Learning to Hunt

As the summer twilight gradually drew to a close, Chen Xuan, with a bamboo basket on his back, headed towards the house of Zhang Shan, which he remembered.

However, his heart remained restless.

The scenes from earlier kept replaying in his mind.

That bizarre sight was something he had never encountered, never even imagined.

Especially the prompt from the Conceptual Ability, it sent a chill down his spine.

That was definitely not water grass.

Water grass couldn't possibly be neutralized by Virgin Boy Urine.

He even thought of more at this moment; perhaps his predecessor's death wasn't from drowning after all, but very likely similar to what he experienced today.

"The river, I can't go there anymore!"

As the thought flashed, Chen Xuan's heart grew heavier.

The ability of the Conceptual Ability was undoubtedly powerful, allowing him to do many incredible things.

Just like these past two days, through serendipitous encounters, he had always obtained food.

But it was clear that the system also adhered to the rules of the real world.

Without the river, the difficulty of obtaining food would undoubtedly increase further.

However, Chen Xuan also understood that with the river being so dangerous, even if he could obtain food, each time might be a dance with death. No one could guarantee that they would be safe the next time.

With such a Conceptual Ability, he had a much broader future ahead of him. There was absolutely no need to take this risk now.

Thinking of this, Chen Xuan couldn't help but glance at the bamboo basket on his back, his resolve growing firmer.

And just then, Zhang Shan's house in front gradually came into view.

Compared to his own house and Chen Er Zhuang's house, Zhang Shan's house was undoubtedly much more impressive. Not only was it built with bricks, but it also had a small courtyard, and its area was roughly a circle larger.

Chen Xuan took a deep breath and quickly quickened his pace.

A moment later, his figure arrived at the entrance of Zhang Shan's house.

"Thump thump!"

The door was gently knocked.

"Who is it!"

A rough voice came from inside the large courtyard.

"Uncle Zhang Shan, it's me, Er Gou!"

Chen Xuan called out loudly.

"Er Gou?"

There was some confusion in the courtyard, but soon someone came forward and opened the courtyard gate.

When the gate opened, Chen Xuan finally saw what Zhang Shan looked like.

This was a middle-aged man even sturdier than his Second Uncle. Although his hair was already graying, the bulging muscles on his body still made one's scalp tingle. On his rugged face was a scar that extended almost from his forehead to his neck.

It was said that Zhang Shan was injured by a fierce beast when he went into the mountains in his early years.

"Er Gou, is something wrong?"

Zhang Shan looked at Chen Xuan, his expression a little weary, and asked with some confusion.

As someone from the same village, Zhang Shan naturally knew Chen Xuan, but he couldn't quite understand why Chen Xuan had come to find him.

"It's like this, Uncle Zhang Shan, I want to learn how to hunt."

Chen Xuan didn't beat around the bush and spoke directly.

"Hunting?"

Zhang Shan was stunned for a moment, then frowned.

But before he could speak, Chen Xuan had already taken off the bamboo basket from his back and removed the grass leaves covering it.

And when he saw the Black Carp inside the bamboo basket, Zhang Shan couldn't help but be surprised.

"Uncle Zhang Shan, Er Gou knows the rules. This is a Black Carp I caught today."

Chen Xuan said respectfully.

"You caught it!"

Zhang Shan's eyebrows twitched involuntarily, his expression somewhat astonished.

Zhang Shan knew how dangerous that river was. He hadn't expected this young man to be able to catch such a large fish in the river.

"Yes, Uncle Zhang Shan. I know fish meat isn't as good as other meats, but Uncle Zhang Shan, how many days can I learn for?"

Chen Xuan nodded, his words still respectful.

"This fish is probably around twenty catties. How about this, I can count it as ten days for you. Er Gou, what do you think?"

Hearing Chen Xuan's affirmative words again, Zhang Shan recovered from his shock, pondered for a moment, and then spoke.

Fish meat indeed couldn't compare to other meats, but this fish was also twenty catties, and Zhang Shan had no intention of refusing it.

Even though he was a hunter, he couldn't catch prey every time he went into the mountains, not to mention the great changes that had occurred in the mountains now, further increasing the risk.

Twenty catties of fish meat was already quite a lot.

"Thank you, Uncle Zhang Shan!"

Hearing Zhang Shan's words, Chen Xuan couldn't help but feel a slight sense of relief and quickly thanked him.

"No need to thank me. You provide the meat, and I teach you how to hunt. We're just getting what we need."

"Come in!"

Zhang Shan said, then turned sideways to make way.

Chen Xuan quickly put the bamboo basket back on his back and walked into the courtyard.

"Just put the fish in the kitchen."

Zhang Shan said.

Chen Xuan quickly responded, then carried the fish meat into the kitchen.

He found a wooden basin, placed the black carp inside, and then walked back out.

Zhang Shan was already waiting for him in the courtyard, holding a wooden bow in his hand.

"After today, for the next ten days, you'll come over every afternoon. I'll teach you for an hour. How much you learn depends on you. After ten days, you can bring a pound of meat or another fish."

Zhang Shan's rough voice spoke.

"Understood, Uncle Zhang Shan!"

Chen Xuan nodded quickly.

"Hunting, the most important things are searching, tracking prey, being familiar with the jungle, and this archery. Prey is faster than humans. Trying to catch prey with other weapons is almost impossible. Only a bow and arrow will give you a chance to hunt prey. Archery is the most important!"

"I'll teach you how to shoot first."

Zhang Shan spoke slowly.

Chen Xuan instantly began listening intently, not daring to be distracted in the slightest.

"The first step in archery is stance and grip. The shooter faces the target sideways, meaning your chest should be aligned with the person and the prey you're shooting at. Your feet should be spread apart. Watch me."

Zhang Shan said, then began demonstrating with the wooden bow in front of Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan watched carefully.

It wasn't until a moment later that Zhang Shan handed the wooden bow to Chen Xuan.

At the same time, he taught Chen Xuan the stance and grip hand-in-hand.

However, it was clear that the talent of this body was only average. Chen Xuan spent almost an hour and a half just learning this stance and grip.

The sky gradually darkened before Chen Xuan barely managed to grasp it.

"Alright, come back tomorrow!"

Zhang Shan shook his head and said softly.

"Yes!"

"Then I'll bother Uncle Zhang Shan again tomorrow."

Chen Xuan thanked him, then left Zhang Shan's house with the bamboo basket on his back.

On the way back home, the evening glow of the sunset had completely faded, and night began to fall.

Facing the night, compared to yesterday, Chen Xuan was noticeably more nervous today, and his steps couldn't help but quicken a bit.

It wasn't until he completely reached home that he finally let out a slight sigh of relief.