Winter Hunt Approaches, Meeting an Old Friend

Li Xian condensed his qi into threads, starting from his dantian as he once more attempted Qi Circulation Through the Heavens.

He circulated it around the great acupoints. By the time it reached the one hundred and twelfth great acupoint, the qi within his dantian had run dry. The qi could no longer hold its form and scattered throughout his flesh and blood.

"Though I was still far from Qi Circulation Through the Heavens."

"Compared to last time, my progress was already glaringly obvious!"

Grade-B House Guard Jiang Yun had originally been a famine refugee from Purple Jade County.

Fortunately, she had some distant kinship and old ties with Qiuyue, Madam Wen's personal maid. Through Qiuyue's recommendation, she had entered the manor as a house guard.

In such a vast manor, beneath Madam Wen, Qiuyue held the highest standing.

"Speak. Why were you looking for me?"

Within a stone pavilion surrounded by beautiful scenery.

Jiang Yun bent at the waist, her face meek and obedient as she respectfully presented tea with both hands. Qiuyue slowly accepted it, gave Jiang Yun a once-over, and asked casually.

"Sister Qiuyue, I failed again in the last house guard competition. I still couldn't advance to Grade-A..." Jiang Yun spoke with great unease.

"Oh?"

Qiuyue shook her head. "It wasn't your fault. You were a woman, and your talent for martial arts was merely ordinary. If not for me remembering our ties and supporting you, forget Grade-A—even Grade-B would have been a struggle."

"Yes, yes, it was all thanks to Sister Qiuyue's great kindness." Jiang Yun hurriedly thanked her.

"Besides..."

"You're a woman. In arena matches, you were bound to suffer a disadvantage."

Qiuyue took a sip of tea and frowned. "What tea is this?"

"It's Fragrant Jasmine Tea. I specially..."

Before Jiang Yun could finish, a slap had already landed across her face. Qiuyue cursed, "Such inferior tea has simply fouled my mouth!"

In anger, she smashed the teacup to the ground. It shattered all over the floor, tea splashing everywhere. Then she said impatiently, "If you have something to ask, hurry up and say it."

"Yes, yes."

Jiang Yun did not dare grow angry. She said awkwardly, "It's like this. That brat named Li Xian seemed quite active lately. Things were unpleasant between him and me some time ago. Do you think I should..."

"Him..." Naturally, Qiuyue remembered him. She had also been present during the distribution of soup and food.

Qiuyue waved her hand. "No need to bother with him. He's just a nobody."

Hearing this, the huge stone in Jiang Yun's heart finally dropped. "Also, regarding the Winter Hunt..."

"Now that you mention the Winter Hunt, I recall something."

Qiuyue motioned for Jiang Yun to come closer, lowering her voice. "This Winter Hunt may offer you another path to reach Grade-A."

"Madam has been in a good mood lately, and the Winter Hunt is her favorite activity. Perform well."

Jiang Yun's eyes lit up. She pulled a piece of gold and jade from her robes and offered it with both hands. "Thank you for Sister Qiuyue's guidance. This is a token of filial respect for Sister Qiuyue."

Qiuyue's brows rose slightly. The gold and jade were of fine quality, carved with exquisite patterns of flowers and birds.

Gold was hard currency. The imperial dynasty might be turbulent and the times might change, but this thing would always be valuable. No one ever complained of having too much, so she naturally accepted it.

Seeing that Jiang Yun must have spent no small effort to obtain it, Qiuyue's voice softened considerably. "You at least know how to behave. Don't say I came here." She rose and left.

Since the Essence Food had been distributed, several days had passed. The days remained as tranquil as ever, calm enough that not even a ripple could be stirred.

Whenever the other house guards encountered Li Xian, some envied him, some feared him, and some refused to accept him, but no one dared provoke him lightly.

Li Xian had few friends and never took the initiative to make any. Yet he treated others warmly and was kind by nature, so he had accumulated some goodwill.

"It was nearly the end of October. I wondered how my younger brother's school examinations were going."

Li Xian's thoughts drifted as he hugged his long saber and leaned back against a tree trunk.

"Master Li, after we finish patrol later, let's head up the mountain together."

At that moment, a figure came running over.

The man was named Le Zhitao. He was also a Grade-C House Guard, and ever since the meat distribution, he had taken the initiative to show Li Xian goodwill.

