Winter Is Coming

[Name]: Gu Sheng

[Age]: 14

[Realm]: None

[Martial Arts]: Wood Chopping (Special Effect: Tier 1 Rend), Archery (Perfection 0%)

Gu Sheng opened his status panel. As expected, his Archery had indeed reached the perfection realm.

"With my current strength and a powerful bow in hand, I could kill enemies from two hundred meters away! It's just that the one-stone bow I have isn't strong enough, and I can't fully unleash my Archery skills with it right now."

"Not only that, but my dynamic vision has reached its peak, which also significantly boosts my close-combat abilities. If I use Wood Chopping, I can more clearly pinpoint an enemy's weaknesses."

Gu Sheng quietly assessed his own strength.

As of now.

His strength had completely surpassed that of ordinary people.

As for martial artists, he couldn't say for sure. He would only know after facing one in direct combat.

However, Gu Sheng felt he wouldn't be completely defenseless. If he could maintain a good distance, he might even have a chance to hold his own or even kill them.

After all, no matter how strong a martial artist was, their vital areas like their eyes weren't covered by any protective skin.

He glanced at the hunting bow in his hand, feeling a pang of reluctance. Although it had only accompanied him for a few months, it had undoubtedly witnessed his rise.

"Li Yan's bow can't be used openly right now. Once we enter the city, I can use it without any reservations. Only then will my Archery skills be able to be fully displayed."

Gu Sheng had examined it.

The bow was well-crafted, but it wasn't a custom-made item. It was likely a powerful bow produced by some weapon workshop.

If he added some decorations to it later, there would be no possibility of it being discovered.

"Arrows need to be fast. The technique for generating force is one aspect, the software. I've perfected the software side now, but the hardware is equally essential."

Gu Sheng mused.

"However, according to Erniu-ge, there seem to be even stronger Archery skills, Archery Martial Arts! I truly wonder how extraordinary those skills are, they probably possess extraordinary power."

A look of longing appeared in his eyes.

The Martial Way was the true path of the extraordinary.

Developing both the body and skills, advancing them hand-in-hand, was something ordinary people couldn't comprehend. Gu Sheng had always yearned for this kind of extraordinary power, which didn't exist in his previous life.

Fortunately, he was getting closer to his goal.

"I won't worry about Archery Martial Arts for now. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. If Archery breaks through perfection, it will surely generate special effects, just like Wood Chopping!"

"Tier 1 Rend is already this powerful. I wonder what kind of special effects Archery will produce when it surpasses perfection?"

Gu Sheng felt anticipation in his heart.

From now on, he had to continue practicing diligently.

The pursuit of strength was endless. Gu Sheng truly enjoyed this feeling of slowly becoming stronger, which allowed him to perceive the meaning of his own existence.

Time flowed by.

Gu Sheng's life became more regular.

Since he no longer needed to venture into the mountains to hunt, he had more time to practice archery. In two days, his Archery skill had improved by a little over 1%.

This meant that.

It would take about half a year for Archery to break through to the level beyond perfection.

This speed was about half that of Wood Chopping, and the difficulty was high. However, it also made Gu Sheng even more eager to see what special effects Archery would produce, and whether it would allow him to truly contend with martial artists!

Besides practicing archery.

Gu Sheng would also visit Gu Erniu.

Gu Erniu's left leg was healing quickly. He could now walk without support, though it was still a bit difficult. In about half a month, he should be able to walk normally again.

However, it would take some time before he could move as swiftly as before.

"A Sheng, you've come at the perfect time. I've inquired, and before winter sets in next month, the village will organize people to go into the city to purchase supplies. By then, my leg should be much better, and we can go to the city together to sell the hides we've stockpiled and prepare for winter," Gu Erniu said excitedly.

Gu Sheng's heart leaped with joy. He had finally been waiting for this.

The timing of the village's procurement was uncertain, and the scale varied. For this procurement before winter, the accompanying martial artists would be stronger, making it safer.

Gu Erniu said quietly:

"Lord Gu Dajiang will be accompanying us this time..."

Gu Sheng was taken aback, and his heart tightened. He knew that Gu Dajiang was one of the three top experts in Gu Family Village, ranked alongside Gu Changming and Gu Jingang.

He couldn't help but ask instinctively:

"Do they usually send martial artists of Lord Gu Dajiang's caliber to escort the procurement team?"

Gu Erniu waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, it's very common. Usually, if it's a large-scale procurement, one of the three adults, Gu Changming, will escort it, and there might even be other martial artists accompanying them."

Gu Sheng felt a little relieved.

This was normal.

The road into the city passed through many mountains and forests, and encountering wild bandits and rogue cultivators was not uncommon. Without powerful martial artists to suppress them, they could easily be robbed.

Gu Erniu looked around and then lowered his voice, "When the time comes, hide those bows inside your leather. I'll help you bring a couple too. Others won't be able to tell. Once we sell them in the city, it'll be as if it never happened."

Gu Sheng nodded gently, indicating he understood.

During this time, Gu Erniu had also told him about things in Canghe County, but Gu Erniu didn't know much more than that, mostly about channels and experiences related to selling leather.

In addition, Gu Sheng would also occasionally visit Gu He.

Although he no longer chopped wood, Gu He, as a steward of the main family, was well-informed and had extensive connections. Gu Sheng felt it was always good to maintain a good relationship.

More importantly, Gu He was a decent person.

He hadn't gotten angry even after Gu Sheng repeatedly refused his matchmaking attempts.

Gu Sheng confirmed the matter of the village's procurement team entering the city with Gu He. The answer was similar to what Gu Erniu knew, with the addition of some good news.

"The procurement steward, Gu Renxu, has a good relationship with me. I'll talk to him about you entering the city then."

More than half a month had passed since Li Yan's death.

The impact of this event had slowly begun to dissipate. All the hunters who had dared to venture into the mountains during this time had returned safely. Although they hadn't hunted the Silver Fox, their other catches were quite good.

After all, with fewer hunters entering the mountains, the competition had also decreased.

This immediately made many people envious.

The fear was only temporary. As some people gradually returned to hunting in the mountains, the previous negative impact dissipated even faster.

However, what made everyone sigh with regret was.

No one had managed to hunt the Silver Fox. The Silver Fox seemed to have never appeared in the mountains, vanishing into thin air.

Some speculated that perhaps the Silver Fox had discovered many people were hunting it and had fled to the deeper mountains.

Others guessed that perhaps the Black Sand Gang had already hunted the Silver Fox but hadn't released the news.

But no one knew that the Silver Fox had long been captured by Gu Sheng.

Gu Sheng also began to resume his hunting rhythm. He had only been resting at home to blend in and avoid drawing attention. Now that the commotion had passed, he naturally returned to his usual hunting pace.

He went hunting once every three to four days.

After his Archery reached perfection, even with his one-stone bow, Gu Sheng could kill prey from over a hundred meters away, making hunting much easier.

However, it was also visibly apparent.

The prey in the mountains was slowly decreasing.

The prey that had been nurtured for a year reached its peak in autumn, and then would slowly decrease, only to increase again the following year. The hunters who relied on the mountain knew the principle of not depleting the resources.

Gu Sheng began to reduce the frequency of his trips into the mountains.

Winter was approaching.