"You must be extra careful on the mountain this time."
"Don't worry."
Bai Yuan's injuries had all but healed.
As a strong young man—and one with a cheat system at that—he couldn't just lie around the house living off others.
He didn't run into Zhuang Zhao this time.
He heard Zhuang Zhao's father had already dragged him off to the Huwei Arts Hall.
'He's been an apprentice at the Martial Arts Hall for quite a few days now. He's probably lost a lot of weight.'
But it wouldn't be long before they met again.
...
It had started to snow again in Mentougou.
Large, feathery snowflakes drifted down, landing softly on the trees and on Bai Yuan's head.
The heavy snow made hunting much more difficult, but that was no problem for Bai Yuan. With his Proficient-level Tracking, no other Hunter in Baisha Town could compare.
Reinforcement Points +1
Reinforcement Points +1
Reinforcement Points +2
...
No matter how fierce the blizzard, prey couldn't escape his bamboo arrows, which flew as if they had eyes of their own.
That's right—he was back to using bamboo arrows.
His hardwood bow had been destroyed and tossed into the Celestial Pit, so he had no choice but to return to his old ways.
Fortunately, his bow-making skills were much better this time around.
'He hadn't added any points this time; it was all natural talent.'
Before long, Bai Yuan had more game than he could carry on his back.
His reinforcement points had reached 10.
Bai Yuan immediately spent all the points on the [Chop] skill for his Swordsman class.
[First year of practice with Chop: A chop is a downward diagonal slash to the right. You practiced this technique one hundred times a day and gained some insight.]
[Your swordsmanship has become more adept. The lethality of your Chop has greatly increased.]
...
[Fifth year of practicing the art of the blade: You can now sever a pine tree as thick as a bowl with a single strike. You have finally achieved a degree of mastery.]
[Name: Bai Yuan]
[Class: Hunter, Swordsman]
[Skills: Cleave (Proficient), Upward Slash (Proficient), Chop (Proficient), Tracking (Proficient), Archery (Proficient), Trapping (Beginner), Tiger Form and Crane Style (Uninitiated)]
[Reinforcement Points: 1]
Once the three initial Swordsman skills reached the Proficient level, the text for the Tiger Form and Crane Style Cultivation Technique was no longer grayed out.
Bai Yuan spent his last reinforcement point on Tiger Form and Crane Style.
[First year of cultivating Tiger Form and Crane Style: Though you failed to comprehend the Cultivation Technique, you have memorized its entire contents.]
"..."
'Clearly, this body's aptitude is just too poor. A full year spent trying to comprehend the Tiger Form and Crane Style, and yet I've gained nothing from it.'
Still, it wasn't a total loss. At least he no longer needed the silk scroll.
Lines of text appeared in his mind, as if he had recited the Tiger Form and Crane Style thousands of times. He remembered every single word so clearly that it was impossible to forget.
Bai Yuan wasn't worried. He knew this was only temporary.
'Being unable to learn the technique just meant I didn't have enough reinforcement points.'
'How could anyone fail to learn a technique, no matter how difficult, after a hundred years of practice?'
Bai Yuan would swear on his gamer's honor that it would work. He had tried it before—more than once.
The blizzard grew stronger, the wind so fierce it was hard to stay on one's feet.
Bai Yuan was already out of room to carry his game, so he decided to head back down the mountain.
He first stopped by the cave where he had stored his catch the other day.
Luckily, no other animals had discovered it.
The winter temperatures in Mentougou were extremely low, making it perfect for storing meat.
Bai Yuan stored half of his current haul in the cave, planning to take it into the city later to exchange for copper plates.
Once he scraped together another nine hundred copper plates, he would have enough for his tuition.
After stashing the game securely in the cave, he headed straight down the mountain.
...
"Ah Yuan's really come up in the world! A pheasant that big must be worth a pretty penny."
"He probably just got lucky and found it."
"I don't believe it either."
...
