In the dead of night, Cui Hao slowly lifted the covers, slipped quietly out of bed, and quickly pulled on his clothes and shoes. He grabbed the bow and arrows glued together on the wall and quietly left the house.
Beneath the moonlit sky, he followed the shadows along the walls, Light as a Swallow, and hurried forward.
"Big brother," Zhou Mengyue said. He was in the rebuilt house, drinking with a group of men around the stove. One of the hooligans asked, "Village Protection Squad is a lousy name. How about the Dragon-Teng-Tiger-Leap Gang? It matches the four of you brothers. Sounds mighty impressive."
"There are too many refugees, and the big shots in the city don't want trouble stirring below," Zhou Mengyue said calmly. "Calling it the Village Protection Squad pleases the officials above and the people below."
"You're already a beginner in mortal martial arts. Why hide your abilities?"
Zhou Mengyue's expression turned stern. He let the three hooligans take the lead in everything because Qingyuan City was full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers—experts were everywhere. "Don't go looking for death!"
The hooligan dropped the matter of the gang's name and changed the subject. "Big brother, those villagers are more stubborn than the next. It's like they planned it together—none of them will pay."
"Did you try using force?"
"We did," one hooligan cut in. "During the day, we pretended to be refugees and smashed their doors and windows."
"Wait another hour, until they're sound asleep, then burn down the houses of two troublemakers," Zhou Mengyue decided. "Make an example of them and scare the rest."
The hooligans nodded emphatically.
In the freezing cold, Cui Hao returned for the second time to the wall around the Zhou family's courtyard. The graveyard tree had been reduced to a stump. After a brief look around, he hid in the shadows at the foot of the courtyard wall opposite the Zhou home and quietly waited for his chance.
Zhou Mengyue might not be inside the house, but ever since his brother died, he'd often come back. Cui Hao planned to stake the place out for two hours every night. Sooner or later, he'd catch him.
Before long, seven people slipped out of the Zhou family's courtyard, each carrying a bundle of firewood. Were they planning to set something alight?
Giving up on his stakeout, Cui Hao circled two houses and followed the seven men to the vicinity of Old Man Lin's home.
He watched as they stacked firewood in front of and behind Old Man Lin's house.
He couldn't just let that happen. Cui Hao picked up a stone and hurled it into the courtyard from more than ten paces away. He threw two stones in a row; one struck a window.
"Who's there!" Old Man Lin's voice rang out sharply in the darkness.
Old Man Lin was a military household veteran who'd seen battle in his youth. His shout frightened the seven men so badly that they fled in a panic before they could light the fire.
Cui Hao followed them back to the Zhou home. Outside the courtyard wall, he heard Zhou Mengyue swearing furiously, calling them "stupider than pigs" and worse.
Then Zhou Mengyue pulled open the gate, intending to set the fire himself.
"Big brother," the hooligans called as they chased after him. "Give us one more chance. We'll get it right this time!"
"Useless trash! We're going together!"
The whole lot of them felt like a ragtag troupe. Cui Hao drew his bow to its full length, bending the mulberry wood into a full moon. He held his breath and aimed at the road—then waited.
One breath, two breaths. Zhou Mengyue, dressed in a training outfit, appeared in his sights. He didn't need to aim carefully; he felt he could hit the spot he wanted. He released the bowstring.
Zhou Mengyue suddenly turned his head. An arrow pierced his neck!
The distance was only seven or eight paces. The Wolf Fang Arrow reached him in an instant. Zhou Mengyue had no time to dodge. He widened his eyes, clutched his throat, and made a gurgling sound.
Without pausing, Cui Hao fired a second arrow, then a third... Each one drawn to the full, each following the last, every arrow finding its mark.
At the fourth arrow, the hooligans, who'd been momentarily stunned, came to their senses. With a scream, they ran.
Cui Hao stepped out of the shadows, breathing evenly and moving unhurriedly as he shot down the last four men.
