Recruitment

After obtaining the cultivation method for Gale Breathing Method, Li Yi did not go visit Han Jia. Instead, using the permission he had obtained from Wu Chuansheng, he left the military camp.

Before passing the newcomer assessment, they could not return home whenever they wished. However, under certain special circumstances, with their commanding officer's permission, they could still leave the camp briefly.

Li Yi was now something of a prized commodity in the archers' unit, so taking some time away from the camp was not difficult.

The military camp was roughly five li from the county town.

For Li Yi, who had hunted in the mountains year-round and tempered his own muscles and bones, it cost him little more than a bit of legwork.

An hour later, Li Yi stood at the county gates. After casually dealing with the gate guards, he entered the city as he wished.

This time, Li Yi had a clear goal in mind.

To buy a powerful longbow!

After all, the foundation of his livelihood right now was his archery!

Before long, Li Yi arrived at the blacksmith's shop.

The moment he entered, the shopkeeper noticed him.

"Yo, little brother, you're back. What are you looking to buy this time?"

The shopkeeper had a deep impression of Li Yi, who had made several purchases here before.

Li Yi said, "My bow is broken. I came this time to buy a suitable good bow."

For his contribution in suppressing the rebel faction, Li Yi had received a reward of twenty taels of silver.

After spending ten taels on the cultivation method for Gale Breathing Method, he still had ten taels remaining—enough to buy himself a good bow!

"A bow, is it? I happen to have a few."

The shopkeeper nodded and led Li Yi toward the weapons storeroom.

On one wall of the storeroom hung several yellow oak bows.

These were the same bows Li Yi had seen when he bought the Plum Blossom Spear earlier.

"These bows are all two-stone heavy bows. Plenty of seasoned hunters have tried them, but in the end, they all chose to give up."

The shopkeeper introduced the strengths and weaknesses of the bows to Li Yi.

Listening to his introduction, Li Yi could not help shaking his head.

The bow he had used before was precisely a two-stone heavy bow, and its power had indeed been decent.

But now that his archery had broken through, a two-stone heavy bow could no longer be considered powerful to him.

"Shopkeeper, these bows aren't quite suitable for me. Do you have anything better?"

Li Yi's words left the shopkeeper, who had been enthusiastically praising his own longbows, stunned. He stared at Li Yi in disbelief.

If he remembered correctly, this kid had only been using a two-stone longbow a few days ago. How had he come to look down on a two-stone heavy bow after only a few days?

Seeing this, the shopkeeper pondered briefly, then led Li Yi over and opened a locked wooden case.

Inside lay a pale yellow longbow. Its carefully crafted bow body was covered in scratches, clearly having seen no small amount of battle.

"This is one of my personal treasures—a yellow birch bow with the strength of three stone. What do you think?"

With one glance, Li Yi knew that the shopkeeper was not lying. This was indeed a powerful longbow.

After receiving the shopkeeper's permission, Li Yi took out the bow and examined it closely.

Suddenly, Li Yi gripped the longbow and pulled hard, drawing it into the shape of a full moon!

The next instant, he let the bow return to its original shape, then drew it again.

After repeating this nine times, Li Yi felt out the exertion it required and the feel of the bow. Then he silently placed it back into the wooden case and shook his head at the shopkeeper.

"This bow is good, but it still isn't suitable for me. I need a stronger bow!"

Though this bow possessed considerable power, it could not fully bring out Li Yi's strength. If he used Triple Shot, it would inevitably snap just like his previous bow.

To use Triple Shot without damaging the bow body, he needed at least a four-stone longbow!

"This still isn't enough?!"

The shopkeeper was thunderstruck, a trace of embarrassment appearing on his face.

"I truly don't have any bows here that suit you." After a pause, the shopkeeper added, "But I can help you look. I'll see whether there are any heavy bows above four stone. If I find anything, I'll send someone to notify you!"

Li Yi nodded. After discussing the details with the shopkeeper, he took his leave.

At this point, there was no other way.

He could only hope that the shopkeeper would be able to find a stronger longbow.

After leaving the blacksmith's shop, Li Yi had no mood to wander around.

Since he had failed to buy the longbow he urgently needed, he might as well return to the military camp early and cultivate the breathing method to improve himself.

After casually eating something, Li Yi strode toward the military camp.

The repeated wars between the Chen Kingdom and the Qing Kingdom had made life exceedingly difficult for the people of Chen. As he walked along the road, he could see beggars and displaced refugees from time to time.

I had to gain a firm foothold in the army camp and protect my family!

Looking at these refugees, Li Yi thought of Xiaoxin and Xiaoyue, who were waiting for him to return home, as well as gentle, tender Liu Fang and her sisters.

In this world, I still have a family.

Just as Li Yi was overcome with emotion, a burst of crying and shouting came from not far away.

Li Yi turned to look and saw a group of constables seizing people in the village and interrogating them under torture.

A few of them looked familiar!

After only a few glances, Li Yi recognized two of them as the very men who had once followed him home.

Just as Li Yi spotted the constables, they spotted him as well and immediately turned toward him.

Li Yi sensed trouble, but it would not be appropriate to leave either. He gripped the Plum Blossom Spear tightly and focused on the approaching constables.

They had no proof that I killed Wang Dagui. No need to panic!

"Gentlemen, may I ask what this is about?"

Looking at the approaching constables, Li Yi suppressed his displeasure and asked.

One of the constables who had followed Li Yi before narrowed his eyes at him and said, "Of course we're hunting down the murderer who killed Wang Dagui. This is an important matter personally assigned by the Household Affairs Officer."

Li Yi knew that he was the man they were looking for, but he was not the least bit flustered. He merely glanced at the hooligans currently being tortured by the constables and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "I still have to return to the army camp to report in, so I won't delay you in the performance of your duties. I'll be taking my leave."

With that, Li Yi turned and strode toward the army camp.

"Stop!"

A constable's shout rang out behind Li Yi.

Li Yi's heart tightened at the sound. He instinctively clenched the Plum Blossom Spear, ready at any moment to unleash the Gale-Rending Formation-Breaking Spear and kill these constables.

"The Household Affairs Officer wishes to see you. Please come with us."

The constable's words slightly calmed the alarm in Li Yi's heart.

It seemed he was still safe for now. Thoughts raced through his mind, and by the time Li Yi turned around, he had already formed a plan.

"I took leave from the officer in charge of the army camp's archer unit to come out this time, and I still have to return to camp shortly. If I get back late, I hope you gentlemen can help explain matters."

His words both made clear his current status and implied that if he vanished, someone would come looking into it, making the constables wary of acting rashly.

"Don't worry. We won't keep you long."

The constable gave a few impatient explanations, then gestured for Li Yi to follow them to meet the Household Affairs Officer.