in confusion.
Li Xing explained awkwardly, "Actually, it's nothing important. There's no need to take up everyone's time. I mainly wanted to ask you where there are the most wild boars around here! I want to hunt one."
Hearing the question, Yilaikesi pondered for a moment before saying, "Actually, there are wild boars not far from where you live. But at this time of day, they're hard to find around there. It'd be too much trouble."
Yilaikesi glanced down at his own outfit and advised Li Xing, "You can go to the stone bridge west of town.
Then, along the main road connected to the bridge, you can check the little paths branching off the roadside. There should be plenty of wild boars there!
But be careful! That's also where packs of wolves roam. You have to stay fully alert."
After carefully examining Li Xing's clothing, Yilaikesi offered another suggestion.
"Your equipment looks too bare. You should at least have a hunting bow!
I remember Uncle Turner sells them! You can go take a look!
Believe me, hunting will be much easier with a bow!"
After listening to Yilaikesi's advice and warnings.
Li Xing exchanged a few polite words with him and prepared to leave the tavern. Suddenly, he remembered what he had seen on the stone bridge that morning.
"By the way, Yilaikesi, you just mentioned the stone bridge to the west. Do you know if anyone from our town travels around masked on the other side of the river outside town?"
Yilaikesi grew alert at Li Xing's question.
"Why do you ask? Who would go around masked in broad daylight for no reason?"
Seeing Yilaikesi's wary expression, Li Xing told him everything he had observed while fishing that morning.
"They dare to act so brazenly in our town's territory? And travel around masked in broad daylight?"
After hearing his account, Yilaikesi's expression grew grave.
"No! We have to report their whereabouts to Uncle Turner. If I'm not mistaken, there's a very good chance they're roving bandits."
Seeing that Yilaikesi was about to head for the smithy, Li Xing pulled him back.
"Calm down, Yilaikesi. Why are you in such a hurry?"
Looking at Li Xing, who was standing in his way, Yilaikesi realized that the person involved was right beside him.
"Now that you know, I'll go to Uncle Turner myself, since I'm the one who saw them. Let's hear what he has to say first. For now, pass the news on to your companions and wait and see. If there's more to it, it would be bad to make a false alarm."
As he listened to Li Xing's thoughts, Yilaikesi calmed down.
After telling each other to stay safe, Li Xing headed to the smithy in the center of town.
Yilaikesi gradually relaxed as well.
He then turned and went back into the tavern.
Inside the tavern, the hunters all grew excited when they saw Yilaikesi return.
"Yilaikesi, what did Li Xing talk to you about? Was it about what happens next tonight?"
"What are you talking about? Would he need to ask Yilaikesi about that? I bet he wanted you to introduce him to some girl, right?"
"Please! If our earlier analysis was right, would a noble lord take a fancy to the girls around here? Which of those girls in the city isn't more exciting than ours? I heard a traveling merchant who came to the village say..."
"That's nonsense. Didn't you see him come straight over looking for Yilaikesi? I heard nobles are into men... I reckon he wants to do something to Yilaikesi... Ow! Yilaikesi, that's going too far!"
Before the man could finish.
Yilaikesi pulled some dried meat out of his pocket and hit him in the face with it, making it sting.
Yilaikesi looked at the gossiping expressions on the faces of the grown men before him, his face darkening.
He couldn't believe these were the brothers he had spent so much time with!
He had only just gone outside and talked with Li Xing for the time it took to drink a cup of wine.
And his own people had already started making things up about him!
He thought of his own tall, handsome figure, his striking good looks, and the appearance he kept neat and clean every day.
By rights, he should have been a sought-after man in town, yet no one had ever shown interest in him.
Whenever he spoke with the girls in town, they all looked at him with regret.
Now, at last, he understood why!
If you'd never had stories made up about you, you wouldn't know how nasty it was!
Looking at his fellow hunters, whose words he had interrupted.
Yilaikesi muttered.
"Is this what comes of choosing the wrong friends?"
"Huh?!" came a chorus of voices.
As everyone knew, hunters had sharp ears.
"Yilaikesi, what do you mean by that? If you don't explain yourself today, we're not done!"
"That's right! You make it sound like we've done you harm! What have we brothers ever done to wrong you?"
"I reckon he's gotten acquainted with Li Xing and started looking down on his old brothers!"
"Could it be that what's-his-name said just now was true?"
"Fuck! No way!"
"Fuck! It can't be that bad!"
Hearing his brothers start making things up about him again right in front of him.
Yilaikesi slowly said:
"Fuck, I was going to tell you something, but now nothing is more important than my dignity.
Draw your swords!
Today, if you bastards don't take those words back, I'm not done with you!"
And so, inside the tavern.
A new storm of fighting began!
Just as Yilaikesi heroically shouted, "I'll fight ten of you!"
Inside the smithy.
"Li Xing! If what you said is true, then there's a very good chance Yilaikesi's guess is right.
It must be very dangerous outside town right now. Are you sure you still want to hunt wild boars in the area west of the bridge outside town?
There are some in the forest not far north of where you live,
so why do you have to go somewhere so dangerous alone?"
Uncle Angie Turner tried to dissuade Li Xing, who was fully equipped and ready to set out.
Just now, after Li Xing had told Uncle Angie Turner about the suspicious group he had encountered that morning, perhaps because of the confidence his physical transformation had given him, or perhaps because of his mastery of the skills Old Turner had taught him.
Li Xing told Angie Turner that he wanted to go hunting west of the stone bridge and, while he was there, scout out the movements of those suspicious people for the town.
Thinking it was almost time, he reassured Uncle Angie Turner.
"Uncle, don't worry! I'm taking that fine sword you gave me and a hunting bow!
Even if you don't trust me, you should trust the weapons you made yourself!
Besides, many of the 'miracles' I've mastered were taught to me by Old Turner, and he taught me archery too!
Uncle, even if you don't trust me, surely you trust your younger brother Old Turner's abilities!"
Seeing that Li Xing was still just as determined, Angie Turner picked up two bracers and handed them to him.
"Take these! Just in case. You don't have to return them; just bring me some wild boar tusks and hide afterward!"
After looking over Li Xing's clothing, Uncle Turner took all the arrows straight out of the quiver. After thinking for a moment, he gave Li Xing five arrows.
This left Li Xing full of questions!
"Uncle, what are you doing!?"
"If you're really as capable as my brother said, you won't need all those arrows.
About four should be enough! The rest will get in your way.
As for the extra one, that's just in case, as a spare."
"But why?"
Seeing Li Xing's bewildered expression, Uncle Turner explained.
"This hunting bow of mine was made for ordinary hunters, after all. If you're really as strong as my brother said...
Let me put it this way: I never intended for you to return this bow.
My brother is an elite warrior tempered in the army. He can only shoot four arrows with this bow of mine. One more and the bow will break!
Do you understand now?"
Seeing the look of understanding on Li Xing's face, Uncle Angie Turner took a long, thirty-centimeter-thick, rod-shaped object from under the counter and handed it to him.
"Since you insist on going west, take this signal firework, just in case. I'll organize some hunters to scout the area afterward. If you really run into danger and spot those suspicious people, send up the signal, and they'll come to support you from nearby."
Having understood the situation, Li Xing took the signal firework he had been given and, after Uncle gave him a few more words of advice, left the smithy.
And so, with a longsword at his side, a hunting bow in his hand, and a quiver on his back.
A handsome hunter strode through town, heading straight for the stone bridge outside!