Into the Mountains

His archery had reached minor mastery.

He could hit a target the size of a copper coin from fifty meters away, which meant Gu Sheng could accurately shoot through a prey animal's eye!

Of course, his accuracy would drop somewhat when shooting at a running target.

But that was not a major problem. Gu Sheng was now qualified to enter the mountains.

"There's still some gap between me and Brother Erniu, but it's not especially large. Brother Erniu's archery should be somewhere between minor mastery and major mastery."

Gu Sheng silently compared them in his heart.

The terrifying nature of the panel had begun to reveal itself.

The more difficult a martial art was to master, the greater Gu Sheng's advantage became.

Gu Erniu had practiced archery for ten years to reach this level, but Gu Sheng had begun catching up in less than a month. The difference between them was obvious.

Gu Sheng was delighted.

Chopping Wood had long since reached perfection. With a woodcutter's blade in hand, he feared no ordinary wild wolf. Combined with minor mastery in archery, he already had the ability to protect himself.

"The next time Brother Erniu and the others enter the mountains, I'll go with them!"

For the time being, Gu Sheng did not intend to enter the mountains alone. That would be no different from seeking death.

During this period, he had heard Gu Erniu mention many precautions regarding hunting.

The hunters in the village would occasionally join forces. Usually, when they discovered the tracks of large beasts such as wild boars or black bears, they would enter the mountains together. The prey they caught would be distributed according to each person's contribution.

But most of the time, hunters entered the mountains alone.

Because if there were no large prey, the gains would not be enough to divide among everyone. They could only go hungry.

Gu Sheng gradually calmed his joy and continued practicing archery.

After reaching minor mastery, shooting felt distinctly different. He had begun to achieve the ability to draw and release at will. With the bow in his hands, it felt like an extension of his arm. Gu Sheng no longer needed to deliberately assume a proper stance to fire an arrow with full force!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The whistling sounds rang out from time to time. Only when the sun set behind the western hills did Gu Sheng stop training and begin packing up.

He silently thought:

At my current pace, it'll take about two months to grind my archery up to major mastery. I can only enter the mountains first, or there won't be enough time.

It was summer now. In a few more months, hunting would no longer be so easy. Gu Sheng had to seize the time.

Otherwise, given his temperament, he truly would have wanted to grind his archery to major mastery before entering the mountains.

The next day.

Gu Sheng found Gu Erniu and told him that he was ready to enter the mountains. Gu Erniu was immediately overjoyed.

"Good! I'll ask around. If anyone finds a large beast, we'll enter the mountains together!"

Opportunities did not come every day.

They had caught a wild boar last time, and the few hunters had divided it up. Only ten days had passed, so naturally there was no rush to enter the mountains again.

Gu Sheng was not in a hurry either.

He simply waited patiently. His life remained as regular as ever.

Chopping wood, practicing archery, strengthening his body—after more than a month of hard training, along with enough meat and rice to eat his fill, Gu Sheng's body had grown much sturdier. He had even grown noticeably taller, completely shedding his former frail appearance.

At fourteen, he was already at an age of rapid growth.

His archery continued progressing steadily and had improved considerably since he had first broken through to minor mastery. As for Chopping Wood, which had reached perfection, its proficiency had now reached 11%.

A few days later.

Gu Erniu came to his door, excitement written across his face.

"A-Sheng, speak to Manager Gu He tomorrow, then come into the mountains with us. Zhang Ze has found another wild boar this time! If we can catch it, we won't need to enter the mountains again for quite a while!"

Gu Sheng's eyes lit up as well.

"Alright!"

There would be no problem on Gu He's end. Gu Sheng had long told Gu He that he sometimes needed to enter the mountains to hunt. Although he had rejected Gu He's goodwill last time, Gu He had not made things difficult for him.

"Sharpen your arrows well today. Tomorrow, follow our lead and don't run around..."

Gu Erniu earnestly instructed him on the details of entering the mountains the next day, and Gu Sheng nodded repeatedly.

After seeing Gu Erniu off, a trace of excitement rose in Gu Sheng's heart.

Tomorrow would be his first time entering the mountains to hunt!

Others might have been nervous, but after fighting two vicious wolves, Gu Sheng's mental fortitude had improved greatly. He was only excited, not anxious.

The next day.

The group of four gathered at the entrance to the village: Gu Erniu, Gu Sheng, Zhang Ze, whom he had met last time, and another man, Gu Youfu, who was somewhat older.

"Uncle Youfu, this is A-Sheng. Don't be fooled by the fact that he's never entered the mountains before—his archery is definitely formidable!"

Zhang Ze nodded at Gu Sheng.

"Once we enter the mountains, stay with us. It'll be troublesome if you get lost in there."

Gu Youfu, on the other hand, smiled warmly.

"You're A-Sheng, right? Don't be nervous. Everyone has a first time entering the mountains. Don't listen to A-Ze trying to scare you. We're dealing with a wild boar this time. As long as we're careful, there won't be any problems."

Gu Sheng nodded.

"Brother Ze, Uncle Youfu, don't worry. I won't hold anyone back."

Gu Youfu waved a hand and continued.

"Since A-Sheng is joining us this time, let's make this clear beforehand. A-Ze found the prey, so he gets an extra ten percent. The remainder will be divided according to everyone's contribution."

Everyone nodded, indicating that they understood.

Gu Erniu had not spoken all this time. Once the group had become somewhat acquainted, he finally waved his hand.

"We enter the mountains!"

The four carried hunting bows and wore short knives and sharp blades at their waists. Gu Sheng had brought the woodcutter's blade from home. The waists of the other three bulged with pouches, and they had also brought some medicinal powder and the like.

Very soon.

The four stopped before a stretch of mountain forest.

"Beyond here lies Cang Mountain. From now on, everyone needs to be extremely careful!"

Gu Erniu lowered his voice as he spoke to Gu Sheng.

"In the mountains, you need to beware not only of prey, but of people even more!"

"Cang Mountain is vast, and it has more than one entrance. It supports many hunters in Canghe County. People from our Gu Family Village hunt here, and so do hunters from Li Family Fort, Dahe Village, and many other places. Only those who stay on guard at all times live longer."

Gu Sheng's heart jolted.

The meaning was already perfectly clear: robbing other hunters!

He nodded seriously and followed the other three forward.

Gu Erniu held his hunting bow, using its bow blade to cut through weeds and dead branches as he cleared a path ahead. His expression was vigilant.

The three took care of Gu Sheng by having him walk in the middle. The other two guarded the rear on the left and right, both warily watching their surroundings for beasts or venomous insects that could spring out at any moment.

Gu Sheng gripped his bow as well, constantly sweeping his gaze around him while observing the three men's movements. This was a rare chance to learn.

Sooner or later, Gu Sheng would enter the mountains alone.

Before long.

Zhang Ze traded places with Gu Erniu. Zhang Ze took the lead, identifying the direction and occasionally crouching down to inspect the traces.

"This way!"

"The tracks that beast left yesterday are still here!"

His face was filled with delight. When he had entered the mountains yesterday, he had originally intended to hunt a few wild rabbits or pheasants. Unexpectedly, he had discovered the tracks of a wild boar, which was why everyone had entered the mountains together today.

Gu Erniu and the others were invigorated as well. It was good that they had not come for nothing.

Now that they had found the tracks, the rest would be easy.

The group moved forward in crouched positions. Before long, through weeds and thorny leaves as tall as a person, a wild boar appeared before the four of them. It had gray bristles, and its upturned snout revealed two tusks as it wandered through the forest.

Gu Erniu's eyes immediately shone with delight.

"Good heavens! It's even bigger than the one last time!"