Wang Xuan was overjoyed.
With the help of Tracking Art, his movements were incredibly light, making no sound that might alert the wild rabbit.
He slowly took a deep breath.
He drew the bow and nocked an arrow!
He aimed at the wild rabbit!
Wang Xuan slowly exerted force with his right hand. His fifty kilograms of strength erupted, drawing the hunting bow into a third of a full moon.
The next second!
Sure Shot activated!
Whoosh!
An arrow tore through the air!
The arrow shot forth, piercing straight through the plump wild rabbit on the hillside in the blink of an eye!
The immense force carried the rabbit flying before pinning it directly to the ground!
"Got it!"
Wang Xuan hurried forward.
His first prey was in hand!
He pulled the arrow from the rabbit's head and weighed it in his hand.
Whoa!
It had to weigh at least ten jin!
You hit a wild rabbit. Basic Archery experience +10 Basic Archery: Minor Mastery progress 199/400
Wang Xuan looked excited. After admiring his spoils for a moment, he hung the wild rabbit from his waist.
"With the first one, there'll be a second."
"Keep going!"
Wang Xuan felt brimming with energy as he continued searching for prey.
You set a trap. Basic Trapping experience +2 Tracking Art experience +2
Half a day later.
Wang Xuan already had three wild rabbits, two pheasants, and over a dozen squirrels hanging from his waist.
At current prices, they could fetch at least several hundred copper coins.
"Today's haul isn't bad."
"Shame I didn't catch anything big."
"If I could catch a wild boar or a Black Bear, I should be able to pay back Zhou Bapi's money!"
"But with my current strength, catching a wild boar or a Black Bear probably isn't enough within my reach."
Looking at the prey around his waist, Wang Xuan sighed.
It looked like he had caught plenty, but pheasants and wild rabbits were not worth much.
He checked the Crimson Panel.
Basic Archery: Minor Mastery progress 327/400. Effect: Sure Shot Basic Trapping: Minor Mastery progress 7/400 Tracking Art: Minor Mastery progress 55/400. Effect: Perceive Every Detail (can conceal one's own aura and detect any movement within fifty meters) Attribute Points: 2
Both skills had broken through in succession, and Tracking Art had even gained an effect!
Perceive Every Detail allowed him to discover traces of prey in advance.
It was practically made for the profession of a hunter!
As for the two Attribute Points he had earned, Wang Xuan was in no rush to use them all. He planned to raise them slowly once he got home.
Wang Xuan glanced at the sky. It was already afternoon.
"It's getting late."
"I'll go home and rest first, then grind my archery up to Major Mastery!"
"Once I do that, my strength will rise further. Tomorrow, when I head deeper into the mountains, I'll definitely be able to bring back something good!"
Wang Xuan silently calculated in his heart.
Most of Blackwind Mountain's large prey was deep within the mountain, but the farther in one went, the more likely one was to encounter man-eating demons.
But the day after tomorrow was the deadline for repayment. He had to improve again and gamble on another trip into the mountains!
Carrying his prey, Wang Xuan soon left Blackwind Mountain and headed for the nearest Whitecloud Town.
Along the way, Wang Xuan passed through quite a few villages.
The villagers in many of them were sallow-faced and gaunt.
In recent years, as the demon calamities worsened and frontier wars broke out again and again, taxes had increased every year!
On top of that, powerful martial artists carved up territories while sects ran rampant. Ordinary people could barely keep themselves alive, and quite a few even starved to death because they could not get enough to eat.
When these villagers saw the wild rabbits and pheasants hanging at Wang Xuan's waist, every one of them drooled, their eyes gleaming.
However.
When they saw the hunting bow on Wang Xuan's back, they could only stare greedily. None dared step forward to make a move.
After all, hunters were not easy to provoke!
An hour later.
Wang Xuan arrived at Whitecloud Town. As he passed the notice board, he glanced inside.
A notice was posted on it.
The notice was simple: it warned the townsfolk not to go out at night lately. Many women and children had vanished without explanation, numbering thirty or forty in total.
