Buying a Bow

Li Xiao arrived on Changlin Street. It was livelier than the streets he had just passed through, with quite a few vendors setting up stalls along the road.

After turning a corner, Li Xiao stopped before the gates of a spacious residence.

The residence had blue brick walls and dark tiles. Though the vermilion-lacquered gates were somewhat weathered, they still carried an air of solemn dignity.

Two stone lions crouched beside the gates, their eyes wide and fangs bared, carved so vividly they seemed almost alive.

A familiar memory surfaced. Li Xiao looked up and saw that the Lin Mansion plaque above had already been removed.

He had asked around earlier. The entire Lin Family had moved away and relocated to the Inner City.

The Lin Family had been considered fairly well-off in the Outer City, but they had not originally been qualified to move into the Inner City. If they had not latched onto the County Lieutenant, they likely would never have had the chance in their lives.

Looking at the gates now covered in cobwebs, a trace of complicated emotion rose in Li Xiao's heart.

If his predecessor had not been such a bastard, he probably would not have had the chance to transmigrate here.

But bastard or not, a debt of vengeance still had to be repaid!

At that thought, he clenched his fists, took one deep look at the residence, and left.

He arrived at a Rice Shop.

Li Xiao planned to buy some refined rice. Now that he had some silver on hand, it was only natural to improve their meals.

The Rice Shop was not large, but it was kept clean and tidy.

Several bulging grain sacks were piled by the entrance, with the words "Top-Grade Refined Rice" painted on them in red, drawing many passersby to stop and ask about them.

The Shopkeeper was a slightly plump middle-aged man. He was hunched over an abacus, but when he saw a customer enter, he immediately looked up with a broad smile.

"Youngster, what would you like? We have newly arrived refined rice, as well as brown rice and millet. Fair prices, all around."

"Measure out five jin of refined rice for me," Li Xiao said.

"Right away!" The Shopkeeper swiftly picked up an empty cloth sack, scooped refined rice from the rice vat behind him, and poured it onto the scale.

The grains were plump and pearly white. It truly was top-quality rice.

"Exactly five jin, not a grain more or less."

The Shopkeeper tied the rice sack and handed it over. "Three hundred copper coins, please."

Li Xiao paid and took the sack. It felt satisfyingly heavy in his hand.

Refined rice cost several times more than brown rice. Ordinary families could not bear to eat it, but in terms of taste and nutrition, it truly far surpassed coarse grains.

He also bought some braised food and a few seasonings.

To be honest, the Wild Game he hunted was fresh, but without seasonings, it tasted far worse than food from his previous life. Before, he had lacked the money to buy them. Now that he had enough silver, it was only natural to improve things.

Before long, the pack on his back had become stuffed to the brim.

As Li Xiao walked out of a Cloth Shop, two shifty little thugs followed him from a distance behind.

Li Xiao's Basic Archery Technique had already reached Minor Accomplishment, and his repeated hunting experience had taught him to stay alert to his surroundings at all times.

He had already discovered that he was being followed. The things on his back had likely caught their attention, and seeing that he was alone, greed had risen in their hearts.

He quickened his pace and circled around several streets, yet still failed to shake them off.

So he simply stopped caring and openly went to buy the last thing he needed in the city.

The Ox-Horn Great Bow at home had been used for so long that it was badly worn. Once he ground his Basic Archery Technique up to mastery, it would probably no longer suit his hand.

So he decided to buy a new Ox-Horn Bow while he was here.

He arrived at a weapon shop.

Several Ox-Horn Bows stood outside the shop, their strings drawn taut and gleaming with a cold metallic sheen. Several quivers of arrows hung on the walls as well, their fletching neat and orderly. One glance was enough to tell they were fine goods.

Li Xiao walked straight inside.

A burly Bearded Man sat at a table, polishing arrows. Hearing someone enter, he did not even raise his head as he asked in a muffled voice, "Buying a bow, or matching arrows?"

"Just looking around."

Li Xiao answered, but his gaze remained fixed on the movement outside through a crack in the door panels.

