Practice

Although the Lu Family was not one of those top-tier Influential Families, it was still a renowned wealthy household throughout the villages around Xiao Huang Village. They controlled the local butchery trade and kept a number of butchers under their command.

On ordinary days, the Lu Family purchased pigs, dogs, cattle, and sheep from the surrounding area. After slaughtering them, they sent the meat to Meat Shops in the market town to sell, sometimes even supplying the Wine Houses in the county seat. There was no small amount of silver to be made from all that business.

Xu Yang had spent money pulling strings to secure this job, firstly to train up skills, and secondly to obtain meat.

Slaughtering pigs, dogs, cattle, and sheep should let him develop a skill related to "Slaughter." At worst, he could practice his knife techniques and, like the "Flying Stone" skill he had developed from skipping stones, unlock some related offensive skill.

As for meat, he had no hopes for the good cuts, but getting hold of offal and such would not be a problem. With money, he could even purchase a limited amount of meat at the employee price.

With a stable source of meat, the money from selling himself, and the Eating Skill support from his main body, Xu Yang would soon be able to build this frail teenage body into something stronger.

By then, he might still be unable to deal with Martial Masters and instructors, but handling a few Guard Servants and loafers like Li Lao Jiu would absolutely not be a problem.

Money could make even ghosts grind millstones. With the arrangements of Zhang Fu, the chief steward, Xu Yang smoothly completed the procedures to become a butcher.

Of course, Xu Yang's own performance was not bad either. Butchery mainly depended on strength and courage, and Xu Yang lacked neither. He also had plenty of "work experience," so getting hired naturally was not difficult.

Around noon, Xu Yang returned home carrying a string of pig offal, his body reeking of blood and slaughter.

This had not been his share from slaughtering pigs. As a newly hired apprentice, how could he possibly compete with the Old Butchers for food? He could only buy some at a relatively favorable price, which barely counted as an employee benefit.

"Brother!"

Li Hong Yu opened the door to greet him. Just as she was about to approach, the smell from Xu Yang drove her back. She hurriedly pinched her nose. "What is that smell?"

"We're having meat tonight."

Xu Yang smiled and said no more. He handed the string of pig offal to Li Hong Yu, then went inside, slung a bamboo basket over his back, and picked up a short axe and a hunting bow.

His younger brother, Li Qing He, came over. "Brother, it's already noon. Are you still going into the mountains?"

"Hmm!"

Xu Yang nodded. "I'm going to see if I can catch something."

Li Qing He's eyes lit up. "Can I come too?"

Xu Yang shook his head with a smile. "When you're a few years older, I'll take you."

"Oh...!"

Li Qing He dragged out the sound, clearly disappointed.

Xu Yang said no more. With the bamboo basket on his back, he left home and prepared to head into the mountains to hunt.

He did not merely want to be a butcher. He also wanted to be a Hunter. After all, bows and arrows were an exceptionally sharp means of long-range attack. Not to mention a transmigrator who had experienced the information explosion—even anyone with a little knowledge and experience knew how great the advantage of ranged combat was over close combat. Since he had the chance, he naturally had to practice.

And so...

By evening, Xu Yang returned home, the bamboo basket on his back looking quite heavy.

"Brother, what did you catch?"

Li Qing He and Li Hong Yu ran out, then stopped in their tracks. Looking at the bamboo basket stuffed full on Xu Yang's back, their eyes were filled with confusion.

"Why did you bring back so much bamboo?"

"Didn't you say you were going hunting?"

Facing their questions, Xu Yang smiled and set down the basket. "Sharpening the axe won't delay the chopping of firewood!"

With that, he sat down and began sorting through the bamboo he had cut down.

He had clearly said he was going hunting, so why had he brought back a pile of bamboo?

Simple. He had come back empty-handed!

Although he had inherited Li Qingshan's memories and identity, Li Qingshan had never been a particularly skilled Hunter. His archery was quite ordinary, and failing to catch prey was perfectly normal. Previously, he had even considered selling his hunting bow and hunter's license to focus entirely on farming.

Now that Xu Yang had transmigrated here, that had not changed. After all, he only knew how to fish, not hunt.

But it did not matter if he did not know how. He could practice. With the Attribute Panel, there was no skill he could not learn.

Thus, Xu Yang had cut down a basket of bamboo, intending to use it to practice the Archery skill.

Xu Yang took a green bamboo stalk and shaved away all its branches and leaves. He then cut two rings of grooves near each end, bent the entire stalk into a crescent shape, and tied a vine he had cut back around it.

And with that, a crude Bamboo Bow was complete—so crude it could only be used as a toy for children.

"Hmm, not bad!"

Though the thing would be ruined after only a few uses and had almost no killing power, Xu Yang still nodded in satisfaction, praising his own work.

It did not matter if it was crude, nor did it matter if it broke. As long as it allowed him to perform the act of "Archery," that was enough.

The key to practicing skills was doing them. Doing them well was certainly the icing on the cake, but doing them poorly did not mean he could not turn something rotten into something miraculous.

When he had practiced the Disguise skill, had he not merely smeared mud on his face, hunched over, and lowered his voice? Yet had he not still developed the Disguise skill, along with such powerful traits as Breath Concealment and Bone Shrinking?

Therefore, whether he did something well enough was not the key. The key was whether he did it enough times and for long enough.

