Archery Novice

The next day.

The rooster crowed at dawn, and the morning mist thinned.

Chen Sanshi woke early, warm jade pressed against his chest.

Gu Xinlan, her cheeks peach-red, was still asleep, clutching his arm so tightly she had nearly pinched marks into it.

In a feudal society, a weak woman with no one to rely on could be sold as a plaything at any moment. It was only natural for her to lack a sense of security.

Chen Sanshi spent quite some effort pulling his arm free.

Since he had taken her body, he had to shoulder even greater responsibility.

Then again, Gu Xinlan was clearly so frail, yet she was also so... a slender branch bearing abundant fruit. Who knew which wire had come loose in the original owner's head? He did not know how to cherish her properly.

Because the ancients knew full well that once one attained status, any kind of woman would be available. If one reached a sufficiently lofty position, perhaps one could even enjoy the pampered, tender and juicy, smooth and delicate, soft-spoken, obedient, literate daughters of wealthy families raised by court ministers. And, of course, their dowry maids—beautiful, capable, and capable again. They would even thoughtfully search everywhere and add several delicate, gorgeous concubines to your household. Naturally, the prerequisite was attaining that status.

A woman like this would have cost at least two million to marry in his previous life!

Solemn declaration: trafficking women was prohibited in his country—except unmarried ones. Chen Sanshi quietly got out of bed, took the bow and arrows from the wall, and went to the open space outside the house.

"Whew—"

After several deep breaths to calm his chaotic thoughts, he aimed at a crooked willow tree and began practicing archery in earnest.

After a night's—more accurately, half a night's—rest, his energy and strength had mostly recovered, and his accuracy was quite good as well.

Within twenty paces, he could basically hit half his shots.

To reduce wear and tear, he mostly practiced with only one arrow. Even so, by the end of the morning, it had been worn down terribly.

Inside the house.

Through the paper-covered window, Gu Xinlan quietly watched Chen Sanshi, drenched in sweat, and inexplicably felt at ease.

"Shi Ge'er is serious... He really plans to hunt and live his life with me."

Soon, she began to feel heartache for him.

"They tossed and turned for half the night yesterday, and Shi Ge'er got up so early to practice archery... What if he exhausts himself?"

Supporting herself against the wall, Gu Xinlan limped off to light the fire and cook.

"Done!"

Another arrow flew out, and Chen Sanshi let out a long breath.

Skill: Archery (Novice)

Progress: (0/200)

Effect: Draw a Six-force bow; within forty paces, never miss an arrow

Just reaching novice level was this outrageous? At the very least, he had to reach proficiency, right? At some moment just now, it had felt as though some kind of power had been poured into his body. Not only had his stamina improved greatly, but his archery had also broken through to another level.

Archery novice!

Chen Sanshi studied the changes on the System Panel.

A Six-force bow, never missing an arrow within forty paces.

In the Great Sheng Dynasty, one force equaled twelve jin. A Six-force bow thus equaled seventy-two jin!

As far as he knew, city-defending archers used Six-force bows as well.

In other words, he had already reached the standard of an ordinary archer.

One had to know that in ancient armies, any soldier capable of serving as an archer counted as an elite!

The latter line said: within forty paces, never miss an arrow.

A single pace in the Great Sheng Dynasty meant taking one step with each foot, roughly 1.4 meters. Forty paces meant over fifty meters.

That distance was not to be underestimated.

An ordinary bowman's effective combat range was around a hundred paces or more, but that involved firing volleys of arrows into the sky, not aiming and shooting levelly.

Under normal circumstances, assessments also had requirements for hit rates at distances of forty or fifty paces.

Chen Sanshi had watched archery competitions in his previous life. Their targets were generally around seventy meters away, and those were modern bows.

Besides, his ability was never missing within forty paces, every arrow landing in the ten ring. That did not mean he would definitely miss at seventy meters; he simply could not guarantee a ten-ring hit rate.

In short, according to the System Panel, he was more or less qualified to be assessed as an archer.

Chen Sanshi impatiently began testing it.

He nocked another arrow and drew the bow, his movements as practiced as those of a veteran of many years.

The Four-force bow that had felt rather heavy half an hour ago now felt remarkably easy to draw to its full extent. It could even be said to require no effort at all.

After advancing in archery, his physical strength had improved enormously as well!

He suppressed his emotions and fired a few arrows. His accuracy had truly multiplied; within forty paces, he hit the mark every time, and even against targets beyond sixty paces, his hit rate was not bad.

At this level, he would definitely be able to hit prey the next time he encountered it!

Most importantly, this was only the novice stage.

