'What the hell—an interface?'
For a moment, Chen Sanshi couldn't react.
Originally, even with a bow and arrows, he hadn't been confident about actually hitting any prey. After all, hunting was a real skill.
If it were easy, everyone would already be eating meat.
But now, with a panel appearing before him, everything was suddenly different.
"What are you staring at, kid? Something wrong with the arrows?"
Old Xu waved his hand in front of the dazed boy's face.
Chen Sanshi snapped out of it and quickly came up with an excuse. "Nothing, just… remembered my father."
"Sigh~ Your old man was a good person, real shame what happened to him."
At the mention of his father, Old Xu couldn't help but sigh heavily.
Chen Sanshi didn't linger. He paid the copper coins, took the arrows, and left in a hurry.
Carrying the bow and quiver, he walked and rested along the road until he reached the foot of Tiger Head Mountain, more than ten li away.
This mountain was the nearest hunting ground to Poyang County—and the lifeline for many hunters.
Still weak from his recent illness, Chen Sanshi was panting hard by the time he got there. He sat on a rock to catch his breath for quite a while before recovering some strength.
Then he examined the bow his father had left behind.
From its design, it was a typical recurve bow—bamboo for the body, willow for the belly, hardwood for the back, and cow sinew for the string. Its draw weight was about forty jin (around 20 kilograms), which put it firmly in the soft bow category.
Lifting the bow, the panel once again appeared in his mind.
[Skill: Archery (Uninitiated)]
[Progress: (20/100)]
[Effect: None]
This time, without anyone around, he could calmly study what this system actually did.
In short—it was about grinding!
As long as he kept repeating an action with focus and effort, progress would increase. When the progress bar filled, he would automatically level up.
'So, if I keep practicing hard enough, I might actually become the best archer in all of Poyang County!'
Hope surged inside him. Remembering his father's old lessons, Chen Sanshi slowly raised the bow.
"Damn, is a forty-jin bow this heavy?"
He strained to pull the string, gritting his teeth to draw it fully. He couldn't even imagine what kind of monster could pull a bow made of stone or heavier.
"Stand straight, steady your body, pull evenly, hold the bow correctly, nock the arrow calmly, push forward with one hand, draw back with the other, and when the bow is full, release naturally."
Murmuring the old mantra in his mind, Chen Sanshi turned sideways toward a tree about forty meters away, as thick as a man's embrace.
His left hand pushed the bow forward, his right hand pulled the string with three fingers, aiming slightly downward. Then—release.
"Whoosh—"
The arrow shot out and struck a completely different tree, missing the target entirely.
He didn't get discouraged. Taking another arrow from the quiver, he aimed and fired again.
This time, the arrow landed in the grass.
"Again!"
He kept shooting—five more times—and finally, one arrow hit the trunk.
Excited, he walked over, carefully pulled the arrow free, and repeated the motion.
After several repetitions, he started to notice a pattern.
As long as he focused entirely on the act of shooting, his proficiency increased—whether or not the arrow hit the mark.
If he was distracted, however, there was no gain.
And when the arrow did hit the target, the progress went up much faster.
After shooting more than sixty arrows, his arms started to cramp.
His body was weak to begin with, and after years of poor nutrition, being able to shoot that many times was already impressive.
Still, with each shot, his accuracy improved. From twenty steps away, he almost never missed anymore.
[Skill: Archery (Uninitiated)]
[Progress: (70/100)]
[Effect: None]
He was close to reaching beginner level, but his body had reached its limit.
After a short rest, Chen Sanshi started walking through the woods with his bow, hoping to find some prey while he still had strength left.
Unfortunately, this area was too close to town—most of the easy prey had long been hunted out.
He wandered until evening before spotting a few wild pigeons, but they were too far away for him to hit.
'Great. I couldn't catch fish in my past life, now I can't even hit a bird?'
Still, it wasn't a complete loss.
Before heading down the mountain, he found a patch of wild greens. He quickly dug them up and stuffed them into his coat before making his way home.
On the way back, he stopped by the market—and found that food prices had gone up again.
After several years of poor harvests, rice in Poyang County now cost 100 copper coins per dou(1 dou of rice ≈ 10 liters of rice), while pork had soared to 17 copper coins per jin. Add to that oil, salt, sauces, fabric, firewood, and endless taxes…
Chen Sanshi couldn't imagine how many poor families would survive this winter.
Estimating that prices would rise further, he decided to spend all the remaining coins on rice, mixed grain flour, and a few salted duck eggs.
"One dou of rice, half a dou of mixed flour—enough for two people to last three to five days. If I stretch it with millet and bran, maybe a few more."
But he had no choice.
Since he planned to become a hunter, he couldn't keep eating bran anymore. He needed strength—if he ran into danger in the mountains and had no energy to run, that'd be the end.
His stomach growled as he quickened his pace, eager to get home and cook.
"Yo, Little Shitou!"
Just as he was about to reach home, a rough voice called out behind him.
Chen Sanshi turned and saw a burly man with a coarse face walking toward him.
Qin Xiong.
A well-known thug in town, he led a gang of ruffians, making money through loan sharking and trafficking women. Many poor families had been ruined by him.
