The Prize

Three days later.

Outer City, outside the city gate.

Li Yun held the Bull Bow, a quiver of arrows on his back, standing beside Yu Qingqing.

Yu Qingqing had lent him the bow and arrows she usually used.

The bow body was crafted from century-old ironwood, and the string was made from the sinew of a first-rank Green Trout Bull, capable of withstanding a martial artist's strength.

Drawing the bow was divided into four states: New Moon, Half Moon, Gibbous Moon, and Full Moon.

Li Yun sank his waist, hooked the string, exerted force through his knuckles, and blue veins bulged on his arms.

A low, guttural sound rolled from his throat as the bow slowly opened.

It barely reached the Half Moon state before he could not push it a fraction further.

This bow had some serious power.

The two of them, along with two servants and four horses, waited for about a quarter of an hour.

Then, they saw a group of people leading horses toward them.

Before they even drew near, they heard Yu Qingqing gritting her teeth:

"That little hussy. Miss Huang said we'd meet at the city gate, yet she went off to greet her alone."

As the crowd approached, Yu Qingqing composed her expression and offered a smile:

"Huang Shengnan."

"Qingqing, I was delayed a bit. Sorry to keep you waiting."

The woman wore no makeup, her hair tied in a single ponytail, dressed in a sturdy outfit that radiated a heroic spirit.

This must be the Huang Family lady Yu Qingqing had mentioned, Huang Shengnan.

"Not at all, I only just arrived myself, it's no trouble."

Yu Qingqing had no intention of calling her out for being late, brushing it off with a single sentence.

Just as she was about to continue with some polite pleasantries, she was unexpectedly interrupted:

"Oh my, since when did our Miss Yu have a man by her side? Why not introduce him to everyone?"

The voice was crisp, like a cat's claw lightly scratching at the softest part of one's heart—incredibly alluring.

That was Li Yun's first impression of the voice.

He turned to look.

A melon-seed face, willow-leaf brows, peach-blossom eyes, and fiery red lips.

Her shoulders and neck were bare, most of her midriff exposed, with the fabric of her outfit barely clinging to her waist and hips.

Tsk, tsk.

Li Yun had seen his fair share of storms, but in all his time here, this was the first time he'd seen someone dressed so...

...revealingly.

Seeing the man beside Yu Qingqing looking at her, Lin Biling didn't shy away in the slightest.

Instead, she puffed out her chest, showing off her charm.

Noticing Lin Biling's little gesture, Yu Qingqing, whether intentionally or not, crossed her arms over her chest and said indifferently:

"Do you think everyone is like you, unable to live a single day without a man? This is my junior brother, Li Yun. He is also my guide for this trip."

Seeing the scale of Yu Qingqing's assets compared to her own, Lin Biling didn't seek to humiliate herself further.

Instead, she pulled the man beside her over and said:

"This is Leng Yifeng, an expert I spent a fortune to hire. You're bound to lose this time."

Leng Yifeng cupped his hands in a salute before stepping back.

His gaze took the opportunity to sweep over Yu Qingqing, a flash of lechery hidden in his eyes.

Yu Qingqing said disdainfully, "Heh, some people said the exact same thing last time."

Seeing the two of them gearing up for another argument, Huang Shengnan immediately stepped in as a peacemaker:

"Alright, since you both have so much confidence, we'll see once the competition starts. But let's be clear this time: no letting your helpers intentionally lose to me. Everyone must give it their all."

Ever since her first hunt, Huang Shengnan had fallen in love with the feeling of tracking clues through the forest and finally bringing down her prey.

Regrettably, for various reasons, the frequency of hunting had dwindled.

It was only recently, spurred on by Yu Qingqing and Lin Biling, that she had managed to recapture that feeling.

However, after reflecting on it later, she realized that the two women's helpers seemed to be intentionally going easy on her.

That was the reason for her remark.

Yu Qingqing and Lin Biling showed not a hint of panic at being exposed.

