A surge of greater strength and indescribable lightness and coordination instantly filled his body, giving him the illusion that he could snap a small tree with one punch or cover a great distance with a single stride.
If I could repair the bow, or even replace it with a better one...
Li Xuan took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement.
The importance of equipment was branded into his mind with unprecedented clarity.
It did more than improve his hunting efficiency-it directly increased his raw power!
"Now that it's done, stop grinning like a fool."
Li Shan's voice pulled him back to reality.
"See how they handle. Remember, good arrows need to be used even more sparingly. If you damage those iron arrowheads, replacements won't be easy to find."
"Got it, Dad." Li Xuan carefully slipped the five Iron Arrows into his quiver, keeping them separate from his old stone-tipped arrows. Just then, his sister-in-law Wang came out of the kitchen with a cloth bundle and pressed it into his arms.
"Some flatbread and two pieces of salted dried meat. Take them for lunch. Come back early, and don't go too deep into the mountains."
His eldest brother, Li Zhong, was also shouldering his hoe to head out to the fields. He asked,
"Third Brother, want me to go with you today? Give you a hand?"
"No need, Eldest Brother." Li Xuan shook his head. "I want to explore on my own today and try these new arrowheads. There's plenty of work at home, too. Just take care of your own tasks."
Li Zhong did not insist. After telling him to be careful, he left.
Li Xuan slung his bow and quiver over his back, picked up his woodcutting blade, said goodbye to his father, and left the house.
On his way toward the village entrance, he ran into a few villagers who were up early.
"Oh, Li Xuan, heading into the mountains again?"
Old Man Zhang from next door sat on his doorstep smoking his pipe, eyeing the bow on Li Xuan's back enviously.
"You've had some real luck lately. Never come back empty-handed."
"That's right, Uncle Zhang. Going to try my luck." Li Xuan answered with a smile.
"Brother Li, is it easy to find food in the mountains these days?" a teenage boy asked eagerly.
"Hard to say. Depends on the place and your luck. If you go into the mountains, make sure you go together, and don't wander too far."
Li Xuan gave them a warning.
Recently, some villagers had indeed followed his example after seeing his good hauls, but he had heard that most returned with little to show for it. Some had even been scratched by branches or gotten lost.
Not just anyone could become a hunter!
As he approached the village entrance, Li Xuan briefly slowed his steps.
Not far ahead stood the home of the village's notorious Widow Zhao.
Two people were standing outside the gate of her low adobe courtyard.
One was Widow Zhao herself, a woman in her thirties wearing a faded floral padded jacket. Her hair was slickly combed, and a layer of cheap powder covered her face.
She stood sideways, almost pressed against an unfamiliar man as she talked, her eyes smiling and her voice softer than usual.
Widow Zhao had married into the village from a neighboring one. Her husband had died without leaving her any children.
Her reputation had soured after she became a widow. Rumor had it that she had murky entanglements with several bachelors and widowers both in and outside the village.
The last time she had quarreled with his sister-in-law Wang at the village entrance, she had thoroughly lost face.
With winter approaching, she was probably looking for another man to support her, hoping to get some grain and cloth to see her through the cold.
The other person was an unfamiliar man around thirty-five or thirty-six, lean and muscular, with dark skin. He was dressed as a hunter as well, with a hunting bow on his back and a woodcutting blade and leather pouch hanging at his waist.
He looked sturdier than the average villager, and his eyes were sharper, too.
As Li Xuan looked over, the man happened to glance at him.
Their eyes met, and the corner of the man's mouth twitched into something that was not quite a smile.
Widow Zhao noticed Li Xuan as well. Her gaze swept over the new quiver on his back and the distinctly different iron arrowheads.
Then her eyes settled on his face. She curled her lip with an indefinable hint of smugness and turned back to the man, continuing their conversation. Her voice grew a little louder, as though she deliberately wanted Li Xuan to hear.
"...Brother Wang, with hunting skills like yours, you certainly won't be short of meat this winter..."
The man she called Brother Wang did not respond to her remark. Instead, he raised his chin toward Li Xuan and spoke first, his voice a little hoarse.
"You're Li Shan's boy, Li Xuan?"
Li Xuan stopped and frowned slightly. "I am. And you are?"
"My surname's Wang. Wang Kui, from neighboring Wang Family Gully."
The man looked Li Xuan up and down, his gaze lingering a moment longer on his bow and arrows.
"Your father and I go way back. I'm an old hunter, too. Heard you've been having... pretty good luck lately?"
The words sounded ordinary, but there was something hard to place in his tone, as though he were weighing something up.
"Wouldn't call it luck. Just scraping together a living."
Li Xuan answered coolly, unwilling to get drawn into a lengthy conversation.
"Are you here to visit relatives, Brother Wang?"
Wang Family Gully was dozens of li away. Hunters each had their usual hunting grounds and seldom traveled this far.
Wang Kui chuckled without answering directly.
"Just having a look around. These days, making a living is hard anywhere. Have to find a few more avenues, don't you?"
He patted Widow Zhao's arm and glanced at Li Xuan again.
"All right, go about your business."
With that, he paid Li Xuan no further attention. He turned and followed Widow Zhao, whose eyes held a beckoning hook, into her little courtyard. The battered wooden gate closed with a creak.
Li Xuan stared at the shut gate, his brows drawing together slightly.
That brief exchange of looks and words had left him feeling that something was off about Wang Kui.
It was not just the way the man had eyed him like merchandise. More importantly, when he looked at Wang Kui, a faint line of small text had appeared before his eyes.
[Physique: 1.8, dexterity: 1.6]
Those attributes were far higher than an ordinary adult man's!
They almost matched his own stats before his equipment bonuses.
And judging by that tough, wiry build and those eyes, the man was certainly no ordinary farmhand or idle hunter.
A hunter from Wang Family Gully came dozens of li to Li Family Village just to "have a look around"?
And he's mixed up with the notorious Widow Zhao?
Li Xuan grew more wary. The world was descending further into chaos, and people's hearts were difficult to fathom.
He made a mental note of the encounter and lingered no longer. Striding quickly out of the village, he headed toward the vast, densely wooded East Mountain.
The mountain breeze brushed his face, carrying a slight chill and the scent of grass and trees.
Li Xuan tightened his grip on the Ox-Horn Bow. Feeling the strength surging within him from his greatly increased attributes, his gaze sharpened.
Before entering the mountains, Li Xuan checked the traits he currently possessed.
Under-ice perception... isn't much use for now.
I'll swap it for Mountain Dweller.
[Mountain Dweller (white): Slightly increases speed and dexterity when traveling through mountains and forests.]
What about your muscles are so beautiful...?
Li Xuan considered it.
His physique was now as high as 1.8, which should be enough.
As for the other traits,
[Wild rabbit agility (white): Slightly improves bodily coordination and subtle evasive movements, making movement through complex terrain lighter and quicker. (Active)] [Featherfall (white): Slightly reduces body weight and improves lightness of movement, granting an advantage when falling from heights or moving through complex terrain. (Active)] [Mountain goat's swiftness (white): Slightly increases running and movement speed. (Active)] [Killing intent (blue): A special aura formed by killing too many people. When equipped, grants a small chance of reducing an opponent's attribute values!]
The first three traits are all dexterity-related, really. They feel a little redundant.
After a moment's consideration, Li Xuan decided to replace mountain goat's swiftness with your muscles are so beautiful.
That would make his improvements more balanced!
Once all his preparations were complete, Li Xuan was quite satisfied. He murmured to himself,
"All right, into the mountains!"
Before you continue