Mysterious Iron Arrowhead

"Strange—where's my hunting bow?"

Hearing his father's puzzled words, Lu Chuan's heart skipped a beat.

Damn! That bow of Dad's... he'd already collected it long ago!

His face awkward, he explained vaguely:

"Oh... Dad, that bow... I accidentally broke it last time I went into the mountains. I figured it couldn't be fixed, so I tossed it in the hills and didn't bring it back."

Lu Danian's face instantly twisted with pained regret:

"You little wastrel! Do you have any idea how precious a good bow is?"

"That Zhe Wood Bow was hard-won in my early years, and the Ox Sinew String was repeatedly tanned! Cost several silver coins!"

Knowing he was in the wrong, Lu Chuan could only mumble his way through.

Lu Danian sighed and shook his head: "Ah, forget it... one bow's enough."

They discussed the method for dealing with that Great Serpent for a long time, finally deciding that one would draw its attention head-on while the other shot with the bow.

The two stepped out and headed straight for the village entrance.

Lu Chuan thought they'd go straight up the mountain, but saw his father walking toward the village blacksmith's shop.

"Old Wang! Wang, you there?" Lu Danian called from outside the door.

"Coming!" a voice answered from within, and soon a dark-faced, ruddy middle-aged man emerged.

"Brother Lu? Your order's been ready for ages! Been waiting on you!"

Lu Danian nodded: "Let me see it."

Wang the Blacksmith turned and went inside, quickly returning with a small linen bundle. He opened it, revealing three arrowheads lying within.

But these arrowheads were utterly unlike ordinary iron ones—they were a deep, dark black all over.

"Here, just as you asked—mixed in that bit of material, repeatedly forged and quenched."

Wang the Blacksmith handed the arrowheads over. "I'll say it straight: four silver coins, no haggling!"

"So expensive?!" Lu Chuan couldn't help exclaiming.

Ordinary iron arrowheads—a dozen or so for a hundred-odd coppers—and these three cost four silver coins?

Lu Danian didn't bargain. After inspecting the arrowheads, he nodded in satisfaction and counted out some loose silver from his pocket, handing it to the blacksmith.

"Thanks, Old Wang."

Once they were far from the smithy, Lu Chuan couldn't hold back his curiosity: "Dad, what material are those arrowheads? They don't look like ordinary iron."

Lu Danian stowed the arrowheads away, a mysterious grin on his face:

"Heh, ordinary iron arrowheads—how could they handle a Companion Beast that might have gained some fortune? These three treasures... they've got a bit of Mysterious Iron mixed in!"

"Mysterious Iron?!" Lu Chuan's heart jolted.

In the original body's memory, that word was tightly linked to divine weapons and legendary blades!

It was said only Martial Artists had the qualifications and connections to access this rare metal.

When forged into weapons, sharpness and toughness soared—no wonder such a small amount cost four silver coins!

"That's right. Old Wang once found a small fragment of scrap mixed with Mysterious Iron."

Lu Danian's eyes sharpened. "This time, going after that serpent guarding the medicine—we can't skimp on the cost!"

"True, Dad's thought it through."

With these Mysterious Iron Arrowheads, Lu Chuan's confidence in the upcoming hunt soared!

Fitting the three precious arrowheads onto shafts and fletchings, father and son quickened their pace, heading toward the snowy mountain beyond the village.

The two trudged through the wilderness, stepping deep and shallow.

At first, Lu Danian kept a brisk stride, but in less than an hour, his pace gradually slowed.

After all, he was just recovering from a serious illness, his vitality not yet restored.

Lu Chuan noticed and deliberately slowed down.

Lu Danian caught his breath: "Ah, this old body... really isn't what it used to be. I'm afraid we won't make it to that cliff today."

"No problem, Dad." Lu Chuan had already prepared.

"We've brought rations and animal hides. We'll find a sheltered spot for the night and set out again tomorrow."

Lu Danian nodded.

The mountain forest was silent, the sun slowly dipping westward.

The two had been traveling through the snowy wilderness all day, already cold and hungry.

"Whew... let's stay here tonight." Lu Danian panted as they passed a natural cave.

Lu Chuan nodded and moved to check inside.

"Wait!" Lu Danian grabbed his arm, eyes wary.

"Careful, Chuanzi. Caves like this are exactly where Black Bears like to hibernate."

Lu Chuan's heart tightened. He quickly took down his hunting bow.

Luckily, it was a false alarm. The cave was shallow and completely empty.

Father and son finally felt safe enough to enter.

One set to work clearing the ground and laying out the animal pelts they'd brought, while the other went nearby to gather dry branches and firewood.

Lu Chuan was just about to rest when he heard his father's delighted call from just outside the cave:

"Chuanzi! Come quick, there's something good here!"

Lu Chuan hurried out to find Lu Danian pointing at a tangle of withered vines wrapped around a tree.

"Take a look. Know what this is?"

The vines were as thick as a thumb, their bark a grayish brown.

Lu Chuan examined them closely, then shook his head. "No idea."

"Heh heh." Lu Danian grinned.

"It's yam! And top-grade Bell Yam at that. Tonight, we don't have to choke down dry hardtack!"

This was a real stroke of luck!

Yams tasted absolutely fantastic. Lu Chuan brightened up too.

The two traced the yam vine downward, searching for the root crown where it anchored.

The root crown was the junction between the tuber and the vine.

But after creeping along the ground for a stretch, the vine seemed to have snapped off at a withered section from winter, and the trail went cold.

Lu Danian searched for a long time but couldn't pinpoint the exact spot.

"Ah..." He clapped his hands in regret. "Too bad. Came too late. Once this vine breaks, finding that lump underground is tough."

Not necessarily... Lu Chuan thought of his Eagle Eye. He spoke up: "Let me try looking."

"Don't waste the effort," Lu Danian waved a hand. "That stuff hides deep. How could you—"

The second half of his sentence caught in his throat.

Lu Chuan walked over to a patch of withered grass, pushed it aside with his hand, and there it was—a brown rootstock with a broken end.

The yam vine's root crown!

"Well, I'll be..." Lu Danian's face was full of disbelief. "How... how did you find it?!"

Lu Chuan couldn't explain the Eagle Eye's existence, so he hedged: "I guess I got lucky. Good thing this spot wasn't covered by snow."

Lu Danian was skeptical but didn't press further. "Whatever! Finding it is skill enough. Come on, dig!"

The two carefully dug down along the root crown.

Before long, a thick, hefty brown yam emerged—must have weighed over ten jin!

"Damn! What a fat one!" Lu Danian's grin stretched from ear to ear.

Their haul was plentiful. They returned to the cave.

They lit a fire and buried a big chunk of yam directly in the hot embers.

After about half an hour, they peeled off the charred skin, and a sweet, steaming aroma hit their noses.

Inside was golden, soft, sticky yam flesh, piping hot.

The two ate their fill, then wrapped themselves in pelts and rested in the cave for the night.

The next morning, they packed up and set off again.

Father and son traveled through increasingly rugged and perilous mountain ridges.

Finally, at a cliff, Lu Danian pointed ahead. "We're here."