Threat

As he ventured deeper into the outer forest of Yunling Mountain, traces of large carnivorous animals began to appear.

Looking at the animal footprints on the ground, bigger than his own head.

If he actually ran into something like that, one swipe would probably be enough to kill him, right?

He couldn't help but sigh at his predecessor—whether it was skill making him bold or sheer ignorance, daring to go into the mountains alone.

Worried that lingering here might bring danger, Luo Yi headed back toward the outer forest.

After wandering the outer forest all afternoon, he only managed to catch a snake and a wild chicken, stuffing them into his backpack.

Watching the sky darken, Luo Yi recalled the terrifying tales Wang Meng and the others had told him—that horrible things happened in Yunling Mountain at night.

Following the marks he'd left along the way when he entered the mountains that morning.

He successfully made it out of the outer area of Yunling Mountain and ran toward Dongsheng Town.

Arriving at the tavern where Wang Meng had sold his prey yesterday.

Luo Yi found the waiter greeting guests outside and said:

"Little brother, could you trouble Manager Chen for me? I have some game to sell, and I'd like to see if he's interested."

The waiter, busy welcoming customers, turned to look at Luo Yi.

"The guy's thin and scrawny, dressed like a shabby hunter"—figuring he probably didn't have anything good, he was about to wave him off.

Just then, Manager Chen, who was seeing off a guest, noticed Luo Yi looked familiar and asked, "Are you Luo Wei's son?"

Hearing Manager Chen's question, and recalling that his predecessor's father was indeed named Luo Wei, Luo Yi nodded.

Manager Chen looked at the young man, who bore a fair resemblance to Luo Wei, and confirmed his identity.

Seeing the hunting pack on the young man's back, and thinking of Luo Wei's superb hunting skills, he figured his son couldn't be far off, and quickly asked:

"Young brother, do you have something to sell to our tavern?"

Seeing Manager Chen's eager expression, Luo Yi opened his backpack and took out the day's catch.

Manager Chen looked at the game laid on the ground—two wild rabbits, a wild chicken, and a snake. The rabbits were noticeably larger than those brought in by others.

Seeing such a young lad bagging such fine prey on his own, he thought that maybe he could get some big hauls from this guy in the future.

Manager Chen decided not to lowball Luo Yi, and said with a pleased smile:

"Young brother, these two rabbits are big. I'll give you seventy-five coppers each. This snake is good for steeping wine, so I'll give you thirty coppers. The wild chicken's too small, I can only offer twenty coppers."

That's two hundred coppers total. What do you say, young brother?

Hearing the price Manager Chen quoted, which was higher than what he'd given Wang Meng and the others yesterday, Luo Yi knew he wasn't being cheated.

Luo Yi nodded.

"Thanks, Manager Chen. If I get good stuff in the future, I'll definitely come back to you."

Manager Chen was very satisfied with Luo Yi's reply. He went back to the counter, took out two hundred coppers, and handed them to Luo Yi.

With the day's earnings in hand, Luo Yi walked along the town's streets.

Thinking about the dwindling supply of Black Dough at home, he headed to the town's biggest grain shop. Looking at the sign hanging in front, it read:

Today's Grain Prices:

Millet: 500 coppers per shi

Polished Rice: 2 taels of silver per shi

Wheat: 800 coppers per shi

Wild Rice: 600 coppers per shi

Looking at the prices, Luo Yi felt the two hundred and forty-four coppers he'd earned over two days in his pouch.

He walked into the grain shop, gritted his teeth, and bought four dou of millet, spending two hundred coppers.

Glancing at the prices of other foods in the shop, Luo Yi touched the remaining forty-four coppers in his pouch, hoisted the thirty-jin sack of millet, and headed home.

When he reached the door and was about to knock, he saw many marks from stones thrown at the gate. He knew it was Second Uncle Luo Wei's doing.

With his current strength, there was nothing he could do about it. He loosened his clenched fists, steadied his mood.

And called toward the door, "Xiao Xi, I'm back. Open the door."

Luo Xi, hiding inside the house, heard her brother's voice and quickly opened the door.

Seeing the bag in her brother's hand, she asked, "Brother, what's that you're carrying?"

Hearing his sister's question, Luo Yi opened the bag, revealing the millet inside.

"I caught a few small animals today. Thought about how we're almost out of food at home, so I bought some millet on the way back."

Luo Xi looked at the millet in the bag, took it happily, and said:

"Brother, you worked hard hunting in the mountains today. Go rest for a while. I'll call you when dinner's ready."

Seeing how sensible Luo Xi was, Luo Yi didn't refuse her kindness.

But remembering he still hadn't practiced his Basic Archery skill today, he decided not to go rest in his room.

He took up his stance, aimed at the scarecrow in the corner, drew the bow, and loosed the arrow.

Arrow after arrow struck the scarecrow's head, and the skill progress on the Panel kept climbing.

After about an hour, Luo Xi finished cooking the Millet Porridge.

Seeing her brother training with the bow in the yard, she didn't disturb him and instead sat down in an open space nearby.

Watching his tall, martial figure as he drew and fired again and again, Luo Xi felt that her brother had changed completely since encountering the Evil Spirit.

Before, he spent every day cooped up in his room reading. Whenever their father tried to teach him hunting, he'd find every excuse to dodge it. Now he was actually practicing archery on his own—a flicker of worry crossed her eyes.

Luo Yi, fully absorbed in his archery practice, wasn't affected by anything outside.

Only when a dull ache began to pulse through his arms, signaling he'd reached his limit for the day, did he put the arrows back into the quiver.

He glanced at the Panel, where the skill read: Basic Archery (Beginner 64/200) had changed to: Basic Archery (Beginner 121/200). He shook his slightly numb arms.

Seeing her brother had finished, Luo Xi went into the kitchen, brought out the Millet Porridge that was starting to cool, and handed it to Luo Yi.

The porridge made from millet looked just like the millet porridge from his past life in Huaxia. Starving after a long day, Luo Yi wolfed it down.

Just as the siblings were eating, their Second Uncle Luo Wei's voice came from outside the door:

"Luo Yi, are you home? If you're in, open the door. I've got business with you—good news!"

Hearing Second Uncle Luo Wei's voice, Luo Yi knew this man never came with anything good, so he didn't answer.

He walked to the woodpile in the corner of the yard, pulled out two thick logs, and wedged them against the two doors.

Luo Wei, who had ordered his men to knock, heard the sound of heavy objects being shoved against the door from inside, and a vicious look crossed his face.

He cursed loudly: "Fine! You little bastard, daring to keep the door shut on me. When you go hunting outside town, you'd better watch your back. If I run into you, I'll break your legs."

After the cursing, there was still no response from inside the yard. Luo Wei wondered if his threats had any effect.

He kicked the door twice in frustration, then waved for his men to follow. The group headed toward the biggest Brothel in town.

Hearing the footsteps fade into the distance, Luo Yi worried that Luo Wei might act rashly and attack him in front of others in the town. His desire to grow stronger grew even more urgent.

He looked at his Basic Archery skill, still needing 79 points to level up.

He went back to his room, took out his bow and arrows, and despite the pain in his arms, he drew and shot again.

After one round, he checked the skill—still 64 points to go.

The pain in his arms had become unbearable. Worried it might affect tomorrow's hunting, he went back inside, found an empty spot on the floor, lay down, and fell asleep early.