Both were Grade-C House Guards and had plenty of free time in their daily lives. Sometimes after patrol, Le Zhitao would seek out Li Xian, and the two would go to the Dining Hall together for meals.

Though they spent time together, their friendship was not deep.

Li Xian had a warm exterior but a cold heart. Whoever came to speak with him, he would respond. If someone wished to accompany him, he would not refuse. But becoming true friends was not so easy.

"Up the mountain? Why?" Li Xian asked.

"You didn't know? The Winter Hunt is coming!" Le Zhitao said.

"I had heard of the Winter Hunt, but what did it have to do with going up the mountain?" Li Xian shook his head, rising unhurriedly and brushing the fallen snow from his body.

"You had to prepare your own bow for the Winter Hunt. Didn't you know? If you don't go up the mountain to chop wood and make a bow, were you not joining the Winter Hunt?" Le Zhitao explained.

Li Xian frowned. "Chopping wood to make a bow? A bow required complicated craftsmanship. At the very least, it took several weeks. Wouldn't it be too late to make one now?"

"There's a rare kind of wood on the neighboring mountain. Its branches are tough and elastic. Just tie on some ox sinew, and there you have it—a bow." Le Zhitao said as though it were perfectly natural.

That was more like a toy. Li Xian silently grumbled. The feel of a bow was exceedingly important. The bow limbs and stringing were secondary; the harmony between person and bow was what mattered most.

Only when a person understood the bow and the bow understood the person could one strike the target every time. Li Xian had been born into a hunter's family and was most proficient in this path. From the age of five, he had made his own bows and arrows.

By the time he was eleven, his hunting and archery skills had already surpassed his father's.

Since ancient times, archers had held highly respected status. Whether in the army or the martial world, it was so.

As the Winter Hunt drew ever closer, Li Xian could not help thinking, Rather than make another bow, why not... take out my old friend again?

He immediately said to Le Zhitao, "You all go. I won't be going."

"Ah!" Le Zhitao shook his head. "What a pity, what a pity."

Reminded by Le Zhitao, Li Xian took half a day off from Pang Long after finishing his patrol shift and set out for Qingning County.

It was late October. The ground lay frozen and the land was clad in silver, while flocks of cold geese occasionally flew across the sky.

"Ordinary geese leave in winter and return in spring. Only these cold geese refused to follow the beaten path. Wherever it was cold, they insisted on drilling straight toward it."

Having not left the manor in a long while, Li Xian walked along the road with an empty and tranquil heart.

After walking seven or eight li, he suddenly heard waves of wailing from afar.

"Sir, sir, spare my life! I won't dare do it again, I won't dare!"

"Ow! Stop hitting me, stop hitting me!"

He turned and saw five house guards surrounding a man and beating him.

Judging by the scene, the man must have been caught red-handed stealing wood.

"Him?"

Li Xian took another look and discovered that the beaten man was actually Aunt Liu's husband, Wang Yonghou.

He immediately strode over and said, "Stop."

"Damn it, keep beating him!"

These men were house guards of Qingning County's Lin Family. They glanced at Li Xian without taking him seriously and continued raining punches and kicks upon Wang Yonghou.

Li Xian frowned, leaped forward, and kicked one house guard in the backside. The man went sprawling head over heels in a thoroughly miserable state.

The other house guards froze. One of them cursed, "You bastard, so Wang Yonghou has help! Brothers, deal with this brat first!"

Four or five men rushed forward at once. Li Xian snorted coldly and charged straight at the speaking house guard, throwing two punches directly at his face.

Then he leaped up and swept his legs out, kicking each of the house guards who had surrounded him.

In three strokes and five moves, he had dealt with them all.

"Y-you... who are you?! You dared hit us? Just wait! You just wait!"

That house guard howled miserably, pointing at Li Xian with fear and fury.

"Wait?" Li Xian shouted angrily. "If I wasn't mistaken, this was One Accord Manor's woodland. Since when was it your Lin Family's business?"

"Th-this..."

The house guards were instantly struck dumb.

They did not actually know whose forest this was. They had merely seen someone chopping wood, known there was some fun to be had, and beaten him for amusement.

"Can your Lin Family afford to provoke One Accord Manor? Weigh it carefully yourselves."

"If you have nothing to say, shut your mouths and get lost."

When Li Xian spoke the final words, "get lost," he infused them with inner qi. His voice shook their hearts and souls.

The house guards, who bullied the weak and feared the strong, were immediately frightened into fleeing in disarray.