Bear Heart Leopard Gall

"Was it Tianyuan Martial Arts Academy?"

After leaving the tent, Chen Sanshi recalled the conversation from earlier.

Since Tianyuan Martial Arts Academy had thrown a wrench in things, it meant Qin Feng was behind it again.

He had actually managed to get the Young Master of the Academy to step forward and handle matters for him. Their relationship must have been anything but ordinary. Could it be that he had received the true teachings?

Also, the Hundred Household Commander had asked whether he had a grudge against the Liang family. Was he preparing to help him?

Wang Zhi's change in attitude had come as a surprise, but upon careful thought, it also made perfect sense.

Most likely, Chen Sanshi was valuable to him.

Still, Chen Sanshi took it calmly and did not find it hypocritical.

The so-called ways of the world were simply you helping me, and me helping you.

With no blood ties or old friendship between them, where would so much genuine feeling come from?

For that very reason, Chen Sanshi had never truly pinned all his hopes on Wang Zhi solving this matter for him. He still needed to hurry up and train, increasing his own strength—that was the true kingly path.

He returned to the Training Ground.

The commotion from earlier had been far too great, and everyone was now staring at him with disbelief written all over their faces.

"Stone, how did you do it?"

Zhu Tong was filled with admiration. "I saw it just now. When Song Yan's second uncle heard about this, his face turned green with rage!"

"..."

Chen Sanshi was speechless.

So he had offended another one.

But it did not matter. He could not shrink back just because he feared offending people.

"I'm heading home first."

Chen Sanshi did not waste time chatting. He packed up his things and left the Military Camp.

Eating at restaurants all the time was not cost-effective. It would be best to buy meat and cook it himself.

Not even a few hours after he left, word that someone had mastered spear techniques overnight without a breathing method spread throughout the entire Left Army Thousand Household Office of Poyang County.

Many new recruits who had still wanted to compete for a place among the "Vanguard Chosen" suffered a mental collapse and gave up. Their goals had basically shifted to becoming Warrior Recruits.

It was not until two days later that people gradually began practicing spear techniques.

Among this group, the fastest was naturally Song Yan.

On the third day, he finally learned the spear technique with the aid of the breathing method, yet he still felt deeply frustrated.

"Second Uncle, I can't beat Chen Sanshi."

Inside a Two-entrance courtyard house, Song Yan lowered his head, his voice dispirited.

"Even if you can't beat him, you still have to try!"

Luo Dongquan said angrily, "As long as you haven't cultivated blood and qi yet, you still have a chance."

Two servants carried trays into the courtyard.

On the trays were steaming boiled meat and organs. Most eye-catching of all was a dark yellow, slender organ with a slightly twisted shape.

"This is Leopard Gall."

Luo Dongquan said, "Bear Heart Leopard Gall can be considered Great tonic medicine. Starting today, eat one every day. Not only will it nourish your body, it will also help you cultivate blood and qi faster. This Leopard Gall costs ten taels of silver apiece. With that brat's family circumstances, he can't afford it."

"Second Uncle, he's a hunter," Song Yan said. "And I heard he's a very capable hunter."

Hearing this, Luo Dongquan could not help but laugh.

"A hunter? Do you think those hunters outside Poyang County are so poor they can barely afford their taxes for no reason?

"The truly valuable things on Tiger Head Mountain are all in the deep mountains north of Second Mountain. Those prey animals rarely come out, and the hunters do not dare enter recklessly either."

"Why?"

"Why? Because they're poor!"

Luo Dongquan said in a deep voice, "Poor people only need to barely stay alive. Making money is not their turn. It's that simple.

"That's why I'm doing everything I can to send you climbing upward. Only when you climb high enough can you bully others instead of being bullied!"

"Second Uncle, why must we bully others?"

Song Yan was somewhat confused.

"Idiot!"

Luo Dongquan flared up. "Eat your Leopard Gall properly! As for that dead fat man, he spends money like water and is extremely greedy. He definitely will not take out real gold and silver to support that brat surnamed Chen."

