Chaotic Times

Chaotic Times

Li Yuan had considered relying on his mastery of "Intermediate Archery" and heading straight beyond Second Layer Mountain.

After all, whether in games or novels, once your level rose, wouldn't the minor monsters in the next dungeon be easy pickings?

But Li Yuan did not want to take that risk.

From his memories, he knew Yan Yu still had some emergency money.

Four hundred copper coins—four Big Coins.

In years of plentiful harvests, four Big Coins could buy forty jin of Foxtail Millet. But now, being able to buy eleven or twelve jin would already be a blessing.

No, he could not even buy eleven or twelve jin.

To get that much, he would have to buy it on the Black Market, which was far away and dangerous.

Their only option was the grain shop beside Little Ink Village.

Those black-hearted merchants hoarded goods and drove up prices, just waiting to make a fortune from natural disasters and human calamities.

There, four Big Coins could at most buy seven or eight jin.

And if they ate sparingly, seven or eight jin of Foxtail Millet would still be enough for him and Yan Yu for half a month.

Since they still had time, there was no need to go beyond Second Layer Mountain just yet.

Li Yuan glanced over his panel and its numbers.

At least there was a glimmer of hope.

"Over the next two days, I'll test it out and see whether I can increase the points I gain each day."

With that thought, Li Yuan glanced at the dried-up stream and decided to head back.

Just then, a "3~5" drifted out from the gray, misty woods nearby. Without even turning his head, Li Yuan spun around and ran.

That "3~5" immediately quickened its pace as well, while a shrill male voice carried over.

"Yuanzi, what are you running for?"

Li Yuan slowed.

The moment he heard that voice, he knew who it was.

Qian San was also a hunter, but unlike him, he was tall and powerfully built.

Moreover, Qian San had five brothers in his family. There was strength in numbers, utterly unlike Li Yuan, who was all alone.

Sure enough, a burly man strode over from not far away.

Unlike Li Yuan, there was not a trace of worry on the man's face. His eyes gleamed, and he gave off an overbearing, aggressive air.

In his right hand, he held a crude wooden hunting crossbow. In his left, he led a ferocious Yellow Dog. A machete for close combat was tucked behind his back.

As Qian San approached, he slapped Li Yuan on the shoulder without ceremony and said, "Yuanzi, going back empty-handed again? Aren't you going to starve that little wife of yours to death?"

The two of them were nowhere near that close. Qian San's casual manner was simply his way of keeping Li Yuan in check.

Qian San hooked an arm around Li Yuan's shoulders and gave him a casual squeeze. With a dark chuckle, he said, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Skinny—too skinny. You're so skinny you don't even look like a hunter. Look at your brother here. If you were half as sturdy as me, you could go beyond Second Layer Mountain whenever you pleased."

After saying that, Qian San looked smug and deliberately fell silent, as if dangling bait before him.

Based on what he knew of Li Yuan, Li Yuan would surely ask, "What's beyond the mountain? Is hunting good in winter?" Then, after Qian San finished boasting, he might even say, "Brother, take me with you."

But Li Yuan only said, "Brother Qian, my family is still waiting for me to go back and eat."

"Eat?" Qian San raised his brows, his voice rising several notches. "What's so good about that lousy food at your place? Come with your brother here. I'll take you beyond Second Layer Mountain to eat fragrant food and drink spicy liquor. We'll bring back that wild boar that chased you last time. Hahaha."

As he spoke, he casually released the rope in his hand.

The Yellow Dog immediately dashed off in high spirits, looking quite imposing.

Once it had run a short distance away, the words "1~2" appeared above the Yellow Dog's head, while "2~3" appeared above Qian San's.

Li Yuan paused. Had they formed a combination?

"Yuanzi, look how fierce my Yellowie is. With it chasing the boar, you and I can block it together. Wouldn't catching it be easy? Hmm?" Qian San leaned close to Li Yuan's side, glaring at him from the corner of his eye.

