Unexpected Joy

The atmosphere was rather subdued.

Gu Sheng let out a soft breath, his gaze chilling as he looked in the direction Gu Sheng had fled. He spoke in a low, grave tone:

"I need to find a way to kill that brat. Otherwise, he'll be a menace sooner or later. I never expected that idiot Gu Erniu to have such a master of archery by his side."

The other three men repeatedly agreed.

However, they were already having second thoughts. Gu Sheng's archery was terrifying; if they went to ambush him, they might lose their lives. They merely wanted to curry favor with Li Yan, but they didn't want to actually risk their lives for him.

It was fine following Li Yan to bully some weaklings, but if they encountered a tough opponent, they certainly wouldn't charge in foolishly.

Of course, they wouldn't reveal these petty calculations.

One of the short, stocky hunters asked cautiously:

"Brother Yan, what do we do now?"

Li Yan replied coldly:

"Of course, we continue searching for the Silver Fox. My brother-in-law recently broke through in his cultivation, greatly increasing his status in the fort. If I can hunt this Silver Fox and present its pelt to my brother-in-law, with his backing, we'll be able to walk sideways in Li Family Fort in the future!"

"We've been tracking it in the mountains these past few days, and the beast's tracks are becoming increasingly obvious. We can't give up now. It's a shame the news has spread everywhere, otherwise, it would be a sure thing."

The three hunters exchanged glances and immediately put on fawning smiles.

"Yes, yes! We'll all listen to you, Brother Yan!"

"When the time comes, if our children wish to learn martial arts, we hope Brother Yan will put in a good word for us with Lord Du Jiangbo."

Du Jiangbo was Li Yan's brother-in-law.

Li Yan nodded arrogantly.

"Naturally. I'll find an opportunity to speak with my brother-in-law."

He knew very well why these people were willing to follow him, even accompanying him into the mountains to hunt the Silver Fox without complaint.

Li Yan understood the principle of "drawing a big picture" and knew he couldn't satisfy these people too easily, or else how would he be able to command them in the future?

Giving them a taste of the good stuff from time to time was enough.

Having received his promise, the men were overjoyed and continued to flatter him.

"Lord Du Jiangbo has become ever more powerful in recent years, and his influence in Li Family Fort is like the rising sun. With such a backer, Brother Yan, you are a hundred times stronger than that Gu Erniu. It's just a shame that Li Lian is short-sighted. If she had followed you, Brother Yan, she would have been enjoying a life of luxury long ago!"

A younger hunter fawned.

But Li Yan's expression instantly turned grim. He raised his hand and slapped the hunter, the crisp sound ringing out as Li Yan roared:

"Who do you think you are, talking about Li Lian?"

"After I kill Gu Erniu, I'll find an opportunity to bring Li Lian back to Li Family Fort. If any of you dare to gossip then, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

The scar on Li Yan's eye twitched, a surge of ferocity erupting.

The flattery had backfired, and the young hunter was stunned, standing there at a loss.

Another hunter quickly smoothed things over.

"Brother Yan, please calm your anger. Shunzi is young and ignorant; he didn't mean it that way. We all know how much you care for Sister-in-law Lian, it's just a pity that fate intervened. Brother Yan, don't be angry. We will definitely help you kill that dog Gu Erniu!"

As he spoke, he nudged Shunzi with his right hand.

The young hunter named Shunzi immediately mumbled his apologies. Only then did the ferocity in Li Yan's eyes gradually dissipate.

"Don't let it happen again!"

Everyone repeatedly agreed.

Li Yan glanced at the surrounding terrain again and said in a low voice:

"Let's hide first. That brat clearly had powerful archery skills but concealed himself the whole time; he's cunning and deep-thinking. He might double back. While his archery is strong, his experience might not be seasoned. Perhaps we can ambush him successfully!"

Li Yan was an excellent hunter.

This tactic worked well on people who held grudges; he had used it before.

On the other side.

Gu Sheng ran through the forest with the wild deer on his back. After a while, seeing no movement behind him, he knew the hunters from Li Family Fort weren't pursuing him and breathed a sigh of relief.

He didn't stop but slowed his pace, continuing to move at a steady speed.

