First Kill

As the sun set and the moon rose, the surroundings had become exceptionally quiet. Inside the thatched hut, moonlight filtered through the broken window, barely driving away the darkness.

Li Yi was drenched in sweat, yet his breathing was steady. The translucent panel before him appeared even clearer in the darkness.

[Archery (Beginner): 155/200]

[Effect: Draw a one-stone, five-dou bow; never miss within a hundred paces!]

Sure enough, gaining experience was not so easy.

Even under such intense training, he had gained only 5 points.

Still, Li Yi was not discouraged. At least he could see himself improving.

Shaking his head, he stood and stretched his aching arms. He could feel the surging strength within him, and his body was recovering at an astonishing speed.

Just then, a young voice came from outside the door.

"Brother."

A graceful young girl stood at the doorway, lovely in appearance. Yet her family was poor; although her clothes were clean, not a single patch of fabric on them was whole. It was truly heartbreaking to see.

"Xiaoyue, why are you here?" Li Yi's gaze was full of tenderness.

Tears unconsciously fell from Li Yue's eyes.

"Brother, Little Brother woke up hungry again."

Her hands curled slightly, her ten fingers gently twisting the hem of her clothes.

Li Yi's heart ached. The original owner's younger brother had only just recovered from a serious illness and desperately needed nourishment, but the family's remaining grain had to be rationed day by day.

Li Yi stroked Li Yue's head. He knew that she was actually hungrier; every meal, she gave her own share to her younger brother.

"Wait here. Tomorrow, I'll go hunt some meat for you."

With that, Li Yi gave Li Yue the bowl of wild vegetable porridge Liu Fang had brought him earlier.

"Brother, why haven't you eaten?" Li Yue's eyes widened as she waved her hands. "Sister Liu Fang saved this for you."

Li Yi smiled. "Don't worry. Your brother isn't hungry."

As he spoke, he stuffed it into Li Yue's hands without allowing any argument.

"Looks like I need to get some food as soon as possible."

Li Yi watched the sensible girl from afar, an unprecedented sense of responsibility rising in his heart.

He stepped out of the room and into the courtyard. The moonlight had turned the earth snow-white; it was the perfect time to practice.

Li Yi picked up his bow and arrows. At this moment, he felt as if the bow had fused into one with his body.

Thrum!

The bowstring trembled, and the arrow tore through the air. A dull thud sounded from the wooden target—it had struck the bullseye.

Li Yi did not stop. He needed to accumulate experience and raise his [Archery] skill to Proficient, so that climbing the mountain would be safer.

For now, skills appeared to be divided into Uninitiated, Beginner, Proficient, and Mastery. As for what came after that, he would have to level up first to find out.

Li Yi practiced tirelessly, striving to make every movement perfect. His entire being sank into a mysterious, unfathomable state.

"Brother Yi, stop practicing. It's very late. Take care of yourself."

A gentle voice came from behind him, carrying a trace of shyness and tremor.

Li Yi had been so engrossed in his practice that it was already midnight.

He turned around and saw Liu Fang standing beneath the eaves, her hair somewhat disheveled. She had clearly just risen from her bedding.

Moonlight spilled over Liu Fang, making her seem even more delicate and charming. The sight before him could not help but send Li Yi's thoughts wandering.

She wore only a thin outer garment, with the bodice beneath faintly visible, outlining the exquisite curves of her youthful body. Unconsciously, she tugged at her outer robe, causing her chest to rise and fall slightly. A glimpse of spring suddenly showed, radiating a rich temptation through the night.

"Ahem."

Seeing Liu Fang approach, Li Yi turned his head away and scratched his head.

"It's fine. I need to train harder. Only then will I have the means to protect myself."

Liu Fang looked at Li Yi's sturdy arms and recalled her sister's words, as well as the awkward restlessness she had felt beneath the blankets just now. Her face instantly turned crimson.

"Alright, then rest early. I... I'll wait for you inside."

After saying that, Liu Fang ran into the room without looking back and hurriedly shut the door. But then, a corner of the door opened again.

"Women lead me astray."

Li Yi shook his head, feeling slightly dazed. His hurried breathing gradually slowed.

A moment later, Li Yi raised his bow again.

Second by second, time passed. Li Yi's movements grew ever smoother, as natural as clouds drifting and water flowing. Every action was completed in one breath. He no longer needed much time to aim; he merely raised his hand and fired, striking the bullseye.

[Archery (Beginner): 185/200]

Though he had yet to reach the next realm, he could already be considered a true master archer. At first, the system had forcibly given him the technique; now, it had become his own instinct.

Rustle, rustle!

Suddenly, the bushes beside him stirred. Li Yi swept his gaze over them and immediately noticed something was wrong.

In that brief instant, he had clearly seen a human figure.

Thinking of what had happened during the day, a shadow crossed Li Yi's heart.

He did not startle the snake by beating the grass. Instead, he silently raised his bow and pretended to continue practicing, while firmly memorizing that spot in his mind.

Whoosh!

An arrow flew out, and a pained cry rang through the night.

"Get out here!"

With that, Li Yi nocked another arrow and aimed at the bushes.

"Ah! Don't kill me, don't kill me!"

A figure crawled out of the bushes in a miserable state, his face filled with terror.

"So it was you." Li Yi looked at the man before him, fury surging from his heart.

This was none other than one of Wang Dagui's lackeys.

"Speak. What are you doing here?"

Li Yi's arrow had struck the thug's thigh. Though he was bleeding heavily, he would not die anytime soon.

The thug steadied himself. He knew that Wang Dagui was his backer; as long as he invoked Wang Dagui's name, he certainly would not die. A trace of smugness even appeared on his face.

"I... Boss Wang was afraid you'd run away, so he sent me to keep watch on you."

"Wang Dagui?"

The thug saw that Li Yi had not moved and assumed that he was afraid.

The fear in his heart vanished, replaced by a teasing look as he watched Li Yi.

Go on, act arrogant. Once your sister falls into my hands, just wait and see how I'll deal with her!

The thug only dared to think those words. He did not dare say them aloud; his life was still in someone else's hands, and he could not afford to provoke him.

But Li Yi's killing intent grew ever stronger. Keeping watch on him? More likely, they had set their sights on his little sister.

If it had been daytime, Li Yi might truly have hesitated to act.

There were too many people and too many eyes; dealing with the aftermath would be difficult.

If he had been alone, he could have simply fled far away.

But now he had a younger brother and sister, both still young. Were they supposed to follow him, hiding here and there?

Li Yi looked around. Everyone nearby was already asleep, and it was the dead of night. No one would pay attention to this place.

Most importantly, compared to the daytime, his strength had improved greatly.

In this chaotic world, being merciful to others was being cruel to oneself.

At that thought, Li Yi's gaze turned ice-cold. He turned around.

"You can go. I'll pretend I never saw you."

Hmph, just as I thought.

The thug snorted inwardly and struggled to his feet.

"Brother Yi, thanks."

"You're welcome. Be a better man in your next life."

"What?"

Thrum—

The thug fell in response. A sharp arrow pierced through his brow, and his entire body went limp as though all his bones had been pulled out. He collapsed to the ground, eyes wide open and utterly motionless.

Li Yi calmly pulled out the arrow. Though this was his first time killing someone, there was no panic on his face.

He wiped the blood from the arrowhead, then crouched down and searched the thug's body, finding several taels of broken silver.

Then he hoisted the corpse onto his shoulder, preparing to bury it in the mountains.

Just then, a voice came from behind him.

"B-Brother Yi..."

Li Yi turned around and saw Liu Fang standing at the doorway, her face deathly pale and her eyes full of fear.