Planning

After returning to his room, Li Yuan did not rush to sell the sable.

He fashioned a wooden crate and shut it inside.

It would be better to focus on martial arts first to strengthen myself before hunting bigger game for real money.

Li Yuan planned to nourish his body, sell the sable for cash, and then sign up at the Martial Arts Hall.

In the blink of an eye, several days passed, and the hunters of Blue Stone Village continued their routine of leaving at dawn and returning at dusk.

Li Yuan was naturally one of them, heading up the mountain with Li Zhi at the first light of day to search for prey.

He spent his spare time practicing archery in the woods behind his house.

However, now that his Archery had reached the Minor Accomplishment stage, the progress gained from practice alone was no longer as fast as the gains from actually hunting animals.

"My hunting yields have decreased lately, but my physique has grown much stronger."

"I used to only be able to manage half a chicken and two bowls of rice, but now I wouldn't even feel stuffed after eating two whole chickens!"

"My body's absorption capacity has improved, and my blood and qi are slowly beginning to fill out."

Li Yuan stretched, touched his own arms, and felt quite satisfied.

The only issue was that this bow no longer seemed to satisfy him.

With the growth of his strength, the bow his father had commissioned for him three years ago now felt increasingly effortless to draw.

"It seems I need to get a new bow."

Crafting one himself would take too much time; it would be better to find someone to make one or spend silver to buy one.

When it came down to it, it was always a matter of silver.

In this world, if you don't have silver in your pocket, you are looked down upon everywhere you go and forced to endure the cold stares of others!

Li Yuan shifted his consciousness, and the panel appeared.

[Skill: Archery (Minor Accomplishment)]

[Progress: 220/800 points]

[Effect: Within fifty meters, arrows fired have a fifty to sixty percent chance of hitting the target.]

[Skill: Consumption (Entry)]

[Progress: 10/200 points]

[Effect: Digestion and absorption capacity slightly enhanced.]

[Hint: Heaven Rewards Diligence; as long as you are willing to eat, there will be a return.]

"I wonder what the effect of Consumption at the Minor Accomplishment stage will be; it should be another enhancement."

Suddenly, a disturbance came from the distance.

Li Yuan raised his hand, nocked an arrow, and let it fly. The bowstring hummed, and the arrow pierced through a mountain goat like a shooting star, pinning it firmly to the ground.

"It's been a long time since I had goat soup or mutton; I'll have this for dinner tonight!"

A wild mountain goat weighed over a hundred catties and could fetch a few taels of silver if sold in the county town.

However, since improving his skills and nourishing his blood and qi were the priorities, Li Yuan shouldered the goat and returned to the village.

"Uncle Chen Qing, why didn't you catch anything today?" The children playing at the village entrance were as blunt as ever.

"I've noticed you lot have come down the mountain empty-handed for several days now."

"Get lost, get lost! What do you little brats know? Keep flapping your gums and I'll teach you a lesson in your father's place!"

Chen Qing and his two lackeys, Pizi and Laizi, had wandered the mountain all day without seeing a thing, and they were already in a foul mood; being mocked by a child only made it worse.

As he spoke, he deliberately raised his palm, pretending to strike.

The startled children turned and ran, bumping straight into Li Yuan.

Looking at the prey Li Yuan was carrying, their eyes widened, and they shouted:

"Brother Yuan caught such a huge piece of game; he's much better than Uncle Chen Qing!"

Li Yuan said nothing. Chen Qing's affairs had nothing to do with him, and he continued walking toward his home.

"Big Brother, I remember this kid used to be half-dead; it would take him days just to catch a chicken or a rabbit to keep himself alive. These days, I haven't seen him come down empty-handed once; he brings back a haul every single day," Pizi remarked with a strange look on his face.

"Once or twice could be luck, but who gets lucky every single day?"

"Did he stumble upon some deep-mountain treasure?" Laizi, who was always idle, loved reading pulp novels and was fond of wild speculation.

"A few days ago, I saw him setting traps, and I even swiped one of his catches," Chen Qing said, his face expressionless.

What he didn't mention was that he had approached this Li Yuan several times to offer him a "good opportunity."

Yet, he had been rejected time and again. The boy was pushing his luck, truly failing to appreciate a kindness.

This place wasn't like the county town, where a death might actually be investigated with some pretense of procedure.

If someone dies out here, their body can be tossed into the Great Mountains, and within a few days, it will be picked clean by wild beasts.

"How about this: tomorrow, after he heads up the mountain, we go check his shack? Who knows, he might really have some good things hidden away."

Pizi rolled his eyes, coming up with an idea.

"This..." Chen Qing hesitated.

"He's all alone anyway, what are you afraid of?

Even if he finds out, so what? With that scrawny frame of his, I could pin him down with one hand," Pizi said dismissively.

"If he's hiding good stuff and won't share it with the rest of us, he deserves to die! Kill him, toss him into the Great Mountains, and who would ever find him?"

Hearing this, Laizi sneered, "I think you just want to sneak in there yourself and are trying to drag us along."

"What did you say? I'm doing this for everyone's sake!"

"Enough! Pizi's point is valid." Chen Qing was silent for a moment before agreeing with his suggestion, deciding to go take a look tomorrow once Li Yuan left the house.

Seeing that Chen Qing had agreed, a smile appeared on Pizi's face.

At dusk, Li Yuan lit a fire with wood and set up the prepared mutton.

Before long, it began to sizzle and drip with oil.

On the table sat a large plate of rice, a plate of fava beans, and a bowl of chicken soup.

The roasted mutton, sprinkled with a bit of coarse salt, was already incredibly delicious.

"A pity, no secret dipping sauce."

After finishing the rice and meat at the bottom of the bowl, Li Yuan rubbed his belly, a look of satisfaction on his face.

[Skill: Consumption (Entry)]
[Progress: 40/200 points]
[Effect: Digestion and absorption abilities slightly enhanced]
[Note: Heaven Rewards Diligence; as long as you are willing to eat, there will be a return.]

It's getting close; I reckon in another half a month or so, I'll reach the minor accomplishment stage.

Right now, he was just missing a martial arts skill.

"As long as I pair a martial arts skill with my consumption, I reckon it will make my progress skyrocket."

"Tomorrow, I'll take that sable to sell, find a Martial Arts Hall first, and use the remaining Qian to buy more meat!"

Life was gradually improving, which allowed Li Yuan's mood to begin to relax.

"If there were fewer wars, lighter taxes, lower market commissions, and fewer ruffians like Yan Xiang.

Life would only have more to look forward to."

"In a little while, I'll be able to hunt bigger game.

When I sell it to Lin Youyu at the restaurant, I might even be able to build a good relationship with the Lin Family."

"If that doesn't work, then I'll join the army!" Li Yuan thought of countermeasures while cleaning up. "Eating on the government's dime is a good deal no matter where you are."

Li Yuan lay down on his bed, and once he had thought things through, he pulled up his quilt and drifted into a deep sleep.

The next day, as soon as the sun came out.

Li Yuan got up, ate a simple Wheat Cake, and headed for the mountains as usual.

He planned to hunt some other animals today to take and sell together.

The heavy snow from last night hadn't stopped yet, and a light flurry was still falling.

By noon, Chen Qing and the other two took advantage of the ongoing snow and the lack of people in the village to sneakily arrive at Li Yuan's shack.

"The front door is locked, let's check the back!"

Chen Qing and his group circled around, finally managing to squeeze into Li Yuan's house.