He didn't rush to hide the bodies. Standing where he was, he scanned the area. Once he was sure none of the dead had gotten back up and no one had come to watch, he calmly dealt with the scene.
It was midnight and freezing cold. He didn't have to worry about anyone seeing him.
Most people were like Su Yun. They wouldn't open the door, even if they heard the commotion or someone kicked and pounded on it. They'd only brace the door shut and pray the bad men would leave soon.
As before, he dragged the bodies indoors, searched them, and damaged the arrow wounds on their bodies.
For that, Cui Hao had to chop off Zhou Mengyue's head. That counted as revenge for the Hog Badger he'd stolen and for the punch he'd thrown.
There were eight corpses in all. The scene was bloody and sticky, a truly jarring sight.
But Cui Hao wasn't afraid. You became what you ate. Eating bitter hardship wouldn't make you rise above others; eating people would.
Calmly, he fetched a bundle of firewood from the courtyard and lit it with a fire starter. Once the flames took hold, he slipped into the shadows to watch.
The fire was lit. He withdrew.
On his way back, he glanced at his panel. Archery had refreshed.
[Archery: Minor Accomplishment (101/600)] [Effect: soreness -10, arm strength +10, accuracy +10, critical hits +1]
It had been 1 before, and now it had increased by exactly 100. Judging by the numbers, had the seven hooligans contributed 70 points and Zhou Mengyue alone supplied 30?
The generous progress points and the twelve taels of silver he'd found while searching the bodies made Cui Hao feel that hunting people was better than hunting game.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Heavy pounding sounded at the door. "Brother Hao, it's Lin Da! Open up! Something terrible has happened!"
"Brother Hao," Su Yun murmured, her ample bosom half-exposed as she shook him awake. "Lin Da's here. Go open the door."
Cui Hao didn't want to get up. He rolled over, turning his back to Su Yun.
Looking at the man's thick arm, Su Yun bit down on it, then teased him with the tip of her tongue.
Cui Hao dragged himself out of bed.
He went out of the main room, crossed the frozen-solid courtyard, and opened the gate. Glancing at the sun just peeking up in the east, he asked, "What is it?"
"Brother Hao, the Zhou family home burned down again. A lot of people died."
Cui Hao put on an appropriately surprised look. "A lot of people?"
"Yeah. There are bloodstains on the road outside the courtyard, as if wolves dragged them away. My dad says at least eight people died."
"Lin Da," Aunt Li said softly, crouching as she opened her gate a crack and carefully peered out from her courtyard. "Did Zhou Mengyue die?"
"Probably. There are eight blood trails, so the numbers add up."
Aunt Li had laughed far too happily when Zhou Menghu died. Later, Zhou Mengyue had slapped her twice and the Village Protection Squad had targeted her, so she hadn't laughed for a whole month. She hadn't gossiped about anyone for a whole month, either.
Hearing that Zhou Mengyue was probably dead, Aunt Li's face broke into a smile again. She opened her gate, straightened up, and cursed, "Good riddance! I'm going to take a look! Everyone, come see! Zhou Mengyue is dead! Zhou Mengyue is dead!"
After Aunt Li left, Lin Da looked back at Cui Hao. "Someone stacked a lot of firewood in front of and behind our house last night. They wanted to burn us alive. Luckily, someone threw stones into the courtyard. My dad shouted, and they ran off."
After seeing Lin Da off, Cui Hao turned and went back inside. He slipped into bed for the second time and pulled his wife into his arms.
"Brother Hao, did something happen to Lin Da?"
"He said Zhou Menghu's house burned again. Eight people died, and Zhou Mengyue might be dead, too."
"Ah!" Su Yun sat up in one smooth motion, her eyes shining. "Is that true?"
"It should be."
"Willow Tree Village has been blessed by the gods, and my parents are watching over us from heaven, too," Su Yun said, pressing her palms together. "It's our turn to live well."
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