Conflict

The forest was so quiet that only the chirping of insects could be heard.

From the moment Gu Sheng spoke to the moment everyone reacted, only a few breaths had passed. The four of them drew their bows and nocked their arrows, and the sound of taut bowstrings being pulled was crystal clear.

Cold sweat soaked Gu Erniu and the others' backs.

Their successful hunt had made them let down their guard.

Now, they too heard movement from the other side. If Gu Sheng had not noticed them first and the other side had launched a surprise attack, they would have been in serious trouble.

There was some commotion on the other side, as though they had not expected such a swift reaction.

Gu Erniu shouted loudly:

"Friends over there, we are hunters from Gu Family Village. If you have no business with us, please leave to avoid any misunderstanding."

In these deep mountains and old forests, if the other side got greedy upon seeing the wild boar, a hard battle might be unavoidable.

Hearing Gu Erniu's shout,

the other side fell silent for a moment. Then a somewhat rough voice rang out, and Gu Sheng sensed a trace of malice within it.

"Heh, heh. So it's an old acquaintance. Gu Erniu, long time no see."

Gu Erniu's expression changed.

"Li Yan, it's you!"

Understanding dawned in Zhang Ze and Gu Youfu's eyes. Clearly, they were no strangers to this man called Li Yan.

The foliage across from them rustled, and a group of people appeared before Gu Sheng.

The leader was about the same age as Gu Erniu, but more handsome. A faint knife scar ran across his right eye, and behind him stood four hunters holding longbows.

There were five people on the other side.

However, those five were also cautious. They did not expose themselves openly to Gu Sheng and the others' arrows; there was cover nearby, and they could duck away at any time.

Scar-eyed Li Yan glanced at the wild boar on the ground, his eyes burning with desire as he snorted.

"Not a bad haul. You've got some ability after all, Gu Erniu. At least you haven't let Li Lian go hungry."

Gu Erniu snapped:

"Lian'er is my wife. As long as she's with me, Gu Erniu, she won't go hungry. What the hell does it have to do with you, Li Yan? You looking for a fight?"

Listening to their exchange,

Gu Sheng frowned, suddenly recalling a memory from long ago.

It was from when Gu Erniu got married.

Li Lian had once been a fairly renowned beauty in Li Family Fort, and many young men had coveted her. Both Gu Erniu and Li Yan had pursued her, but Li Lian eventually chose Gu Erniu and married into Gu Family Village.

Judging by the way the two faced off, they had likely clashed many times before. After all, they were both hunters and occasionally crossed paths.

Cang Mountain was neither small nor large.

"Could it be that Li Yan... still hasn't gotten over Sister-in-law Erniu?"

Gu Sheng found it strange.

He had to admit that Li Lian was a woman of considerable charm, but surely she was not worth pining over for so many years. Or did the man before him have some peculiar obsession?

As these thoughts spun through his mind,

Li Yan spoke again.

"This time, you got lucky. Other than your passable archery, Gu Erniu, what else about you compares to me, Li Yan? Your family background? Your looks? Li Lian must have been out of her mind to choose you back then. Take good care of her, lest you accidentally die in these mountains one day and leave her a widow!"

A cold gleam filled his eyes, and together with that faint scar, it gave him a subtle air of menace.

"Though I wouldn't mind if she remarried and chose me."

Gu Erniu was furious. His arrow flashed like a shooting star, instantly crossing dozens of meters.

They were all experienced hunters, so no one would be so easily hit. The people opposite them darted aside, and the arrow whistled past before embedding itself in a tree a hundred meters away.

"What murderous intent!"

Li Yan's eyes widened. Just as he was about to speak, another arrow shot straight at his head, forcing him to duck back behind cover.

It was Gu Sheng who had fired.

The other side wanted to provoke Gu Erniu, and Gu Sheng naturally would not allow it.

That arrow was incredibly swift, slamming into the center of the tree trunk where Li Yan was hiding. The force scattered the leaves, and Li Yan's expression changed behind the tree.

