Liu Hong's Death

Once Liu Yuniang had taken the rabbit meat with reddened eyes and cooked it, Li Chengfeng returned with the rice and simply worked the two rabbit skins before setting them aside.

He then skinned the small beast that resembled a Yellow Muntjac, preserving its whip.

He sliced the meat off piece by piece, washed it clean with the bones still attached, rubbed it with the coarse salt he had bought yesterday, then hung it on a ventilated wall to preserve it.

Once he had finished all that, Liu Yuniang came over carrying a clay basin of wild chicken mixed with rabbit meat, along with a large clay basin of thick porridge.

The salted dish and all that thick porridge filled the air with fragrance, enough to make anyone's mouth water.

"Yu Niang's cooking is truly wonderful."

Li Chengfeng praised her with a smile. Then he took a sip of porridge, picked up a large piece of rabbit meat, and chewed it with a look of utter satisfaction.

"It's only because you brought back game. Without meat, no matter how I cooked it, it wouldn't smell this good."

The sorrow on Liu Yuniang's face had faded considerably over the course of the meal. Looking at the large basin of meat, she pursed her lips and sat beside Li Chengfeng.

She placed a piece of rabbit meat in his bowl and said worriedly, "Why don't we bring Liu Hong a gift another day? It won't do if he keeps causing trouble for us."

"A gift?"

Li Chengfeng took the rabbit bone from his mouth, a cold smile on his face. A fierce glint flashed through his eyes. "Why wait for another day? Tonight, I'll give him a grand gift!"

"Tonight? What grand gift?"

Hearing Li Chengfeng's words, Liu Yuniang froze. Her face instantly turned deathly pale. "Chengfeng, you wouldn't..."

"Yu Niang, don't overthink it. Leave this to me. Hurry and eat. Once you're full, go to sleep."

Hearing her words, Li Chengfeng patted her hand and glanced meaningfully at the hard bow hanging on the wall. "I just got this hard bow. I have to test it out."

"Tomorrow, I'll take the rabbit skins, the small beast's hide, and its whip to the market to sell. The rabbit skins and that small hide are both miscellaneous pelts, so they aren't worth much, but with the Yellow Muntjac whip, we should still make over a hundred copper coins."

Li Chengfeng smiled at Liu Yuniang. "Then we'll take out some of our savings. I'll buy a new kitchen knife, a new woodcutting knife, a few iron arrowheads, and a jug of oil to add to our food and nourish our bodies."

"With good arrowheads and a good bow, maybe tomorrow I'll catch even better game in the mountains."

As Li Chengfeng spoke, he wore a cheerful smile. Liu Yuniang unconsciously drew her gaze away from the hunting bow on the wall. Hearing his description, much of the pallor faded from her face.

She was still somewhat hesitant, but seeing Li Chengfeng's confident expression, she nodded. "You're the man. I'll listen to you. Just be careful in everything."

"Don't worry. Eat properly, get full, and go to sleep."

Li Chengfeng smiled and patted her hand reassuringly. Then he spread his chopsticks and began wolfing down the rabbit meat, wild chicken, and wild vegetables from the basin.

He pondered how, once he earned money from hunting another day, he would also get an iron pot for the house and buy a few porcelain bowls.

"Eat more."

Liu Yuniang placed another piece of meat in Li Chengfeng's bowl. Infected by his confidence, she pursed her lips, and Li Chengfeng placed a piece of rabbit meat in her bowl as well.

Liu Yuniang bit into it and chewed mouthful after mouthful. Gradually, she relaxed. Following Li Chengfeng's rhythm, she occasionally served him food while eating herself. As the salted meat went into her stomach bite by bite, her heart settled considerably.

Before long, after a filling meal, Liu Yuniang, who had worried all day, got up to wash and put away the bowls and chopsticks. Sleepiness surged over her, and she lay down on the bed amid her lingering worries.

Seeing Li Chengfeng sitting on the bed with his eyes closed, she did not know what to say. Night had already fallen. She looked at him by moonlight and unknowingly fell asleep.

A short while after Liu Yuniang fell asleep, Li Chengfeng opened his eyes. By the moonlight outside the window, he looked at Liu Yuniang sleeping beside him, then quietly turned over and got out of bed.

Creak—

He reached for the brand-new finished hard bow he had traded for today and strung it. Looking at the bright moonlight outside, he narrowed his eyes and selected the three hardest bamboo arrows in the house.

He quietly opened the door. After stepping outside, he slowly closed it again, then strode out of the courtyard beneath the moonlight.

Feeling his way by moonlight, he moved through the quiet nighttime streets. After turning through several alleys, he looked up and found himself at Liu Hong's door.

After carefully confirming that it was Liu Hong's house, killing intent surged in Li Chengfeng's eyes.

"I had planned to let you live a few more days, but since you're courting death, don't blame me."

Li Chengfeng set a bamboo arrow to the hard bow, snorted coldly, and quietly climbed over the wall into Liu Hong's courtyard. He carefully opened the window and peered inside. By moonlight, he saw Liu Hong lying on the bed, his eyes filled with savage ferocity.

"You wanted to harm me the day after tomorrow? I'll make sure you die tonight!"

Li Chengfeng snorted inwardly and immediately raised his bow and drew the arrow.

Creak—

The brand-new hard bow gave a soft hum. Li Chengfeng aimed at Liu Hong's neck. His minor mastery of Archery gave him complete confidence, and he released his fingers.

Thud—

With a soft sound, the arrow shot out in an instant, piercing straight through Liu Hong's neck and striking the wooden bed through the back of his head.

Liu Hong's body twitched on the bed, then instantly fell silent.

"Killing you is no different from killing a beast."

Seeing Liu Hong's reaction, Li Chengfeng sneered coldly. He cautiously nocked another arrow, pried open the door, and went inside. Liu Hong's corpse on the bed had already breathed its last.

He scrutinized Liu Hong's corpse carefully. Seeing that he was truly dead beyond doubt, he felt a tremendous sense of relief.

"You wouldn't live properly. You insisted on courting death. Now you should be satisfied."

Li Chengfeng snorted, pulled the bamboo arrow from Liu Hong's head, then darted his eyes around the room before immediately beginning to search everywhere.

First, he took the money pouch from the house. Then he rummaged through boxes and chests, finding copper coins hidden in a clay jar beneath the bed. He also took a steel blade, the woodcutting knife from the kitchen, half a sack of white rice, a slab of cured meat, a smoked chicken, and even the iron pot from the stove.

After returning home, he hid the steel blade, woodcutting knife, iron pot, and other conspicuous items beneath broken bamboo leaves in the bamboo grove in the courtyard. He put the remaining cured meat, smoked chicken, and white rice into his own rice jar.

"Three taels of silver, six hundred and forty-nine copper coins."

He counted the coins from the money pouch and clay jar, a gleam appearing in his eyes.

"Liu Hong, I suppose you did make a contribution to my life."

Li Chengfeng sneered and decisively hid the money in his home. Then he shut the doors and windows and lay down to sleep peacefully.

The next morning.

After waking, Liu Yuniang had clearly noticed something. Her face was somewhat pale, but under Li Chengfeng's reassurance, she quickly calmed down. Following his instructions, she cooked the smoked chicken he had brought back. Once Li Chengfeng got up, she gave him a hearty meal.

After eating, Li Chengfeng took yesterday's game and naturally headed out to the market to sell it.

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