Kill

Thwip, thwip, thwip.

Three muffled thuds.

The arrows, wrapped in biting gusts of wind, shot out from the small slope and precisely pierced the chests of the Qian Brothers.

Three arrows, one after another, punched through the chests of the Qian Brothers. Bright red beads of blood slid down the shafts, dripping onto the fallen leaves in spots of crimson.

Qian Eldest's youngest brother was the first to be hit, his body arching violently.

Looking down at the arrow protruding from his chest, his pupils first shrank to pinpricks before rapidly dilating, his eyes churning with incredulous confusion:

Where did the arrows come from?

Qian Eldest and the second brother fared no better; the agonizing pain of the arrows piercing their chests caused their muscles to spasm, and they stumbled into each other.

Their eyes mirrored the youngest brother's, filled with the terror and bewilderment of the dying.

Li Yun stood on the small slope, his brows slightly furrowed, his blood qi churning.

After all, it was his first time shooting a person.

A moment later.

Li Yun walked down the slope and began to loot the bodies.

After a thorough search, the only result was the few dozen copper coins the Qian Brothers had extorted earlier.

He raised his hand to touch the bodies of the Qian Brothers, storing them one by one into his storage space.

He picked up a broken branch from the roadside to sweep away the bloodstains on the ground, then grabbed a handful of dust and leaves, scattering them in a chaotic, messy fashion.

He looked around.

Confirming that no suspicious traces were left behind, he turned and returned to the path he had taken earlier.

This is the best I can do. I'm no professional, after all. I hope He Xiuyong discovers this late.

An hour and a half later.

Li Yun walked out of the path and onto the main road.

The main road was made of rammed yellow earth, with two deep ruts carved by passing carriages. The bottom of the ruts was filled with semi-dried mud, and every gust of wind kicked up fine sand that made one's eyes sting.

The trees along the road were stripped bare, leaving only naked branches.

Even the bark was gone.

Walking on the main road, Li Yun didn't dare to relax; instead, he subconsciously held his breath, his right hand gripping the firewood knife he had prepared in advance.

In the piles of withered grass and under the trees on both sides of the road lay many people.

Many people on the verge of starvation.

Their eyes glowed with a green light, staring fixedly at Li Yun.

It was as if the Li Yun before them wasn't a person, but a piece of moving, delicious meat.

Li Yun didn't stop his pace, keeping his eyes on the people beside him with every step.

Finally, after rounding a small bend, he vaguely saw the stone walls of the Outer City of Wushan County.

Li Yun quickened his pace, his firewood knife held firmly in his hand, his back held straight as a rod.

He finally reached the city gate safely and looked back at the refugees:

There are even more people than before!

When Li Yun had come to the county town previously, there hadn't been this many refugees.

It meant the fighting in the south had intensified.

But when the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. What Li Yun needed to do now was to enter a martial arts school as soon as possible and learn martial arts to protect himself.

He turned and handed over one copper coin, preparing to enter the Outer City, but was suddenly grabbed:

"Kid, the entry fee is three coins."

"Ah? Big Brother, why did it go up so much?"

Li Yun, with a look of "financial pain," took two more coins from his bosom and handed them over, taking the opportunity to probe for information.

However, the Wild Wolf Gang lackey before him seemed to be in a bad mood:

"Too much nonsense! Pay up and get lost!"

"Right away."

Li Yun offered a fawning smile and immediately turned to walk into the stone walls.

Wushan County originally only had an Inner City; the Outer City was merely a ward.

But as more and more refugees fled there, the Inner City was nearly bursting at the seams.

The county magistrate made a prompt decision, ordering that anyone without fixed assets in the city could not live inside.

He then coordinated with the wealthy families in the county to provide work as relief, having the refugees build the Outer City.

Only recently had the current situation of an Inner and Outer City fully formed.

Compared to the Inner City, the Outer City was little different from a pigsty, save for a few select spots.

The roads were riddled with potholes.

Excrement could be seen in every corner, emitting a nauseating stench.

Sewage gathered into a small stream where swarms of mosquitoes buzzed, creating an unsettling drone.

Li Yun had been here a few times, so he had a rough understanding of the layout of the Outer City.

Instead of heading to the meat stalls, he walked toward the area where the herbal medicine shops were concentrated.

After making some inquiries, he found a new shop that had just opened, then ducked into an empty alleyway to take out two deer antlers and wrap them in burlap.

He walked into the shop.

As he lifted the door curtain, the scent of medicinal herbs rushed to meet him.

Behind the counter, an old man was hunched over, clicking away at an abacus; the beads collided with a crisp "clack-clack-clack."

Three young clerks behind the counter were busy sorting dried goods. When they saw someone enter, they glanced up briefly before lowering their heads to continue their work.

"Welcome, customer!"

Hearing the movement, the old man paused his fingers on the abacus. When he looked up, his face was already wreathed in a practiced smile:

"What would you like to buy? No fakes here, and our prices are honest and fair!"

"Do you buy deer antlers?"

Li Yun didn't beat around the bush. He stepped forward and placed the bundle onto the counter.

The old man scanned Li Yun from head to toe, then leaned in close.

He extended a finger capped with a copper thimble and tapped the main trunk of the antlers. He rubbed the velvet with his fingertip, then flipped them over to the base, using his nail to gently and meticulously scrape at a blood scab.

"Fresh red deer antlers."

The old man straightened up slowly. The smile on his face faded slightly as he picked up his abacus and flicked two beads:

"They look like they were just harvested, but the branches are a bit thin, and there's a small crack at the base. If you're serious about selling, I'll give you fifteen taels of silver. That's a top-tier price; other places will give you twelve at most."

"Fifteen taels is too little."

Li Yun had a general idea of the price of deer antlers and knew the old man was lowballing him.

He reached out to take the antlers back.

The old man grew anxious, quickly reaching out to press down on the antlers while piling the smile back onto his face:

"Hey, hey, don't be in such a rush to leave.

We're both honest men, so I won't beat around the bush with you.

These antlers are good goods, but after I buy them, I have to hire people to process them—removing the velvet, boiling the glue, drying them thoroughly—before I can sell them. I have to make a little profit for my hard work.

Twenty taels, how about it?

Any more than that and I'd be losing money!"

"Forty taels."

Li Yun countered:

"I know you have to process them, but given the quality of these antlers, the glue you boil down will fetch a high price. You won't lose money."

The old man stared at Li Yun for a long time. Seeing the determination in his eyes—as if he wouldn't easily back down—he looked down at the pair of antlers again and pursed his lips, as if he had made a difficult decision:

"Fine, fine!

Seeing as you're an honest young man, I won't haggle over this bit of profit!

Thirty taels.

Thirty taels it is!"

The old man was a crafty one; Li Yun knew the other party would still make a tidy profit on this deal.

However, thirty taels met his expectations, so he didn't dwell on it:

"Fine, deal."

Seeing Li Yun nod, the old man fished a cloth pouch out of a wooden box beneath the counter and took out thirty taels.

Li Yun took the silver, tucked it into his robes, and then stored it away into his storage space.

"Young man, if you have any more good mountain goods in the future, bring them straight to me. I guarantee you a fair price."

As the old man spoke, he took out some oil paper, wrapped the antlers, and shoved them into a storage bin behind the counter with nimble movements.

"Alright."

Giving a casual reply, Li Yun left the herbal shop and headed toward the location of the martial arts school he had inquired about.