Village Tyrant

The moment the panel appeared, a message flashed through his mind!

Cui Hao understood how to use the panel. As long as he practiced more... he could gain proficiency and level up!

Did this mean that as long as he put in the hard work, this skill could steadily improve, even... reach a certain height?

Thinking of this, Cui Hao's heart leaped with joy!

After all, he wasn't good at hunting in his previous life. Picking up a bow and arrow was just a desperate measure to make a living.

He never expected to awaken a cheat system!

Thanking them again, Cui Hao got up and left. He then stopped in front of a clean rice shop.

The owner was a lean middle-aged man, dozing with his chin propped in his hand.

"Shopkeeper, what's the price for brown rice?"

The shopkeeper barely lifted his eyelids. "One dou, one hundred and ten wen."

Cui Hao's heart sank. "Your rice price is wrong, isn't it?"

"River transport is blocked, and less rice is coming from the east, so the price naturally rose. Buy now if you want to buy. It might go up again in a couple of days."

Cui Hao fell silent. He asked at two more shops. One quoted one hundred and five wen, and the other asked for one hundred and eight wen. They were all similar.

In short, the rise in grain prices was a foregone conclusion.

He moved to the meat stall area. In front of the largest meat stall hung half a pig. The stall owner was a burly man with a greasy face, chopping bones with a cleaver.

"How much for the fatty meat?"

"Twenty-five wen per jin, no bargaining," the burly man's voice boomed like a gong, his cleaver flashing. "Lean meat, eighteen wen. Which cut do you want?"

Cui Hao looked at the half pig. The fatty parts were white and tempting, but too expensive.

His gaze moved down an inch, landing on a piece of "pork belly" with skin, fat, and a little lean meat.

Cui Hao raised his hand and pointed at the pork belly. "How much for this piece?"

The burly man glanced at it. "Twenty wen per jin."

Cui Hao licked his slightly chapped lips. He only had one hundred and fifty wen left in his embrace. He had to be meticulous.

"Excuse me, I'll take one jin." He paused, then added, "Try to get one with more fat."

"Alright," the burly man brought down his cleaver, cut off a piece, and weighed it. "A little over a jin. I'll charge you for one jin. Twenty wen."

Next was the staple food.

He didn't buy the stubbornly priced brown rice. Instead, he bought a quarter dou of mixed grain flour with beans.

He gritted his teeth and bought half a dou of the cheapest grain, mixed with a lot of husks and millet.

These items added up to eighty wen.

The remaining fifty wen were spent on a small amount of coarse salt.

With that, his two hundred and twenty wen were completely gone.

He used a torn cloth to tie the food into a bundle.

Carrying his bow and arrows, he strode back to the village.

His stomach was empty, and his steps felt weak, but the things on his back gave him some confidence—at least, for the next few days, he and Su Yun wouldn't have to live on wild vegetable gruel alone.

More importantly, he had a bow and arrows.

And that panel that promised hope as long as he practiced.

When he got home, the yard was quiet. Su Yun hadn't returned yet. He put down his things and immediately started a fire to cook.

The firewood by the stove was mostly weeds and twigs, neatly stacked—this was what Su Yun collected bit by bit from the wilderness every day after finishing her work, dragging her tired body.

The trees between the village and Qingyuan City had long since been felled. The occasional large trees were likely feng shui trees on graves, which no one dared to touch, and most were privately owned.

He laboriously lit the dry grass with flint, igniting the twigs.

He first put the sliced fatty meat into the pot. With a sizzle, a rich meaty aroma filled the air along with the sound of splattering oil, instantly awakening Cui Hao's gluttonous desires.

He carefully scooped the rendered pork fat into a small clay pot. This would be a rare source of oil for the next few days.

Then, using the meat-scented pot, he stewed the brown rice. On top, he placed a steamer basket, layering it with rehydrated dried vegetables and the remaining pork belly slices to steam together.

While waiting for the rice to cook, he noticed the water vat was almost empty. Cui Hao picked up the wooden bucket from the corner and walked out of the yard.

By the old well at the village entrance, he had just set down the wooden bucket when a burly figure blocked his way.

It was the village bully—Zhou Menghu.

Two ruffian-like followers were behind him.

Cui Hao's heart tightened, but he tried to maintain a calm expression. "Brother Zhou."

"About that matter I mentioned last time," Zhou Menghu|G leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Have you given it any thought, kid?"

Half a year ago, right after Cui Hao|G's father disappeared, Zhou Menghu|G had come knocking, proposing to buy Su Yun|G.

At the time, while preparing for the Xiucai exam, Cui Hao|G had said, 'Let's discuss it later.'

"Brother Zhou..." Cui Hao|G looked up, meeting Zhou Menghu|G's eyes, which flickered with greed and ferocity. He decided to stall. "Let me think about it some more."

