Hunting Roe Deer

Another ten days passed. Li Xiao stood in the courtyard, his eyes fixed on the target seventeen zhang away.

He nocked an arrow and drew the bow. The arrow streaked through the air like a meteor.

Bullseye!

Basic Archery Technique experience points +1

Li Youde sat on a stool and nodded in satisfaction.

"Xiao'er, if you keep practicing at this rate, I'm afraid your archery will surpass mine in less than a year. Haha!"

Li Xiao lowered his bow and flexed his wrist.

Over the past ten-plus days, he had gone into the mountains almost every day to practice.

His aiming skills had grown increasingly refined.

Now, within seventeen zhang, whether it was a running wild rabbit or a mountain chicken flying low through the air, he could hit seven out of ten shots.

Within fifteen zhang, hitting ten out of ten was no problem.

Following the hunting skills Old Dad had taught him, he had also set many traps within the activity ranges of various wild game.

Though he had not caught any large prey, he had hunted plenty of wild rabbits and wild chickens over those ten days, and meat had been on the table every meal.

With ample meat to eat, Li Xiao's body had basically recovered completely.

After more than ten days of eating meat, Old Dad Li Youde and Eldest Sister Li Yu had gradually regained healthy color in their faces as well.

Together with the herbs gathered over those ten-plus days, the house was already full.

Li Xiao looked at the panel.

Host: Li Xiao

Already Recorded: Herbal Compendium (Mastered) Basic Archery Technique Minor Accomplishment (275/500)

Special skill: Herbal Mastery

Li Xiao looked at the Basic Archery Technique experience and was immensely satisfied.

He estimated that in another eight or nine days, the Basic Archery Technique would reach Minor Accomplishment. By then, within twenty zhang, hitting nine out of ten shots would be no problem.

Even Old Dad could only shoot a little over twenty zhang now, and his accuracy might not even be higher than Li Xiao's.

In other words, from learning the Basic Archery Technique to catching up with Old Dad, Li Xiao might not need even a month.

Old Dad had decades of experience with the bow.

This is the benefit of having a Golden Finger! Li Xiao thought silently.

Of course, it also can't be separated from my own hard work.

I, Li Xiao, am nothing but liver below the neck.

The morning mist had yet to fully disperse when Li Xiao carried the Ox-Horn Bow on his back and stepped over dew-covered dead branches deeper into the mountains.

These past ten-plus days of hunting had allowed him to map out the prey routes on Back Mountain. He deliberately detoured to Crescent Valley—where vegetation was lush and roe deer and deer herds often appeared. It was precisely his target for today.

Just as he reached the mouth of the valley, a series of light hoofbeats sounded.

Li Xiao immediately held his breath, crouched behind a clump of shrubs, and parted the branches to look—three roe deer were lowering their heads to graze.

Their coats were light brown, and the white heart-shaped patches on their rumps were particularly conspicuous. The largest buck had branching antlers, and one look told him it carried plenty of weight.

Roe deer were highly alert, yet simple-minded. When they sensed movement, they would only freeze and stare blankly, making it the perfect time to hunt.

Li Xiao silently took two steps back, used a tree trunk for cover, and quickly nocked an arrow and drew his bow.

He was eighteen zhang from the roe deer, right at the edge of his range where he could hit seven out of ten shots. The buck was upwind, so it would not detect his scent.

He took a deep breath, sank his shoulders and straightened his waist, drawing the bow to eighty percent.

Ten days of meat at every meal had greatly increased the strength in his arms.

As he drew the bow, power flowed smoothly through his waist and abdomen. The arrowhead, his eye, and the root of the roe deer's front leg formed a straight line.

The instant the roe deer raised its head to look around, Li Xiao's fingers abruptly released!

"Whoosh—" The arrow tore through the air with a sharp sound of wind, striking precisely at the root of the roe deer's front leg!

The buck let out a miserable cry and staggered to its knees. The other two roe deer were startled, freezing where they stood for a moment before bolting away.

Li Xiao was delighted and hurried after it.

The injured roe deer struggled to rise, but its injured leg could not exert any strength. It could only turn in circles on the spot.

He raised his bow, aimed at the roe deer's neck, and loosed another arrow, cleanly ending its suffering.

This roe deer weighed a good seventy or eighty jin, heavier than all the prey he had caught before combined.

Li Xiao untied the rope from his basket and firmly bound the roe deer's limbs. Then he found two sturdy branches and made a simple stretcher before barely managing to lift it.

"Good heavens, this will be enough for the whole family to eat for half a month. Sell the roe deer hide and antlers, and we can trade them for some silver too!"

Li Xiao weighed the stretcher in his hands, unable to stop the corners of his mouth from rising.

Roe deer hide was thick and soft, excellent material for fur coats, while antlers were valuable medicinal ingredients. The pharmacies in town would certainly be willing to pay a high price for them.

On the way back, he dug up several more bupleurum and fang feng plants, piling the basket on his back even higher with herbs.

When he passed the traps he had set earlier, he discovered that they had caught another two wild rabbits, which he brought back with him as well.

The moment he reached the village entrance, he was spotted by a villager.

"Did you catch a roe deer?"

This man was named Chen De. He was an old herbalist and had a good relationship with Li Youde.

That was why he dared to come up and strike up a conversation.

If it had been anyone else, they would only have dared gossip from afar. Who would dare approach Li Xiao?

"Yes, Uncle Chen. I got lucky." Li Xiao smiled and nodded.

"Eh, when did you learn your dad's craft? Your hunting skills are probably not much worse than your dad's.

Looks like our village is going to produce another formidable hunter!"

Chen De clicked his tongue in amazement.

There were also a few scattered people traveling in and out of the village road. When they saw Li Xiao had caught such a large roe deer, they all stopped at a distance to watch.

"Such a huge roe deer must weigh dozens of jin. That brat from the Li Family seems to have turned over a new leaf."

"Isn't that so? The Li Family can finally rise again.

Looks like he learned from a setback. A prodigal son turning back."

Someone said sourly.

But they only dared whisper about it behind his back.

Among them were quite a few people who had been bullied by the previous Li Xiao. Seeing Li Xiao's family fall into such misfortune, they had clapped their hands in delight behind their backs. Who would have expected that in the blink of an eye, Li Xiao would learn such superb skills?

One had to know that even the other old hunters in the village rarely caught roe deer this large.

"I was just lucky too. I won't keep you, Uncle Chen. This roe deer is rather heavy, so I'll head back first. Come by the house when you have time."

Li Xiao said with a smile. With so much meat, he was in a good mood.

"Mm, all right." Chen De nodded.

Only after Li Xiao gradually disappeared into the distance did those people gather around.

"Uncle Chen, such a huge roe deer is more than his family can finish.

Why don't you go talk to the Li Family? See if they can sell some cheaply?" said a woman around thirty.

"Yeah, Uncle Chen. You and Uncle Li are close. At least get him to spare some to sell. We haven't had any meat in a long time either."

Someone else echoed.

They were all afraid of Li Xiao, so they only dared ask Chen De, who was on good terms with Li Youde, to try. None of them dared ask themselves.

"All right, I'll go take a look tomorrow." Chen De agreed at once.

The news quickly reached the Li Family, and Li Youde was waiting early at the courtyard gate.

When he saw Li Xiao carrying the roe deer back, Li Youde's eyes lit up and he hurried forward.

"Good lad! You really caught a roe deer! You're a match for me in my younger days, haha!"

Li Xiao set down the roe deer, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and brought up the panel to look at the increased experience. His heart was filled with accomplishment.

Minor Accomplishment in the Basic Archery Technique was within reach.