The Qian San family has five brothers, all tall and strong. Although only Qian San is a hunter, they support each other. How many of the residents around Xiao Mo Mountain can withstand them?
"Qian San approached me before, but I feigned illness.
He doesn't want to risk going to Erchong Mountain alone to hunt, so he will certainly look for someone else to take the fall.
Now that Uncle Cai Hua is dead, he might look for other hunters, but he might still come to me.
Unless I stop hunting altogether, getting caught will surely lead to trouble."
"Using people as cannon fodder, and then feeding off their demise...
If I had agreed to his request back then, it might have been my family facing ruin now."
"But my family is not like Uncle Cai Hua's. If it ever comes to that... it would affect more than just those emergency large coins."
Numerous thoughts flashed through Li Yuan's mind.
At this moment, the door was pushed open.
Lady Yan came back inside, a little fuming, and shut the door behind her. She muttered, "These people are too much. That Qian San is such a bully!
The orphan and widow are struggling to live, yet instead of helping, they held a feast at their expense.
In the workshop... many people still sat with their bowls and chopsticks eating, and they are from the same workshop. What's going on? Hmph..."
Lady Yan stood with her hands on her hips, her chest heaving with anger, but her eyes also showed a hint of fear and trepidation. She feared the same tragedy that happened to Uncle Cai Hua's family might happen to her and Li Yuan.
"Sister Yan." Li Yuan suddenly called out.
Lady Yan responded, "Oh, Brother Yuan, isn't it infuriating?"
"Sister Yan, get a cloth to..." Li Yuan pointed to her bosom, saying, "Cover it up."
Lady Yan was momentarily stunned. Her face flushed red as she murmured, "What does it matter? Aunt Wang next door and the others are like this too."
"But you're prettier and younger than Aunt Wang and the others," Li Yuan said. "Trust me. Also, stuff some rags in your clothes to make your figure a bit more plump."
"Really..."
Hearing her own husband praise her, Lady Yan lowered her head, a little shy.
She knew to smudge her face when going out, but she'd never covered her chest or "fattened" herself, so it was quite novel. She fiddled around for a bit until she made herself look unattractive.
Looking at the ugly girl in the copper mirror, Lady Yan giggled. But as she laughed, she remembered Sister-in-law Cai Hua's family, and her expression turned somber. Her lips moved as she asked, "Brother Yuan, do you think... is it possible for us to help Sister-in-law Cai Hua's family?"
Li Yuan slowly shook his head and said, "It's already not easy to take care of ourselves."
...
...
In the afternoon, Lady Yan went next door to Aunt Wang's house to chat.
Li Yuan sat quietly in the earthen house.
He opened the panel, focusing his gaze on the "+" sign next to "Basic Tracking (5/10)" and clicked five times.
Immediately, a sense of nimbleness and acuity infused into his body.
It was as though he had suddenly acquired special training in tracking a fierce beast. Relying on his intuition and observations along the way, he ensured he didn't lose the beast while staying as far away as possible.
The beast kept running far for some unknown reason, and he followed it despite exhaustion, gritting his teeth, unable to sleep well, and remaining ever alert to changes in the wild.
Finally... his tracking skills improved.
Li Yuan glanced at himself, and the numbers remained "0~1" without change. Upon grabbing the great bow, the numbers changed to "2~3."
"It seems tracking doesn't reflect in the comprehensive strength values, but my reactions have indeed improved, which is soft power.
With tracking, I can more easily pursue an enemy without being detected and also counter-track."
Li Yuan continued to add points, and clicked twenty times on the "+" sign next to "Intermediate Archery (0/20)."
Instantly, a muscle memory of practicing archery diligently over the months emerged from his body.
And it seemed both tracking and archery had improved his physical fitness. Instinctively, Li Yuan checked himself, the numbers had already changed from "0~1" to "1~2," and upon grabbing the great bow, it changed to "5~6."
Qian San, carrying a dog, was "3~5," while he was "5~6"...
Li Yuan exhaled lightly, feeling a bit more settled.
He glanced at the panel, and the skills section had changed:
[Skills: Advanced Archery (0/40); Intermediate Tracking (0/20)]
"There's still 20 points left, how should I allocate them?"
Li Yuan hesitated for a moment, deciding to hold off and see if he could accumulate 40 points.
Since archery directly contributed to comprehensive strength, while tracking was just soft power, naturally, he prioritized the former.
...
...
In the afternoon, Lady Yan returned to make dinner and brought some news.
"Brother Yuan, today, during Sister-in-law Cai Hua's family's feast, Monk Pan actually stood up for them and scolded Qian Er and Qian San..."
Lady Yan spoke excitedly, but then sighed, "Yet no one in the workshop helped him. People there just continued about their business as if he were air.
Monk Pan wanted to snatch back the meat to return to Sister-in-law Cai Hua, but he was beaten before Qian Er and Qian San even made a move.
He cursed at Qian Er and Qian San, and Qian San just kicked him in the teeth, leaving blood all over the place...
Good people just can't catch a break..."
Li Yuan fell silent, beginning to understand more clearly what sort of hellish world he had traversed into.
Just then, the sound of knocking came from outside the courtyard.
The fence clattered loudly.
Lady Yan peeked through the window, her face pale with fear, she said in panic, "Qian San is here, what's he doing here?"
Lady Yan was at her wits' end, her small face was filled with anxiety.
Li Yuan stood up, grabbed his bow, put on the quiver, and placed his hand on Lady Yan's shoulder, pressing her into the wooden chair, saying, "Take a rest."
"Why is Qian San here?" Lady Yan asked nervously.
Li Yuan said, "Stay inside, I'll handle what's outside."
With that, he walked out under Lady Yan's tense gaze.
At the door, the tall man kicked the fence, causing the gate to tilt.
Seeing someone approach, Qian San looked up and said, "Yuanzi, let's not pretend. I know you're definitely better.
I'll give you two options: one, come hunt with me, and you'll enjoy a good life from now on;
or two, hand over your bow, hunting fork, and Quasi-Hunting Token. If you won't hunt, let someone else."
Li Yuan smiled bitterly, "Brother Qian, why focus on me?"
Qian San frowned, "Focus? What nonsense are you talking about?!
There aren't many hunters in the workshop; we're supposed to hunt together.
You're out of touch, unaware of the outside. Let me tell you, other workshops are already doing this.
Anyway, don't talk nonsense; either join me in hunting or stop being a hunter."
Li Yuan rubbed his hands, "Brother Qian, how about this: give me a few more days. Once I recover, I'll go hunting with you, okay?"
"Three days, I'll give you a maximum of three days," Qian San said impatiently.
"How about five days? I hurt my bones."
"No! I'll come looking for you in three days!" Qian San scoffed and turned to leave. As he passed an old tree with mottled bark, a young man appeared and followed him.
The young man held a bow in his hand, a knife strapped behind, and a "1~2" floated above his head.
Li Yuan's expression shifted slightly. This young man... seemed like a local rascal who usually mingled with Qian San, but he shouldn't have a bow and arrow.
Right...
Uncle Cai Hua just passed, and it wouldn't be surprising if Qian San took his bow, arrow, and Quasi-Hunting Token along the way.