A Change in Mindset

Gu Sheng had expected the special effect beyond Perfection to be powerful, but he had never imagined it would be this powerful!

In that instant, he gripped the hatchet and brought it down. He felt as if the strength in his body were about to explode, while Li Yan had no room to resist at all.

With that bloody strike, Li Yan was beheaded.

Gu Sheng stared at the headless corpse before him and the mangled flesh that had fallen to one side. Blood gushed out, staining the surrounding bushes red and filling the air with a heavy stench of blood. White fragments of bone were even visible.

That single blow had shattered the bones as well!

He swallowed slightly, feeling a little sick, while an even more complicated emotion rose in his heart.

In both his past and present lives, this was the first time he had killed someone.

The first three hunters had been easier to handle. They had been far away, and he had shot them with arrows, each one killed instantly by an arrow through the throat. The impact had not been so great.

But now, he had split two living men in half with a single strike. The visual impact left Gu Sheng slightly dizzy.

It was too brutal.

His right hand, which held the hatchet, trembled faintly.

After a long while.

Gu Sheng's gaze gradually cleared.

"If I don't kill others, they'll kill me. If I want to survive in this world, sometimes I have to be ruthless."

Gu Sheng's mindset began to change. An indescribable transformation was taking place within him.

He was not someone with a fragile heart. If anyone tried to deny him a chance to live, Gu Sheng would never show mercy.

Without looking at the corpses at his feet again.

Gu Sheng turned toward Gu Erniu and hurried over to support him. Gu Erniu had endured the agonizing pain in his leg and rushed over, driven entirely by the thought that he could not let Gu Sheng face danger alone.

Now that the battle was over, waves of intense pain surged through him, causing him to collapse onto his side. Beads of sweat as large as soybeans dripped continuously from his forehead.

Yet the shock and blankness in his eyes were especially obvious.

Having witnessed Gu Sheng split Li Yan in two with a single strike, Gu Erniu also drew a sharp breath and felt his scalp tingle. The scene was simply too horrifying. He had seen people killed before, but never anything so savage.

It was hard to imagine that this had been done by the Gu Sheng he had watched grow up.

"When did Ah Sheng... change so much?"

He could not help muttering inwardly, shuddering.

That was only natural.

Fortunately, he quickly came to his senses. The one who had been cleaved apart was not anyone else, but Li Yan—the man who had always coveted his wife and had nearly caused his death.

"Ah Sheng, well done!"

"Don't feel burdened by it. That beast Li Yan deserved to die!"

Gu Erniu looked rough and bold, but he was actually attentive. He laughed heartily and gave the approaching Gu Sheng a thumbs-up.

Gu Sheng froze slightly, and the bit of tension in his heart immediately eased.

"Hiss!"

As Gu Erniu laughed, he tugged at the wound on his left leg and immediately sucked in a breath from the pain.

Gu Sheng crossed the distance in a few quick strides and hurriedly supported Gu Erniu. Looking at his leg, he asked worriedly,

"Brother Erniu, your leg..."

An arrow had pierced through his left leg. In his haste, he had only cut off the shaft. Now, blood had soaked a large area, and his entire leg was drenched in red.

Gu Erniu gritted his teeth and said,

"It's fine. The arrow didn't hit the bone. We'll treat it simply and get down the mountain as soon as possible. The smell of blood is too strong here. It would be bad if it attracted wild beasts."

"Ah Sheng, help me pull out the arrowhead!"

Gu Sheng was not one to hesitate. He hurriedly nodded and first used Gu Erniu's short knife to cut the arrow shaft even shorter.

"Brother Erniu, bear with it."

Gu Erniu was just about to nod when Gu Sheng grabbed the arrowhead and yanked it out!

"Ah!"

Gu Erniu let out a low roar of pain. His teeth left deep marks in the branch clenched in his mouth, and beads of sweat fell one after another, soaking his clothes completely.

Blood spurted from his left leg in streams.

Without hesitating, Gu Sheng quickly applied the prepared medicinal powder, then wrapped the wound with strips of cloth and bound it tightly to stop the bleeding. Gu Erniu hissed in pain again and said with a bitter smile,

"Ah Sheng, you really are ruthless when you make a move. You didn't give me any time to prepare at all..."

