The atmosphere grew somewhat tense.
Li Yan let out a soft breath. Looking in the direction Gu Sheng had fled, his gaze turned cold as he said in a low voice:
"We need to find a way to kill that brat. Otherwise, he'll become a disaster sooner or later. Who would have thought that fool Gu Erniu had such an expert archer by his side?"
The three men quickly voiced their agreement.
Yet inwardly, they were already thinking of backing out. Gu Sheng's archery was terrifying; if they went to surround and kill him, they might well lose their lives. They only wanted to curry favor with Li Yan, not truly risk their lives for him.
Following Li Yan around to bully weaker targets was one thing. If they encountered a truly tough opponent, they certainly would not stupidly charge ahead.
Naturally, none of them showed these little calculations on their faces.
One of the short, stout hunters cautiously asked:
"Brother Yan, then what do we do now?"
Li Yan said coldly:
"Of course we continue searching for the Silver Fox. My brother-in-law has recently made a breakthrough in strength, and his standing in the fort has risen greatly. If I can hunt this Silver Fox and give its pelt to my brother-in-law, then with him protecting me, won't we be able to swagger through Li Family Fort in the future?"
"We've tracked that beast through the mountains these past few days, and its traces have become more obvious by the day. We can't give up now. Damn it, the news has spread everywhere. Otherwise, this would have been a sure thing."
The three hunters exchanged glances, then immediately put on flattering smiles.
"Yes, yes, yes! We'll listen to Brother Yan!"
"If our children wish to practice martial arts in the future, we hope Brother Yan can put in a good word and ask Lord Du Jiangbo to look after them."
Du Jiangbo was Li Yan's brother-in-law.
Li Yan nodded arrogantly.
"Of course. I'll find an opportunity to speak to my brother-in-law."
He naturally knew why these people were willing to follow him around and even accompany him through the mountains to hunt the Silver Fox despite the hardship.
Li Yan understood the value of making grand promises, and he also knew he could not satisfy their demands too easily. Otherwise, how would he command them in the future?
Giving them a little taste of sweetness from time to time was enough.
Having received his promise, the men were immediately overjoyed and continued buttering him up.
"Lord Du Jiangbo has grown more and more powerful in recent years. At Li Family Fort, he's practically at the height of his power. With such a patron, Brother Yan, you're more than a hundred times better than Gu Erniu. It's just a pity that woman Li Lian is so short-sighted. If she had followed you, Brother Yan, she would have been enjoying the good life long ago!"
A younger hunter flattered him.
But Li Yan's expression instantly darkened. He raised his hand and slapped the man across the face. A crisp smack rang out as Li Yan roared:
"Who the hell do you think you are? Is Li Lian someone you can talk about?"
"Once I kill Gu Erniu, I'll find a chance to bring Li Lian back to Li Family Fort. If any of you dare gossip then, don't blame me for being merciless!"
The scar at the corner of Li Yan's eye twitched, and a vicious aura surged from him.
The flattery had struck the horse's leg. The young hunter was stunned, standing there at a loss.
Another hunter hurriedly tried to smooth things over.
"Brother Yan, calm down. Shunzi is young and ignorant; he didn't mean it that way. Who among us doesn't know of your feelings for Sister-in-law Lian? It's only a pity that heaven has no eyes and fate played its tricks. Don't be angry, Brother Yan. We'll definitely help you kill that dog Gu Erniu!"
As he spoke, he jabbed Shunzi with his right hand.
The young hunter named Shunzi immediately mumbled an apology, and only then did the hostility in Li Yan's eyes gradually fade.
"Don't let it happen again!"
Everyone hastily agreed.
Li Yan glanced over the nearby terrain again and said in a low voice:
"Let's hide first. That brat clearly has formidable archery, yet he concealed it all along. He's calculating and cunning. He might come back for revenge. His archery may be strong, but his experience might not be. Perhaps we can catch him in an ambush!"
Li Yan was an excellent hunter.
This tactic worked very well against people who held grudges, and he had used it before.
Elsewhere.
Gu Sheng raced through the forest with the wild deer on his back. After some time, when there was still no movement behind him, he knew the hunters from Li Family Fort had not chased after him, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He did not stop. Instead, he slowed down and continued onward at a steady pace.