"Brother Qian, I really can't. My injuries haven't healed yet. My waist and legs still hurt."

"Yuanzi, you're not giving me face, are you?" Qian San's expression darkened.

"They really hurt."

"Then next time you come up the mountain, when they don't hurt anymore, you'll follow your Brother Qian beyond Second Layer Mountain. Hmm?"

Qian San stared at him fiercely, utterly barbaric.

"Fine, next time for sure. Next time for sure," Li Yuan hurriedly said.

Only then did Qian San release him, pointing at him with a finger.

Just then, footsteps sounded again from not far away. The two looked over and saw a somewhat thinner hunter.

Qian San immediately set his sights on that hunter instead. He reeled in the Yellow Dog and swaggered over.

Li Yuan took the chance to leave quickly.

He knew exactly what Qian San was thinking.

Qian San probably did not dare go beyond Second Layer Mountain alone, so he wanted to find someone to cushion the fall. Before going, he would dress things up with flowery boasts. But once they got there, he might very well use you as cannon fodder.

Besides, beyond Second Layer Mountain was a natural place for destroying evidence.

Kill someone, dump the body, and before long, wild beasts would come drag the corpse away to some unknown place and eat it.

Even reporting it to the authorities would be useless. First of all, cases were not reported and tried at once. In this famine year, letting one sit for ten days or half a month was perfectly normal.

Even if it were not delayed, by the time anyone went beyond Second Layer Mountain, the body would be nowhere to be found.

And even if they found it, wild beasts would have already eaten it, rendering the coroner useless. Then who could tell whether it was a beast or a person that had killed the victim?

So nine times out of ten, once the County Magistrate learned someone had gone missing beyond Second Layer Mountain, he would not even bother investigating and would close the case directly.

After leaving, Li Yuan did not follow the road. He took a detour and returned home.

The courtyard gate stood half-open.

Yan Niangzi had her hips slightly raised as she stacked newly gathered firewood in the corner by the wall.

She did not dare go far, only picking up some broken branches beneath nearby trees.

Hearing movement now, she hurriedly turned her head. Only after seeing the young man clearly did she reveal a relieved smile, springtime warmth and joy flashing across her pretty face. "Yuan Ge'er!!"

"Yuan Ge'er!"

She rushed over and threw herself into the young man's arms, as if her suspended heart had finally settled.

"Yuan Ge'er, Yuan Ge'er."

She murmured softly.

"What is it?" Li Yuan asked with a smile.

"I saw wild dogs digging up a corpse. It had only been buried a few days ago."

"Then it wasn't buried deep enough."

"Yuan Ge'er, I'm scared."

"I'm scared too. I didn't catch any game today either."

"It's all right, it's all right."

The woman raised her delicate head from his embrace, cupping his cheeks in both hands. She said softly, "As long as we're both all right, that's enough."

Her features were truly beautiful. Looking at her up close, one could see a womanly charm that stirred the blood.

"Where did you see those wild dogs? Should we go kill them?" Li Yuan felt a little tempted.

Yan Niangzi froze for a moment, then giggled. "They've long since vanished.

"Oh, right, Yuan Ge'er. Today, I traded two Big Coins for two jin of Foxtail Millet, two jin of bran grain, and two jin of beans. If we cook them together, it should last us for a while."

"Did anyone see you when you came back?"

"Aunt Wang and her husband were there too. They helped me out. Otherwise, I wouldn't have dared buy so much at once."

The two fell silent.

After a day of stifling tension, something seemed to be stirring restlessly.

Suddenly, Yan Yu cried out.

"Yuan Ge'er, what are you doing?"

Li Yuan had already scooped an arm beneath the bend of her knees, carrying the pretty village girl in his arms as he strode toward the house.

"Yuan Ge'er, the food hasn't been cooked yet."

"Yuan Ge'er."

"Yuan Ge'er."

Her voice gradually faded, turning into lovers' murmurs amid cloud and rain, indescribably sweet.