Old Hunter Wang's house stood beneath the old locust tree at the south end of the village. It had three earthen-walled rooms and a yard a little more spacious than Qin Meng's. Several tanned pelts hung beneath the eaves.
Wang Tieniu was crouched beside a medicine pot. When he saw Qin Meng approaching, his eyes lit up. "Brother Meng!"
"Tieniu, where's your grandpa?" Qin Meng strode closer.
"Inside... His coughing's gotten bad again." Wang Tieniu's expression darkened.
"I came to ask your grandpa for a bow." As he spoke, Qin Meng lifted the grass curtain that blocked the wind and went inside.
The room was dim, filled with the smell of wood, glue, lacquer, and a faint tang of rust.
An old man with a stooped frame and deep wrinkles etched across his face was using the light from the window to sand a section of Zhe Wood Bow Body with his rough fingers.
This was Old Hunter Wang—Wang Gan.
In his youth, he had been a fierce soldier in the Border Army and was said to have been a formidable martial artist. After retiring with an injury, he had made a living crafting bows and hunting. He had been on good terms with Qin Meng's father. Now, in his old age, he and his grandson depended on each other, and their family was struggling.
"Old sir, your health comes first. You should rest when you need to." Qin Meng hurried over.
Wang Gan looked up. His cloudy old eyes lingered on Qin Meng's face for a moment, then fell to the Zhanma Dao slung across his back. His voice was hoarse, like a broken bellows.
"You're the Qin boy? I heard you took a nasty fall a few days ago. Looks like you've recovered. You bought Tieniu clothes—why waste your money on such an extravagance?"
"Hunting earns me a fair bit. Money's meant to be spent." Qin Meng spoke with gratitude. "Your family's helped mine out so much over the years, Uncle Wang."
"You're here because you want a bow?" Old Man Wang asked between coughs.
Qin Meng nodded. "My hunting bow broke. I want to buy a good, powerful bow."
"Tieniu came back and told me. I've got one ready for you."
Bracing his hands on his knees, Wang Gan shakily rose to his feet and took a bow down from the wall.
Its curved body was streamlined and deep brown, gleaming with oil. Both ends were fitted with ox horn.
"This bow's made with an Ironwood Bow Body. The string's twisted from several strands of ox sinew and hemp. It has a draw weight of two and a half shi, and it's every bit as powerful as the standard military strongbows. Give it a try."
Qin Meng took the bow. It felt solid and cool in his hands. He stepped forward slightly with his left foot, turned sideways, planted his stance, hooked the string with his right hand, and raised his left arm level as he slowly drew.
With a creak, the bow bent easily into a full moon.
He pulled several arrows from the table, walked to the doorway, and nocked one.
Thwung—whoosh!
The arrow became a streak of black and buried itself in the bull's-eye of the target in the corner of the wall. Its fletching quivered fiercely.
Qin Meng drew another arrow, nocked it, and pulled the bowstring, his movements suddenly quickening.
The second and third arrows chased the first, all striking the bull's-eye.
Then his hands danced like flowers through the air, and the arrows flew like a string of pearls. One after another, he rapidly emptied his quiver, every arrow sinking into the center of the target as the sound of them cutting through the air rang out without pause.
On the panel, his Chain Arrow Martial Skill proficiency reached 500/500.
A few lines of small text appeared before his eyes:
[Chain Shot—Minor Achievement (1/1000)] [Special Effect: Steady Eyes and Stable Arms (Major)] Steady Eyes and Stable Arms: Greatly enhances eyesight and the stability of both arms.
A warm surge of power welled up inside him, quickly flowing into his eyes and arms.
Qin Meng felt the world before him suddenly grow clear. He could make out the patterns on distant blades of grass and the fluttering wings of insects. The bones in his shoulders and arms grew denser, his muscles tightened, and their lines became smoother and steadier, as immovable as a boulder.
The change was complete in the space of a breath.
Qin Meng lowered the bow, a smile appearing on his face.
Wang Gan couldn't help but exclaim, "Well, look at you, boy! You've been hiding your skill! You couldn't learn that technique without more than a decade of hard practice... Cough, cough..."
"You flatter me, old sir." Qin Meng lowered the bow. "It's a fine bow. How much?"
Wang Gan lifted his head and squinted at Qin Meng. After a moment's thought, he said, "Five taels of silver will do. I'll throw in ten arrows."
Qin Meng knew the going rates. Ordinary hunting bows with a draw weight under one shi cost around a string of cash. A hard bow with a draw weight of about one shi cost three to five strings.
A bow with a draw weight of two shi could be called a strongbow. They were rarely available on the market, so this price wasn't steep.
"Thank you, old sir." Qin Meng paid without hesitation.
He then took out the cloth bag holding the venison and antlers and set it on the table nearby,
"I hunted a deer yesterday, and my family can't eat all this. I brought some venison for you to build up your strength, and the antlers are for Brother Tieniu.
"Oh, how can I accept this? It's far too valuable."
When Wang Gan saw the neatly divided twenty jin of autumn venison—and, even more so, the half pair of antlers gleaming with luster—he was taken aback and repeatedly waved his hands.
Qin Meng pushed the gifts closer and lowered his voice. "Please accept them, old sir. It's just a small token of my gratitude."
