"Although people sometimes don't need evidence to make a move, at the very least, you can't give the other side anything obvious to pick at."
Gu Sheng nodded to himself.
Li Yan's brother-in-law might not put in much effort, but Gu Sheng still regarded him as a hypothetical enemy.
Keep a low profile, stay cautious, and continue growing stronger!
One hunter after another gradually took their leave, each with their own business to attend to. Li Lian saw them off with a smile, and only after everyone had left did she turn to Gu Sheng apologetically.
"Sheng, don't blame your Brother Erniu. That fool tried to hide it from me, but the way he fidgeted while applying medicine immediately told me something was wrong. After I pressed him, I learned that you were in such terrible danger yesterday..."
"I know that bastard Li Yan. Relying on the fact that his sister married a martial artist, he has always run wild and committed all kinds of evil. He even ruined a girl from Li Family Fort, costing her both her innocence and her life. In the end, after they covered it up again and again, the matter was simply dropped."
"If his sister cries and makes a scene, I'm afraid that martial artist really might put in some effort, so I..."
"I made this decision on my own. Don't blame me."
Li Lian clasped her hands at her waist, her expression earnest as she gave him a graceful bow.
In her heart, she had completely stopped seeing Gu Sheng as a fourteen-year-old boy. She now regarded him as Gu Erniu's equal. Though Gu Erniu had not described yesterday's events clearly, Li Lian could guess much of it.
Come to think of it.
She had personally seen Gu Sheng kill a wolf. Such bravery was not something ordinary people possessed, and back then, Gu Sheng had still been a thin, frail boy.
Gu Sheng quickly waved his hands.
"You were thoughtful, Sister-in-law. There was nothing wrong with handling it this way. But you can't tell anyone else about this, lest word gets out."
Li Lian nodded repeatedly.
"I understand. Though I'm only a woman, I know what matters and what doesn't."
"Sheng, you first saved Wan'er and me, and now you've saved Brother Erniu too. You really are... really are the benefactor of our whole family. Sister-in-law truly doesn't know how to thank you for such kindness..."
As Li Lian spoke, her eyes reddened. She was grateful to Gu Sheng from the bottom of her heart.
Gu Sheng said seriously.
"You're treating me like an outsider, Sister-in-law. We're family; there's no need for such formalities. When my father had just passed away, if not for Brother Erniu running around and handling everything, my father would not have been laid to rest so quickly. Not to mention all the ways you've cared for me."
Li Lian lowered her head, somewhat choked up.
"It's my fault too. These past days, I kept talking about saving up more money so Wan'er could learn martial arts in the future. Who would have thought it would put Erniu in such danger? If anything had happened to him, I would never have forgiven myself for the rest of my life."
Gu Sheng could only comfort her softly.
His feelings were somewhat complicated as well.
When parents loved their children, they planned deeply for their future.
If they wanted Gu Wan to have a higher starting point in the future, they naturally had to take risks. The gains and losses involved were impossible to sort out clearly. To Gu Erniu and his wife, Gu Wan was the goal of their lives.
Only when Gu Erniu's voice came from inside the house did the two stop talking.
After discussing a few more details with Gu Erniu and telling him to rest and recover properly, Gu Sheng returned home to rest.
After that.
Gu Sheng's days were no different from before.
He practiced archery at home, rested and recuperated for another two days, then entered the mountains again.
Gu Erniu was injured, but he was not.
Only by maintaining his previous habits would he avoid looking guilty.
Besides, Gu Sheng did not want to waste time for nothing.
The Silver Fox pelt had made him rich in one stroke, but daily accumulation was just as important. Gu Sheng did not become lax because of it.
He entered the mountains to hunt.
He had another successful outing. As Gu Sheng's archery improved, he almost never returned empty-handed whenever he went into the mountains.
Gu Erniu could not enter the mountains, but Gu Sheng still brought him half a rabbit.
Another two days passed.
It was now five days after Li Yan's death.
That day.
The hunters gathered once more.
Ever since they had discovered hotpot, the hunters of Gu Family Village had begun holding regular meals and chats. Compared to before, they had become much more united.
Gu Sheng had just helped Gu Erniu inside when Zhang Ze immediately laughed loudly.
"Erniu, I've got good news for you!"
Gu Erniu froze, then smiled.
"My leg's already like this. What good news could there be?"
He secretly exchanged a glance with Gu Sheng, and both saw the caution in the other's eyes.