"Shengnan, you have too little faith in yourself."

"Exactly. Hitting the target nine times out of ten within fifty paces—calling you a master archer is no exaggeration."

"You two... let's go."

Huang Shengnan knew that further talk was useless.

They would surely continue to have their helpers go easy on her.

Therefore, she decided to set some stakes later that would force them to compete in earnest.

That way, they would be compelled to show their true strength.

The group mounted their horses and set off toward Crow Mountain.

On the main road outside the city, refugees who were half-dead and unable to afford the city entry fee scrambled to the side upon hearing the sound of hooves.

They were terrified of offending the nobles and being beaten to death.

Li Yun had never ridden a horse before, but having mastered the basics of stance training, he was able to simply "sit" in the saddle without falling off.

[Riding: +1]

[...]

As time passed during the ride, by the time they reached Mountain-Back Village, Li Yun's riding skills had already reached a profound level.

[Riding (Great Success): 1/500]

Seeing Li Yun dismount from the horse with such natural grace, Lin Biling pursed her lips, feeling somewhat displeased.

At first, seeing Li Yun's clumsy appearance, she had enjoyed a good laugh at Yu Qingqing's expense.

She hadn't expected the kid to pick it up so quickly.

It meant she hadn't succeeded in mocking Yu Qingqing, and had instead been teased a few times herself.

Yu Qingqing patted Li Yun on the shoulder and nodded in approval, looking as if he had brought great honor to his senior sister.

Crow Mountain was neither large nor small.

Mountain-Back Village was merely one of the entry and exit points.

The group passed through Mountain-Back Village, yet not a single villager recognized the Li Yun before them.

With his upright posture, bright eyes, and tall steed, he clearly didn't look like someone who could have come from their Mountain-Back Village.

Thus, they didn't even consider the possibility.

Li Yun, Yu Qingqing, Lin Biling, Leng Yifeng, Huang Shengnan, and an unnamed guard—six people in total entered the mountain to hunt, while the rest of the entourage waited at the foot of the mountain.

When the six passed the Mountain Gang's checkpoint, the minor leader didn't dare let out a peep.

The six split into three groups, agreeing to return to the starting point before the Shen hour.

Before they parted, Huang Shengnan declared:

"On the battlefield, there are no fathers and sons; today, there are no sisters. Beyond the winner taking all, I will add a prize. To the final victor, I will give a Young Blood Ginseng."

As soon as these words were spoken, Yu Qingqing and Lin Biling exchanged glances.

Was it really necessary?

Wouldn't it be better to just let you win?

To go to such lengths for a bit of fun, she had actually put up such a valuable prize.

A Young Blood Ginseng was simply a ginseng that hadn't fully matured, yet it was worth at least fifty taels of silver.

Huang Shengnan knew that the two would certainly have their helpers intentionally lose to her.

But, profit moves the heart.

He had offered such a massive temptation.

Presumably, their helpers would certainly not hold back.

After all, he was offering more than they were.

However, Huang Shengnan was somewhat surprised; she did not see any unusual expressions on the faces of Li Yun and Leng Yifeng.

Although he was slightly tempted, Li Yun had known since before they set out.

This was a game of "social favors."

The prize money and such had nothing to do with him.

He was just here to tag along with a wealthy beauty, earn some hard-earned cash, and see if he could secretly snag some rare items along the way.

Therefore, he would not break his agreement for a Young Blood Ginseng.

Beside him, Leng Yifeng wore a smile, though he remained indifferent in his heart.

It was merely a single blood ginseng, and an underdeveloped one at that.

He had no interest in it whatsoever.

One had to know, his purpose for coming here was the cool and aloof Lin Biling.

He hadn't expected to run into Lin Biling at the Bounty Pavilion earlier.

He had accepted the mission she posted on a whim, originally just to get closer to her.

He never imagined there would be such an unexpected harvest.