Shooting Skill Comes First

Back in Wuqiao Town, it was already deep into the night.

The two parted at the town entrance.

Xie An returned to the small room in the rear courtyard of Yong'an Pawnshop, while Chen He drove the carriage back to the medicinal shop beside the entrance of Chen Martial Arts School.

The medicinal shop was lit.

As soon as he entered, Chen He saw his elder brother Chen Lei sitting in the shop with an oil lamp burning. He looked extremely anxious, repeatedly glancing toward the door.

"Big Brother, what brings you here?"

Although Chen Lei was two years older than Chen He, he had practiced martial arts for years. His breath was powerful, and he did not look old. He possessed an imposing presence without anger. He was a true Guan-level Martial Artist.

"Third Brother, why did you only just get back? You nearly worried me to death. I was even afraid something had happened to this batch of medicinal materials."

"The horse ran wild halfway there, which delayed me. Fortunately, nothing happened to the medicinal materials." Chen He felt immensely relieved. Although Chen Lei treated him fairly well, if he had lost the medicinal materials, he probably would no longer have been able to stay at Chen Martial Arts School. This distant relative he had clung to would have reached its end.

"That's good." Chen Lei let out a long breath of relief, then followed Chen He outside to the carriage to inspect the medicinal materials.

Chen Martial Arts School consumed a huge quantity of medicinal supplements, enough to cover the expenses of all its instructors and students. Every time they went to the county seat to purchase medicinal ingredients, the amount involved could easily reach several hundred taels. It was an absolutely crucial matter, and nothing could be allowed to go wrong.

While helping unload the medicinal materials, Chen He casually asked, "Big Brother, I heard people talking about the Giant Whale Gang in the county seat today. Have you heard of the Giant Whale Gang?"

Chen Lei noticed nothing unusual and answered offhandedly, "The Giant Whale Gang is a criminal organization established in the past few years. It developed extremely rapidly and has six or seven hundred members. They even keep cavalry. They're one of the greatest scourges in Qingwu County. Supposedly, their leader is an expert from another county, a formidable one. He's ambitious enough to try to seize territory from Tiger Wolf Gate and the Heaven Heavenly Saber Society."

What?

Chen He stood dumbfounded. He had never imagined that the three bandits he had encountered that night had such a powerful background.

A criminal organization with six or seven hundred members was already terrifying. What was more, they even trained cavalry... that was, mounted troops.

No wonder Xie An had previously told him not to mention being ambushed by bandits that night to anyone.

Even if it was his cousin Chen Lei, if he found out... he might scold Chen He, and might not even be willing to help him conceal it. He could even tie Chen He up and take him to the Giant Whale Gang to apologize and smooth things over.

Fortunately... he had listened to Old Xie's advice.

Seeing Chen He's strange expression, Chen Lei asked, "What's wrong?"

Chen He hurriedly found an excuse. "I suppose the cold got to me."

Xie An returned to the small room in the rear courtyard, took a bath, and washed the bloodstains from his clothes. Only then did he collapse onto the bed and begin to ponder.

There was one detail Xie An had not told Chen He.

Li Wei was the illegitimate son of the Giant Whale Gang leader's mistress.

Wang Wu had muttered those words to himself, but Xie An had heard them.

This was very bad.

However, Xie An carefully replayed everything that had happened that night. He was certain he had left behind no detail that could expose his identity. It would take the Giant Whale Gang quite some time just to find the bodies of the three men.

If there was one loophole, it was Yong'an Pawnshop.

If Li Wei had colluded with people from Yong'an Pawnshop, then those people would know that Li Wei's target had been him.

The more Xie An thought about it, the more restless he became, as if thorns pricked his back.

Having lived to this age, all Xie An sought was caution. He believed in snuffing out every danger in its cradle. Even the slightest potential threat made him uncomfortable.

"I'm still too weak. I don't have the ability to deal with the Giant Whale Gang. Although I have the Lifelong Legacy and can continually increase my lifespan, my strength can't transform overnight. If I had a backer more powerful than the Giant Whale Gang, I wouldn't need to live in fear."

At this thought, Xie An remembered Zhang Lin, the guard steward of the black market.