"Ah, these times are getting more chaotic by the day."
Wang Xuan sighed and entered the town, soon arriving before a tavern.
"Four Directions Tavern. This is the place."
Looking at the tavern where his father had often sold goods in the past, Wang Xuan stepped forward to enter.
The game he carried could only fetch a good price at a tavern. What the wealthy people in town loved most was wild game.
"Well, if it isn't Little Shi?"
Just then.
A grating voice suddenly sounded beside Wang Xuan's ear.
Wang Xuan frowned and turned to look.
Not far away, Shi Yong was walking over with several hunters.
"Do you need something?"
When Wang Xuan saw Shi Yong, a chill flashed through his eyes!
Enemies really did meet on narrow roads!
To think he would run into Shi Yong here.
Shi Yong approached the tavern with the others, smiling. His gaze fell on the wild rabbits and pheasants at Wang Xuan's waist, and his expression shifted slightly.
"Well, that's quite a lot of prey."
"Little Shi, did you... go hunting in the mountains?"
Shi Yong asked in surprise.
Everyone in Whitestone Village knew Wang Xuan was a sickly weakling.
Yet now, Wang Xuan had gone hunting in the mountains!
And caught so much prey!
Wang Xuan replied flatly:
"Second Brother, have you forgotten that I come from a family of hunters too? Isn't it normal for me to hunt in the mountains?"
Faced with Wang Xuan's cold attitude, Shi Yong's expression did not change as he smiled. "True enough."
"Then I won't hold you up. Hope you get a good price."
He raised a hand and patted Wang Xuan's shoulder. It looked like a light pat, but a heavy force came through his palm, making Wang Xuan's shoulder ache faintly.
Wang Xuan's expression changed almost imperceptibly.
"This guy... was testing me!"
"He wanted to kill me before. Now that he sees me suddenly hunting, he's probably grown suspicious!"
"I'll definitely find a chance to kill him!"
Killing intent rose in Wang Xuan's heart!
But he knew Shi Yong was an old hunter who had hunted for years, strong and sturdy. Wang Xuan was no match for him right now. At the very least, his archery had to improve again before he had a chance to deal with him.
Without saying a word, Wang Xuan turned and entered the tavern.
After he entered the tavern, Shi Yong's face instantly darkened.
"Brother Yong, this kid was still sickly yesterday. How did he become like a completely different person today?"
"Master Zhou told us to kill this brat!"
One of the hunters behind Shi Yong spoke.
They had driven a Black Bear to harm Wang Xuan before because they had received Zhou Bapi's orders.
As long as Wang Xuan died, his sister-in-law, Lu Yao, could naturally and rightfully be taken away by Zhou Bapi.
But they had not expected Wang Xuan's life to be so tough. He had survived.
And he now looked lively and vigorous. There was not the slightest trace of a sickly weakling about him.
Shi Yong said coldly, "If you're asking me, who am I supposed to ask!"
"There's been something off about this brat ever since he woke up yesterday."
"I patted his shoulder just now using a full fifty percent of my strength, and the brat actually endured it without crying out!"
Shi Yong narrowed his eyes. "We have to find a way to kill him!"
"You lot keep a close watch on him!"
"If he enters the mountains tomorrow..."
"Kill him!"
The men nodded.
Shi Yong glanced at the tavern, killing intent surging in his eyes!
"Little Shi, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
"Who told you not to obediently go die?"
"If you don't die, my little brother won't be able to stay in the martial academy..."
Wang Xuan kept only three squirrels and sold all the remaining pheasants, wild rabbits, and squirrels at the tavern.
They brought him half a tael of silver altogether.
He did not linger in town and returned to Whitestone Village carrying the three squirrels.
"Ah, Little Shi, where have you been?"
"Your sister-in-law said you woke up yesterday. Is your health all right?"
As Wang Xuan passed a field ridge, a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties spotted him. He stopped his farm work and asked.
Wang Xuan stopped and smiled. "Uncle Chen!"
"I'm almost completely well."
