Improvement

At dawn the next day, Luo Yi climbed up from the ground. He thought of Luo Wei's threat from the night before.

With his current strength, going out to hunt and running into those men outside town would be dangerous.

And if they cornered him on his way back from a hunt, that would be just as dangerous.

He didn't know exactly how that group planned to deal with him, but Luo Yi didn't like putting his life in someone else's hands.

Until he upgraded his archery skill today, Luo Yi wasn't going out.

He picked up his bow and arrows and walked into the yard. His arms hadn't fully recovered, so he could only practice for a while, then rest for a while.

By noon, Luo Wei was waiting with his men at the town exit when one of his underlings came running to report.

"What's the situation? Has my dear nephew gone out yet?"

Hearing his boss's question, the underling hurriedly replied:

"Boss, the gate to the Luo family's courtyard has been shut the whole time. I don't know what's happening inside. I've only heard 'whoosh, whoosh, whoosh' sounds coming from there now and then."

After hearing the report, Luo Wei thought, My dear nephew got threatened by me last night. Could he be too scared to come out today?

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

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

After practicing all morning, Luo Yi looked at the panel, which showed Basic Archery (Beginner 199/200). Summoning the last of his strength, he drew his bow and aimed at the target.

With a whoosh, the arrow cut through the air and sank straight into the straw dummy's head.

Host: Luo Yi

Age: 16

Realm: Mortal

Skills: Basic Archery (Minor Accomplishment 1/300)

Traits: None

Looking at the Basic Archery skill marked Minor Accomplishment on the panel,

he felt the same wave of heat throughout his body that had come with his first archery upgrade.

The pores on his nose, mouth, ears, and arms flared open, releasing waves of heat.

Even the occasional stabbing pain in his arms from practicing archery that morning disappeared.

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

His build changed, too. He went from an ordinary adult's physique to a sturdier one, with muscles taking shape on his arms and abdomen.

After two or three minutes, the heat gradually faded, and Luo Yi came to his senses.

He smelled the stench coming from his body and walked to the well. He had meant to draw water for a bath, but stopped when he saw his reflection in the well.

In his previous life, he had been a programmer with an irregular diet and a very obese build.

The original owner of this body, whom he had inhabited after crossing over, had been a bookish boy, so thin he looked like a bamboo pole and as if a gust of wind could knock him over.

The reflection in the well showed a handsome young man with sharply defined features, a resolute face, deep light glimmering in his eyes, and a slightly muscular build.

Looking at his handsome reflection in the water, Luo Yi put those thoughts aside. In this world, where might made right, being handsome was no use if he wasn't strong enough. It might even invite trouble.

He washed off the foul grime his body had expelled and got dressed.

Feeling the powerful strength in his body, Luo Yi picked up the bow from the ground and drew the string. Compared with last time, he now needed only a fifth of the strength to pull it back.

Seeing how much of a boost he had gained from archery that was only at Minor Accomplishment,

he wondered how much he would change once he learned real martial arts. His anticipation grew.

He remembered his father saying that the Town Martial Arts Hall charged at least ten taels of silver to enroll. He felt the forty-four copper coins left in his pouch after buying food.

Silently, he slung the bow and arrows over his back and headed straight toward Yunling Mountain.

Luo Wei's underling, keeping watch at the town gate, saw Luo Yi leave town dressed as a hunter and hurried to the tavern where his boss was drinking to report.

"Boss, Luo Yi just left town. He's heading toward Yunling Mountain."

Luo Wei was enjoying his drinks. Not wanting the report to spoil his mood,

"He'll have to come back once he goes into the Mountain. Let's keep drinking, and we'll block his way outside town at dusk."

Upgrading his archery skill that morning had taken a lot of time, so Luo Yi had set out late.

By the time he reached Yunling Mountain, it was already past noon. Since he didn't have much time today, he didn't plan to spend long looking for prey.

Following the markers he had left the day before, he headed toward the watering hole.

After walking for about half an hour, he reached the area near the watering hole. Seeing a large number of animals crouched by the water to drink, his heart leapt with joy!

He didn't rush to shoot. Instead, he moved to where the animals were more densely gathered and aimed at several silly roe deer lined up as they drank.

Worried his Hunting Bow might not pack enough punch, he drew it back as far as it would go.

The arrow's whoosh reached Luo Yi's ears, along with the startled cries of the little animals.

The frightened animals scattered in all directions.

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

After he fired two arrows, all the little animals drinking there had fled.

Luo Yi put away his bow and walked to the watering hole. Looking at the two roe deer pierced together by his arrow, he wore a disappointed expression.

There had been at least three or four roe deer in the direction he'd aimed, yet he had killed only two.

Now that Basic Archery had reached Minor Accomplishment, the Five Dou Bow his father had left behind was already struggling to keep up with Luo Yi's strength.

He picked up the carcasses of the roe deer, each weighing a good sixty or seventy pounds, and felt his heart ache.

With a helpless sigh, he stuffed the two roe deer and the lucky pheasant into his hunting pack. In an instant, it was packed to the brim.

After cleaning up the blood around the watering hole, Luo Yi planned to wait a little longer and see if he got lucky.

Just as Luo Yi was about to head back to the village at dusk, he heard a rustling sound in the grass beside the watering hole.

He held his breath and focused!

A moment later, three plump wild rabbits emerged from the grass, hopped to the water, and began to drink greedily.

Looking at the three rabbits drinking, Luo Yi felt they seemed familiar.

They looked a lot like the three rabbits that had escaped the day before.

But the rabbits he'd run into today were slightly bigger than yesterday's, so he couldn't be sure.

Unable to figure out why, Luo Yi nocked an arrow and aimed at the fattest one. He released the string, and the arrow struck the rabbit in the head.

Holding the rabbit's carcass, he followed the markers out of the Mountain and headed toward town.

As he neared Dongsheng Town, Luo Yi spotted a short distance from the town gate

Luo Wei and several thugs looking toward him, their eyes full of mockery.

Realizing that Luo Wei and the others had spotted him, Luo Yi smiled, too. His archery upgrade had greatly improved his overall strength.

Besides, this spot wasn't far from Dongsheng Town, and passersby came through often.

Luo Wei probably wouldn't dare kill him, either, so this was a good opportunity to probe Luo Wei's background.

Seeing Luo Yi approach with a smile and the plump wild rabbit in his hand, Luo Wei assumed his dear nephew had admitted defeat and brought the rabbit to apologize and confess his mistake.

Luo Wei shouted, "Luo Yi, don't think that bringing me a wild rabbit as an offering will make me spare you! I, Luo Wei, keep my word. I said I'd break one of your legs, and I'll break one of your legs."