Hunting Bears in the Mountains!

In the yard of the thatched cottage.

Li Yue and the others, panting heavily, held dustpans and dumped the soil to one side.

"Brother Yi, will this really work?"

Liu Fang wiped her forehead. Sweat had soaked through her clothes, making her figure faintly visible.

"It'll definitely work!"

Li Yi lowered his head and stamped on the ground beneath his feet, then looked around.

"Put the sharpened bamboo down."

Liu Fang then carried over a bundle of sharpened bamboo. Bent over and lying against the mud-covered ground, the flash of brightness at her chest was especially eye-catching.

"Ahem."

Li Yi gave a light cough and immediately pulled back his gaze.

He then buried the bundle of sharpened bamboo beneath his feet, leaving only enough room for himself to stand.

After a while, a flip-board pit large enough to hold ten people had been completed.

The traps Li Yi made were simple, but practical.

As long as someone fell in, unless they were an exceptionally powerful martial artist, they would either die or be badly injured.

With the pit being twelve feet deep and its walls smooth as glass, anyone who fell in could forget about climbing back out. This would be those people's grave.

Once everything below was finished, Li Yi bent his legs slightly and exploded downward. The instant his hands touched the edge of the pit, his arms erupted with astonishing strength.

Bang!

Relying on his body's coordination and incredible strength, Li Yi leaped out of the pit in one bound.

The sight left Li Xin, who had been about to throw him a rope, completely dumbfounded.

"Brother, you're way too fierce! When will I be able to do that?"

As he spoke, Li Xin gestured wildly with both hands and feet.

"You? Nurse your body properly and practice what I taught you. Then you'll naturally be able to."

Li Xin nodded heavily.

The group then covered the pit entrance with dry bamboo branches and reeds before spreading a layer of soil over it.

After some tidying up, there was no sign from the outside that a deadly trap lay beneath it. It blended seamlessly with the surrounding earth.

By the time everyone finished, noon had already passed.

It was midsummer.

Dark clouds drifted over in the distance, moisture hung in the air, and the cicadas chirping around them sounded strangely irritating.

"It looks like it's going to rain."

Li Yi calculated silently.

He would be entering the camp tomorrow. Today, he could still go up the mountain to hunt and leave more dried meat for his family.

With that thought, he picked up his bow and arrows, tossed out a line about coming back for dinner, and hurried away.

"Brother Yi, take a rain cape..."

Holding a rain cape, Liu Fang hurried to the doorway.

But Li Yi was already a hundred paces away. She could no longer catch up to him.

"I hope it doesn't rain," Liu Fang murmured.

Li Yi strode quickly toward Hundred Trees Forest, passing hunters along the way who were returning empty-handed one after another.

"Boy Yi, heading up the mountain to hunt again?"

The speaker was Old You from the neighboring village.

He was a highly seasoned hunter.

"Yes, Uncle You. I'm entering the camp soon, so I wanted to get more food for the family."

Li Yi's father had been on good terms with these old hunters, so they had always looked after Li Yi.

Unfortunately, they had been born into troubled times. They could barely protect themselves; even if they wanted to help, they were often powerless to do so.

Li Yi understood that, so he did not blame them.

"Boy, you'd better hurry. It'll rain soon, and all the animals will hide, making them hard to find. Also, your Uncle Zhang said he heard a bear roaring in the west. Don't go over there."

Uncle You patted Li Yi with his callused hand.

"Uncle You, don't worry. I'll definitely take a detour."

Li Yi smiled, but something entirely different was on his mind.

Don't go? That was exactly where he was going.

Once the old hunters had gone down the mountain, Li Yi hurried west.

Hundred Trees Forest stretched for hundreds of miles. Even ordinary veteran hunters did not dare venture deep inside alone.

The canopy blotted out the sky and covered the sun, making it easy to lose one's way. Moreover, the chances of encountering fierce beasts were high.

Only once every half year would the hunters act together.

But with the effects of Scouting and Concealment, Li Yi naturally was not worried about getting lost.

Just then, a rustling sound came from nearby.

Li Yi bent down, raised his bow, and nocked an arrow.

Whoosh!

It hit!

It was a foolish roe deer!

Li Yi ran over, stuffed it into his basket, and continued toward the western side.

He planned to repeat the method he had used on the wild boar: use the foolish roe deer as bait, then hide at a distance and launch a sneak attack.

After walking several miles, he suddenly heard a deep snoring sound.

Li Yi immediately stopped and watched his surroundings warily.

If he had not guessed wrong, that sound should have come from a black bear.

These large beasts were all extremely vigilant. Once someone entered their territory, they were easily discovered.

Li Yi scanned the area. After searching carefully for a while, he soon spotted a black bear over a hundred paces away to the southwest. It stood up, sniffed the air, and seemed to be searching for the source.

Li Yi raised his bow.

But the bear was over a hundred paces away—too far to guarantee a hit. If he failed to kill it with one strike, the black bear was intelligent enough not to fight head-on. If it escaped, his losses would be enormous.

Li Yi's sword-like brows furrowed as he moved slowly.

The black bear was extremely alert. Hearing an unusual sound, it ran back some distance, then stood up again to look around.

The smell of blood must have drawn it in.

Now it was a contest of endurance.

While Li Yi stayed hidden, Scouting and Concealment continued granting him experience.

In the end, the black bear could not hold out any longer and slowly approached.

One step, two steps...

The black bear slowly drew closer to where Li Yi was hiding.

Now.

Just as he was about to release the arrow, a clap of thunder exploded across the sky.

In that instant, the arrow that should have struck the black bear's eye hit its body instead.

A roar rang out.

Sensing danger, the black bear turned and fled. It was incredibly fast, utterly unaffected by the arrow wound.

A light rain began to fall from the sky.

Li Yi pursued the black bear closely.

The rain gradually grew heavier, and his vision became increasingly blurred.

Li Yi drew arrow after arrow and fired them.

With the combined effects of Archery and Concealment, even when his vision was blurred, he could still shoot with effortless ease.

Before long, several arrows had pierced the black bear's body.

Its miserable cries pierced the clouds, yet the instinct to survive kept it running until it became dizzy and disoriented, then crashed heavily to the ground.

Only then did Li Yi approach the black bear. It stood about 1.5 meters tall.

Its pitch-black fur had been dyed red with blood. At this moment, it had only breath going out and none coming in.

Li Yi gave it a swift end with one final arrow.

At that moment, the panel lit up!

[Archery (Proficient): 150/500]

[Effect: Draw the Three-Stone Horn Bow; arrows carry armor-piercing force!]

Li Yi dealt with the black bear, then dragged it down the mountain.

Because it was raining and already nighttime, no one noticed him along the way.

Li Yi carried the black bear on his shoulders, soaked to the skin as he trudged down the muddy path.

A familiar figure appeared at the crossroads.

"Xiao Fang!"

Liu Fang held an umbrella and tightly clutched a rain cape in her other hand.

When Liu Fang saw that it was Li Yi, she hurried over and held most of the oil-paper umbrella over his head.

"Why are you only coming back now?" Liu Fang scolded him softly. "Put on the rain cape quickly. Change out of those clothes when we get back."

"Ah, this is... a bear!"

Only then did Liu Fang notice that Li Yi was carrying a bear on his shoulders.

Li Yi touched a finger to her lips, signaling for her to keep her voice down.

Liu Fang nodded obediently, and the two quickly returned home.