After several rounds of insisting and refusing, Wang Gan finally sighed and accepted them.
Taking the opportunity, Qin Meng said, "Old sir, I came not only to buy a bow, but also to ask you for something."
"Oh? What is it?" Wang Gan invited Qin Meng to sit, then continued shaving an arrow shaft.
Qin Meng considered his words, then said sincerely, "I don't want to spend my whole life cooped up in this garrison fort as a hunter. I want to go out and see the world.
"But the outside world is dangerous. How exactly does one go about training in the Martial Path? I've only heard bits and pieces about Boiling Blood and Blood Changing. What do they actually mean?"
Wang Gan's carving knife stopped. He looked up and studied Qin Meng carefully, as though seeing him in a new light. His eyes held a hint of strangeness—and surprise.
After a long while, he tugged at the corners of his mouth, revealing sparse yellow teeth. "Well, that's a surprise. A few years ago, I urged you to enlist and you wouldn't hear of it. Now you've finally come around?"
"I nearly died in the mountains," Qin Meng said with a bitter smile. "Without strength, your life isn't your own. You're a veteran who's weathered the storms. You know a lot more than we do."
Wang Gan set down the arrow shaft and brushed the wood shavings from his hands. His expression turned solemn. "Since you've asked this much, this old man will explain a few things. But understand this: the Martial Path is arduous, and only those with great perseverance can succeed."
"The rumors are true. The Body Refining Realm of the Martial Path has three stages: Boiling Blood, Blood Changing, and Body Forging."
A trace of reminiscence passed through his eyes. "The first stage, Boiling Blood, is about tempering your strength and strengthening your body. You use breathing techniques to stir your qi and blood until they churn and boil.
"Once you condense a wisp of 'blood energy' in your heart, you've finally entered the path of cultivation. Your strength and stamina will far surpass those of ordinary people.
"Condensing ninety-nine wisps is considered great achievement. At that point, you can wield the strength of an ox, or two thousand jin."
"The second stage, Blood Changing, uses blood energy as a seed to temper all the blood in your body and condense it into vital blood. After that, your qi and blood will be vigorous, you'll be immune to illness, and your senses will grow sharp. The number of times you can change your blood depends on your talent. Your strength can reach that of two to five oxen."
"To put it simply, the first two stages are all about tempering yourself and laying a foundation. The third stage, Body Forging, has four steps: Toughening the Skin, Strengthening the Sinews, Bone Tempering, and Organ Refining.
"You nourish yourself with pure blood energy, washing through your body inside and out until you're reborn. Those four steps correspond to the early, middle, late, and peak stages of the Body Forging Realm.
"Only after reaching Body Forging are you a true martial artist. Your life force is tenacious, ordinary blades and swords can hardly kill you, and your qi and blood can break evil spirits. Here in Luming Fort, there are no more than a dozen publicly known martial artists in the Body Forging Realm."
Qin Meng listened, his heart surging. "Old sir, how does one obtain these cultivation techniques? By enlisting? Or joining a martial arts school or sect?"
"That's right. The court encourages the common folk to practice martial arts, but for ease of management, it certainly doesn't let everyone do as they please." Wang Gan nodded at his question and continued.
"Martial arts schools and sects demand aptitude—and money."
Wang Gan glanced at Qin Meng. "For you, enlisting is a good path. You should know that the court itself is the greatest 'sect' in the world.
"Three hundred years ago, Yang Province, Hanhai Prefecture, and even the northern frontier beyond the Great Wall were all untamed, ownerless lands. The Xiongba Army conquered them."
His voice dropped even lower. "As far as I know, the Xiongba Army will be recruiting heavily this winter. As long as you're a young man of clean background and haven't begun cultivating, you'll save yourself a lot of trouble. And you mustn't touch any cultivation techniques of unknown origin."
Qin Meng glanced at Wang Gan and understood. Cultivation techniques were no trifling matter. The old man was extremely cautious—and even wary—about teaching them. What he'd said was both advice and a polite refusal.
The familiar words "enlist" and "northern frontier" stirred memories in his mind.
From the original body's memories, the Yanhan Dynasty had ruled for a thousand years and possessed a deep foundation. Though the army had its constraints, it was backed by the court, and offered the fastest route to resources and experience. Enlisting really was a viable path.
Wang Gan saw him fall silent and smiled, changing the subject. "My Tieniu will be going too. If he's lucky enough to become a soldier in the Border Army, at least he'll have a steady livelihood. Why don't you go together? You could look out for each other."
"Good! Thank you for the advice, old sir." Qin Meng nodded firmly.
"Before you enlist, you shouldn't make any rash changes to the cultivation technique you major in. But you can start preparing by tempering your body and learning martial skills for self-defense."
Seeing that Qin Meng had taken his advice, Wang Gan fell silent for a moment, then said, "You like using a saber. I'll pass down the Evil-Slaying Saber Technique I made my name with back in the day. It's only a martial skill, but it's built for real combat. It's rich in Killing Intent and especially effective against demons and evil spirits. It suits you perfectly."
"Really?" Qin Meng's face lit up.
"Of course." Wang Gan turned and went inside. Before long, he came back with a Mountain-Cleaving Saber whose blade gleamed faintly dark red, then led Qin Meng to the backyard.
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