After some more time had passed, and he had traveled a considerable distance, confirming he was completely safe, Gu Sheng finally stopped to rest.

He pried open the wooden stopper of his canteen and took large gulps of water. Running continuously had consumed a great deal of his stamina.

Leaning against a tree.

Gu Sheng's eyes turned cold.

Being ambushed out of nowhere, it was impossible not to be angry. He harbored killing intent and had even considered going back to exact revenge.

But after only a few moments of thought, he abandoned the idea.

Firstly, he had the wild deer with him. If he left it behind, he might return to find nothing but scraps.

Giving up these few taels of silver to get revenge was too costly.

Secondly, Li Yan and the others were bound to be startled birds at this moment, frightened by his arrow, and their vigilance would be extremely high.

If he were to turn back now, he might not have an opportunity and could even fall back into danger.

In the end.

Gu Sheng didn't have a hundred percent certainty.

His archery had indeed reached the Great Accomplishment realm, even approaching perfection, but his body was no different from an ordinary person's; if someone shot an arrow at him, he wouldn't be able to block it either.

If the hunting bow in his hand were a two-stone bow, he could kill enemies from a distance of 150 meters, perfectly utilizing Gu Sheng's archery realm and placing him in an invincible position from the start, then he would have full confidence.

Then he would have turned back without a second word to kill them, but unfortunately, the one-stone bow in his hand was too weak.

"I've noted this revenge."

Gu Sheng opened his status panel. His archery was only about 10% away from the perfection realm.

He made up his mind.

"After this, I'll spend money to buy a two-stone strong bow, and once my archery breaks through to the perfection realm, I'll find an opportunity to kill Li Yan!"

Being stared at by such a venomous wolf was not a long-term solution. Having exposed his archery skills this time, Gu Sheng needed more thorough preparation.

The enemy opposite him was no fool.

No matter how cautious Li Yan was, he wouldn't expect his archery to break through again in such a short time. Perfected archery and Great Accomplishment archery would have a qualitative difference.

Calming his emotions, Gu Sheng kept an eye on his surroundings while recovering his physical strength.

After a long while.

When Gu Sheng felt he had recovered sufficiently, he got up again.

He changed direction and headed down the mountain from another side.

Gu Sheng walked back with the prey, moving at a steady, even pace, occasionally observing the movements around him.

Suddenly.

His body froze. In the distance ahead, a silver-white figure flashed by, elegant and composed, unlike any ordinary creature.

Gu Sheng's breathing instantly quickened.

It was truly a case of searching high and low without success, only to find it unexpectedly!

The Silver Fox!

He hadn't expected to find the Silver Fox so easily.

Gu Sheng glanced at the deer carcass on his shoulder and suddenly understood. It had been attracted by the fresh deer blood.

Someone had used this method before: hunt a wild deer first, then use the deer blood to lure the Silver Fox. However, the Silver Fox might not have been nearby, so it hadn't worked.

His heart burned with excitement. His luck had finally favored him this time.

But now was not the time to think about these things. The Silver Fox was extremely fast, at least two to three times faster than Gu Sheng. If he didn't seize this opportunity and let the Silver Fox escape, he would regret it immensely.

Gu Sheng's shoulders twitched, the deer carcass fell to the ground, and the long bow slid into his hand. He nocked an arrow, the entire process fluid and practiced countless times.

His gaze was solemn and focused, and within his sight, the silver-white figure gradually slowed down.

He saw its silver fur, smooth as silk, ripple in the air, leaving silky trails. He saw the Silver Fox's powerful leg muscles, capable of leaping several meters with a single bound. He saw a hint of human-like mockery and playfulness in the Silver Fox's eyes.

Confidence flickered in Gu Sheng's eyes.

Whoosh!

The bowstring sprang, and the arrow shot through the clouds!

Like a swift lightning bolt, like a shooting star!

Screech!!

The Silver Fox let out a pained howl. The arrow instantly crossed nearly a hundred meters, accurately predicting the Silver Fox's trajectory, piercing its hind leg fiercely and lodging itself in the bone.

In an instant, the Silver Fox's speed drastically decreased!