When an expert made a move, their skill was immediately apparent.

"Looks like another master archer has emerged from Gu Family Village."

Li Yan cast a cold glance in the direction where Gu Sheng was hiding.

Gu Sheng's intervention allowed Gu Erniu to gradually calm down. His voice turned icy as he said:

"Li Yan, if you want trouble, come and get it. If you don't want to die, then get lost!"

Gu Youfu and Zhang Ze's muscles instantly tensed. The hunters from Li Family Fort were no easy opponents; people and wild beasts were fundamentally different.

But at this moment, there was no room to retreat!

If they lost their nerve, the other side would turn into wolves and jackals!

Li Yan's gaze flickered.

They had lost the initiative. Although the other side had one fewer person, they had another master archer comparable to Gu Erniu. If they fought head-on, they likely would not gain any advantage.

After weighing it briefly, Li Yan snorted.

"You Gu bastards, remember this. This isn't over between us!"

He stared intently in Gu Sheng and Gu Erniu's direction, then waved behind him. The hunters from Li Family Fort cautiously withdrew.

They had only come to test the waters. If there had been an opportunity, he would not have minded dealing them a dirty blow. Since there was no opportunity, there was no need to fight to the death.

Once the others had retreated, Zhang Ze and Gu Youfu finally let out long breaths of relief.

Gu Erniu's expression was grim.

Even a clay Buddha had three parts anger when provoked like that.

"That son of a bitch Li Yan. Let me run into him next time, and I'll put an arrow straight through him!"

Gu Erniu spat on the ground and viciously cursed.

Zhang Ze hurriedly consoled him.

"Erniu, don't get mad. Li Yan is only brave with his mouth. When we ran into that bastard last year, didn't he drop his prey and run after you scared him?"

Gu Erniu's expression eased slightly.

Over the years, he had encountered Li Yan more than five times. Though every meeting had been unpleasant, he had rarely come out on the losing end.

That was also why Li Yan had always mocked Gu Erniu.

After waiting a while longer, Gu Sheng could no longer sense any movement from the other side, and his expression finally relaxed.

He stepped forward to retrieve the arrows he had fired, handed them to Gu Erniu, and reminded him:

"Brother Erniu, Li Yan may have recognized us long ago. I suspect they were deliberately lying in wait for hunters coming down from the mountain on the outskirts. We need to be even more careful when we come hunting in the mountains from now on."

Earlier, Li Yan had tried hard to pretend that he had only just recognized Gu Erniu and the others.

But Gu Sheng vaguely sensed that the man did not mean what he said.

At this time of day, instead of hunting deep in the mountains, they had been waiting on the outskirts with no prey in hand. Their ill intentions were plain to see.

Gu Youfu's expression changed.

"How about we stop entering the mountains for a while? There's no reason to guard against thieves for a thousand days."

Zhang Ze snorted.

"If you're scared, then don't come. How could Li Yan have been waiting specifically for us? That man is vicious. He probably preys on whoever looks profitable. This time, we likely just happened to run into them. Cang Mountain is so large—how could we meet them every time?"

Gu Sheng's impression of Zhang Ze shifted slightly. The man might be reckless, but he was not afraid of trouble.

"You!"

Gu Youfu choked on his anger and was about to retort.

Gu Erniu shouted:

"Enough. Stop talking. Back to the village!"

Zhang Ze and Gu Youfu immediately snorted and turned away, unwilling to look at each other.

After that incident, none of them still had the cheerful, relaxed mood from before.

Gu Erniu and Gu Youfu hoisted the wild boar again, while the other two took the lead and covered the rear. They unconsciously quickened their pace, hoping to avoid any further accidents.

Fortunately, nothing else happened this time.

Before long, the four of them emerged from Cang Mountain.

As they stepped out of the forest, broad sunlight poured down, dazzling to the eye, yet Gu Sheng instead felt a pleasant warmth.

I sincerely beg everyone to keep reading on Tuesday. Even if you are saving chapters, please flip to the last page. This concerns the author's trial recommendation. Many thanks!