"What's there to think about?" Zhou Menghu|G's smile was fake. "When the tax silver is due and you can't pay, and the officials lock you up, it'll be too late to regret."

"It's mainly that my body is weak and I still need someone to take care of me for now."

Zhou Menghu|G stared at him for several seconds, then suddenly let out a scoff. He patted Cui Hao|G's thin shoulder with considerable force. "Fine, you think about it. Brothers! Let's go."

With that, he swaggered away with his followers.

Watching Zhou Menghu|G's retreating back, Cui Hao|G's brow furrowed. A terrible thought suddenly struck him.

Zhou Menghu|G had probably been eyeing his family for a long time. His father's disappearance while hunting... might... not have been an accident...

Now, what should he do? Get stronger as quickly as possible?

Or strike first?

With a modern soul and mind, Cui Hao|G leaned towards striking first.

He quickly filled a bucket with water and hurried home.

He poured the water into the vat and brought the food to the table. The courtyard gate was pushed open.

Su Yun|G had returned. When she saw the glistening, fragrant millet rice and steamed meat on the table in the main room, her body stiffened.

"Go wash your face," Cui Hao|G gestured to the food. "The meal will get cold. There's meat today, eat more. You're so thin."

Su Yun|G walked stiffly to scoop water to wash her face.

At the dinner table, Cui Hao|G placed the largest, glossiest piece of fatty pork belly into Su Yun|G's bowl. "Eat up, nourish your body."

Su Yun|G ate in small bites, but she seemed lost.

Sensing that Su Yun|G was not right, Cui Hao|G merely thought she was too tired.

After a short rest after dinner, he eagerly began his first practice session.

On the dirt wall to the left of the courtyard gate, he hung a crude target made of straw, about the size of a pillow.

He stood under the eaves, four paces away.

He nocked an arrow and drew the string.

The bow felt heavier than imagined. The muscles in his arm were stiff. He didn't dare draw it fully, only pulling back about half-way. He held his breath and, relying on instinct, released the arrow--

"Thwack!" The first arrow flew crookedly and embedded itself deeply into the adjacent wooden gate.

Cui Hao|G winced in pain, worried he might damage their only gate.

Adjusting his breathing, he recalled vague concepts like "three points in a line" that his father had occasionally mentioned. He nocked another arrow.

The second arrow still missed wildly.

The third arrow grazed the top edge of the straw target, barely counting as a 'hit.'

The fourth, fifth arrows... His feel for it seemed to be slowly returning. Although the landing points were scattered, they all lodged themselves within the target's range.

A thought flickered, and he looked at his status panel.

[Archery: Novice]
[Progress: 50/100]

As expected! Practice was effective! And the initial growth was rapid, jumping directly from 20 to 50.

At this rate, perhaps tonight he could break through 100 and reach a new level?

After a short break, Cui Hao|G began his second round of practice, focusing on adjusting his stance and feeling the exertion. His accuracy improved slightly.

The progress here became 70.

In the third round, his arms felt even more sore and heavy. Cui Hao|G gritted his teeth and persevered. Progress reached 85.

"Brother Hao, you should rest," Su Yun|G advised from the side. "It won't make a difference if you practice tomorrow instead."

Thinking of Zhou Menghu|G's sinister gaze, Cui Hao|G shook his head. "I'm only drawing half the bow, I can still manage. You should go to sleep early."

Su Yun|G didn't press further and turned back into the house.

Cui Hao|G continued practicing archery. After the fourth round, he checked his status panel.

[Archery: Novice]
[Progress: 99/100]

99! He was stuck.

Cui Hao|G frowned. Was it because the practice distance was too short? Or the lack of pressure from a real hunt?

He had to go into the mountains tomorrow morning... His mind made up, he put away his bow and went inside. Cui Hao|G's expression froze slightly.

Su Yun|G was sleeping in his bed, curled up entirely under the covers.

"Sister Yun... you..."

Su Yun slowly pulled down the blanket, revealing her tear-reddened eyes. "Brother Hao... sleep with me tonight."

Seeing the woman cry like this, Cui Hao couldn't possibly sleep. He moved a stool over and sat down. "Explain yourself."

"I... I want to give myself to you before I'm sold..." As her voice fell, Su Yun's tears flowed like a breached riverbank, unstoppable.

"Who said I was going to sell you?"

"The money for meat..."

"I sold the Four Treasures of the Study to buy arrows and meat. Tomorrow morning, I'll go into the mountains to hunt. From now on, you and I will support the family together."

"Uh..." Su Yun's tears quickly stopped, her cheeks flushing red. "Brother Hao, get out quickly. I need to get dressed..."

"Getting dressed is too much trouble..." Before he could finish speaking, Cui Hao pounced.