"Behind Zhang Lin stands Tiger Wolf Gate. No matter how strong the Giant Whale Gang is, it's nothing before Tiger Wolf Gate. Zhang Lin already seems interested in recruiting me... That might be a good destination. Not only would it resolve the Giant Whale Gang crisis, it could also provide me with plenty of cultivation resources. It would certainly be better than struggling along alone."

"However, before joining, I need to improve my strength properly and seek a better position and treatment. I also need to learn more about Tiger Wolf Gate's conduct. I hope it isn't a criminal organization that appears benevolent on the surface but secretly burns, kills, loots, and pillages."

Once he had made up his mind, Xie An no longer felt so conflicted. He began reviewing the battle that night and eventually reached a conclusion.

"Bows and arrows suit me perfectly! From now on, practicing archery must come first."

After what had happened that night, Xie An realized more and more that he hated taking risks. Close-quarters hacking and slashing did not suit him. A bow and arrows could eliminate enemies from beyond the distance at which they could threaten him, making them unquestionably the best choice.

"However, bows and arrows have strict requirements regarding the setting. They can only display their power in relatively open terrain. If I'm in a room... they won't work. Therefore, besides archery, I urgently need to practice a close-combat martial art. That way, even after an enemy gets close, I'll still be able to kill them in a counterattack."

"I've never practiced martial arts techniques. My greatest advantage is my strength. A saber is undoubtedly the most suitable close-combat weapon. But a saber is too conspicuous and draws attention, which isn't enough. Besides saber techniques, I also need to learn a small weapon that outsiders won't easily notice. That way, once an enemy closes in, I can not only defend myself with a saber, but also use a hidden technique to kill them by surprise. Then the risk will be greatly reduced."

A small weapon...

A dagger, a short sword, or perhaps a flexible sword that could be hidden inside a belt...

Xie An felt that all of them were too conventional.

They were not the best choices.

He always felt that something was missing...

"Forget it. I'll think about it slowly..."

Over the following days, Xie An continued waking early each morning to inspect the pawnshop. After seeing that it was operating normally, he returned to the small room in the rear courtyard to begin practicing Fetal Breathing Technique and archery.

He also cautiously kept watch to see whether outsiders came to town asking about the deaths of the Giant Whale Gang's bandits. In private, he asked around about Tiger Wolf Gate as well.

That day, after spending the entire day grinding himself to the bone, Xie An opened the panel.

Fetal Breathing Technique: Three Styles Method (6/100)

Five Animal Play: Spirit and Form Combined (9/100)

Remaining Years: 16 years.

The information on the panel had changed. The prompts saying "complete xx to gain xx years of life" had disappeared.

At first, Xie An thought he had seen incorrectly. But after opening the panel several more times, the result remained the same. He could only accept it.

As long as Remaining Years was still displayed, there was no need to panic.

"Still too slow. I have to gather the ingredients listed in Tang Qingfeng's Unique Medicinal Prescription. Only the final ingredient, bear heart, remains."

Toward dusk, Xie An brought the enormous sum of two hundred and ninety taels of silver and headed to the Blood Ling Black Market.

Because he carried the token Zhang Lin had given him, the guards at the canyon entrance waved him through without hesitation. They did not charge him either the stall fee or the admission fee, and even their attitude had become much more respectful.

The black market was even more prosperous tonight than the last time.

There were several hundred stalls of all kinds, and merchants and customers streamed endlessly through them. It seemed that Zhang Lin's efforts to purge the surrounding bandits had begun to bear fruit. With order improved and the black market's safety increased, more people had come to trade.

Besides the stalls, there were also houses nearby, along with simple teahouses, eateries, and the like. In the distance stood several more distinctive courtyards, presumably places where Zhang Lin and his people handled affairs and stayed overnight.

Xie An easily found the place selling the hides, tendons, internal organs, and bones of ferocious beasts. He located a bear heart, but after some bargaining, the stall owner would accept no less than sixty taels.

Left with no choice, Xie An took out a silver ingot and prepared to pay.

Just then, a familiar voice rang out.

"Haha, Old Brother, you're here early."

It was Zhang Lin.