Ascending the Mountain Again

Time passed slowly, and in the blink of an eye, four days had gone by.

For those four days, Chen Xuan still went nowhere, which undoubtedly made Chen San Ye even more anxious.

Yet Chen Xuan paid no heed to any of it.

He continued practicing archery in an orderly fashion. To him, he could hunt the fierce tiger at any time. With the effect of his Conceptual Ability and his current archery skills, success was guaranteed beyond all doubt.

Since Overlord Blade Martial Hall required seven days, he naturally had to time things carefully.

Then, when the fifth day arrived.

Chen Xuan picked up his bow and arrow once more and vaguely sensed something different.

His gaze unconsciously shifted forward. The charcoal-blackened dot there, no thicker than a thumb, seemed to expand infinitely in his eyes at that moment.

Suddenly, he seemed to sense something.

He instinctively looked up. A flock of birds happened to be flying high overhead. With winter approaching, they were clearly heading south to spend the season.

Because of the distance, Chen Xuan had previously been helpless against such birds.

Even with Iron Draw Bow in hand, it had been difficult to hunt them.

But at that moment, when he saw the flock, Chen Xuan somehow felt something stir within him.

He could shoot them down.

With a thought, Chen Xuan drew his bow and nocked an arrow without the slightest hesitation.

The birds swiftly enlarged before his eyes.

He adjusted his breathing slightly. When the birds had enlarged to a certain extent, the bow and arrow in Chen Xuan's hand shot free in an instant.

"Whoosh!"

The arrow tore through the air, crossing several hundred meters in an instant.

Yet even Iron Draw Bow, under gravity's immense resistance, slowed after racing only a few hundred meters, and the arrow fell along a curved trajectory.

Whether by coincidence or not.

The falling arrow crashed straight into one of the birds.

"Pfft!"

The remaining force in the arrow instantly pierced through its neck, and its body plummeted toward the ground.

"Hah!"

Watching the bird fall, Chen Xuan exhaled a breath of stale air, and a smile could not help appearing on his face.

He had reached mastery.

Even without verification from the Conceptual Ability, he could now confirm that his archery had reached mastery.

His smile spread as he quickly headed toward where the bird had fallen.

He picked up the fallen bird.

Although his family was no longer short of food, it still could not be wasted.

He returned home.

After tidying up, Chen Xuan turned his gaze toward the back mountain.

A thought stirred in his mind.

New words appeared at once.

Target: Hunt Tiger and Leopard, and return safely (pending confirmation)

Setup complete

"Loading!"

"Loading successful!"

"Route One: Five thousand meters to the right of Big Poplar Tree lies a valley. A fierce tiger will appear there at noon tomorrow. Complete the hunt within half an hour and leave quickly. Descend the mountain before dark, and do not go deep into the forest."

"Route Two: Seven thousand two hundred meters ahead of Big Locust Tree, a leopard will hunt in the evening. Arrive before dusk and return before dark."

"Route Three: At the location of the pheasant!"

Line after line of text appeared. As Chen Xuan looked at the words, a smile also appeared on his face.

Sure enough, as his archery improved, the difficulty of hunting Tiger and Leopard instantly dropped by a level.

Previously, among the routes provided by his Conceptual Ability, if he wanted to ensure his safety while hunting Tiger and Leopard, he had needed to make preparations in other areas as well. Only then could success be guaranteed beyond all doubt.

But now, when the Conceptual Ability appeared again, there were no longer any other conditions.

This meant that even the system acknowledged that he now possessed the ability to kill Tiger and Leopard without suffering so much as a scratch.

How could such a result not make him smile?

"Tomorrow."

Chen Xuan murmured softly, glancing once more at the back mountain.

Then he stepped into the main room.

At dinner.

The family of three sat together once again to eat.

"Mother, let's leave the day after tomorrow."

After a moment of silence, Chen Xuan set down his bowl and chopsticks and looked seriously at his mother, Zhang Chunhua.

"Leave?"

Zhang Chunhua froze for a moment and could not help stopping her meal as well.

"Yes, leave. My preparations are nearly complete. The day after tomorrow, we'll head into the city. Once we're there, perhaps we can not only find Father, but also let Xiao Shitou enter a martial hall to train. And I can surely find better work in the city too. Then I won't have to go up the mountain to hunt every day."

Chen Xuan spoke earnestly, his right hand unconsciously stroking his younger brother's head.

He had plans for his future, plans that included not only himself, but his family as well.

Small River Village was ultimately only his starting point, not his destination.

At first, he had intended to gather enough money in Small River Village before leaving.

But since another opportunity had presented itself, there was naturally no need for him to wait.

Especially since this was a new step in martial arts. Chen Xuan had always been filled with anticipation for the martial path of this world.

"That must take a lot of money, right?"

"There's no need to be in such a hurry."

Only after a moment did Zhang Chunhua react to Chen Xuan's words, and she hurriedly spoke.

She was afraid that her son was being too hasty.

Though she did not understand hunting, she knew that haste was no good thing when it came to hunting.

No one knew just how terrifying the dangers in the mountains and forests could be.

"Mother, it's almost enough. I already have more than thirty taels. One more trip up the mountain tomorrow should be enough."

Chen Xuan shook his head and gently explained.

"This..."

Hearing her son's words, Zhang Chunhua opened her mouth, wanting to say something. But faced with his incomparably resolute gaze, she suddenly did not know what to say.

"Mother, don't go gather wild vegetables tomorrow. Stay home and pack up. While you're at it, borrow a donkey cart from the village. We'll set off the day after tomorrow."

Seeing his mother's hesitation, Chen Xuan pondered for a moment before speaking again.

As he spoke, he laid out his plans to her.

Zhang Chunhua listened carefully. In the end, she looked at Chen Xuan, then at her younger son.

Finally, she nodded silently.

Finding her husband was perhaps what Zhang Chunhua longed for most desperately, but compared with what Chen Xuan said afterward, it seemed hardly worth mentioning.

Every time Chen Xuan went up the mountain, Zhang Chunhua's heart hung in her throat, afraid he would never return.

Going into the city would undoubtedly solve that problem. She believed that, with her second son's cleverness, he would surely find better work. And once he found work, there would naturally be no need for him to go up the mountain again.

"Your Second Aunt's natal family has a donkey cart. I'll go to your Second Uncle's house tomorrow and borrow it."

Zhang Chunhua spoke softly. At that moment, she had agreed.

Over this period of time, her son had become exceptionally decisive.

Without even realizing it, Zhang Chunhua had begun following his lead.

And after persuading his mother, Chen Xuan also let out a sigh of relief.