Chen Sanshi did not dare imagine what archery minor accomplishment or major accomplishment would be like.

"Shi Ge'er, breakfast is ready~"

A voice soft enough to melt bone drifted from inside the house.

Only then did Chen Sanshi put away his bow and return.

Though only one night had passed, Lan Jie'er had changed greatly. There was now an indescribable charm about her, and paired with those apricot eyes, she was particularly eye-catching.

On the dining table sat two bowls of food.

One was a bowl of rice with a cornbread bun, while the other held only half a bowl of porridge.

The grain bought with one qian of silver could not possibly last more than a few days. Clearly, Gu Xinlan was still unwilling to let herself eat her fill.

Chen Sanshi did not stand on ceremony either. Practicing archery had consumed a great deal of energy, and he still had to climb the mountain later, so he needed nourishment even more. After giving Lan Jie'er half a cornbread bun, he ate all the rest.

Full and satisfied, he slung his bow over his back and headed out.

"Be careful, Shi Ge'er. Even if you do not catch anything, do not go too deep into the mountains. Just bring back some wild vegetables or firewood."

Gu Xinlan did not believe her man could bring home meat after only just beginning archery practice. Safety came first.

As long as they worked together to weather this immediate crisis, even if Shi Ge'er wanted to quit working and study later, she would be willing to support him with her life.

By the time Chen Sanshi stepped out of the house, the sky was fully bright.

The neighbors had also begun their day's work. Quite a few found it strange when they saw him carrying a bow and arrows.

"Hey, is Shi Ge'er planning to go hunting in the mountains?"

"Can he even do it?"

"See? I said early this morning that he could not make sense of books!"

"Get lost, Scabby Head. At least he knows how to hunt. What can you do?"

"Little Stone, want Uncle Zhao to take you along for a couple of days?"

"Be careful. Your whole family is relying on you now."

Some villagers made sarcastic remarks, but thanks to the original owner's father being well-liked, the overwhelming majority meant well.

Chen Sanshi greeted them one by one, but his feet did not slow. He hastened toward Tiger Head Mountain.

After reaching novice level in archery, he had grown stronger. He could draw a Six-force bow, and his overall physical condition had improved substantially as well. Before, it took him two hours to reach the foot of Tiger Head Mountain; today, it took less than an hour and a half.

Following the winding path carved out by people, Chen Sanshi arrived halfway up the mountain and began searching for traces of prey.

Yet after wandering about for quite some time, he found nothing but small insects and sparrows.

Normally, a qualified hunter also needed tools such as hunting dogs and animal traps, but he was simply too poor. Apart from one bow, he had nothing.

No, he had to gain something. Otherwise, the little food left at home would soon be gone.

Chen Sanshi closed his eyes and tried hard to recall the earnest teachings his father had given him in childhood.

For example, how to judge what prey might be nearby from droppings; what kinds of animals liked what environments; the habits of various animals; and how to move through the forest without startling prey.

Tracking (Not Novice)

Progress: 3/100

Effect: None

Staring at the few small lines that had suddenly appeared before him, Chen Sanshi was a little dazed.

"This works too?"

"Could it be that as long as it counts as a skill, I can grind it?"

"Good, good, good! Hunting is my bowl of rice to eat!"

He suppressed his joy at discovering that he had more than one cheat and began searching for traces of prey with twice the care.

That search lasted half a day.

By the time Chen Sanshi sat down to rest, his proficiency had already risen to another level.

Tracking (Novice)

Progress: 0/200

Effect: Notice the smallest details, walk with light steps

Chen Sanshi's ears and eyes became sharp. He could easily distinguish the precise direction from which birdsong came in the forest, and he could effortlessly make out the movements of tiny insects and ants on the ground. It felt as though everything was under his control.

He rose and resumed his search. This time, he quickly discovered animal droppings near a patch of bushes.

Black and round, each pellet about the size of a bean.

There were also oval footprints in the soft soil beside them.

A wild rabbit!

"The droppings are fresh. It should not be far from here!"

Chen Sanshi followed the tracks forward. Under the effects of Tracking, he made almost no sound.

He stepped into a grove, then saw in the distance a plump gray wild rabbit crouched there, intently chewing grass, utterly unaware of anything amiss.

"What a fat rabbit!"

Chen Sanshi's gaze was sharp as an eagle's. He immediately nocked an arrow and drew the bow, three fingers gripping the string tightly as the entire Recurve Bow tightened like a hungry wolf poised to pounce.

"Whoosh—"

The sound of something tearing through the air sounded.

Within forty paces, never miss an arrow!

In the blink of an eye, the sharp arrow shot straight through the wild rabbit.

Hit!

His first prey in life!