Buying New Weapons, Time to Hunt

"No need. Just stay here. I'll be back soon."

Feng Chen shook his head.

Wang Batian and the people from Wang Clan Martial Hall were most likely still in Green Mountain Village. Those people were genuine Martial Artists.

Although Lin Qing'er had practiced Tiger Fist for a few days, she could not even be considered a beginner. Taking her back would be sending her straight onto the blade's edge.

"Alright, husband. Be careful."

Lin Qing'er did not say anything more.

She knew her husband was keeping her from going for her own good, and she also knew that she truly could not help him right now.

Feng Chen nodded and rose to his feet. When he reached the door, he turned back and reminded her, "Qing'er, remember to practice Tiger Fist properly, understand?"

"Don't worry, husband. I know."

Lin Qing'er stood beside the table, raised her little fist and waved it through the air. A serious smile bloomed across her face. "Once I become a Martial Artist, I'll be able to fight shoulder to shoulder with you."

"Alright."

Feng Chen smiled and nodded.

With that, he pushed open the courtyard gate and stepped out. He carefully shut it behind him, entered the alley, and blended into the bustling crowd on Green Mountain Town's main street.

As he walked, he checked his equipment inside the Spatial Ring.

The long saber and short saber he had bought before were both of average quality. They had been sufficient when he was at Body Tempering, First and Second Heaven, but now that his realm had risen and his opponents had become Third Heaven Martial Artists, it was time to upgrade his equipment.

Feng Chen arrived at the town's weapon-selling blacksmith shop.

The shop faced the street, and all sorts of sabers and swords were displayed on a thick wooden table outside the entrance, their cold gleams flashing.

Inside, the great furnace blazed fiercely. The clanging of hammer on iron was loud enough to shake the entire street, while a bare-chested burly man swung a sledgehammer before an anvil, sending sparks flying in every direction.

Feng Chen watched for a while before choosing two long sabers!

Their blades were thicker and heavier than his previous ones, forged again and again from refined iron, their edges bright as snow and sharp enough to chill the eye.

They cost five taels of silver each, ten taels for both.

These two were much better quality. They sat heavily in his hands, and when he gave them a couple of swings, the air split with low, powerful whistles. They were nothing like the few sabers he had used before.

He also bought a new bow.

Although he had only practiced Basic Archery, it was Basic Archery at Perfection. Combined with the arm strength and eyesight of Body Tempering, Third Heaven, its killing power was no weaker than any offensive martial skill.

The worn hunting bow he had used in Green Mountain Village was covered in cracks, and its string was nearly broken. It should have been replaced long ago.

The blacksmith shop had ready-made horn bows, crafted from horn plates and mulberry wood. Their draw strength was formidable, and their range was two or three times that of the old hunting bow.

One bow cost ten taels of silver. He added three quivers of arrows, twenty arrows per quiver, spending a bit more loose silver in the process.

He also selected some small throwing weapons such as flying daggers. Their blades were thin and sharp; he could carry several at once, and they took up no room in the Spatial Ring.

Altogether, he spent thirty taels of silver.

Feng Chen left the blacksmith shop carrying his heavy new equipment. He did not linger on the street, but turned into an empty narrow alley and swept a hand, storing everything in the Spatial Ring.

Then he swiftly left town, passed through the stone archway at its entrance, and darted onto the mountain path leading to Green Mountain Village.

The moment he entered the deserted mountain road, Feng Chen unleashed Meteor Step at Perfection.

The instant his feet moved, his whole body became a blurred gray shadow, speeding through the forest trail.

Meteor Step at Perfection, paired with the physical qualities of Body Tempering, Third Heaven, made him more than twice as fast as before. The trees, brush, and rocks by the roadside swept behind him like a river flowing in reverse, while the wind roared past his ears.

Feng Chen had his reasons for returning to the village to check the situation!

Had the people from Wang Clan Martial Hall left?

Was Wang Batian still there?

If they had left, he would quietly return to the village for a look before making further plans. If they had not, he would strike and leave Wang Batian and the others all behind in Green Mountain Village.

His strength was sufficient now!

Third Heaven cultivation, a template evaluation that left him with few rivals, Five Tigers Gate-Breaking Saber at Perfection, Meteor Step at Perfection, and a body full of perfected basic skills.

Since he was strong enough, he should take the initiative. He could not wait for those people to piece the clues together bit by bit and come knocking at his door.

Resolving the trouble completely as soon as possible was the only long-term solution.

