Earning Money to Support the Family

The morning mist had yet to disperse, but the forest already bore the marks of woodcutters' axes, the footprints of herbalists, and the traps set by nearby hunters.

Qin Meng followed a narrow path trodden by hunters deeper into the woods. The scent of rotting leaves mixed with damp earth rushed to meet him, accompanied by the chirping of insects, the calls of birds, and the gentle gurgling of a mountain stream.

This sensory perception... Qin Meng clicked his tongue in wonder.

Although the original owner of this body had been a wastrel, the foundation he had built in his early years remained. His senses were far sharper than expected.

He lightened his footsteps, drew an arrow, and nocked it to the string, his breathing suppressed until it was almost non-existent.

After advancing twenty paces, the grass ahead suddenly swayed.

"Whoosh!"

The arrow flew like lightning, plunging into the grass—

"Caw—kack!"

A shrill, strange cry erupted, followed by the frantic thrashing of grass blades.

A long-tailed pheasant burst out, the arrow still embedded in its body. Its wings flapped wildly and blood sprayed everywhere. Far from collapsing immediately, it fluttered and scrambled to escape.

Qin Meng was stunned and hurriedly gave chase. The pheasant's death throes were surprisingly powerful; it scrambled and fluttered another ten or twelve meters before finally collapsing from exhaustion, its wings still twitching slightly.

He stepped forward, picked it up, and weighed it. It was a good five or six pounds. The arrow was buried deep in its chest and back; as he pulled it out, a spurt of warm, bloody fluid followed.

At the same time, a warm current, more distinct than he had anticipated, surged from his palm into his body.

A line of small text appeared: [life source +0.8%]

"Life source?" Qin Meng's heart stirred. He checked the interface in his consciousness, but it remained blank. However, a wisp of strange, warm energy now flowed within him.

The energy was faint, yet it continuously nourished his body.

Refreshed, he bled the pheasant, tossed it into his wicker basket, and continued his search.

There were plenty of pheasants and hares on the outskirts of the forest, but they were exceptionally alert.

Qin Meng crept close several times, but before he could even draw his bow fully, there would be a flurry of movement in the grass, leaving behind nothing but swaying branches.

The animals here seemed to possess an extraordinary intuition for danger, and their movements were startlingly fast.

Even when he successfully took aim and the arrow whistled through the air, it didn't guarantee a clean kill.

One gray hare was struck in the hind leg, yet it sprinted away while dragging the arrow. Qin Meng had to chase it for dozens of steps before finally finishing it off with a second shot.

The mountain forest was lush with trees and tangled vines, which severely obstructed his vision and the flight path of his arrows.

Sometimes, he would spot his prey only to miss the opportunity because of a stray branch. Qin Meng had to be even more cautious in choosing his positioning and angles.

Hunting is far from easy.

After half an hour, Qin Meng had only managed to shoot three pheasants and two wild rabbits, and brought down seven or eight turtledoves with stones.

The proficiency of his chain arrow improved arduously through repeated failures and adjustments.

Each time a prey died, a wisp of warm energy drifted into his body, causing his life source value to jump anywhere from 0.1% to 0.6%. The larger and more ferocious the prey, the more life source it provided.

As expected, hunting living creatures allows me to absorb their dissipating life energy... but the beasts here are larger and possess exceptionally tenacious vitality.

After this realization, Qin Meng's fighting spirit for the hunt soared, yet he became even more cautious.

As the sun began to dip into the west, he spotted a pair of wild chickens foraging at the edge of a thicket. Holding his breath and focusing his mind, he shot an arrow that struck the rooster in the neck. The hen, startled and shrieking, did not flee; instead, it lunged, flying straight toward Qin Meng's face!

Qin Meng dodged to the side, his right hand sweeping the bow body horizontally but missing. He drew his blade and followed through with an upward diagonal slash—

"Shhh-la!"

The blade sliced through the chicken's belly, sending blood and feathers scattering. The hen fell to the ground, still flapping.

Qin Meng stepped forward, his blade tip precisely piercing the back of its skull, and it finally stopped moving entirely.

A warmer current than before surged into him.

[Life source +1.2%]

Qin Meng caught his breath and shook the blood off his blade as a few lines of small text appeared before his eyes:

[Chain arrow - Entry (1/200)]

[Martial arts progress: 6%]

[Special effect: steady eyes and stable arms (minor)]

Steady eyes and stable arms: Slightly enhances eyesight and the stability of both arms.

A surge of heat erupted from within Qin Meng's body, flowing into his eyes and arms.

In an instant, his vision became remarkably clear; he could distinguish the flight path of a flying insect twenty paces away. The muscles in his shoulders swelled slightly, becoming firmer and more streamlined. His arms felt more powerful, and his hand gripping the bow became as steady as a rock.