"Whew—"

After finishing a set of spear techniques alongside his breathing method, Chen Sanshi was drenched in sweat. He directly dumped a bucket of cold water over himself.

Technique: Basic Soldier Spear Technique (Not initiated)

Progress: (38/100)

Effect: None

"Cultivating blood and qi really isn't as easy as Zhu Tong said."

He sat on a rock and took a long while to catch his breath.

Chen Sanshi had trained day and night for the past two days, yet his progress had only risen this much. He was still quite a distance from truly getting started.

"Shi Ge'er, dinner's ready," Gu Xinlan called.

"Coming."

Chen Sanshi sat down at the table, grabbed an entire chunk of beef shank, and began gnawing on it.

Gu Xinlan said painfully, "You've worn yourself out lately, haven't you?"

"I'm fine."

Chen Sanshi asked, "Are we nearly out of money at home?"

"There's one tael and three mace of silver left."

Gu Xinlan remembered every detail of the household clearly. "It can still hold out for a few more days."

"Practicing martial arts really burns money..."

Chen Sanshi was rather speechless.

In just a few short days, he had eaten all the family's savings straight into his stomach.

Yet even so, his body still showed signs of depleted blood and qi.

It seemed ordinary livestock meat had limited effect. He had to eat game meat.

Chen Sanshi said, "I'm heading into the mountains this afternoon."

"You're going to hunt Black Bear with Uncle Zhao and the others?" Gu Xinlan asked nervously. "You have to be careful."

"Mm. Don't worry."

Chen Sanshi set down his bowl and chopsticks just as someone knocked on the door outside.

It was Zhao Qiao and the others.

Zhao Qiao carried a basket of fish, Wu Da held a jar of honey, and there was another honest-looking young hunter leading a black-and-gray slender hunting dog.

After introductions, Chen Sanshi learned that his name was Zhuang Yi.

The four of them traveled together and, familiar with the route, soon arrived on Second Mountain.

"South of Second Mountain, there's plenty to hunt, but not much worth money."

Zhao Qiao said, "That includes Black Bear. It actually belongs to the north too. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be our turn to deal with it. But that beast developed a habit of eating people, and it's smart too.

"It can't afford to provoke martial artists, so every year around this time, it sneaks down to the south side of Second Mountain or First Mountain and attacks hunters who go into the mountains."

"Even beasts bully ordinary people!" Zhuang Yi said indignantly.

"We're here."

Wu Da pointed ahead. "Three Donkey and several other hunters all met with trouble around this area."

They stopped in a fairly open, level patch of grass, placed the bait they had brought on the ground, then hid in the woods some distance away. They intended to let the autumn wind carry the scent and lure Black Bear over.

But after waiting for a long time, there was still no movement.

"I'll do it."

Chen Sanshi had not wanted to embarrass them before, but since this method was ineffective, they should not waste any more time.

Tracking (Proficient)

Progress: 350/500

Effect: Astonishing insight, light as a swallow

It had been a long time since he had gone hunting in the mountains. He could use this opportunity to improve his skill.

His eyes were bright as torches. Before long, he found a patch of rotten fruit peel in the nearby grass, followed by cylindrical droppings wrapped around insects beneath a cluster of shrubs.

For Chen Sanshi, as long as he locked onto an approximate area, there was no trace he could not find.

After he found it, the hunting dog finally followed over and discovered it as well. It barked excitedly, seeming deeply admiring.

Being admired by a dog felt a little strange somehow.

"Hey, Brother Chen, you're incredible!"

Zhuang Yi said frankly, "You're even better than a dog!"

"Can't you talk properly?"

Wu Da slapped the back of his head. "Brother Shi has real skill. Learn from him!"

Chen Sanshi signaled for silence and continued onward.

About four li later, they arrived at a valley with a small stream running through its center.

From far away, Chen Sanshi could see numerous traces left by medium and large animals in the forest across the stream.

"The other side is North Mountain!"

Wu Da said with feeling, "There aren't just lots of large animals in there. There's also a chance of encountering exotic beasts. Catching just one would make you rich.

