Bandits in the Mountains

Back in Yunqian Village, Su Yan emerged from the mountains after practicing archery, carrying a water deer roughly a meter long on his back and two gray rabbits at his waist.

Hardwood Bow in hand, he strode into the village.

The villagers spotted him from afar and greeted him as he approached.

"You've got real skill, young Yan. Another successful hunt."

"Well now, a water deer alone is worth a hundred or two hundred copper coins. You're no worse than Hunter."

"It was all luck."

He tossed out a few casual replies but did not linger to chat.

Among the mountain folk, aside from the men who went gathering in the mountains, most of the children and women tended an acre or two of poor farmland around the village.

Of course, some men who took a day or two off from mountain gathering also worked in these fields.

They had all heard the rumors, but none had expected Su Yan, a child who had lost both parents, to find his footing on his own. Their envy went without saying.

Watching Su Yan stride away, they could not help exchanging a few quiet remarks.

"That boy's handsome, and with skills like those, he'll be taking a wife soon."

"His taking a wife has nothing to do with us. When Su Dahe passed away, hardly anyone lent him a hand."

"Well, there was Xie Yuzhu. Have him act as matchmaker..."

The idle chatter gradually fell behind him in the fields. Who knew how many families took it to heart, and how many simply forgot it?

With conditions as they were in the mountains, some people in Yunqian Village showed a conscience simply by not swallowing up an orphaned household's property. Helping was another matter entirely; keeping their own families afloat was good enough.

When Su Yan came within a hundred meters or so of his house, he spotted Xie Yuzhu pacing outside, his brows tightly knitted and his expression conflicted.

Xie Yuzhu looked up and saw Su Yan in the distance. Alarm flashed across his face, and he hastily turned, intending to hurry away.

"Uncle Xie."

Su Yan called out to him first, leaving Xie Yuzhu no room to pretend he had not seen him.

He stopped awkwardly and turned around, the burly man looking strangely bashful.

"Ah... Yan, it's you. You've just come back from the mountains, haven't you? I was just passing by..."

Xie Yuzhu's words stumbled over one another. Su Yan frowned slightly and asked with concern, "Uncle, has something happened at home?"

"No."

Xie Yuzhu denied it at once, but faced with Su Yan's expression, he seemed to throw caution to the wind and forced out a sentence.

"I've come to make a fool of myself... Guo Peng and the others saw that your mountain gathering was doing well, and they wanted to ask you to lead the gathering team... I didn't want to come, but after all, they did..."

He was clearly a rough, grown man, yet his face had flushed crimson, and he could barely get his words out.

"You'd take seventy percent as the leader. With more people, we could carry more things out of the mountains. They've agreed to that."

Having finally finished, Xie Yuzhu seemed unwilling to stay a moment longer and grew even more uneasy.

Su Yan, on the other hand, smiled, all his worry melting away.

As long as nothing has happened to Uncle Xie's family.

After a moment's thought, he said, "Uncle, I probably can't agree to this..."

"That's fine."

Before he could finish, Xie Yuzhu answered hastily, as though a great weight had been lifted from him. Even the redness in his face faded a little, as if he could suddenly breathe again.

Had he not been something of a leader in the gathering team, he would never have come forward over this, no matter what.

Of course, part of the reason was that when Su Yan had joined the team a few months earlier, he had taken a share. Though everyone had been displeased, they had not driven him away, and that counted for something.

"Uncle, hear me out first."

Su Yan interrupted him and explained, "I hunt while gathering in the mountains, so my route is different from yours. Traveling with me would be inconvenient in many ways. But these past few days, I've found a few patches of mushrooms and lingzhi that I haven't touched. I might as well ask you and the others to visit them."

Xie Yuzhu's eyes widened. He immediately understood and shook his head repeatedly. "No. What mountain gatherer gives away his patches? This..."

"If you don't go, they'll grow past their prime before long, and the animals will ruin them."

Su Yan left it at that, and Xie Yuzhu hesitated.

"Yan, this really won't hurt your earnings?"

He studied Su Yan's expression, seemingly searching for any trace of reluctance. If he found one, he would never agree.

"Don't worry, Uncle. It won't affect much. I can still hunt."

Su Yan jostled the gray rabbits at his waist. "Everyone's looked after me these past few months. It's only right."

"I understand. I'll make that clear to them."

Xie Yuzhu nodded firmly and carefully memorized the locations Su Yan gave him before turning to leave.

Watching Xie Yuzhu walk away, Su Yan's eyes flickered, and he sighed softly to himself. "A man is guilty of no crime, yet carrying jade brings blame. I can't give Uncle too many of these, either, or I'll only bring him trouble. Once I'm a little stronger, perhaps I can find him a livelihood."

The other mountain gatherers had helped Su Yan. Even if they had grumbled, their help had been real, and he had to acknowledge that debt.

As for Xie Yuzhu, he had truly pulled him up when he needed it. That kindness demanded even greater repayment.

After parting with Xie Yuzhu, Su Yan went inside, skinned the water deer and gray rabbits, and butchered and cleaned them before finally resting.