"Wonderful!" Qin Meng stretched his limbs, savoring the marvelous sensation of his physique strengthening.

He looked up at the setting sun, then gazed ahead. Beyond that steep mountain shaped like an eagle's beak lay the true deep forest.

Not only were there many wolves, tigers, and leopards there, but rumors also persisted of hidden demonic beasts.

He was currently ill-prepared, and his stamina was sustained only by a bowl of wild vegetable porridge, so it was not wise to advance rashly.

Besides, he had promised Qiu Yue that he would return early.

Qin Meng weighed the heavy basket on his back and turned to head down the mountain the way he came.

His luck on the return trip was decent. While passing a hidden mountain stream, he discovered a glehnia root of considerable age in the sandy soil beneath a damp rock face.

The vital energy in this world was rich; the older the glehnia root, the less woody it became, instead growing more potent. It was a preferred medicinal primer for many decoctions.

Qin Meng suppressed his excitement and carefully dug it out with his blade.

It was a root with lush tendrils, exuding a medicinal fragrance; it was likely over a decade old.

Just as he was about to reach the edge of the forest, Qin Meng used his chain arrow technique to strike two plump wild rabbits and brought down a few quail lingering in the evening glow.

His life source grew slowly and steadily: +0.1%, +0.12%...

With a thought, he summoned his character panel:

[Name: Qin Meng]

[Realm: mortal body]

[Core Cultivation Method: None]

[Martial Arts: eight blade breaking techniques - Proficient (13/200), chain arrow - Proficient (18/200)]

Although there was still no mention of life source or related displays on the panel, Qin Meng could clearly feel that warm current growing stronger, even if it had yet to reach a qualitative change.

Furthermore, he hadn't encountered any big game on this trip up the mountain.

He had to hurry and find a way to get fifty taels of silver, or perhaps even more.

Qin Meng looked back at the rolling mountain shadows and subconsciously tightened his grip on his blade handle. Making a living in the mountains was far more dangerous and visceral than he had imagined.

Carrying his heavy haul, he went straight to the wild market outside Luming fort.

This market town had grown up around the official road leading to the frontier. It wasn't large, but because it was situated at the center of several frontier forts and military garrisons, it was quite bustling.

Blacksmith shops, general stores, grain merchants, cloth shops, taverns, and even gambling dens—though small, it had everything one needed, and all sorts of people mingled within.

Relying on the vague memories of his predecessor, he arrived at the back door of Kexianju restaurant.

This was one of the top restaurants in town. His predecessor's father and brother had often come here to sell their game in the past.

After his family fell on hard times, his predecessor, that piece of trash, would occasionally catch some fish or shrimp to trade here for a few coins for drink or gambling money.

He was received by the proprietor, fatty hu. Upon seeing Qin Meng, he was first surprised, then immediately piled on a smile.

"Mengzi, haven't seen you in a while. You've got quite a haul this time!"

"Uncle Hu, luck was decent. Take a look." Qin Meng unslung his basket. He kept a few of the fattest pheasants and rabbits, laying out the rest.

Shopkeeper Hu counted the three pheasants, three wild rabbits, and twenty or so turtledoves and quails, clicking his tongue in wonder:

"The mountains aren't safe lately, so fewer people dare to go in. The price of game has gone up quite a bit, especially these little things. People in the city just love them; two or three of these are worth as much as a pheasant."

The settlement was swift. The pheasants and rabbits fetched between forty and seventy wen depending on their size, while the turtledoves sold for a high price of fifteen wen each.

In the end, Qin Meng received a total of six qian of silver and over fifty wen in copper coins.

Qin Meng then headed to Jisheng Pharmacy at the end of the street. He sold the old glehnia root for five taels of silver and took the opportunity to buy a packet of ointment for chapped hands—Shen Qiuyue had been doing laundry for others to support the household, leaving her fingers cracked and bleeding.

With money in hand, he began to purchase food and supplies.

At the grain shop, polished rice was twelve wen per jin, and mixed grains were six wen. In one go, he bought twenty jin of polished rice, thirty jin of mixed grains, and five jin of coarse salt.

Qin Meng then went to the fabric shop to buy enough cloth, needles, and thread to make two sets of clothes, shoes, and socks—Shen Qiuyue's outfit, layered with patches upon patches, was long overdue for a replacement.

Finally, he bought oil, vinegar, a small bag of maltose, and a small jar of local honey, which was said to be good for the complexion—all purchased by Qin Meng for his wife.

His wicker basket was soon stuffed full of grain and sundries, becoming increasingly heavy, but Qin Meng felt much more at ease. After buying everything he needed, he turned back. As he walked briskly past the town's gambling den, he did not stop for even a second.