"Unfortunately, we have to 'avoid brocade-clad guards' and don't dare go over easily. If we provoke any martial arts academy disciples, we'll be in for terrible bad luck!"

Chen Sanshi had heard of this long ago. "What exactly counts as provoking them?"

"There's no standard."

Zhuang Yi took over. "Whoever they dislike is the unlucky one."

"But Brother Shi, you're different."

Wu Da said, "If you can become a military officer someday, you won't have to fear them!"

One step behind, every step behind.

If he could not become a Banner Officer, he would not even have the qualifications to hunt, and naturally, he would have nothing.

Without wasting time, Chen Sanshi continued westward, leading the others into a dense forest.

Once they entered the area, traces of Black Bear's life immediately became obvious.

There were claw marks on tree trunks, footprints on the ground, and overturned stones.

Chen Sanshi remained vigilant and did not approach, searching for the Black Bear's figure.

"There's a tree hollow."

Wu Da pointed at a hollow in an ancient tree ahead. "But it seems empty."

As he spoke, he moved closer to look.

"Careful!"

Chen Sanshi sharply sensed that something was wrong and hurriedly stopped him. "Behind you!"

Almost at the same moment, a huge figure burst from the bushes and lunged at scar-faced Wu Da's back.

This beast had been waiting for a long time!

After entering the dense forest, Chen Sanshi had not heard any movement at all, so he had not dared get too close.

When Wu Da and the others saw that the tree hollow was empty, they assumed Black Bear had gone out to forage and lowered their guard. Who would have thought that after becoming accustomed to eating people, Black Bear had instead begun actively hunting humans!

No wonder the bait had been useless!

Thud—

This Black Bear was larger than ordinary members of its kind. It was roughly two and a half meters long and weighed at least seven or eight hundred jin. One brush meant injury; one hit meant death!

Wu Da did not even have time to take out an arrow. His bow was slapped into two halves, and the thick bear paw was about to strike him across the face.

In that flash of lightning and spark of flint, a Wolf-fang arrow struck with perfect accuracy, piercing Black Bear's left eye.

Roar—

A miserable roar sounded.

Only then did Zhao Qiao and Zhuang Yi react, hurriedly firing arrows.

However, the arrows from their Four-force bows were not drawn to full strength due to their panic. They merely pierced the skin and lodged in the Black Bear's fat, failing to cause any real damage. Instead, they completely enraged Black Bear, which lunged at them like mad.

Zhao Qiao and Zhuang Yi were too close to fire a second arrow, so they could only turn and run.

The hunting dog barked wildly nearby, unable even to get close.

"Beast, come chase me!"

Chen Sanshi fired another arrow as he spoke.

Since Black Bear had its back to him, he could not hit a vital point and could only shoot its thick, hide-covered back.

Still, because the bow was heavy enough, half the arrow sank into its body.

ROAR!!!

Black Bear violently changed targets and charged at the person whose attacks caused it the most pain at astonishing speed.

It looked clumsy, but once it started running, it was incredibly fast.

Wu Da and the other two watched in terror. "Run!"

But their pounding hearts quickly settled.

Because Chen Sanshi was even faster. As nimble as an ape, he darted and twisted through the dense forest, and Black Bear missed its pounces several times.

The blade-like tips of the Wolf-fang arrows continuously tore through its flesh and bone. Dark red blood soaked its fur, and its speed gradually slowed.

After pulling open some distance, Chen Sanshi drew his bow and nocked another arrow.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

One arrow followed another with hardly any pause.

Drawing a Two-stone heavy bow to full tension repeatedly—what kind of explosive power was that?

Zhao Qiao and the others watched in a daze, though they did not remain idle. They used their lighter bows to provide support from the side.

Before long, Black Bear had been struck by several arrows, and its movements became sluggish.

After confirming that he could deal with this beast without injury, Chen Sanshi deliberately avoided its vital points. Instead, he lured it out of the dense forest and, taking advantage of its weakness, raised the Plum Blossom Spear and met it head-on.

With such a fine living target, how could he not make good use of it?