Pierce a Louse and Shoot Through a Willow Leaf

Li Family Fort.

The layout was similar to Gu Family Village, with the Li surname being predominant, though many of the other surnames had gradually integrated into the community.

A small courtyard with blue bricks.

The sounds of a woman's wailing continued to echo, her cries so sorrowful they could bring tears to anyone's eyes.

Looking up, one could see a plump woman in a red dress, with a slightly alluring appearance, kneeling on the ground, disregarding all decorum.

In front of her was a man of ordinary appearance, but with broad shoulders and a strong back, his presence commanding.

"Husband, you... you must seek justice for Xiao Yan!"

Li Yu sobbed uncontrollably, her eyes red and swollen, clutching her chest, her face pale.

Ever since learning that her brother, Li Yan, had died, she had been consumed by grief. Her father had asked her to look after her younger brother before he passed, and now, with her family line extinguished, she was overcome with sorrow and fear.

"Xiao Yan's death is shrouded in mystery. His archery skills were exceptional, he was experienced in hunting, and he had Shunzi and two others with him. There's no way he could have died at the mouth of a wild beast!"

"Someone must have killed him, they must have! Jiangbo, for the sake of him being my only brother, help him find the murderer and avenge him, otherwise Xiao Yan will not rest in peace!"

As Li Yu spoke, tears streamed down her face again, filling Du Jiangbo with both heartache and helplessness.

He quickly helped Li Yu up again, comforting her softly:

"My dearest wife, I am also very saddened by Li Yan's death, but in these deep mountains and old forests, where do we even begin to investigate?"

Li Yu leaned into Du Jiangbo's embrace, weeping softly:

"Start by questioning the hunters who went into the mountains that day. The hunters in Cang Mountain are all from the surrounding villages and forts. With your influence, Jiangbo, you can question them one by one."

Du Jiangbo's head began to ache. He gave a wry smile:

"Yu'er, you think too highly of me. I am merely a martial artist at the Skin Refining stage. If it were hunters from Li Family Fort, I could inquire, but people from other villages won't give me face."

Li Yu was about to speak again, but Du Jiangbo interrupted her, lowering his voice:

"Also, you must have heard that someone saw members of the Black Sand Gang enter the mountains that day. If Li Yan was killed by them..."

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Although Xiao Yan could be a bit arrogant at times, he knew what was important and wouldn't offend the Black Sand Gang."

Li Yu became agitated.

"Even if it was the Black Sand Gang, I will make them pay the price!"

Du Jiangbo's expression immediately turned grim.

"Li Yu!"

His angry shout startled Li Yu, making her realize what she had just said. In an instant, she became filled with trepidation.

"Husband, I..."

Du Jiangbo let out a cold snort. Seeing Li Yu's timid and charming demeanor, his heart softened again. He said in a low voice:

"Yu'er, you must never say such things again. If Li Yan was indeed killed by the Black Sand Gang, we can only pretend this never happened, otherwise, disaster will befall us, and even the Fort Master wouldn't be able to protect us!"

"Rest assured, I will investigate this matter secretly. If it was someone else, I will definitely not let the enemy go unpunished. But if it was the Black Sand Gang, then we can only endure for the time being and wait for an opportunity..."

Li Yu nodded blankly. Du Jiangbo sighed and called for an old maidservant to help Li Yu rest.

After Li Yu's figure disappeared from view, Du Jiangbo couldn't help but rub his temples with a headache.

"Liu Zi, come in," he called out towards the courtyard entrance.

A young man in simple cotton clothes immediately walked in.

"Sir, you summoned me."

"Go and summon everyone who entered Cang Mountain in the last five days. I need to ask them about Li Yan."

"Yes!"

Liu Zi hesitated for a moment, then asked:

"What about the other villages? Should we inquire with the Black Sand Gang..."

Du Jiangbo shot Liu Zi a stern look.

Liu Zi shivered and immediately apologized before leaving.

Du Jiangbo snorted inwardly.

To be honest, he had never really liked his brother-in-law, Li Yan.

When he caused trouble in Li Family Fort before, he had ruined a girl's innocence and life, and it was Du Jiangbo who had smoothed things over.

Later, he often used Du Jiangbo's name to show off outside. Du Jiangbo disliked this behavior, believing it would eventually lead to trouble.

However, he couldn't resist his wife's constant pleas, and since no major incidents had occurred, he had turned a blind eye.

Now, trouble had finally arrived, and he had died in the deep mountains.

Du Jiangbo knew very well that Li Yan was likely killed by someone else, and perhaps not even the Black Sand Gang. However, he didn't want to get involved.

Summoning the hunters from their own village was merely for show, to appease Li Yu. He didn't want to put in the effort to go to other villages, and as for sending people to inquire with the Black Sand Gang, that would be akin to him wanting to shorten his own lifespan.

As far as he was concerned.

Losing a brother-in-law who loved to show off so much is a good thing.

Gu Family Village.

Ever since that hunter gathering, after learning of the deaths of Li Yan and the other three, the hunters of Gu Family Village gradually became more vigilant, reducing their frequency of entering the mountains.

Except for those who harbored luck or greed, many gave up hunting Silver Foxes, and some even planned to rest at home for half a month.

Gu Sheng was naturally among the latter; this was consistent with his usual image and didn't seem out of place.

Resting at home, he was quite content with this.

He decided to use this opportunity to push his Archery to the Perfection stage with all his might!

In the forest.

Gu Sheng practiced archery as usual.

After his Archery reached the Great Accomplishment stage, practicing diligently every day only increased his proficiency by a little over 1%.

It didn't seem like much.

But in reality, it was incredibly significant; the visible progress made daily was the most precious thing.

Ordinary people would spend decades of effort, seeing only a sliver of progress after a long time. The feedback was entirely different.

An average person might never reach the Great Accomplishment stage in their lifetime, yet Gu Sheng could advance from Great Accomplishment to Perfection in just over two months.

After days of dedicated archery practice.

Gu Sheng held his longbow, his posture like an old pine tree, his eyes sharp and focused like a falcon's. An arrow was nocked, drawn, but not yet released.

Within his field of vision, Gu Sheng saw things differently from ordinary people.

At a hundred meters, he could clearly see falling leaves, flying insects, and ants. Everything appeared to be in slow motion, with even the veins of the leaves and the wings of insects reflected in his pupils.

This was a characteristic of reaching an extremely high level of dynamic vision.

Archery was not just about shooting arrows; the accompanying force-generating techniques and eye-strengthening methods were also crucial. These were the true secret transmissions.

At this moment, Gu Sheng had practiced both of these to a height that Gu Erniu could never reach.

After a moment of stillness, Gu Sheng's spirit, energy, and essence reached their peak.

Whoosh!!

A sharp whistling sound filled the air as the arrow broke through the atmosphere. Power concentrated on the arrowhead, causing it to rotate slightly. It moved like a bolt of lightning, swift and fleeting!

The arrow precisely pierced through leaves, then flying insects, and finally, the bullseye a hundred meters away.

Three kills with one arrow!

This was the perfect combination of skill and power, an arrow at the pinnacle of mastery.

Gu Sheng felt an immense sense of exhilaration and a lingering desire for more. He knew without checking his status panel.

Pierce a louse and shoot through a willow leaf – his Archery had reached Perfection!