Hunter

On the dinner table.

Lan Jie'er was in high spirits due to the good news, and for the first time ever, she served herself two chopsticks of rabbit meat.

After paying the taxes and getting rid of the bully, anyone would be happy.

"Shi Ge'er."

She looked at her man with great admiration: "The Qin fellow must have heard about your skills and dared not cause trouble for us anymore. You're truly amazing."

He could even shoot down wild boars, no wonder she always felt Shi Ge'er was so strong!

After dinner, Gu Xinlan habitually sat by the bedside waiting, but the other party, uncharacteristically, did not come into the room for a long time.

She lifted the curtain and saw Chen Sanshi sitting under the candlelight, engrossed in reading a book.

"Aren't you going to rest early today?"

Gu Xinlan was a little disappointed, but still obediently didn't disturb him and went to sleep on her own.

[Skill: Reading (Novice)]
[Progress: (120/300)]
[Effect: Invigorated, Eidetic Memory]

Chen Sanshi gently closed the book. After confirming Lan Jie'er was fast asleep, he tucked a cleaver into his waist, slung his longbow over his back, and tiptoed out of the house, melting into the night.

The brothel.

"Sir, why not stay the night? What are you going back for?"

"Get lost, get lost! I've got things to do!"

Qin Xiong pushed away the courtesan who was trying to keep him, and stumbled out of the brothel.

The price for staying the night was tripled, and he wasn't stupid.

The money at home couldn't be wasted; it had to be saved for a gift for his brother.

He had lost his parents at a young age and raised his brother by selling flatbreads. Later, he made a name for himself and saved money to send his brother to the best martial arts academy in Poyang County, Tianyuan Martial Arts Academy.

But practicing martial arts was truly too expensive.

Not to mention registration fees, master fees, and medical expenses, obtaining true teachings was another huge expenditure.

The old masters at the county martial arts academy basically only passed down their martial arts to their own sons or disciples; outsiders could never learn the real secrets.

His brother was no exception.

He had been practicing martial arts for over three years, but still hadn't learned a complete set of techniques.

Fortunately, his brother was close to the young master of the academy. That brat was a lecherous devil; if he could get more beautiful women for him, there might be hope of obtaining the true teachings.

"Speaking of which, that Gu girl is truly beautiful!"

"Her looks don't seem like someone from the countryside at all."

"What a shame, what a shame!"

Thinking about this matter made Qin Xiong feel indignant.

He actually had to apologize to the Chen fellow.

But this was only temporary.

When his brother had some free time, what was a mere hunter?

No matter how strong he was, could he be stronger than someone who practiced martial arts?

At that time, he would seize the opportunity to have his brother deal with the Chen fellow on the mountain, and he could even keep the Chen fellow's little wife for himself!

"Hahaha!"

Thinking of the little wife's grinding-stone-like buttocks, Qin Xiong couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Whoosh—"

A cold wind blew past, sobering him up considerably.

He looked around and realized he had unconsciously walked out of the city. It was pitch black all around, and the occasional caw of a crow in the distance made the deep night seem even more silent.

"Heh, my courage is getting smaller and smaller!"

For some reason, Qin Xiong felt a chill today, as if someone was following him.

He chuckled self-deprecatingly and was about to head home when another gust of wind suddenly came from behind him.

This gust of wind was very thin and sharp, striking directly at the back of his head, giving him a bone-chilling coldness.

This "wind" pierced into his head from the back of his skull and emerged from the crown of his head, as if he had grown a single horn on his forehead.

Qin Xiong fell straight down, without any further movement.

"Not satisfying enough!"

Chen Sanshi emerged from the distant woods and stepped forward to examine the body.

When practitioners of martial arts fought, they would block with swords and fight with their bodies.

He had merely pulled his bowstring from afar, and everything was over. He hadn't even used the cleaver he brought. The process was too fast, and the Qin fellow had died too easily.

"Forget it, who told me to be kind-hearted."

Chen Sanshi found about three taels of broken silver on the corpse.

"That's all?"

"This scoundrel wreaked havoc in the village, earning at least dozens of taels of silver every year. Where did the money go?"

"Is his younger brother's martial arts training that expensive?"

After pocketing the silver, he began to ponder how to dispose of the body.

The corpse had arrow wounds, so it definitely couldn't be left here.

There were only a handful of hunters within a radius of dozens of miles.

Cutting off the head separately would get blood all over him, making it even harder to deal with.

"I'll just throw it on the mountain!"

Chen Sanshi hoisted the corpse onto his shoulders.

Under the effect of his "Light as a Swallow" skill, carrying the dead body didn't slow him down at all.

In just one hour, he arrived at Second Mountain, dumped the corpse in a hidden patch of forest, and returned to his home in Yanbian Village before daybreak.

He lay down beside Lan Jie'er, who was fast asleep, and let out a long sigh.

"I guess I've rid the villagers of a menace!"

"I just don't know if his brother will come looking for me."

"I need to start practicing martial arts as soon as possible!"

He had no regrets.

Given Qin Xiong's character, an apology was only temporary. Once his brother gained power, he would surely seek revenge tenfold.

Rather than waiting anxiously, it was better to strike first.

The next morning, the roosters crowed, signaling dawn.

Chen Sanshi, as usual, woke up early to practice archery.

After mastering archery, the speed of proficiency increase dropped sharply.

It was because the bow was too light.

He could now draw a one-stone bow, and a four-force bow had no training effect.

"Getting a heavy bow won't be easy."

"Even martial arts academies don't dare to hoard them privately, as it would be considered treason."

"Besides needing a heavy bow, martial arts training should also be put on the agenda."

"..."

Chen Sanshi was silently contemplating his next steps when Gu Xinlan called him for breakfast.

"Clang, clang, clang—"

He sat down absentmindedly. Just as he picked up his steamed bun, the sound of gongs and angry shouts erupted in the village.

The authorities!

Chen Sanshi's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly calmed down.

"It can't be because of Qin Xiong. He's only been dead for one night."

"He's not important enough to warrant such a large display. Something else must have happened."

As expected.

Officers from the County Yamen's Patrol House, shouting at the top of their lungs, summoned the entire village and announced a major event.

A Barbarian martial artist had infiltrated Poyang County and assassinated the County Magistrate.

The entire village erupted in shock.

The county authorities had come to search for the assassin.

After gathering all the villagers, the Patrol House officers began searching house by house. They left in disappointment after a long, fruitless search.

"Even the County Magistrate was killed,"

Gu Xinlan whispered. "I remember this County Magistrate was only transferred here less than two years ago. It seems being an official isn't easy either."

"Mm."

Chen Sanshi watched the retreating constables, feeling a sense of unease.

Why would a Barbarian martial artist kill the County Magistrate?

The Garrison was responsible for border defense, not the county yamen. If they wanted to attack, they should have targeted the experts within the army.

"Never mind."

"It's none of my business."

Chen Sanshi shook his head, lamenting that the world was becoming increasingly chaotic, which only spurred his desire to make money.

With money, he could improve his own strength and protect himself in these turbulent times.

He hastily finished his meal and, shouldering his bow and arrows, headed up the mountain to hunt.