[First-Rank Insect Master: 5/100]

[Insect realm: 1 cubic meter]

[Mountain Trekking: 37/200 (minor mastery)]

[Basic Archery: 104/200 (minor mastery)]

[Herb Identification: 21/200 (minor mastery)]

[Darkwater Centipede: 63/200 (Growth Stage)]

"A few days of archery practice have increased my strength quite a bit, and I've more or less figured out what the Darkwater Centipede can do after entering the first rank. I never expected its shell to withstand ordinary attacks like cowhide."

Besides avoiding the attention stirred up by his mountain gathering, Su Yan had spent these past few days testing his own capabilities.

After reaching the Growth Stage, the Darkwater Centipede had clearly changed significantly, as though it had stepped into a new realm.

Poison was its specialty, yet its shell was as tough as cowhide.

Combined, those two traits could probably catch even a seasoned Hunter off guard.

After all, it had such a tiny body, a shell that could withstand ordinary attacks, and deadly poison.

The three complemented one another, naturally making it all the more formidable.

"If I learned martial arts, I could probably get some idea..."

True martial artists would surely understand the Darkwater Centipede's transformation. Song Qi certainly would, but Su Yan could not bring the subject to him and expose himself.

"Counting the money from the Viperberry and Fo-ti I sold a few days ago, I now have thirty-seven taels and four mace of silver altogether. That should almost be enough, but I still need to set aside a few taels for taxes."

After tallying his silver, Su Yan made up his mind to venture a little deeper into the mountains and save up the rest.

Early the next morning, before the sun had risen, Su Yan picked up his carrying basket and headed toward Cloudridge Mountain through the thin mist and dew.

Plenty of mountain gatherers were setting out at this hour, but few were heading in the same direction as Su Yan.

It was not that no one wanted to follow Su Yan's route into the mountains.

Rather, that direction led into places teeming with wild beasts and venomous insects, where not even narrow mountain paths had been cleared.

Su Yan could make his way in, but they might not dare risk it. If they got hurt and could not pay their taxes, they would end up in prison.

Not to mention the Hardwood Bow Su Yan carried. Angering him would be troublesome.

There were exceptions to everything, however. For those harboring ill intentions, the more secluded a place was, the better.

"Hurry. That little brat went into the mountains with his basket. Doesn't look like he's hunting. Stay close."

Wang San, Li Hu, Huang Tian, and Zhao Fu followed him secretly, keeping well back.

Li Hu led the way, a Hardwood Bow in his hand and a pointed knife at his waist, its tip polished to a gleam.

Wang San also carried a knife. Though it was not as good as Li Hu's, it was still a sharp knife with a keen edge.

Huang Tian and Zhao Fu both looked to be in their early thirties. Dressed in short, coarse hemp garments, they each carried a fork, their eyes flickering.

They had waited several days before finally seeing Su Yan shoulder his basket. Judging by the timing, he surely was not going hunting, so they hurried after him.

They hastened through the thin mist for a li or two and saw Su Yan enter the weed- and shrub-covered foothills in the distance.

Wang San, Li Hu, and the others hurried after him. Before they knew it, dew from the grass had soaked them, its icy chill making them shiver.

"That brat's like a mountain rat, always burrowing into places like this. No wonder he can find precious plants when nobody else can."

Li Hu cursed. The tangled weeds were uncomfortable to push through, and some even scratched their skin.

Yet Su Yan moved with remarkable agility, vanishing from sight almost as soon as he entered the mountains.

If they did not catch up quickly, they would probably lose him.

"Hurry! That brat must be heading for a patch of treasures."

Li Hu urged Wang San and the others onward, then hurried along the trail Su Yan had left.

Wang San and Huang Tian groaned inwardly. Li Hu was a Hunter, with the physique to match.

But they were idle layabouts. Walking mountain trails like these was nothing short of torture.

Hurrying and stumbling along, they traveled another li or two into the mountains.

Now, alongside the weeds and shrubs, tall trees rose on either side, their branches interlacing and dense leaves blotting out the sky. A chill seeped through the shadowy woods.

"Where's the trail?!"

Li Hu suddenly cried out, his face darkening at once.

"What's wrong?"

Wang San came up front and swept his gaze over the ground. His expression soured as well.

The shrubs were dense and the weeds stood upright, without the slightest sign of being trampled or cut.

It was as though no one had passed this way at all.

But where was Su Yan?

All four men wore grim expressions. Li Hu snorted coldly. If they lost him now, their losses would be considerable.

"The brat might've noticed something was wrong and hidden himself."

Li Hu was a Hunter, after all, and quickly regained his composure.

No matter how careful a mountain gatherer was, he would not conceal his tracks this thoroughly. It looked more like he was hiding.

"What do we do? If he gets wary and stays away for ten days or half a month, we can't afford to wait."

A vicious gleam shone in Zhao Fu's eyes as he held his iron fork. He knew Li Hu best and was fairly meticulous, having considered the consequences of stirring the grass and startling the snake.

"Zhao Fu, pair up with Wang San. Huang Tian, you're with me. Search nearby for clues. That brat can't be hiding far away. Catch him and force the answers out of him."

Li Hu made the decision immediately. The four split into pairs, tightened their grips on their weapons, and began searching the surrounding weeds for Su Yan's trail.

Yet behind an old tree barely a dozen meters away, Su Yan had watched it all.

"I was wondering who it was. So it's Wang San..."

Su Yan sneered. Beside his hand, the Darkwater Centipede hissed, half its body already extended into the shrubs.