He wasn't entirely sure what use the three fireworks produced by his Spray Transformation served.
But just by their appearance, they were already quite impressive.
And most importantly, this was Chen Nuo's second successful Spray Transformation since his awakening!
His first success had been producing an oyster mushroom, but he hadn't managed a single successful transformation in all the time since, leaving him quite frustrated.
Now, at last, the Spray Transformation had succeeded.
'This proves the ability is just a bit random, not that there's some other problem.'
With another glance at the ground, which still faintly reeked, Chen Nuo's brow twitched and he hurried away.
...
「The next day.」
It was back to work.
However, besides working, Chen Nuo would take either Chen Yong or Chen Li to Xiaochenxi after work, both at noon and in the afternoon.
Xiaochenxi was a stream of moderate size located between Chen Manor and Hu Family Village. It had a respectable fish population, and in the past, the two villages had often engaged in armed brawls along its banks.
Unfortunately, a monstrous fish had appeared this year and scared everyone away.
And now, Chen Nuo was here again.
Aside from observing the monstrous fish, he was there to survey the stream, hoping to determine the creature's territory and active hours so they could avoid it.
Of course, it would be even better if he could find the monster fish's weakness or was confident he could deal with it.
He vaguely remembered that when he was knocked out by a slap from its tail, the fish had seemed quite large.
Following his memory, Chen Nuo led the men to the spot where he had been knocked unconscious.
"Hey, Brother Nuo, this is the spot where I pulled you out," said Chen Yong.
Chen Nuo ignored him, frowning as he looked at the place.
He picked up a stone and tossed it in.
Ripples spread across the water.
There was no other response.
"Clan Leader, should we try using live bait to draw it out?" Chen Li asked cautiously.
?
'You think I don't know that?'
'Am I trying to draw it out right now?'
'I'm just trying to get a reaction!'
'Still, he has a point. To really test it, I'll have to use something live.'
"Forget it. We'll do it next time. We'll bring a chicken."
"Yes, Clan Leader."
The group headed back.
This continued for the next several days.
...
「On the other side of Xiaochenxi, in Hu Family Village's territory.」
Most of the Hu Family had also finished bringing in their harvest.
Which meant certain plans could be set in motion.
Scar stood at the front. "Listen up, everyone! This time is different from before. Before, it was brawls. This time, we're raiding for grain."
"So, cover your faces. Also, we're launching a surprise attack from Xiaochenxi."
This was a raid for grain and valuables, not a brawl, so they wouldn't be arranging a fight at some designated spot.
Instead, they had to launch a surprise attack. It had to be fast, ruthless, and utterly unexpected.
That was why Scar's father had chosen this method.
After all, back when they'd tricked and killed Clan Leader Chen, it was his father who had arranged the traps, and the result had been a resounding success.
Therefore, Scar felt his father's plan was bound to work.
The others, however, were not so convinced.
After all...
"Huh? That stream?"
"Isn't that where the monstrous fish is? They say it eats people!"
"My maternal uncle's third sister's second aunt's husband's second-oldest brother's wife's youngest daughter drowned in there..."
"..."
Their fear was palpable.
Scar's expression darkened.
"Do you want to eat your fill or not? Do you want to get through the year? Or do you all want to starve to death after paying your taxes?"
At the same time, members of Scar's own branch of the clan began to speak up from within the crowd. "Let's do it! I'm not about to starve to death!"
"Let's earn some grain for our families!"
"All right! We're just fighting those sons of bitches from Chen Manor anyway!"
"..."
In an instant, the crowd was stirred up.
Scar nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. We'll advance through Xiaochenxi. They'll never imagine we'd dare to take this path. Once we're across, we'll pick up the pace and charge straight for their manor. They won't be able to gather their men in time."
"We grab everything we can, then leave quickly."
"Don't be afraid to kill people. If I find anyone cowering, they won't get any grain when we get back!"
Scar's reasoning wasn't wrong.
After all, in his view, they had the advantage in terms of raw power. Add to that the element of surprise—on what grounds could they not succeed?
The Hu Family men around him had no objections. They truly felt they had a psychological edge over the people of Chen Manor now.
Even their Clan Leader had died at the hands of Hu Family Village, so what was there to fear or be cautious about?
"Oh, right. If you see a big, tall guy with a dumb look on his face, don't provoke him. Have a dozen or so men jump him at once, understand?"
Scar said, as if he had just remembered something.
A few men in the crowd seemed to recall something as well, nodding repeatedly.
Seeing that everyone understood, Scar nodded.
"Go, move out!"
Carrying hoes, shovels, kitchen knives, wooden clubs, and the like, the group of men covered their faces with torn pieces of cloth and set off toward Xiaochenxi.
Behind them, back in Hu Family Village, the women who remained watched them go. Some faces showed worry, some held looks of anticipation, and others simply continued their work with blank expressions.
Many children also darted around the village, playing.
...
"Brother Nuo, it's been several days now. Have you figured it out yet? We've already lost a few chickens and rabbits to it."
Chen Yong's mouth watered as he stared at the pheasant in Chen Li's hands.
"Be patient. I'm determining its territory."
Suddenly, Chen Nuo snatched the chicken from Chen Li's hands and hurled it in a certain direction.
With his current strength, the pheasant sailed through the air and plunged into the water.
And then.
BOOM!!
Water erupted with an explosive CRACK.
A broad-headed fish, as large as a person, shot out of the water and leaped past.
Unfortunately, it was too fast for Chen Nuo to get a clear look at the fish's features.
"The force of that fish's charge would be more than enough to kill a man."
Chen Li couldn't help but glance at Chen Nuo.
'He'd heard the Clan Leader had been attacked by the monstrous fish before. How on earth did he survive?'
"Let's go. I've roughly determined its territory and active hours. Now we can try doing some fishing," said Chen Nuo.
Chen Li and Chen Yong looked at each other, bewildered.
'This must be what it means to be a scholar,' they thought. 'So clever.'
With that, the group started back, following the path along Xiaochenxi.
As they walked, Chen Li suddenly stopped.
He stared at the far bank of the stream and frowned.
"What is it?"
"Clan Leader, something's not right. There's always a troop of monkeys in those trees across the stream, but I don't see any of them today."
"Wait, Clan Leader, there might be people on the other bank. That movement... it's not a monkey. It looks human."
As a Hunter, Chen Li had excellent eyesight.
Chen Nuo hurriedly looked over.
He could just make out two upright figures emerging from the small patch of woods...
They were some distance away, and the Skin and Flesh Realm didn't involve any enhancement of the five senses, so Chen Nuo couldn't see clearly either.
'Xiaochenxi already had a fearsome reputation, so people rarely came here. Besides, their numbers seemed to be growing...'
'No good. It doesn't matter if they're people, who they are, or whether they're hostile. You can never be too careful. When you encounter a situation you can't control, the right move is always to hide first.'
Chen Nuo made his decision in an instant.
"Get down! Behind the trees!"