Wolf Attack

The next day, Li Beichen woke feeling refreshed and invigorated.

"This new bed and bedding really are comfortable!"

But he did not linger over it.

If he wanted a better life, he still had to keep fighting.

After hastily dealing with breakfast, Li Beichen brought a bag of pebbles, tucked the Refined Iron Dagger into his belt, and headed toward the eastern end of the village.

This time, Li Beichen planned to go hunting deep within Small Gravel Mountain.

That mountain goat from yesterday had been worth more than all his other gains from the past few days combined.

And prey like that could only be found deep in the dense forest.

Small Gravel Mountain was not large, its highest point barely over a thousand meters, but its terrain wound and twisted, connecting with the nearby mountains and hills.

Not long after entering the depths of Small Gravel Mountain, Li Beichen discovered a great deal of animal droppings and footprints within a radius of ten or twenty meters.

Some of the traces were old, but others were fresh.

"Just as expected, a fine place!"

Li Beichen immediately picked some herbs and smeared them over his skin, greatly masking his human scent.

Li Beichen focused his attention, refusing to overlook any clue.

His targets were medium-sized prey such as roe deer, mountain goats, and sika deer.

As for small prey like wild rabbits and pheasants, he would only scoop them up if he happened to spot them. He would not waste effort specifically searching for them.

After two Physique Enhancements from [Locust Stone] and [Hunting], Li Beichen had already become quite sturdy.

Together with his improved powers of observation, he could move through the dense forest without nearly ever missing his footing.

When he moved swiftly, the wind seemed to rise beneath his feet, and it felt remarkably easy.

He followed the animal trails, searching for signs of prey.

Deep in the woods, deer came into view.

Before long, a herd of sika deer with yellow-and-white coats and scattered white spots along both sides of their backs entered Li Beichen's sight.

They were drinking from a mountain stream.

"I've struck it rich!"

"A single sika deer—even a doe—has to weigh over a hundred jin. If it's a stag, it'll be even bigger, and it'll have antlers too. That makes it worth even more!"

If he could bring down a deer like this, it would equal several months of income for an ordinary household.

He suppressed his excitement and crept forward with the utmost care.

Sika deer had extremely sharp hearing. The slightest sound would startle them away.

But at that moment, the stream burbled on, and the sound of the flowing water heavily concealed Li Beichen's footsteps.

Silently, he drew closer to the herd.

However, the ground beside the mountain stream was open. With no other cover, Li Beichen could only barely enter within twenty paces.

Any farther, and he would be exposed to the herd's line of sight.

Li Beichen looked at the panel.

[Skill: Locust Stone (Threshold of Mastery)]

[Progress: (413/500)]

[Traits: Wrist strength greatly enhanced, physique slightly enhanced. Within twenty paces, ten hits out of ten against stationary targets; five or six hits out of ten against moving targets.]

These past days, he had practiced at home by night and hunted in the mountains by day. He had nearly ground the progress of Locust Stone up to the next realm.

But he was still short by several dozen points of progress.

At a distance of twenty paces, even if he could hit a sika deer, it would be difficult to inflict a fatal wound. So he needed to wait.

Li Beichen adjusted his stance, a Locust Stone in hand. His entire body tensed like a fully drawn bowstring, gathering force as he waited for the best opportunity.

A moment later, a doe suddenly stepped toward where Li Beichen was hiding.

A cluster of berries there had caught its attention.

Li Beichen seized this fleeting chance. Like thunder startling the bowstring, the Locust Stones flew like a swarm of locusts rushing into its face, striking the doe one after another until its skin split and flesh tore, blood streaming everywhere.

The commotion also startled the herd.

They did not panic as the mountain goats had. The largest stag at their head saw Li Beichen injure its doe, stamped its hooves, aimed its antlers at him, then charged fiercely.

"You damned beast!"

Though sika deer were herbivores, a mature stag's antlers had hard, razor-sharp tips and could grow over half a meter long.

They were practically spears.

If that two- or three-hundred-jin stag rammed him with all its strength, he would likely be pierced straight through, his heart chilled clean through.

Naturally, Li Beichen would not clash with it head-on. He swiftly climbed the Cypress Tree beside him.

From above, he repeatedly attacked the herd with Locust Stones.

This time, the entire herd was frightened and began scattering in every direction.

Seeing this, the stag could only helplessly gather the herd, wanting to escort them away.

The doe Li Beichen had severely wounded at the beginning was among them as well.

But its wounds were grave. It moved slower and slower, until it finally fell behind the herd, exhausted and collapsed by the roadside, panting heavily.

Li Beichen followed the traces all the way and eventually found the doe in a mountain hollow.

He drew his dagger and ended the doe's life.

This doe was heavy, weighing more than a hundred jin. Li Beichen could not carry the whole thing out of Small Gravel Mountain.

Fortunately, he had brought a dagger this time and could process the doe on the spot.

Deer blood nourished the body and strengthened one's health. While it was still warm, Li Beichen collected some and drank it.

What he could not finish, he filled into the gourd he carried with him.

Next, Li Beichen began skinning and deboning it, taking the finest cuts of venison.

At that moment, two old wolves, drawn by the scent of blood, appeared above the mountain hollow.

Two pairs of yellow eyes stared fixedly at Li Beichen.

They recognized the man before them as the very one who had disrupted their hunt before.

The two wolves exchanged a glance and split apart in tacit understanding.

One wolf feinted from the front, while the other launched a sneak attack from behind.

When facing lone prey, this strategy had never failed them.

Though the two wolves had each been cast out by their packs, fate had brought them together, and they had hunted side by side ever since.

Li Beichen was processing the venison, but his attention remained constantly fixed on the things around him.

There were jackals and wolves in the mountains.

If any happened to be nearby, the bloody scent could easily draw wolves over.

The hunter's instincts granted by the [Hunting] skill quickly made him sense that something was wrong.

Li Beichen stopped processing the venison and looked toward the distant grass.

He took out a Locust Stone and flung it with a whoosh.

This was called casting a stone to ask the way.

"Growl! Growl!" An old wolf emerged from the grass, letting out a series of low growls.

Usually, that represented a powerful intent to attack.

"So it's you, you beast!"

Li Beichen immediately recognized the wolf as well.

It was the wolf that had attacked Wang the Second before, with a claw scar across its face.

"There's another wolf!"

Li Beichen abruptly turned around. A gray figure atop the mountain hollow was streaking toward him like lightning.

Seeing that its companion had been exposed, the old wolf in front of him immediately opened its jaws and pounced to bite.

The situation became urgent in an instant. Li Beichen was attacked from both front and rear.

Li Beichen immediately rolled to the side while pulling out a handful of Locust Stones.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Locust Stones were normally fired one at a time from one hand, but there was also a technique for launching multiple stones at once.

Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers!

The Locust Stones filled the sky like a swarm of locust shadows, their momentum astonishing.

Though each individual stone was somewhat less powerful, they were enough to make the two wolves cry out in pain.

With the crisis eased, Li Beichen immediately pressed his back against a boulder and took out a specially made Locust Stone.

The Yin Hand suddenly rose, striking one wolf squarely between the brows.

White brains immediately spilled out.

Seeing that things had gone badly, the other wolf let out a long howl and instantly retreated.

But how could Li Beichen possibly let that foul beast escape? He immediately chased after it, firing Locust Stones again and again. Bursting forth with all his strength, he killed it before it could get beyond twenty paces.