Minor Accomplishment: Entering the City

Another seven days passed, and the weather gradually warmed.

The village regained some vitality, and Li Xiao continued grinding away at the Basic Archery Technique every day.

Basic Archery Technique experience points +1

Basic Archery Technique experience points +1

The center of the target nineteen zhang away was already riddled with holes left by arrows.

This was already the second target.

Another arrow flew out, striking dead center.

Basic Archery Technique experience points +1

With that arrow, the Basic Archery Technique had reached Minor Accomplishment.

The instant the panel refreshed, a warm current coursed through his entire body, and his control over the bow and arrows rose by a whole level out of thin air.

He drew the bowstring to its fullest and found it effortless. The bullseye was as clear in his eyes as if it were right before him.

He froze for a moment, then laughed.

Before, when his archery could not even be considered Entry Level, drawing the bow less than half full would leave his arms sore and his hands trembling. The bullseye twenty zhang away had been as blurry as a patch of fog.

But now, drawing this hard bow that had once forced him to grit his teeth and persevere felt as natural and easy as breathing.

"Is this the power of Minor Accomplishment?"

He flexed his arms. The warm current still flowed through his meridians, and the muscles in his shoulders and back, once somewhat stiff, had become incomparably supple.

He nocked arrow after arrow, drew the bow, and fired. Each movement flowed in one breath, without the slightest hitch.

Basic Archery Technique experience points +1

"Huh? I didn't expect I could keep grinding experience?" Li Xiao was filled with astonishment and doubt.

Logically speaking, he had already maxed out today's twenty-five experience points, yet he could still continue practicing.

Looks like reaching Minor Accomplishment in archery has also made shooting arrows easier, Li Xiao thought.

He looked at the panel again.

Host: Li Xiao

Already Recorded: Herbal Compendium, Basic Archery Technique (0/1000 Mastery)

Limit-Breaking Points: None

Special skill: Herbal Mastery

Li Xiao nodded in satisfaction. With his current archery, within twenty zhang, not only could he hit stationary targets, but he could also accurately strike nimble wild chickens and wild rabbits.

"Good, good. Xiao'er, I originally thought it would take you a year to catch up to me. Who would have thought your talent for archery would be this high?"

Li Youde sat to one side, laughing heartily.

Li Xiao had practiced for less than a month, yet he was already close to catching up with him. If he had taught Li Xiao archery earlier, perhaps that whole mess would never have happened.

"That's all because Dad taught me well," Li Xiao said with a smile.

"Sigh, perhaps you even have talent for Martial Arts. If not for that incident, you could have gone to a Martial Arts Hall in the city to study under a master. If you became a Martial Master..."

Li Youde sighed with emotion.

The tuition for Martial Arts Halls in the city was far too expensive. When he was young, he had also dreamed of learning Martial Arts and becoming a Martial Master, but he could not afford the tuition. Gradually, he let go of that thought.

Now that he saw Li Xiao had some talent, he could not help but feel a measure of regret. Afraid of dampening his son's spirits, he changed the subject.

"But things are still good now. From now on, it'll be enough for hunting in the mountains and protecting the family."

Li Xiao's heart stirred. Old Dad's words had struck the thought he had hidden deep in his heart.

He had practiced archery before only to make a living. Now that the family had food and meat, it was time to go to the city and ask around about Martial Arts Halls.

"It's fine, Dad. I have my own plans.

Tomorrow, I'll make a trip to the city, sell these herbs and animal pelts, then buy some medicine for you."

Li Xiao said.

He had not been idle over the past seven days either. He went up the mountain to hunt every day, and his luck had been good.

Almost every time he went up the mountain, he could catch wild rabbits or wild chickens. But he had not seen many larger wild game animals. It was likely because people often went to the outskirts of Back Mountain to gather firewood and herbs, frightening the prey away from those areas.

If he wanted to hunt wild boars, he would have to go deeper into the mountains.