"Well, well… a bow and arrows?"
Qin Xiong grinned, eyes full of mockery. "So the 'scholar' wants to play hunter now?"
"Life leaves me no choice," Chen Sanshi said flatly.
Chen Sanshi instinctively took a step back, keeping his distance. "Brother Qin, what brings you to me today?"
Qin Xiong smirked. "That matter from last time—have you thought it over?"
'Last time?'
Chen Sanshi's heart skipped a beat as unpleasant memories surfaced.
Half a year ago, after his father's death, the family had fallen into poverty.
At that time, Qin Xiong came knocking, and the original Chen Sanshi had actually thought about selling Gu Xinlan for money.
If it were him now, of course, that was impossible.
"Brother Qin," Chen Sanshi said firmly, "I've thought about it. I don't need your money."
The moment he said that, Qin Xiong's face darkened. "You sure about that?"
"Absolutely, Brother Qin."
Clutching the sack of food tightly in his arms, Chen Sanshi took a detour around him and hurried home. Inside, he felt uneasy.
From what he remembered, Qin Xiong wasn't someone who gave up easily. This matter was far from over.
'Trouble really does come in pairs,' he thought bitterly. 'I haven't even solved my food problem, and now a thug's eyeing me.'
He brushed his hand over the quiver at his waist.
A bow and five arrows—that was all the protection a poor man like him had in a chaotic world.
'I just hope when I reach beginner level, the system will give me something useful.'
"First thing's first—fill the belly before training more archery."
When Chen Sanshi pushed open the door, Gu Xinlan wasn't home yet.
Every morning, she worked at a tailor shop, and in the afternoon, she washed clothes for the women of wealthy families. Her days were long and exhausting.
He decided to take the initiative—split firewood, light the stove, and cook dinner in advance.
White rice, salted duck eggs, and boiled wild greens.
For many households, this was already a luxurious meal.
When Gu Xinlan finally returned, she was stunned to see hot food waiting on the table. "Shi ge'er, where did you get white rice—and salted duck eggs?"
"Eat first."
Chen Sanshi motioned for her to sit and immediately grabbed his chopsticks, devouring the food like a starving man.
He really hadn't eaten well in days.
"Shi ge'er…"
"Hmm?"
He looked up after wolfing down half the bowl, realizing Gu Xinlan hadn't touched her food.
Her eyes were red, tears glimmering at the corners as her voice trembled. "Can… can you not sell me?"
"Huh?"
Chen Sanshi froze, completely dumbfounded.
"I heard people say that you met with Qin Xiong today to make a deal…"
Her voice shook as she spoke.
If not for that, how could there be white rice and salted duck eggs on the table?
Panicked, she pulled out a patched-up pouch from her waist and poured out a few copper coins, her voice breaking. "Shi ge'er, I was wrong."
"I won't nag you to find work anymore. You can stay home and study. I'll earn money and pay the tax. Please, don't sell me!"
Qin Xiong's reputation was infamous in all of Poyang County.
Anyone who fell into his hands was as good as sold to a brothel.
For years, Gu Xinlan had stayed loyally with the Chen family because Chen Sanshi's father had once bought her from a trafficker, saving her from that exact fate.
Was she really doomed to end up that way anyway?
"Lan jie'er, you've misunderstood."
Chen Sanshi finally understood what had happened—rumors.
He gently reassured her, "You're part of the Chen family. How could I ever sell you?"
To have someone who cared for him like family in a strange new world was precious. He would never push her away—it would be too cowardly.
But Gu Xinlan didn't reply. She just sat there crying softly, clearly unconvinced.
With a sigh, Chen Sanshi took her swollen hand and led her into the back room. "The food—I bought it with money from selling my books, not from Qin Xiong."
When she saw the empty writing desk and the bow hanging on the wall, Gu Xinlan froze. "Shi ge'er… you sold all your scholar's tools—for a bow?"
"That's right."
He explained patiently, "From now on, I'll follow in Father's footsteps—hunt and support the family. I can't just watch you work yourself to the bone, your hands raw and bleeding."
"Support the family…"
Gu Xinlan could hardly believe her ears.
Her eyes widened, stunned that those words had come from him.
Then she realized her scarred hand was still being held. Feeling self-conscious, she tried to pull away—but instead, he pulled her into his arms.
"Don't worry."
Chen Sanshi's tone was steady, knowing well how fragile her sense of security was. "Father said it himself—you were meant to be my wife. How could I ever give away my wife?"
The sudden embrace startled Gu Xinlan. She looked up, trembling slightly as she met his eyes. "Shi ge'er… you don't… look down on me for being of low birth?"
"Of course not."
Chen Sanshi's voice was firm. "I barely have time to like you enough as it is."
"Shi ge'er… you're all I have left in this world. Please don't lie to me."
Gu Xinlan stopped resisting. After a few hesitant moments, she laid her face gently against his chest, feeling a warmth she hadn't felt in years.
"Lan jie'er."
"What is it?"
"My body's a bit sore today. Let's lie down—you can give me a massage?"
"Alright."
…
"Ah—Shi ge'er, this doesn't feel like a massage!"
"I'm just… adjusting your posture."
"Mm… mm~"