Half an hour later, Feng Chen crossed that familiar stretch of wooded hillside and saw the gray little village nestled in the mountain hollow from afar.

Stones weighed down the rooftops. White mourning banners still hung throughout the village today, and smoke from burning paper still rose from Liu Dagang's home. Whenever the wind blew, gray-white ash drifted everywhere.

Beside the dirt road outside the village, Feng Chen spotted more than a dozen tall horses tethered there, gnawing at the grass!

The people from Wang Clan Martial Hall were still here.

The corner of Feng Chen's mouth lifted slightly, revealing a trace of coldness.

Without hesitation, he took out the black mask he had prepared beforehand from the Spatial Ring and carefully tied it behind his head, leaving only a pair of icy eyes exposed.

He then lowered his body and silently slipped into the forest beside the village. Moving swiftly, he found a spot with a broad field of view.

There was an old pine growing halfway up the slope. Its trunk was so thick that two people could not encircle it with their arms, and its crown was dense. Looking down from above, it gave him a perfect view of all of Green Mountain Village.

Feng Chen climbed to the top with both hands and feet, hid himself behind the thick branches and leaves, then took out the newly bought horn bow from the Spatial Ring and nocked an iron arrow.

He intended to launch a long-range attack.

For an ordinary person, from such a distant mountainside, let alone hitting someone, they would not even be able to see clearly.

But he was a Body Tempering, Third Heaven Martial Artist. His five senses and arm strength far surpassed those of ordinary people, so this distance was no problem at all.

Very soon, Feng Chen saw Liu Dagang's courtyard through a gap in the branches.

There were quite a few people in the courtyard!

One group consisted of Green Mountain Village's villagers, dressed in dull gray coarse clothes. They had been gathered in a corner of the courtyard, each one shrinking their necks and lowering their heads. The other group consisted of unfamiliar people wearing matching black short outfits, long sabers at their waists. They stood straight, their vigilant gazes sweeping over their surroundings.

At their head stood a middle-aged man in the center of the courtyard. He was powerfully built, with a square face, a short beard, and flesh thick across his face, blackened by rage.

Feng Chen knew at a glance that the man was Wang Batian.

The man looked far too much like the two Wang Household disciples who had died by Feng Chen's hand. His eyebrows and chin especially looked as if they had been carved from the same mold.

He held his breath and carefully counted the people in the courtyard.

There were twelve Martial Masters in black short outfits. Their figures and footwork bore traces of training. Most had blood and qi fluctuations around Body Tempering, First Heaven, while a few were somewhat stronger.

The middle-aged man had the highest realm!

Wang Batian, Body Tempering, Third Heaven.

Feng Chen hesitated no longer. He slowly drew the horn bow, and the bowstring silently stretched taut beneath his fingers.

Archery at Perfection allowed him to instantly complete every calculation needed to aim the moment he drew the bow!

Distance, wind direction, the lead for the target's movement, the arrow's falling arc—every piece of information gathered in the depths of his mind into an invisible dotted line, pointing directly at the target's vital point.

He aimed at Wang Batian and released his fingers.

With a swish, the bowstring snapped back in an instant. The iron arrow was hurled forward by tyrannical force, becoming a blurred black line that tore through the air and shot straight toward the burly figure in the courtyard.

At that moment in the courtyard, Wang Batian stood on the steps before the coffin, looking down at the gathered villagers before him.

The flesh on his face had been reddened by fury. His voice was low and thick with killing intent, each word crashing down upon every head present. "All of you, go search. If you cannot find the murderer who killed my son, every last one of you will be buried with him."

"And that hunter called Feng Chen. Find his trail. Dead or alive, I want him found. As long as you find him, anyone who knew but failed to report it will be spared."

His instincts told him that Feng Chen, the hunter who had vanished into thin air on the very day the entire village gathered, likely held an enormously important clue.

He refused to believe that an ordinary hunter from the mountains would happen to move away on the very same day his son was killed.

"Understood, Instructor Wang. We'll go right away. We'll take people and search immediately."

Liu Ma and several other Liu Clan members repeatedly nodded with bent backs, cold sweat pouring down their foreheads. They turned, intending to lead people outside.

Just then, a streak of cold light flashed beneath the midday sun.

It was not a reflection from a saber or sword, but a slender black line shooting down from midair at a terrifying speed.

Wang Batian was, after all, a Body Tempering, Third Heaven Martial Artist. In that instant, every hair on his body stood on end, and the danger instincts forged through years of martial practice made him almost instinctively lunge to the side.