Thanks to Herbal Mastery, he could dig up a large basket of herbs every time he went up the mountain. By now, quite a few herbs had filled the courtyard.

Together with that Deer Hide, Li Xiao estimated he could sell them for some money and buy medicine for Old Dad while he was at it.

The smile on Li Youde's face paused, and then he waved his hand.

"The road to the city is far, and public safety there isn't as stable as in the village. How about Dad goes with you?"

He looked at his son's upright, sturdy figure. His eyes held both gratification and a trace of hidden worry.

Li Xiao patted the hard bow on his back, his tone resolute. "Don't worry, Dad. I'll only go to the general store in West City. Once I sell the goods, I'll head straight to the medicine shop. I definitely won't delay."

Old Dad's legs were inconvenient. He needed a cane even to go up the mountain to gather herbs; how could Li Xiao let him suffer the jolting journey again?

And he himself had to carry the herbs and all these animal pelts. Otherwise, he would have carried Old Dad to the County Town to find a doctor and have him examined.

Seeing that his son was determined, Li Youde finally nodded.

"Then be extra careful on the road. Go early and come back early."

That night, he sorted and bundled the herbs by type, softened and smoothed the Deer Hide with Plant Ash, then carefully wiped his arrows clean before lying down to rest.

The next day, while the sky was still barely light, Li Xiao set out with his pack on his back.

As he walked along the road into the city, he occasionally passed others heading into the city. Seeing Li Xiao's burly build, many instinctively stepped aside.

Li Xiao did not care and entered the Outer City of Willow City just like that.

Most of the blue-gray bricks on the Outer City walls had peeled away, exposing the brownish-yellow rammed earth beneath.

Half-rotted firewood and discarded pottery shards were piled at the base of the walls. Several emaciated wild dogs rummaged through the garbage. When people passed by, they merely raised their eyes for a glance, showing no fear at all.

A few sparse stalls stood along the roadside.

The stall owners sat hunched on small stools, their baskets displaying wilted vegetables and crude farming tools. When someone passed, they only called out weakly a couple of times.

Several ragged beggars leaned against the wall, basking in the sun. Their patch-on-patch clothes could not hide their withered arms and legs, and their eyes stared numbly at the passersby.

Mixed with the braying of mules and horses and the cries of peddlers, it only made the Outer City seem even more desolate.

Li Xiao walked down the road with his pack on his back, occasionally kicking broken stones and discarded pottery shards beneath his feet.

Li Xiao had long since assimilated the memories of the previous owner of this body, but the sight of such ruin still moved him.

This Outer City was not only dilapidated, but also a place where fish and dragons mingled.

Gangs, Martial Arts Halls, and local lineages all jointly controlled it.

And the foundation of their rule was Martial Masters.

The Clear Water Gang, which the previous owner of Li Xiao's body had belonged to, had a Martial Master stationed there.

Though it was only a small gang, it still occupied several streets in the Outer City and collected protection fees.

Li Xiao had been one of them. He had once hoped to earn merits for the gang, gain the appreciation of those above him, and have them teach him Martial Arts.

But that had been nothing more than a fantasy. Without even a shred of strength, he had no chance to earn merits. That was why he had entertained the thought of currying favor with Chen Long.

Li Xiao headed toward East Market in the Outer City, where there were shops that bought herbs and wild game pelts.

East Market was livelier than other parts of the Outer City, but it could not shake off that undercurrent of ruin.

The dirt road had been packed hard by countless feet, yet it was full of potholes. Dirty water flowed along the roadside, giving off a faint fishy smell.

Most of the shops on both sides were low brick-and-wood structures. Their doors were carved with scratches of varying depths, and some had their broken edges bound with wire, barely holding together.

Several shops that purchased pelts and herbs stood side by side, faded banners hanging outside their doors and rattling loudly whenever the wind blew.

Li Xiao walked straight toward the Fushun General Store at the very end. Old Dad had told him about this place.

The owner was Old Man Zhang.

He was considered a fairly honest man.