Improvement

The next morning, just as dawn broke, Luo Yi crawled up from the ground, recalling Luo Wei's threats from the night before.

Given his current strength, if he went out hunting and ran into those guys outside the town—or got blocked by them on his way back—it would be extremely dangerous.

He had no idea exactly how they planned to deal with him, but Luo Yi didn't like putting his life in someone else's hands.

Unless he upgraded his archery skill today, Luo Yi wasn't stepping out the door.

He grabbed his bow and arrows and walked into the yard. Feeling that his arm hadn't fully recovered, he could only practice for a while, then rest, then practice again.

By noon, Luo Wei, who had been guarding the town exit with his men, looked at the younger brother running over to report.

"What's the situation now? Has my good nephew left the house yet?"

The underling, hearing the boss's question, quickly replied:

"Boss, the Luo family's courtyard door has been shut the whole time. I'm not sure what's going on inside, but I kept hearing 'swish,' 'swish,' 'swish' sounds coming from the yard."

After hearing the report, Luo Wei thought to himself: My good nephew was scared by my threats last night—he's too afraid to come out today, huh?

Feeling the sun growing hotter overhead, Luo Wei waved his hand and said to his men:

"Leave one person here to keep watch. The rest of you, come with me for a drink."

After practicing all morning, Luo Yi looked at the Panel showing Basic Archery (入门 199/200). He used the last of his strength to draw the bow and aim at the target.

With a "swish," the arrow cut through the air and struck straight into the Scarecrow's head.

Code
Host: Luo Yi

Age: 16

Realm: Mortal

Skills: Basic Archery (Minor Accomplishment 1/300)

Traits: None

Looking at the Panel showing his archery skill at Minor Accomplishment.

The first time his archery had leveled up, a scorching heat surged through his entire body.

The pores on his nose, mouth, ears, and arms dilated wildly, constantly releasing hot air.

Even the sharp pain that had been shooting through his arm during this morning's practice had vanished.

As the heat continued, Luo Yi even felt the bones in his chest and arms shift slightly.

His build changed from that of an ordinary adult to something more robust—muscle outlines appeared on his arms and abdomen.

After two or three minutes, the heat gradually faded, and Luo Yi snapped back to clarity.

Catching the stench coming from his body, he walked to the well. Just as he was about to draw water to wash, he saw his reflection in the well.

In his past life, as a programmer with irregular eating habits, he had been very overweight.

The original owner of this body had been a bookworm—skinny as a bamboo pole, the kind that would topple over in a gust of wind.

The reflection in the well showed a handsome young man with sharp facial features, a resolute face, deep, piercing eyes, and a slightly sturdy build.

Staring at the handsome reflection in the water, Luo Yi pulled his thoughts together. In this world where might made right, good looks meant nothing if you weren't strong enough—they might even bring trouble.

He washed off the foul grime his body had expelled, then dressed.

Feeling the surge of power in his body, Luo Yi picked up the bow and arrows from the ground and drew the string. Compared to before, he now needed only a fifth of the strength to pull it fully.

Just a Minor Accomplishment in archery had brought such a huge improvement.

When he eventually learned real martial arts, how much would that change things? The thought filled him with anticipation.

Remembering what his predecessor's father had said—that the registration fee at the town's Martial Arts Hall started at ten taels of silver—he felt the forty-four copper coins left in his pouch after buying food.

Without another word, he slung his bow on his back and headed straight toward Yunling Mountain.

The younger brother stationed at the town gate saw Luo Yi, dressed like a hunter, leave the town and immediately ran to the tavern where his boss was drinking to report.

"Boss, Luo Yi just left town and headed toward Yunling Mountain."

Luo Wei, who had been enjoying his drink, heard the report but didn't want it to ruin his mood.

"He'll have to come back from the mountain. Let's keep drinking for now. We'll block him outside town in the evening."

Upgrading his archery skill that morning had taken a lot of time, so he'd set out late.

By the time he reached Yunling Mountain, it was already past noon. Figuring he didn't have much time today, Luo Yi decided not to waste effort searching for prey.

He followed the markers he'd left the day before and headed toward the waterhole.

After about half an hour, he arrived near the waterhole and saw a large number of animals drinking by the edge. His heart leaped with joy!

He didn't strike immediately. Instead, he moved toward a denser cluster of animals, aimed at a row of stupid Roe Deer drinking in a line.

Worried that his Hunting Bow might lack killing power, he drew the bowstring to its maximum.

A "swish" reached Luo Yi's ears as the arrow cut through the air, followed by the panicked cries of the smaller animals.

Startled small animals fled in all directions.

Without hesitation, Luo Yi drew his bow and randomly picked a lucky little creature.

Two arrows flew, and every animal drinking by the waterhole was gone.

Luo Yi put away his bow, walked to the edge of the puddle, and looked at the two roe deer skewered together by his arrows, disappointment plain on his face.

At least three or four roe deer had been in his arrow's path, yet he'd only killed two.

Ever since his Basic Archery had risen to Minor Accomplishment, the "Five Dou Bow" left by his predecessor's father could no longer keep up with his current strength.

Hoisting a roe deer carcass that weighed at least sixty or seventy jin on its own, Luo Yi felt a dull ache in his heart.

With some resignation, he stuffed the two roe deer and the lucky wild chicken corpse into his hunting pack, and in an instant, the whole bag was stuffed to the brim.

After cleaning up the bloodstains near the puddle, Luo Yi decided to wait a little longer to see if any unexpected gains would come.

It wasn't until dusk, when he was about to head back to the village, that Luo Yi heard faint rustling from the grass beside the puddle.

He held his breath and focused!

After a short while, three plump wild rabbits emerged from the grass, hopped to the puddle, and began drinking heavily.

Watching the three rabbits drink, Luo Yi felt a strong sense of familiarity.

Those three rabbits looked very much like the three that had escaped yesterday.

But today's rabbits were a bit bigger than yesterday's, so he wasn't sure.

Unable to figure out why, Luo Yi nocked an arrow, aimed at the fattest one, and released the bowstring. The arrow struck the rabbit's head.

He picked up the rabbit carcass, followed the markers out of the forest, and hurried toward the town.

Just as he was about to reach Dongsheng Town, Luo Yi spotted something from afar, not far from the town entrance.

Luo Wei was standing there with a few thugs, looking in his direction, their eyes full of mockery.

Knowing that Luo Wei and his crew had spotted him, Luo Yi also let a smile creep onto his face. This time, his archery had leveled up, and his overall strength had improved significantly.

Besides, this place wasn't far from Dongsheng Town, and people often passed by.

Luo Wei probably wouldn't dare to kill him outright. This was a good chance to probe Luo Wei's background.

Seeing Luo Yi walking toward them with a smile on his face and a plump, delicious-looking wild rabbit in his hand, Luo Wei thought his good nephew had caved—bringing a rabbit as a peace offering to admit his mistake.

Luo Wei shouted loudly, "Luo Yi, don't think you can get off easy just by bringing me a wild rabbit as tribute! I, Luo Wei, mean what I say—I said I'd break one of your legs, and I'll break one of your legs."