At Second Mountain, the old hunters basically always went in groups.
On one hand, it was dangerous, and they could look out for one another.
On the other, if they really brought down some several-hundred-pound haul, they would need people to help carry it down.
Over time, a small circle naturally formed.
If you wanted to join that circle, it was best to have an acquaintance show you the way.
Otherwise, if someone was moved by greed at the sight of wealth, then deep in the mountains and forests, they might not even find your corpse.
"You're going to Second Mountain?"
Zhao Qiao was somewhat surprised. "Little Stone, how many days have you even been hunting?"
"My family still hasn't paid this year's taxes."
Chen Sanshi spoke frankly. "Other than Second Mountain, where else could I scrape together three taels of silver in such a short time?"
"Ah..."
Hearing this, Zhao Qiao could not help but sigh.
These days, harsh government was fiercer than a tiger.
He hesitated for a moment. "All right, but let me make the ugly truth clear first: if you come back empty-handed, you can't blame me."
"Of course. Don't worry, Uncle Zhao."
Chen Sanshi nodded.
On the way up the mountain, Zhao Qiao began explaining the precautions. "It's true that the deep mountains produce game, but they also claim lives often. If you run into a Great Worm or a Black Bear, it's best to run immediately.
"And the most important point—avoid brocade robes."
"Avoid brocade robes?" Chen Sanshi asked doubtfully.
"That's right."
Zhao Qiao explained gravely, "Those who come into the mountains to hunt dressed in brocade are either martial masters from martial halls or children of wealthy families. We can't afford to offend them.
"In the past, hunters have fought with lords over prey and lost their lives on the spot.
"So later on, our hunters' range was limited to the southern side of Second Mountain. Few dared to go to the northern side anymore. Just remember that.
"Lastly, if you bring down something big that you can't carry yourself, shoot a signal arrow into the sky. Any empty-handed hunters nearby will come help carry it down the mountain. Of course, you should pay them as the situation warrants."
"That's all there is to say. In short, be careful in everything. Even fellow villagers might set you up."
He took a Marrow-head arrow from his quiver and handed it over.
Like a Whistling arrow, a Marrow-head arrow was a signal arrow. Its head was not made of iron but wood, hollowed out within. When fired, it made an exceptionally loud sound, but had no killing power.
"Thank you, Uncle Zhao."
Chen Sanshi was completely sincere.
A few salted duck eggs in exchange for these words were absolutely worth it.
As they spoke, the two had already arrived at the foot of Second Mountain.
To avoid fighting over prey, hunters generally acted separately unless they had agreed beforehand to hunt a fierce beast together.
Second Mountain was deep and densely wooded.
The moment Chen Sanshi stepped into the forest, he discovered all sorts of traces within a radius of ten zhang—animal droppings hidden in the soil, footprints beneath the grass, and more.
"Some hunting dogs can't even do what I can!"
"I may not have a hunting dog, but I'm better than one myself!"
"And this is only the beginner level!"
He went all out, carrying his bow and arrows as he darted through the forest, not letting even the slightest movement escape him.
There was no shortage of prey on Second Mountain, but the overwhelming majority were small things like rabbits and pheasants. Large animals were just as hard to find.
On top of that, with years of poor harvests and excessive hunting, the hunters of Second Mountain could only barely make ends meet. Coming down empty-handed was a common occurrence as well.
According to Uncle Zhao, the place with truly abundant prey was on the northern side of the mountain. But that was the hunting ground of the highborn. Poor people without martial arts to protect themselves simply did not dare go there.
"Even hunting comes with oppression?"
Chen Sanshi did not rush to hunt.
At his current level, he could catch things like rabbits whenever he wanted. It would be best to look for something bigger—even a roe deer would do.
His concentration rose to its peak.
Not only did Chen Sanshi not feel tired, but the world before his eyes grew clearer and clearer, as if he were about to enter another realm.
Sure enough, after breaking through the critical point, the System Panel surfaced like rippling water.
Tracking (Mastery) Progress: 0/500 Effect: astonishing perception, light as a swallow
After that mysterious, unfathomable sensation, Chen Sanshi felt his five senses rise by another level.
Now, he could even clearly observe animal hairs on the ground!
Some wild animals deliberately hid their droppings.
But they had no way of hiding the hairs they accidentally shed!
And perception was not useful only for hunting. Archery likewise required excellent eyesight.
A target the size of a palm was only a black dot from eighty meters away, but if he could see even smaller things clearly, then naturally he could shoot more accurately.
These skills could all complement one another.
"Combined with the Eidetic Memory brought by reading, it feels like I've unlocked Sherlock Holmes's memory palace—only this is a version made specifically for hunting."
Chen Sanshi bent down and picked up a strand of black hair from the grass at his feet.
This hair is half a finger long, somewhat stiff, and has not yet decayed. That means its owner appeared nearby not long ago.
Almost every dozen or so steps, he found more hairs like it. After roughly a hundred steps, distinct footprints began to appear.
He began following the vine to find the melon.
The rugged, complicated mountain paths felt exceptionally easy beneath Chen Sanshi's feet. He moved astonishingly fast while making almost no sound at all—truly light as a swallow.
I wonder if this counts as qinggong.
Movement!
Outside a bamboo grove, he slowed his steps and approached the direction from which the sound came.
A strong wild boar, black from head to toe, suddenly came into view.
Five piglets followed behind it. The sow rooted through the mud in front, searching for food, while the piglets trotted after her with little snorts. The pig family was enjoying itself in perfect harmony, completely unaware that danger was approaching.
"I've struck it rich!"
"That sow weighs at least three hundred jin, and the piglets are worth even more!"
Chen Sanshi seemed to see gleaming silver beckoning to him. He suppressed his excitement and drew as close to the boars as he could.
It was true that he could shoot far, but the closer he was, the greater the power. Especially against something like a wild boar, thick-skinned and tough-fleshed, shooting from too far away made a fatal hit difficult.
Only when he was about twenty steps from the boar did Chen Sanshi stop behind a reverse slope.
He quietly removed the longbow from his back and nocked a brand-new Two-bladed barbed wolf-fang arrow.
The Four-force bow now felt feather-light in his hands. He could draw it fully with almost no effort, and felt that with just a little more force, he could snap it.
The bowstring fell, and the arrow flew, arriving in an instant!
"Squeeeal—"
Because it was a sneak attack from behind, the arrow buried itself directly in the wild boar's rump. A shrill scream rang out, sending flocks of birds flying away in panic.
Perhaps because the bow was too light, the arrowhead only sank about three cun into the flesh.
The wild boar did not flee. Instead, it entered a berserk state. Ignoring the blood pouring from its body, it charged toward him with furious snorts.
Wild boars were, in truth, a kind of fierce beast as well.
If an ordinary person got rammed by one, even if he did not die, he would be bedridden for half a month!
Chen Sanshi remained calm. His second arrow had already flown.
"Hrrrnnngh—"
Another arrow struck the wild boar. It visibly faltered, but did not stop, only continuing its charge at a slightly slower pace.
The third arrow followed close behind, piercing straight through its skull.
Only then did the wild boar finally collapse stiffly to the ground, dead as a doornail.
The five piglets beside it were frightened and scattered in different directions.
The surrounding terrain was complicated, and the piglets were small. For an ordinary hunter, at least two would have slipped through the net, but Chen Sanshi's archery was anything but ordinary.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Within only a few breaths, all five piglets were pierced through by arrows, dead beyond doubt.
The arrows in Chen Sanshi's quiver had also been used up exactly.
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