Harvest

Luo Yi looked at Luo Wei with a blank stare, as if he were an idiot.

"When did I ever say I was giving this wild rabbit to you?"

Realizing he had jumped to conclusions, Luo Wei's face flushed pale and red with anger. Humiliated and furious, he was about to order his men to break Luo Yi's legs when—

"Luo Wei, you've got some nerve, daring to lay a hand on someone from our Hunting Team. What, after throwing in with Mister Li, you think your wings are strong enough to ignore me, Wang Meng?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Luo Yi turned to see Wang Meng and a few others returning from the hunt.

As Wang Meng and the Hunting Team members closed in, Luo Wei blustered, "Wang Meng, since when did Luo Yi become a member of your Hunting Team? If you want to go against Mister Li, just say so. Don't use someone else as a shield."

Wang Meng couldn't help but laugh at that and snapped back:

"Get lost now, or go argue with the blade in my hand."

Knowing Wang Meng was protecting him, Luo Wei realized there was no chance of teaching his dear nephew a lesson today. But he wasn't about to slink off empty-handed.

"Luo Yi, you'd better stick with Wang Meng and his crew every day. The day I catch you alone, you're dead!" With that threat, Luo Wei led his men toward the town.

Cupping his fists, Luo Yi bowed to the group. "Thank you, Uncle Wang, and the brothers of the Hunting Team, for your help."

Wang Meng looked at Luo Yi, who had bulked up noticeably in just a few days.

He clapped him on the shoulder with a grin. "Kid, you didn't seem scared of Luo Wei at all earlier! Don't underestimate him. The man's been running roughshod over Dongsheng Town and bullying the locals for years—he's got some tricks up his sleeve."

"Besides Luo Wei, watch out for the man behind him, Li Fucai, Mister Li. When he moved to our town from elsewhere over a decade ago, his family was dead broke. To build up such a fortune in just over ten years, he's got to have some real skill. Don't let your guard down."

Taking in Wang Meng's words, Luo Yi nodded solemnly. "Thank you, Uncle Wang."

Seeing that Luo Yi had taken his advice to heart, Wang Meng called his brothers and headed toward the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion.

Watching them go, Luo Yi didn't rush to sell today's haul.

The catch was worth at least a few hundred coppers, and he'd be bringing back even more valuable game in the future. He trusted Wang Meng, but he wasn't about to test human nature.

Back home, he laid today's prey on the ground.

Luo Xi stared at the game her brother had brought back, drooling uncontrollably.

Seeing his little sister acting like a greedy cat, and remembering he hadn't eaten meat since crossing over, he handed her a wild chicken.

"Xiao Xi, go clean the chicken and stew it in the pot. We'll have a feast tonight."

After she dealt with the chicken, Luo Yi looked at the remaining two roe deer and one wild rabbit. Roe deer meat was tender and melt-in-your-mouth, highly valuable.

Wild rabbit meat, on the other hand, was tough and gamey. The Drunken Fragrance Pavilion offered a low price for it—barely more than millet porridge per pound.

Thinking about how intense his Basic Archery training had been and how his body needed meat for nutrition, he decided to keep the rabbit at home.

He packed the two roe deer back into his hunting bag, slung it over his shoulder, and headed for the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion.

When he reached the pavilion, the waiter at the door recognized him as the shabby hunter from yesterday. Remembering the manager's instructions to notify him if this man showed up—

"Young sir, wait a moment. I'll call Manager Chen out."

"Alright," Luo Yi replied, standing patiently by the door.

Before long, Manager Chen emerged with a smile. "Young brother, what good catches did you get today?"

Luo Yi pulled the two roe deer from his hunting bag and set them on the ground.

Seeing the deer, Manager Chen laughed heartily. "Young brother, you've got real skill! In just a few days, you've bagged such fine game."

Watching the delighted manager, Luo Yi smiled and asked, "Manager Chen, you know these two roe deer aren't just valuable for their meat—the pelts are worth a good sum too. What price are you willing to offer?"

Hearing Luo Yi's question, Manager Chen realized this young man wasn't easy to fool. Just as he was about to find a way to haggle, he heard—

"You only get one chance to name a price, Manager Chen. If you don't want them, I'll take them to the county market tomorrow."

Looking at Luo Yi's calm smile, Manager Chen had the waiter bring out a scale. After weighing both deer—

"Young sir, these two roe deer are excellent quality. The arrows hit spots that didn't damage the pelts' integrity. Each weighs close to eighty jin. I'll offer six taels of silver for both. What do you think?"

Hearing the offer, Luo Yi's heart leaped with joy, but he kept his face steady. "Deal."

Seeing the young man's lack of reaction to six taels of silver, Manager Chen chuckled.

"Truly, heroes come from youth. Young brother, you're a master hunter at such a young age. Your future is boundless."

He went back into the inn's back hall, retrieved six taels of silver, and handed them to Luo Yi.

Pocketing the silver, Luo Yi scanned his surroundings to make sure no one was tailing him, then hurried home.

The moment he left, the waiter sidled up to Manager Chen.

"Boss, should the boys head out tonight to take the silver back?"

Manager Chen scolded him. "Take what back? We're running a business in town, not out in the wild. Business is about steady, long-term gains. In two days, that young man has brought us this much game. There's plenty of time ahead—no need to burn bridges over a few taels."

Carrying the hefty sum of six taels, Luo Yi found himself running a bit faster. As soon as he entered the yard, the aroma of food wafted from the kitchen.

Seeing her brother return, Luo Xi brought out the stewed chicken soup and millet porridge to the stone table in the yard.

Faced with a full bowl of chicken soup and a large bowl of millet porridge, the two of them wolfed down the food.

After polishing off every last drop, Luo Yi had his sister clean the wild rabbit left in the yard.

Given the current temperature, food would spoil in a day or two at most, and salt in the Great Qi Dynasty was prohibitively expensive.

After instructing his younger sister to clean the wild rabbit carcass and turn it directly into jerky, Luo Yi himself walked into the courtyard and began practicing Basic Archery. After one round of arrows, the Panel showed Basic Archery (Minor Accomplishment 1/300) had become Basic Archery (Minor Accomplishment 6/300).

The progress had shifted from one arrow adding one point to now three arrows adding one point.

Luo Yi pondered the reason: did leveling up become harder as the skill rank increased?

Or was the courtyard too small, making hitting the target at this distance too easy for him now?

He weighed the Hunting Bow in his hand—perhaps the draw weight of the bow left by his predecessor's father was too low to provide effective training anymore?

Feeling the six taels of silver in his bosom, Luo Yi thought back to the undisguised killing intent in Luo Wei's eyes before he left, and worried that Luo Wei might try to kill him.

Considering that the Great Qi Dynasty banned crossbows and armor but not blades, and that people wielding all kinds of weapons could often be seen roaming Dongsheng Town, he figured the dynasty's control over hunting bows probably wasn't too strict either.

So he planned to visit the town's blacksmith shop tomorrow to see if he could buy a more powerful Hunting Bow for hunting and self-defense.

He didn't stop practicing just because progress had slowed. He kept at it until late into the night, and found that this time the archery skill upgrade had greatly improved his body.

Though his arms were sore now, it was still within his tolerance—unlike before, when shooting just a few dozen arrows had been unbearably painful.

He glanced at the Panel, which now showed Archery (Minor Accomplishment 6/300) → Archery (Minor Accomplishment 36/300).

Practicing for three hours had only added 30 points of progress—he still needed a way to speed things up.

Feeling a wave of drowsiness wash over him, he put away his bow and arrows, returned to his room, and went to sleep.