Those two little thugs were indeed still lingering outside.

Li Xiao reached out and picked up an Ox-Horn Bow, testing its feel. The bowstring's tension was just right, and the grain along the bow body had been polished exceptionally smooth.

"How much is this bow?"

"Made from top-grade Water Buffalo Horn. It has a draw weight of One-Stone-Five Bow. Comes with twenty arrows—Two Taels of Silver."

The burly man set down his work and rose to his feet.

He was powerfully built, carrying the fierce air of someone who had dealt with weapons all year round.

"If that's too expensive, there are Pine Bows over there. They're cheaper."

Li Xiao weighed the bow in his hand, his heart stirring.

The Ox-Horn Great Bow at home probably had a draw weight of only one stone. It definitely would not be enough for him later. This One-Stone-Five Bow had a maximum range of Over Thirty Zhang.

Even once his archery reached mastery, it would not fall behind. Two taels of silver was worth it.

With a good bow, he would have a few more measures of confidence whether he was hunting in the mountains or dealing with sudden trouble.

"I'll take this bow."

The burly man quickly packed the bow and arrows and handed them to Li Xiao.

Li Xiao paid, slung the bow and arrows over his back, and found his already bulging pack even heavier. Yet his steps became all the steadier.

"Thanks." He nodded to the burly man, lifted the door curtain, and walked out.

The moment Li Xiao stepped out of the weapon shop, he saw the two little thugs rise from beneath the wall across the street. Their eyes stared straight at the new bow on his back, uncertainty flashing through their gazes.

From afar earlier, they had only seen Li Xiao carrying a pack and had taken him for a lone traveler who would be easy to bully.

But now that they saw the brand-new Ox-Horn Bow in his hands, its string glinting coldly and its quiver bulging with arrows, and remembered that he had entered a weapon shop, both of them immediately felt their hearts begin to pound.

"Brother... this kid bought a bow. Think he knows a thing or two?"

One of the thugs, skinny as a monkey, tugged at his companion's sleeve, his voice weak.

Everyone scraping by in the Outer City knew that anyone who dared carry a bow outside was either a hunter or a Practitioner. Neither was someone to provoke lightly.

The other, a Short Fat Thug, also furrowed his brow as he studied Li Xiao's retreating back.

Li Xiao's gait was steady. Despite carrying so many things, he did not sway in the slightest. There also seemed to be something hard tucked at his waist, likely a weapon for self-defense.

The bow had doused more than half of their earlier greed.

"Forget it, forget it." The Short Fat Thug smacked his lips and pulled Skinny Monkey back a few steps.

"Looking at him, he's probably an old hand at hunting in the mountains. Not someone to mess with.

Let's find another target."

Skinny Monkey had been hoping for those words and quickly nodded.

The two exchanged a glance. In the end, they did not dare follow him any farther. They merely stood there and watched helplessly as Li Xiao carried his things toward the city gates.

After walking a few steps, Li Xiao caught sight of the two not following him from the corner of his eye, and the corner of his mouth lifted almost imperceptibly.

He had long expected them to be the sort who bullied the weak and feared the strong. Buying a bow was practical, but it also served as a small deterrent.

He had once been one of them himself and understood what they were thinking. Bullying the weak and fearing the strong was the true portrait of these bottom-rung thugs.

Just after leaving the city, he ran into two more sallow, emaciated thugs. Both were familiar faces.

"Hey, Li Xiao, you brat didn't die?"

One of them asked in surprise.

"I heard you got beaten half to death, and even your deadbeat Old Dad got his leg crippled. I thought you wouldn't pull through."

Li Xiao halted, looking at the two familiar faces before him as his brows unconsciously drew together.

The one on the left was Wang Er, and the one on the right was Li Si. Both belonged to the Clear Water Gang.

Back when his predecessor had been a bastard, he had followed the two of them and their companions in committing petty theft.

"Thanks to you two, I'm still alive." Li Xiao's tone was calm, giving away neither joy nor anger.