Hunting

"This..."

"I'm not seeing things, am I...?"

"Who is this young man?"

"Good heavens, he really drew it! He did it in one go!"

"Natural Divine Strength... This is definitely Natural Divine Strength."

Gasps and cries rose from below the stage, while an eerie silence fell over it.

Liu Er stared wide-eyed, the smile he forced onto his face looking stiff no matter how you looked at it. As for Liu San, his eyes narrowed slightly, gaze fixed on the youth standing on the stage.

No one could have guessed that this seemingly frail young man would draw the Two-stone bow in one go—and from the look of him, he still had strength to spare. That was what shocked everyone most.

At the same time, Lin Yin's heart gave a nervous thump as he held the bow drawn, an arrow nocked.

He had been somewhat uneasy and lacking in confidence. After all, the Two-stone bow looked intimidating, and he had never drawn a bow before. He had no idea if he could manage it.

He had only meant to give it a try. Even if he couldn't draw the bowstring all the way back, perhaps he could still earn one or two arrows.

So the moment he stepped onto the stage, he put everything he had into it. Who could have guessed that with one fierce pull, the bowstring would draw back just like that!

"..."

Feeling the gaze behind him as if it were something tangible, Lin Yin's heart pounded, though he forced himself to remain calm.

"I wonder... does it still count?"

His voice was deliberately hoarse, though a hint of boyishness could still be heard. The crowd below erupted into cheers and praise, while Liu Er's forced smile grew especially stiff.

"Of course... Little Hero truly has Natural Divine Strength."

The praise in his voice had lost the composure it had before. His smiling cheeks twitched faintly. Liu Er's heart bled, but he still gestured for Lin Yin to pick five arrows from the designated area.

Lin Yin didn't move at once. Instead, he looked down at Zhang Hu again.

"What a strong arm, Little Hero!"

Unlike Liu Er's strained expression, Zhang Hu—who had seemed impatient just moments earlier—now raised both hands and clasped his fists toward Lin Yin in praise. He then declared that Lin Yin could pick ten more arrows, and that he would pay for them.

At that, Lin Yin sprang into action. He darted to the stall and quickly scooped up fifteen arrows he had secretly eyed earlier for their fine appearance. His nimble hands made Liu Er's brow twitch beside him.

After clasping his fists toward Liu Er and Zhang Hu, Lin Yin turned and hopped off the stage, neat and quick, then sprinted toward the Market.

"That fellow..."

Watching Lin Yin's panicked retreat, then glancing at the empty space above the shopfront where the bow had hung, Liu Er's heart clenched. He could no longer keep his smile in place.

The truth was, Langshi Town was small, and most seasoned hunters used only One-stone bows.

The Two-stone bow had been one of his shop's prized items when he first opened. Who could have guessed that before he'd even had a chance to advertise it, the bow would be gone?

Between the loss of this set and the One-stone bow he'd given away earlier, even Liu Er—despite his shrewd nature—felt his heart bleeding.

"Shopkeeper Liu is generous. I didn't know the rules just now. Please forgive me."

In the distance, hunter Zhang Hu cupped his fists across the stage. Though he said that, he looked positively radiant.

With everyone watching, Liu Er could only force down his anger. He pulled up a smile and returned the gesture, but said nothing.

Seeing that he'd vented his frustration, Zhang Hu let it go and turned to leave at a brisk pace.

At the same time, the hunters milling around the shop came and went. After a brief commotion, the crowd quieted somewhat.

The Market.

Lin Yin deliberately wove through the densest crowds. Along the way, he tossed aside the ragged cloth he'd picked up and draped over himself, changing his appearance. As dusk drew near, he blended into the surging crowd heading out of town.

He wrapped the longbow in a strip of cloth and concealed it beneath the bag he used for vegetables. After repeatedly making sure no one was following him, he left town, then doubled back in the opposite direction.

He and his elderly mother lived on the outskirts of town, near Tiger Head Mountain. The area was broad and sparsely populated, with only a few scattered farmhouses.

Lin Yin didn't go straight home. Instead, he circled around the mountain's outer edge and found a secluded grove.

Thrum—

The bowstring shuddered. The arrow, swift as lightning, missed the tree trunk by a hair and struck it, sinking in half a finger's depth.

A few arrows were scattered around the edge of the trunk. Clearly, this wasn't the first arrow Lin Yin had fired.

[Heaven rewards diligence, Will achieve something]

[Basic Archery Entry (13/100)]

A glint of golden light seemed to flash in his eyes. Information surged through his mind, along with a great many archery techniques and essentials, then vanished in an instant.

After gathering up all the arrows scattered across the ground and putting them in his quiver, Lin Yin couldn't help smiling with satisfaction.

Compared with Vajra Stake Technique, his progress in Basic Archery Entry was astonishingly fast. At first, his aim had been all over the place, but it had steadily drawn closer to the target. Lin Yin was making rapid progress.

At a distance of thirty meters, he hit the trunk—over half a meter in diameter—three to five times out of ten!

And this was only his first practice session after getting his hands on a longbow. If word of his progress got out, the hunters of Langshi Town would be left dumbfounded.

When an ordinary person first picked up a bow and crossbow, they couldn't even expect to hit one arrow out of ten. Just learning how to draw a bow and loose an arrow could take a good while.

For Lin Yin, with his Heaven Rewards Diligence Destiny, those steps came all at once!

"I've picked up another skill. Once my archery improves a little more, I'll go hunting in the mountains and make sure we have meat to eat. That'll save us a great deal of money."

The more Lin Yin thought about it, the more excited he became.

Just when one path seemed blocked, another opened up. The predicament before him had turned around, and he'd even gained another Foundation for Survival. How could he not be happy?

After thinking it over for a long while, Lin Yin—who had been about to head home—pulled out another arrow and began practicing again.

Visible progress always gave him a steady stream of motivation. His longing for a better life made him work even harder and focus more intently.

By the time night had grown deep, the words appeared in his mind.

[Heaven rewards diligence, Will achieve something]

[Basic Archery Entry (25/100)]

Only then did Lin Yin put away his arrows with satisfaction and hurry home along the country path.

The woods were dense, the mountains rising in overlapping ridges. Near the village on the edge of town, he could see fires and chimneys in the distance.

He spotted his thatched cottage at a glance, and his heart eased. But just as he was about to head home, a rustling sound came from the woods.

The sound was faint, but Lin Yin had been on alert the whole time and noticed it at once.

His gaze instinctively flicked toward the undergrowth. A plump figure flashed past.

His steps halted. Lin Yin's heart began pounding.

If he hadn't been mistaken, that looked like a rabbit—a huge, plump rabbit!

Tiger Head Mountain was deep and rugged. Even the woods along its foothills teemed with Wild Game. That was one reason the hunters of Langshi Town looked sturdier than ordinary people.

But though Tiger Head Mountain was rich in game, wild beasts often appeared there too. Deeper in the forested mountains, there were even tales of strange and evil spirits.

Seeing the Wild Game, Lin Yin didn't let it show. He quietly drew the longbow from behind his back.