Bai Yuan walked into Baisha Town carrying a half-grown deer over his shoulder, with two rabbits and a pheasant hanging from his belt.
A sight like that naturally drew a lot of attention.
Though most onlookers wore envious expressions, they didn't believe Bai Yuan had caught it all himself.
Bai Yuan's previous reputation as a gluttonous layabout was so bad that even with the evidence right in front of them, people found it hard to believe.
"Ah Yuan, remember to come over for dinner tomorrow."
A sharp-looking woman called out to Bai Yuan.
This was the woman from the Chen Family who had introduced Xiao Qiaoniang to some needlework opportunities.
The Chen Family was considered one of the more prominent families in Baisha Town, and half the credit for that went to the woman before him, Mrs. Liu of the Chen Family.
The Chens had originally been an unremarkable family in town, and the family matriarch had even looked down on her third son's new wife.
But Mrs. Liu was bold and knew how to handle people, making her well-connected in both the town and the city.
Gradually, while the Chen Family was still the Chen Family, Mrs. Liu became the one who called the shots on matters big and small.
"Alright, Sister Chen, I'll definitely be there."
Bai Yuan replied with a smile.
Mrs. Liu was well-informed, and since his sister-in-law had just turned down work from her, there was no reason to refuse this gesture of goodwill. Besides, he also wanted to foster a closer relationship between their families.
Hearing Bai Yuan accept, Mrs. Liu of the Chen Family grinned from ear to ear.
She had always prided herself on her eye for talent and saw Bai Yuan as someone with great potential, which was why she had extended the invitation.
Under the envious gazes of the townspeople, Bai Yuan returned to his small wooden cabin.
Xiao Qiaoniang had already seen Bai Yuan returning, laden with game and drawing the attention of the whole town, and couldn't help but feel a swell of pride.
'He really is capable.'
Once they were inside the cabin, Xiao Qiaoniang asked curiously, "Why are you back so early today?"
In the past, Bai Yuan had avoided attracting attention by usually returning late at night.
"I've almost saved up enough for the tuition."
He figured that if he sold Zhao Si Hu's Deer Skin Boots and the game from the cave, he'd have about enough for the Martial Arts Hall's tuition fee.
The scent of cooking meat often wafted from the Bai Family home late at night; it would be hard to keep that a secret for much longer.
So he decided to go ahead and reveal some of his ability.
It would make life in Baisha Town easier for him and Xiao Qiaoniang.
After all, hadn't Mrs. Liu of the Chen Family, who had always given him the cold shoulder, just made a friendly overture?
"Oh, and tomorrow, take one of the rabbits when you visit Sister Chen's house."
"I understand."
Xiao Qiaoniang replied joyfully.
Mrs. Liu of the Chen Family had helped her find a fair bit of needlework, and she had long wanted to visit and express her gratitude, but her lack of funds had always held her back.
"Qiaoniang, I'm hungry."
...
Before long, the scent of meat was wafting from the Bai Family's home in broad daylight for the first time.
This drew looks of envy from the neighboring Zheng and Liu Families.
Bai Yuan made a point of taking a bowl of meat soup over to the Zheng Family.
Hunter Zheng had been willing to lend him grain when he was injured—a great kindness that had to be repaid.
When Hunter Zheng opened the door to a knock, he saw Bai Yuan standing there with a bowl of meat.
"Uncle Zheng, this is some fresh pheasant I caught today. It's delicious. Please, have some."
Hunter Zheng looked at the chicken in the bowl. He wanted to refuse, but then he thought of his family's situation...
"Ah Yuan... this is very thoughtful of you."
"I'll wash the bowl and bring it back to you tomorrow."
"Don't worry about it, Uncle Zheng. Just bring Aunt Zheng and Er Gouzi over for dinner sometime."
Bai Yuan waved his hand dismissively.
He was the kind of person who always kept a clear ledger of his debts, repaying every kindness and every grudge.