With the bow done, he only lacked arrows. Xu Yang took several thin bamboo twigs. He did not need feathers for balance; he simply sharpened the front ends of the bamboo, and equally crude Bamboo Arrows were made.

"Brother, what are you doing?"

"Is that... a bow and arrow?"

"What can that bow and arrow hit? Even Er Gou next door's slingshot is stronger than that."

Looking at Xu Yang's rough creations, Li Qing He and Li Hong Yu were even more confused.

"Don't worry about it. Go make dinner."

Xu Yang smiled and sent the two little ones away before continuing his great Bow Making endeavor.

In ancient times, bows and arrows were high-end industrial products. They demanded extremely high levels of craftsmanship and materials. As for materials, there were said to be six: wood, horn, sinew, glue, silk, and lacquer.

Wood formed the bow limbs. As the main body, it required excellent timber and determined the bow's draw strength, range, and killing power.

Horn and sinew came from animals. They were attached to the inner and outer sides of the bow limbs, enhancing its elasticity and power.

Glue, silk, and lacquer were also all extremely important to a bow. Only the finest materials could produce a good bow.

The Bamboo Bow Xu Yang was making had not the slightest connection to the word "good." It would probably break after being drawn only a few times.

But that was fine. If quality was not enough, quantity could make up for it. If one bow did not work, then he would make ten. If ten did not work, then a hundred. Bamboo and vines cost nothing anyway—free materials that he could use and grind away at as he pleased. Sooner or later, he would grind out the skill.

Besides the Archery skill, making bows and arrows might also generate a skill, giving Xu Yang another craft to earn a living with.

One had to know that in ancient times, Craftsmen capable of making bows and arrows were military resources. He dared not say anything else, but it would certainly be enough to support an entire family.

Xu Yang's hands and feet were nimble, and these Bamboo Bows and Bamboo Arrows required no delicate techniques. He made them quickly. Before night fell, he had turned the entire basket of bamboo into Bamboo Bows and Bamboo Arrows.

"Brother, dinner's ready."

"Hmm!"

Li Qing He and Li Hong Yu had also finished making dinner. Xu Yang put down what he was holding, got up, and sat at the table.

"Brother, yours."

Li Hong Yu placed a huge bowl before him. It contained steaming Unpolished Rice, while a large bowl of Offal Soup sat on the table as a side dish. The sight made one's appetite... Hmm, not at all whetted.

The pigs raised by rural households at this time were basically uncastrated, making them exceptionally gamey, and their offal was even worse. Without enough spices, turning such offal into a delicacy was very difficult.

Thus, to be honest, the bowl of pork offal on the table was not enticing, especially for Xu Yang.

Even so, Li Qing He and Li Hong Yu stared at the bowl, swallowing constantly as they watched the droplets of oil floating on the soup's surface.

Xu Yang smiled and picked up his bowl and chopsticks. "Eat."

"Mm-hmm!"

Having received permission from the head of the household, the two little ones could no longer restrain themselves and immediately began eating.

With the money from selling himself in hand, Xu Yang naturally would not mistreat himself. Though the only meat was a set of gamey pig offal, there was all the Unpolished Rice they could eat, along with plenty of vegetables. With meat and vegetables together, it was already an exceptionally lavish meal for Li Qing He and Li Hong Yu.

There was no wine to fill them, but there was enough food. The two little ones cleared away the bowls and chopsticks, while Xu Yang returned to work.

He picked up the crude Bamboo Bow, aimed at the earthen wall in the courtyard, and began practicing Archery.

A target?

There was no target.

After practicing skills for so many years, Xu Yang had also figured out certain rules and insights for training them.

When first starting out, it was best to focus on quantity. Once he reached a certain level or generated the skill, he could gradually focus on quality and roll high-quality trait entries.

So, he did not make a target. Or rather, the earthen wall itself was his target, helping him complete the sequence of "drawing the bow," "shooting the arrow," and "hitting the target."

Night had already fallen. The moon hung high overhead, and Xiao Huang Village lay submerged in tranquil darkness. Only a few households, such as Li Lu's, still had lamps burning.

Lamp oil and candles were expenses. Ordinary households naturally saved wherever they could. Moreover, there was nothing to do at night. Aside from those making children or beating children, nearly everyone else had gone to sleep.

Under the cold moonlight, Xu Yang held the bow and straightened his body. Following the techniques and instincts from Li Qingshan's memories, he corrected his stance and movements. Then he drew the Bamboo Bow and fired at the earthen wall before him.

The result...

Snap!

With a soft sound, the Bamboo Arrow fell to the ground. It only drifted two or three paces forward and did not come close to touching the earthen wall.

Xu Yang did not care. He continued correcting his stance and movements, drew the Bamboo Bow, and fired another arrow.

This time was a little better. The Bamboo Arrow flew five or six paces and landed at the foot of the earthen wall.

Xu Yang smiled and continued drawing the bow. His stance and movements gradually became more standard, and he thoroughly mastered the original body's archery Arts.

And so, beneath the cold moonlight, a frail youth drew bow and nocked arrow, firing repeatedly at the earthen wall. The light Bamboo Arrows went from drifting about wildly at first, to gradually striking the earthen wall and leaving marks, then to each arrow piercing into the yellow mud and sticking into the top of the wall...