The middle-aged man before him was Chen Shan, also a hunter in the village. He had once been Wang Xuan's father's hunting partner.
But he had been injured years ago while catching a Black Bear, so now he only occasionally went into the mountains to hunt. The last time Wang Xuan encountered a Black Bear in the mountains, it had been Chen Shan who saved him.
Seeing the hunting bow on Wang Xuan's back, Chen Shan frowned. "You... went into the mountains again?"
Wang Xuan nodded. "Yes. I'm almost fully recovered, so I took a walk around the mountains."
Chen Shan sighed upon hearing that and reproached him. "You child, something like that happened just a few days ago, and you actually went back up the mountain!"
"That brat from the Shi family is clearly targeting you. You must be extra careful!"
"Ever since his younger brother entered the martial academy and he himself started following Zhou Bapi, that little bastard's heart has gone crooked!"
Wang Xuan said, "Don't worry, Uncle Chen. I know what I'm doing. I'll be careful."
"By the way, the money my sister-in-law borrowed from you before—I'll pay it back in a few days."
Chen Shan waved his hand. "No rush."
"Get your health back first."
After chatting a few more sentences, Wang Xuan returned home.
Lu Yao was sitting in the courtyard at the time, holding embroidery in her hands and doing needlework.
When she saw Wang Xuan return, Lu Yao immediately stood up in delight. "Brother Shi, you're back?"
"How was today? You didn't get hurt, did you?"
Lu Yao put down her embroidery and hurried to Wang Xuan's side, asking with concern. At the same time, she felt over his body with her right hand, terrified that he might be injured.
Wang Xuan felt a little embarrassed from being touched and quickly said, "I'm fine, Sister-in-law. Didn't I come back safe and sound?"
"Right, let me show you something good."
As he spoke, Wang Xuan took down the three squirrels hanging behind his waist.
The plump squirrels came into view. Lu Yao froze for a moment, then asked in surprise, "Th-this... you caught these?"
Though three squirrels were not much, Wang Xuan had only gone into the mountains a few times before. Lu Yao had never expected him to catch any prey.
Wang Xuan smiled. "Of course."
"I just went to town and sold some others. I specially kept these for us to eat."
"These are the silver I just got from selling."
Wang Xuan also took out the half tael of silver he had earned from selling the wild chickens and rabbits.
Lu Yao looked at the half tael of silver and the three squirrels before her, and her eyes suddenly reddened. "It's good that you came back safely. Good that you came back safely."
Wang Xuan did not know that after he had gone into the mountains to hunt, Lu Yao had repeatedly worried so much that she wanted to go in and look for him.
The last time Wang Xuan had gone into the mountains to hunt, something had happened to him. Lu Yao was terrified that he would encounter danger again.
If that happened, she would feel guilty for the rest of her life.
Wang Xuan knew Lu Yao was worried about him and immediately reassured her, "Sister-in-law, don't worry. I only wandered around the outskirts. There was no danger."
"Besides, didn't I come back safe and sound?"
"Sister-in-law, I'm getting a little hungry. How about we cook first?"
Lu Yao hurriedly nodded. "Alright. Wait a moment. The rice is already cooked. I'll deal with this right away, and then we can eat."
She put away the three squirrels and the silver, then immediately turned and went into the kitchen.
Watching Lu Yao's retreating figure, Wang Xuan muttered, "Sister-in-law, don't worry. I won't let Zhou Bapi have his way!"
He took a deep breath, set down his things, washed his face, then took his bow and arrows to the open ground outside.
"I ran into Shi Yong in town just now. The way that guy looked at me carried killing intent!"
"His younger brother was able to enter the martial arts hall, supposedly because of Zhou Bapi's connections!"
"And now he works for Zhou Bapi. What happened last time was most likely ordered by Zhou Bapi!"
Wang Xuan stood in the open ground, turning it over in his mind.
"That guy failed to kill me last time. Just now, he saw me heading into the mountains to hunt and even made a move to test me!"
"He definitely won't let me off!"
"I have to raise my strength again!"
Before you continue