Small Goal

Back then, Li Lian had been a somewhat renowned young woman in Li Family Fort, and many of the fort's young men had coveted her fiercely.

In the end, Gu Erniu had won Li Lian's heart with his exceptional archery and honest simplicity, bringing the beauty home as his wife.

Being able to marry Li Lian had always been something Gu Erniu took pride in.

"Wait another couple of years, and have your sister-in-law introduce you to a good girl too. Then the two of you can live a good life together."

Gu Erniu said with a smile.

Now that Gu Sheng was the only one left in his household, Gu Erniu and Li Lian both kept this matter in mind and brought it up from time to time.

Marrying, having children, and carrying on the family line were the things ordinary folk cared about most, even the goal they pursued for their entire lives.

Gu Sheng merely smiled and did not argue.

He was thinking about something.

"Brother Erniu, could your archery hurt a martial artist?"

Gu Erniu burst into laughter.

"You brat, martial artists are incredibly powerful beings. Take Skin Refining stage martial artists, for example. They temper their skin and flesh; those with profound attainments can withstand blades and swords without injury. If I could keep my distance, I might barely be able to hurt one."

"But that would be all. Martial artists have sharp ears and keen eyes; they would never give me the chance to strike a vital spot. They would only need one punch, and my little life would be over."

Gu Erniu smacked his lips, regret in his eyes.

"Back then, my father sent me to train martial arts in the fort too. Unfortunately, I lacked the talent and could not even get through the door."

Gu Sheng could not help asking:

"Is the threshold for martial arts really that high?"

"It is high, but it is not. If you have enough money, even with poor talent, you can still get started. You should understand the saying that scholars need poverty while martial artists need wealth. With meat and medicinal supplements every day, even a pig could become a powerful martial artist."

"Families like ours can only rely on talent. Like Instructor Gu Jingang, we must become martial artists with the least possible resource consumption, or we simply cannot sustain it."

Gu Sheng could not help sighing inwardly.

For those at the bottom, getting ahead truly was harder than reaching the heavens.

Fortunately, he had the panel.

As long as I can get started, it will be enough. With the panel, bottlenecks are what I fear least. If I have no resources, I can just take it slower.

"Enough, we have wandered off topic. I already told you the general principles of archery. Now give it a try."

Gu Erniu had Gu Sheng take up the proper stance, corrected several mistakes, then folded his arms and let Gu Sheng try on his own.

Drawing the bow for the first time, Gu Sheng was a little nervous, but he quickly held his breath and calmed down, making Gu Erniu nod inwardly.

Gu Sheng steadied himself, spreading his legs slightly and trying to stand firm and level. One hand held the bow, while the other pinched the end of the arrow and drew the string. His arms formed a straight line, with his eyes, the arrow, and the tree trunk aligned as one.

Then he released it.

Whoosh!

The arrow gave a faint whistle as it flew past the tree trunk three feet away, then dropped weakly and plunged into the earth.

An embarrassed look appeared on Gu Sheng's face. He had been aiming for the center of the trunk.

That miss was rather outrageous.

Gu Erniu laughed heartily.

"For your first shot, your aim was a little off, but you managed to fire it. That is not bad."

Though he was encouraging him, the smile at Gu Erniu's lips was exceptionally cheerful.

"The reason it went off just now was that your hand was unsteady at the instant the arrow left the string..."

Gu Erniu began correcting Gu Sheng's posture.

Gu Sheng focused intently, learning earnestly and constantly adjusting as he fired arrow after arrow.

"That arrow was not bad. Hold your bow arm a little more level."

"Plant your legs like old roots, keep your back straight, and do not lean."

"Do not draw the bow too fully. Add force gradually. Do not hesitate, then suddenly let it snap loose!"

Gu Erniu's voice sounded from time to time, and before they knew it, the sun was nearly setting.

Under the setting sun, the youth stood with his bow in hand, his gaze calm. Flecks of golden light fell across his face, and after concealing his slightly dark complexion, made him appear especially handsome.

Gu Sheng fired another arrow.

With a sharp whoosh, the arrow cut through the air and slammed into the tree trunk fifty meters away, its fletching trembling without cease.

Though it was still far from the center, it had finally hit the target!

Delight appeared in Gu Sheng's eyes. In that instant just now, he had truly sensed something extraordinary—the coordination between his body and the hunting bow was contained within that shot.

He opened the panel.

The martial arts section had indeed changed!

Martial Arts: Chopping Wood (Mastery 58%), Archery (Beginner 1%).

"It has finally been recorded on the panel!"

The corners of Gu Sheng's mouth lifted, and he smiled from the bottom of his heart.

Gu Erniu laughed and praised him as well:

"Not bad, not bad! To reach this level after such a short time practicing today, Ah Sheng, your talent for archery is at least average. If you work diligently, becoming a somewhat renowned hunter in these ten villages and eight hamlets will not be a problem in the future."

"Talent is one thing, but diligence and hard work are just as important! My own talent for archery was not especially high, but I reached my current level through ten years of unwavering effort."

Gu Erniu warned him earnestly.

Gu Sheng nodded, not caring that Gu Erniu had said his archery talent was merely average.

"Brother Erniu, I will work hard!"

With the experiences of two lives, he desired to live more than anyone else. To survive, strength was essential.

Now that he had finally learned archery, he naturally would not slack off.

With the panel, every bit of effort he put in would be rewarded. He had no reason not to work hard.

"From now on, come here every day after you finish chopping wood, and I will teach you archery. Once you are truly proficient, you can practice by yourself. But remember that excess is as bad as deficiency."

"Drawing a bow puts a great burden on the arms. Go back, eat more meat, and rest well. We will stop here for today. I still need to go home and keep your sister-in-law company, or I will get scolded again."

Gu Erniu smiled, gave him a few more reminders, then turned and left.

Gu Sheng held the hunting bow and arrows in his hands, gratitude filling his heart.

Giving a man a fish was not as good as teaching him to fish. Gu Erniu had practically prepared the net for him too. This was a great kindness.

Though it was because Gu Sheng had first saved Li Lian and Gu Wan, Gu Sheng still silently remembered this goodwill in his heart.

"Looks like there is another skill for me to grind."

Looking at the panel, which was gradually filling up, Gu Sheng's lips curved slightly.

He enjoyed this feeling of slowly growing stronger.

When he returned home.

He lit the fire and cooked, stewing another piece of wolf meat. As Gu Sheng ate his rice-bran meal, he began feeling dissatisfied. Rice-bran meal could fill his stomach, but it truly tasted awful!

Now that he had meat, he naturally wanted to replace the rice bran with millet.

First, it tasted better; second, it was more nutritious.

"Just wait. Once my archery improves and I gain something from hunting in the mountains, I can switch to eating millet!"

For the time being, Gu Sheng did not plan to go hunting in the mountains.

Hunting was dangerous, after all. He intended to grind his archery to the Minor Mastery realm before doing so.

But he could not delay too long either. He needed to save money, and once winter arrived and the temperature dropped, hunting would become much more troublesome.

Judging by today's progress, raising his archery to the Minor Mastery realm would probably take around a month, much harder than Chopping Wood.

"Set a small goal: within one month, reach Minor Mastery in archery, perfect Chopping Wood, and make my body even stronger!"

"Then I will enter the mountains!"