After another stretch of time, he had gone far enough away. Only after confirming that he was completely safe did Gu Sheng stop to rest.
Pulling the stopper from his waterskin, Gu Sheng gulped down water. The continuous running had drained a great deal of his strength.
He leaned against a tree.
Gu Sheng's eyes turned cold.
It was impossible not to be angry after being ambushed for no reason. Killing intent rose in his heart, and just now, he had even wanted to turn back and take revenge.
But after only a few moments of thought, he abandoned that idea.
First, he had the wild deer with him. If he left it where it was, there might not even be scraps left by the time he returned.
Giving up the few taels of silver already in hand just to seek revenge would cost too much.
Second, Li Yan and the others would surely be on high alert after being frightened by his arrow.
If he turned back now, he might not get another chance. Instead, he might fall into danger once more.
In the end,
Gu Sheng did not have absolute confidence.
His archery had indeed reached the greater mastery realm and was even close to perfection, but his body was no different from an ordinary person's. If someone shot an arrow at him, he would be unable to stop it as well.
If the hunting bow in his hand were a two-stone bow, he could kill enemies from over one hundred and fifty meters away, fully displaying the realm of his archery and giving himself an innate, unassailable advantage. Then he would have complete confidence.
In that case, he would have turned around and killed them without another word. Unfortunately, the one-stone bow in his hand was too weak.
"I'll remember this grudge."
Gu Sheng opened his panel. His archery was only about ten percent away from reaching the perfection realm.
He made up his mind.
"After this, I'll use the money to trade for a Two-stone strong bow. Once my archery breaks through to the perfection realm, I'll find an opportunity to kill Li Yan!"
Being watched by such a poisonous wolf was no long-term solution. Having exposed his archery this time, Gu Sheng needed more thorough preparations.
The enemy was no fool.
No matter how cautious Li Yan was, he would never expect Gu Sheng's archery to improve again in such a short time. Perfected archery and greater mastery archery would be worlds apart.
After calming himself, Gu Sheng remained alert to his surroundings while recovering his strength.
After a long while.
Once Gu Sheng felt more or less recovered, he got to his feet again.
He changed directions and headed down the mountain from another side.
Gu Sheng carried his prey as he made his way back, moving steadily and at an even pace while occasionally observing the surroundings.
Suddenly.
He froze. Far ahead, a silver-white figure flashed past, elegant and unhurried, unlike any ordinary creature.
Gu Sheng's breathing immediately quickened.
He had searched everywhere only to find it without any effort!
The Silver Fox!
He had not expected to find the Silver Fox so easily.
Gu Sheng tilted his head toward the deer carcass on his shoulder and immediately understood. It had been drawn in by the fresh deer blood.
Someone had tried this method before—first hunting a wild deer, then using its blood to lure the Silver Fox—but the fox might not have been nearby, so it had not worked.
His heart burned with excitement. At last, luck had favored him once.
But now was not the time to think about that. The Silver Fox was extremely fast, at least two or three times faster than Gu Sheng. If he failed to seize this chance and let it escape, he would regret it forever.
Gu Sheng shook his shoulders, and the deer carcass dropped to the ground. His longbow slid into his hand, and he nocked an arrow. The entire sequence flowed as smoothly as water, repeated thousands upon thousands of times in practice.
His gaze became solemn and focused. Within his sight, the silver-white figure gradually slowed.
He saw the smooth, satin-like silver fur ripple through the air in silky trails. He saw the powerful leg muscles that carried the Silver Fox several meters with a light leap. He saw what seemed to be humanlike mockery and amusement in the Silver Fox's eyes.
Confidence appeared in Gu Sheng's eyes.
Whoosh!
The bowstring snapped, and the arrow tore through the clouds!
Like lightning, like a shooting star!
Screech!!
The Silver Fox let out a shrill cry of agony. The arrow crossed nearly a hundred meters in an instant, accurately predicting the Silver Fox's path before violently piercing its hind leg and lodging in the bone.
In an instant, the Silver Fox's speed plummeted!
Before you continue