Encounter

After learning about the Silver Fox, the frequency of hunters from Gu Family Village venturing into the mountains increased significantly. Everyone harbored a sliver of hope, thinking, "What if I get lucky?"

The reward would be at least ten taels of silver. For anyone, that was a fortune! And it didn't involve much risk. While the Silver Fox was fast, it wasn't very aggressive. Quite a few people in Gu Family Village were confident they could hunt it.

Therefore, when heading into the mountains next, everyone, without exception, chose not to team up. After all, there was only one Silver Fox. Since they could hunt it alone, there was no need to cooperate with others, and it also avoided unnecessary friction.

Gu Sheng also entered the mountains with a burning desire to hunt. If he could catch the Silver Fox, his finances would truly become abundant, and he could finally get a breather in preparing resources for his martial arts training.

Unfortunately, the Silver Fox wasn't that easy to hunt.

More than ten days passed in the blink of an eye. Despite the intermittent ventures into the mountains by hunters from Li Family Fort and Dahe Village, no one had found it. Even with the addition of Gu Family Village hunters, it wasn't any easier. The Silver Fox was incredibly fast and naturally alert; any rustle of leaves would send it fleeing. If not for someone else finding a few traces of the Silver Fox, everyone might have started suspecting that the hunters from Dahe Village were deliberately deceiving them.

As night fell, Gu Sheng took a deep breath and reviewed the spoils from his previous hunts, a frown creasing his brow. "Something's not right. The game I've caught these past few days has decreased by at least thirty percent."

"I've been so focused on hunting the Silver Fox that I've neglected the tracks of other beasts. This is greatly impacting my hunting yield, and it won't do."

"After today, I'll lower the priority of hunting the Silver Fox and let nature take its course. Otherwise, the losses will be greater in the long run. My focus should remain on other prey. As for the Silver Fox, I'll leave it to luck."

Realizing that his slight greed was affecting his hunting profits, Gu Sheng immediately made adjustments. At the same time, he silently warned himself not to be overly greedy, as it could sometimes backfire. If he, with all his experience, was like this, others were likely even more so.

Many hunters trekked through the forests, returning dusty and with meager catches. Fortunately, Cang Mountain was vast enough to accommodate so many people, but conflicts and friction among the hunters also increased. After coming to this realization, Gu Sheng felt a sense of relief.

A few more days passed. Several hunters from Gu Family Village ventured into the mountains again, Gu Sheng and Gu Erniu among them. The group walked together to the outskirts of Cang Mountain, bid each other farewell with smiles, and headed off in their chosen directions. Although Gu Sheng had decided not to make the Silver Fox his primary target, others hadn't given up the idea. The allure of ten taels of silver was simply too great! Even Gu Erniu couldn't resist; he needed to save resources for Gu Wan's martial arts training and wouldn't pass up this opportunity.

"Brother Erniu, be extra careful."

"You too."

Gu Sheng exchanged a parting word with Gu Erniu, and they each went their separate ways.

Gu Sheng walked through the forests of Cang Mountain, feeling a sense of lightness. Without the pressure of excessive expectations, he could focus more intently on hunting other beasts. Soon, Gu Sheng had a catch. Swish! The arrow flew swiftly, pinning a plump wild rabbit to the base of a tree. Gu Sheng put the rabbit into his leather bag, a smile appearing on his face. This is more like it! He had rediscovered the feeling of hunting.

"Onward!"

Gu Sheng pressed deeper into the mountains. He occasionally found traces of beasts, but more often than not, he came up empty. After all, it was difficult to track a beast based on mere traces. Sometimes, these might have been left by a beast from some time ago. Moreover, with so many hunters flooding Cang Mountain at the same time, many beasts had become much more alert. However, this didn't deter Gu Sheng. He had entered the mountains many times, constantly practicing and scientifically summarizing his experiences, allowing him to grow at an incredibly fast pace.

After missing a few times.

Gu Sheng's eyes lit up as he discovered some traces on a tree root.

Small, black, oval pellets, about the size of soybeans.

Without even getting close to smell, Gu Sheng knew these were the droppings of a wild deer, and they were fresh!

"There's a wild deer nearby!"

A surge of excitement filled Gu Sheng. A wild deer was worth quite a bit too – its antlers, blood, meat, and bones all had value.

Moreover, a wild deer wasn't heavy, only a few dozen pounds. One person could carry it without it significantly hindering their movement.

It was definitely one of the best choices for a lone hunter.

"Chase it!"

Without any hesitation, Gu Sheng moved nimbly through the jungle, occasionally catching glimpses of the deer's traces.

Droppings, chewed leaves and grass, hoof prints, and a distinct scent...

These signs were undoubtedly obvious to a skilled hunter.

"It's a doe."

Gu Sheng made his assessment.

Soon.

Gu Sheng verified his guess.

A faint deer cry echoed from a distance. He lightly pushed aside the leaves in front of him, and a young, antlerless deer came into view, happily munching on tender branches and occasionally letting out a contented chirp.

Gu Sheng's eyes gradually grew serious. He drew an arrow, nocked it on his bow, and aimed at the prey.

The doe seemed to sense something and became restless.

But it was too late.

Twang!

The taut bowstring was suddenly released, emitting a humming sound. The arrow instantly crossed nearly a hundred meters, whistling through the air with a sharp sound.

The bow was like a full moon, the arrow like a shooting star!

The doe only had time to let out a mournful cry before the arrow pierced its heart. The powerful impact sent it tumbling to the ground.

Gu Sheng's archery was now close to perfection; he could hit a target a hundred meters away as if it were right in front of him.

If not for the insufficient power of the hunting bow in his hands, the arrow would have been even swifter!

Seeing the doe dead, Gu Sheng's eyes gleamed with joy.

After abandoning his obsession with finding the Silver Fox, he had immediately found prey. This further solidified his conviction.

Rather than chasing the illusory Silver Fox, it was better to seize what he had in hand.

Gu Sheng put away his longbow and cautiously walked towards the doe.

He pulled out the arrow and confirmed the doe was dead.

The doe looked to be around forty pounds. Fortunately, Gu Sheng was now strong and had grown significantly. Carrying it would affect his movement a little, but it wasn't a major problem. If he encountered danger, he could just set it down.

He glanced at the sky; it was still a long way from dark, but he had already decided to head down the mountain. Carrying a deer would hinder his hunting and easily lead him into danger. It was better to go down.

"Today's harvest is good. This deer is enough to make a profit. I'll come back to the mountain next time!"

Shouldering the doe, Gu Sheng prepared to leave.

Suddenly.

A cold shout came from a distance:

"Kid, put the deer down!"

Gu Sheng's spirit jolted. He had just hunted the doe and had let his guard down.

He looked up and saw a familiar scar-eyed youth emerge from the distant jungle. Three hunters followed him out of the woods, all looking greedily at the wild deer on Gu Sheng's shoulder.

The scar-eyed youth was already drawing his bow and nocking an arrow.

"It's Li Yan! A hunter from Li Family Fort!"

Gu Sheng's heart tightened. Without any hesitation, he rolled on the spot, falling behind a redwood tree with the doe's carcass.

With a whoosh, an arrow firmly embedded itself where he had been standing, its fletching quivering aggressively.

Li Yan's sinister voice rang out:

"Kid, this is just a warning! If you don't put the deer down, the next arrow will be aimed at your head!"

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