Three days later.
Outside the Outer City, by the city gates.
Li Yun held the Bull Bow in one hand, a quiver on his back, and stood beside Yu Qingqing.
Yu Qingqing had lent him the bow and arrows she used.
The bow was made from century-old ironwood, and its string was fashioned from the sinew of a first-tier demon beast, the Green Trout Bull. It could withstand a martial artist's strength.
A bow could be drawn to roughly four positions: New Moon, Half Moon, Gibbous Moon, and Full Moon.
Li Yun lowered his center of gravity, hooked the string, and tensed his fingers. Veins bulged along his arm.
A low sound rumbled in his throat as the bow slowly opened.
He barely reached Half Moon before he could not draw it any farther.
This bow took strength.
The two of them, along with two servants behind them and four horses, waited for about a quarter of an hour.
Then a group of people came into view, leading their horses.
Before they had even drawn near, they heard Yu Qingqing grind out through clenched teeth:
"That shameless hussy. Miss Huang said we only had to meet at the city gate, but she actually went to greet them herself."
As the group approached, Yu Qingqing composed herself and smiled.
"Shengnan."
"Qingqing, something held me up. Sorry to keep you waiting."
The woman wore no makeup. Her hair was tied in a single ponytail, and her fitted outfit gave her a bold, heroic air.
She had to be the Huang family's young lady Yu Qingqing had mentioned: Huang Shengnan.
"Not at all. I only just got here myself. It's no trouble."
Yu Qingqing wasn't about to scold her for being late. She brushed it aside with a single line.
She was about to exchange a few more pleasantries when someone interrupted her.
"Well, well. Since when did our Miss Yu have a man? Why not introduce him to everyone?"
The voice was crisp, like a cat's claws lightly scratching the softest part of your heart. It was utterly captivating.
That was Li Yun's first impression of the voice.
He turned to look.
A heart-shaped face, willow-leaf brows, peach-blossom eyes, and fiery red lips.
Her shoulders and neck were bare, as was most of her waist and belly. The fabric wrapped around her body barely covered her hips.
Good grief.
Li Yun had seen all kinds of things, but in all his time here, this was the first time he'd seen someone dressed so... breezily.
When she saw the man beside Yu Qingqing looking her way, Lin Biling didn't flinch.
Instead, she lifted her chest a little, showing off her charms.
Noticing Lin Biling's little move, Yu Qingqing—whether intentionally or not—crossed her arms over her chest and said coolly:
"Do you think everyone's like you, unable to live a day without a man?
"This is my junior fellow disciple, Li Yun.
"He'll also be our guide this time."
Lin Biling glanced at Yu Qingqing's figure, then at her own, and didn't bother inviting humiliation.
Instead, she pulled the man beside her forward and said:
"This is Leng Yifeng, a skilled hunter I paid a hefty sum to recruit. You're sure to lose this time."
Leng Yifeng cupped his hands in greeting, then stepped back.
His gaze swept over Yu Qingqing, and a lecherous glint flickered in his eyes.
Yu Qingqing scoffed. "Heh. Some people said the same thing last time."
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Huang Shengnan hurriedly stepped in to mediate:
"All right. You're both so confident, so we'll settle it with a contest.
"But let's make this clear: you're not allowed to have your helpers deliberately lose to me again. Everyone has to give it their all."
Ever since her first hunt, Huang Shengnan had fallen in love with the feeling of tracking down the smallest clues in the forest and finally bringing home her prey.
Unfortunately, various circumstances had left her with few chances to hunt.
Only a few days ago, after Yu Qingqing and Lin Biling egged her on, had she managed to recapture that feeling.
But after thinking it over once she got home, she realized that their helpers seemed to have gone easy on her.
That was why she'd said this.
Yu Qingqing and Lin Biling showed no embarrassment at being found out.
"Shengnan, you really don't have any faith in yourself."
"Exactly. Hitting nine out of ten shots within fifty paces—that's enough to call you a master archer."
"You two... All right, let's go."
Huang Shengnan knew there was no point in saying more.
They would still have their helpers go easy on her.
So she decided to set up a few prizes later, forcing them to compete for them.
That way, they'd have to show more of their skill.
The group mounted their horses and headed toward Crow Mountain.
Along the main road outside the city, the half-dead refugees who couldn't afford the entry fee heard the hoofbeats and hurriedly shuffled farther to the side.
They were afraid of offending some noble and being beaten to death.
Li Yun had never ridden a horse before, but his stance training had reached the entry level. He managed to sit astride the horse without falling off.
[Horsemanship: +1]
[...]
As they rode on, by the time they reached Mountain-Back Village,
Li Yun's horsemanship had already grown quite impressive.
[Horsemanship (Mastered): 1/500]
Lin Biling pursed her lips, displeased, when she saw Li Yun dismount naturally.
At first, she'd seen how awkward he was and had gleefully teased Yu Qingqing about him.
She hadn't expected him to pick it up so quickly.
She hadn't gotten to mock Yu Qingqing after all, and had even been teased herself.
Yu Qingqing patted Li Yun on the shoulder and nodded in approval.
She looked like he'd done his senior sister proud.
Crow Mountain.
It was neither large nor small.
Mountain-Back Village was just one of the entrances and exits to the mountain.
The group passed through the village, but not a single villager recognized Li Yun.
His upright posture, bright eyes, and tall horse made him look nothing like someone who could have come from Mountain-Back Village.
So none of them even considered the possibility.
Li Yun, Yu Qingqing, Lin Biling, Leng Yifeng, Huang Shengnan, and an unknown guard—
Six people in all went into the mountain to hunt. The rest of their party waited at the foot of the mountain.
When the six passed through the Mountain Gang's checkpoint, the minor gang leader didn't so much as utter a peep.
The six split into three groups and agreed to return to their starting point before the hour of the Monkey.
Just before they set out, Huang Shengnan said:
"On the battlefield, there are no fathers and sons. Today, there are no sisters.
"Besides winner takes all, I'll add another prize.
"I'll give the final winner one Young Blood Ginseng."
At this, Yu Qingqing and Lin Biling exchanged glances.
Was that really necessary?
Wouldn't it be fine to let her win?
She was offering such a hefty prize for a bit of fun.
Young Blood Ginseng was simply Blood Ginseng that hadn't yet matured.
Even so, it was worth at least fifty taels of silver.
Huang Shengnan knew the two would have their helpers deliberately lose to her.
But profit could move a person's heart.
She was offering such a tempting reward.
Surely their helpers wouldn't hold back now.
After all, she was offering more than the other two.
But Huang Shengnan was a little surprised: she couldn't see any change in Li Yun or Leng Yifeng's expressions.
Although Li Yun was tempted, he'd known from before they set out
that this was a game of social niceties.
The prize had nothing to do with him.
He was simply tagging along with a rich beauty for an outing, earning some hard-earned money, and seeing if he could sneakily hunt down anything rare.
So he wouldn't break their agreement over a Young Blood Ginseng.
Leng Yifeng, standing nearby, wore a smile and thought nothing of it.
It was only a Blood Ginseng, and an immature one at that.
He didn't care for it.
After all, his reason for coming was the alluring Lin Biling.
He hadn't expected to meet Lin Biling at the Bounty Pavilion.
He'd casually accepted a task she'd posted, originally just to get close to her.
He hadn't expected there to be an unexpected bonus as well.
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