Zhang Ze said mysteriously.
"Guess who died?"
"Who?" San Mazi spoke up, his face flushed with drunkenness.
Zhang Ze shot San Mazi an unhappy look, then said with great excitement.
"Li Yan! That dog Li Yan is dead!"
He burst into laughter, grabbed the wine bowl beside him, and drained it in one gulp. He had suffered plenty of Li Yan's abuse himself. Since he often traveled with Gu Erniu, he had run into Li Yan several times, and Li Yan had especially mocked him for his flat nose.
Now that he had heard Li Yan was dead, he naturally felt overjoyed.
Gu Erniu looked stunned as he stared blankly at Zhang Ze and muttered.
"Ze, who did you say... who died?"
Gu Sheng also looked at Zhang Ze expectantly. The others stared at him closely as well, waiting for more detailed news.
Seeing everyone's baffled shock, a surge of satisfaction rose in Zhang Ze's heart.
"Li Yan! That Li Yan who was always at odds with Brother Erniu! Li Yan from Li Family Fort!"
"Hiss! Of course I know which Li Yan! Hurry up and tell us—how did that bastard die? Where did you hear it?" San Mazi asked excitedly.
Gu Erniu also waved his hands and feet in agitation. Even his lips trembled, his face red as though he had been drinking.
"Good! Good! That bastard is finally dead! Heaven has opened its eyes!"
Gu Sheng secretly admired Gu Erniu's acting. His trembling lips looked utterly real. Helping him to a seat, Gu Sheng listened as Zhang Ze continued.
"Yesterday, I went into the mountains and met a hunter from Li Family Fort whom I know. He said Li Yan hasn't returned to Li Family Fort for four or five days. Not just him—even his few lackeys haven't gone back!"
"There's a ninety percent chance they died in Cang Mountain. There can't be any other explanation!"
"Four people... tsk, tsk."
Zhang Ze clicked his tongue twice, clearly taking pleasure in Li Yan and the others' deaths.
All the hunters laughed. Even those who had not had much contact with Li Yan had to laugh a few times for Gu Erniu's sake.
Gu Erniu laughed especially heartily.
After the laughter died down, San Mazi's expression became somewhat uneasy.
"But speaking of which, Li Yan may have had rotten character, but his archery was excellent, and he had three lackeys following him. How could he suddenly die in Cang Mountain? Did they run into a tiger or a bear?"
Cowardly by nature, this was what concerned him most.
Zhang Ze gave a low chuckle.
"Not necessarily. Maybe it was people who did it!"
Gu Erniu and Gu Sheng's hearts jolted, though their expressions remained unchanged. Like the others, they looked at Zhang Ze curiously.
"Who could have that kind of ability?"
Zhang Ze lowered his voice further.
"People from Li Family Fort said they saw members of the Black Sand Gang entering the mountains too!"
"I suspect... someone from the Black Sand Gang wanted to hunt the Silver Fox as a gift for an important figure in the gang, and Li Yan came into conflict with them..."
At the mention of the Black Sand Gang.
Everyone's expressions changed.
The Black Sand Gang was a bloodsucking parasite perched over the surrounding villages and forts. They acted tyrannically and viciously, with tremendous power and quite a few martial artists among them.
Everyone gritted their teeth in hatred at the mention of them, yet none dared show it too openly.
The atmosphere immediately fell silent.
After a long while, Zhang Ze finally let out a breath.
"No matter what, I think it's best to enter the mountains less these days. Don't fail to hunt the Silver Fox and end up losing your lives instead. It wouldn't be worth it!"
Everyone nodded repeatedly.
"That's right. Li Yan either died in the jaws of wild beasts or at the hands of the Black Sand Gang... either way, we can't afford to provoke them."
"We've searched for so long, yet nobody has hunted the Silver Fox. I suspect it already fled deep into the mountains and isn't around here anymore!"
"It's even possible that someone from the Black Sand Gang already hunted it."
"For the next half month, I'll stay home and rest properly. My wife has been complaining that I go into the mountains too often anyway..."
"Exactly..."
Listening to everyone's discussion gradually veer off in another direction, the two men's worries largely faded away.
Gu Sheng looked at Zhang Ze, who had begun enthusiastically sharing other gossip again.
He silently gave him a thumbs-up.
Zhang Ze was truly a good man.
Tomorrow is Tuesday, so please make sure to keep reading, everyone!
Before you continue