Gu Sheng could not help smiling. Dragging it out would only hurt more.

Fortunately, the result was not bad.

Now that the arrow had been removed from his left leg, it still hurt badly, but the treatment had barely stopped the bleeding. He could move with support, and they could treat it further after getting down the mountain.

"Let's go down the mountain now!"

"Ah Sheng, go collect their bows, short knives, and the like. They're your spoils of war. You can secretly sell them in Canghe County later. Don't waste them."

Gu Erniu reminded him.

Gu Sheng immediately nodded.

There was no need to deal with the corpses. It was nearly nightfall, and by dawn tomorrow, the four bodies would have long since been devoured clean by wild beasts.

Gu Sheng moved swiftly.

He went from place to place, gathering four longbows and several short blades. He also unexpectedly gained another wild rabbit. Then, hoping for some luck, he searched the men's bodies, only to find that they truly had nothing valuable on them.

What decent hunter went out hunting with silver and jewelry on him?

So he was not disappointed.

The weapons alone were already a fine haul. The other three hunters had one-stone bows, but Li Yan's bow was stronger—better even than Gu Erniu's. It was a superior bow among two-stone bows.

Joy rose in Gu Sheng's eyes.

He returned to where they had come from and hoisted the deer onto his shoulder. By then, insects and ants had already eaten away part of it, but Gu Sheng did not want to waste it. He could deal with it properly later.

Under Gu Erniu's astonished gaze.

Gu Sheng carried the deer carcass on his shoulder, with five hunting bows slung around his body, loaded down to the brim.

Gu Sheng smiled shyly, but Gu Erniu could not help feeling his scalp tingle. He found himself unable to look directly at that shy smile anymore.

"Let's go. We'll take another route down the mountain."

Gu Erniu was experienced. He pointed Gu Sheng in the right direction. It was not the direct route back to Gu Family Village, but it was safer and would keep them from running into other people.

Fortunately.

This time, there were no further incidents. Gu Sheng supported Gu Erniu, and they made it safely down the mountain.

The last lingering rays of the sun dyed Cang Mountain red. Gu Erniu looked back at Cang Mountain, his feelings complicated. He had never faced such danger as he had today.

He did not know how his wife and child would have survived in this world if he had truly died at Li Yan's hands today. He silently warned himself that he had to be more careful in the future and must never take risks lightly again.

The two continued onward. When they were nearing Gu Family Village.

Gu Erniu said gravely,

"Ah Sheng, we need to find somewhere to hide these bows and short blades for now, then take them home after nightfall. Otherwise, there are too many eyes in the village, and word might get out. I heard that Li Yan has some backing—his older sister married a martial artist from Li Family Fort."

"Even if that man might not stand up for Li Yan, it's never wrong to keep a low profile. What happened today is known only to you and me. We absolutely cannot let a third person learn of it."

Gu Sheng immediately nodded. He had been thinking about that as well. Returning to the village openly like this would draw too much attention.

"Li Yan's bow is much stronger than yours. You can keep it for yourself, but you'll need to remove some of its identifying marks. Before long, the village's purchasing party will enter the city. We can go to Canghe County together then. Just say you traded for the bow in the city. As for the other hunting bows, we can slowly dispose of them when we find the chance."

Gu Erniu had thought everything through carefully, and it suited Gu Sheng perfectly.

After the two discussed it, they immediately found a small patch of woods nearby. Gu Sheng dug a hole, buried the bows, filled it in, and marked the spot, all in one smooth sequence.

By the time everything was done, the sun had completely set.

The two looked at each other and smiled.

"Let's go home!"

Gu Sheng supported Gu Erniu as they returned home. Li Lian rushed out in a panic. When she saw Gu Erniu's miserable state, tears instantly welled up in her eyes, and her face turned pale with fright.

Gu Erniu hurriedly comforted her,

"It's all right, it's all right. I was just bitten by a wild wolf. I only need to rest at home for a while. Don't cry, don't cry."

I'm aiming to break into the top ten of the new book rankings in this category! Please help give this book greater exposure! I've already been stockpiling chapters, and once it goes premium, I'll start with a fifty-thousand-word burst!