"Well now, Su Mu. A few days ago I thought you were just lucky, but I never expected you to bag a deer this big today."
The Hunting Gang's Steward, Sun Dazhao, clicked his tongue in amazement. "At this rate, you'll be bringing back a wild boar next," he said.
"Master Sun, you flatter me."
Su Mu said shyly, "Wild boars can only be taken down by the very best Hunters. I'm still a long way off."
"How old are you even?"
Sun Dazhao chuckled. "The way I see it, sooner or later you'll become the best Hunter in Wuling City.
No, wait. Even now, there aren't many Hunters in Wuling City better than you."
He wasn't jealous in the slightest. The more game Su Mu brought in, the more he earned.
He was actually hoping Su Mu would bring in even more.
Sun Dazhao's style was different from Zhang Chong of the Chai Bang. Although both of them exploited their men, Sun Dazhao was never stingy with his praise.
After all, a few nice words cost him nothing.
"I really didn't expect this. A month ago, you didn't even have a bow. I thought you taking up hunting was a flight of fancy.
To think that just one month later... I can't speak for all of Wuling City, but among all the Hunters in the South City District, you're definitely this!"
Sun Dazhao gave him a thumbs-up.
Plenty of Hunters left the city each day, but not many had a successful haul every time like Su Mu. What's more, Su Mu's take had been increasing these past few days.
Today, Su Mu had actually carried a deer back on his shoulders.
A deer this big would sell for at least seven or eight taels of silver. Sun Dazhao stood to make at least three or four taels from it. How could he not be happy?
Sun Dazhao had never seen Su Mu hunt with his own eyes, but judging by his game, Su Mu was definitely one of the top Hunters in the South City District.
"My father was also a Hunter. I learned to hunt from a young age, and now I'm just picking up the old skills again."
Su Mu said, making up an excuse.
"Ah, a family legacy! Good lad, I've got high hopes for you. Keep it up. The title of Wuling City's number one Hunter will be yours sooner or later."
Sun Dazhao gave Su Mu three taels of silver, patted him on the shoulder, and showered him with a basketful of free praise.
Su Mu calmly pocketed the silver, cupped his hands in a salute to Sun Dazhao, and headed home.
A sea of envious and jealous gazes followed Su Mu until he disappeared into an alley; only then did the onlookers retract their stares.
"Brother Sun."
Just as Su Mu left, a man arrived at the Hunting Gang's post and greeted Sun Dazhao.
"Liu Hai! You've come at the perfect time. I just took in a deer. Does your restaurant want it?"
"Yes, of course! We have some rich and powerful patrons who just love this kind of wild game."
Liu Hai said quickly. He had come over precisely because he'd seen the deer.
"Seeing as we go way back, I'll sell it to you for nine taels of silver,"
Sun Dazhao said.
Liu Hai readily agreed. A deer this large could be made into many dishes.
Those wealthy and influential patrons who loved this sort of thing didn't care about the money at all.
"Speaking of which, Liu Hai, you and this deer were brought together by fate. Do you know who caught it?"
After taking the silver, Sun Dazhao generously arranged for a few of his men to help Liu Hai deliver the deer to the restaurant. He then added casually, "It was that kid renting your house.
The kid's inherited skills aren't bad. He brings in game every single day. At this rate, I'm afraid it won't be long before he's built up a small fortune. Truly remarkable."
...
「Later that evening.」
At the Liu family's dinner table, the Liu Hai couple and Liu Hongyu chatted as they ate.
"That Su Mu who's renting our house—"
Liu Hai began.
"What about him?"
Mrs. Liu asked curiously.
"I never would have guessed. The young man looks so frail, but he's actually a skilled hunter."
Liu Hai clicked his tongue in amazement.
"Isn't he a Hunter by trade? Isn't it normal for him to know how to hunt?"
Liu Hongyu said, "So what if he's a good hunter? He's nothing compared to Brother Feng.
Brother Feng passed the South City Bureau's selection and is already wearing the Official's Uniform. His future isn't something a mere Hunter can compare to."
She wasn't intentionally trying to belittle Su Mu.
It was simply the truth as she saw it.
A Hunter and a constable—there was no comparison, whether in social status or future prospects.
"Of course he can't compare to Feng'Er."
Liu Hai was greatly comforted, his face wrinkling into a broad smile. "But it's still quite good. He bagged a deer today and got three taels of silver for it.
With skills like that, I'm afraid it won't take him more than a few years to settle down and buy property in Wuling City."
"But with something like hunting, there's no guarantee of a successful catch every time."
Mrs. Liu said, "It's not that easy to settle down and buy property in Wuling City. How much silver have we managed to save all these years? It's not even enough to buy a bigger house for Feng'Er."
"Auntie, you don't need to worry. Now that Brother Feng has become a constable, a house is a certainty, and so is a wife."
Liu Hongyu said reassuringly.
"Now that he has a post, it's time to find him a wife."
Mrs. Liu said with a smile, "And you too, Hongyu. I've already told Feng'Er to keep an eye out for a good match for you among the constables. We have to pick a good one, otherwise he wouldn't be worthy of our Hongyu."
Liu Hongyu blushed and lowered her head, looking demure and obedient.
...
'My Points are going up, but my silver is going down.'
In the dilapidated little courtyard, Su Mu hid the silver in a clay pot under his bed. The coins CLINKED crisply against the bottom of the pot.
He hadn't heard what Liu Feng's mother had said; otherwise, he would have certainly agreed with her.
Living in Wuling is no easy feat.
He hunted every day and his hauls were quite substantial; compared to an ordinary person, he was earning a lot.
Even so, his savings weren't increasing. In fact, they were steadily dwindling.
The main reason was that he was eating more!
Hunting was physically demanding, and Su Mu also had to practice his saber and archery. This consumed even more energy, so naturally, he had to eat more.
'No wonder everyone knows that practicing martial arts can lead to success, yet so few from poor families do it.'
'The poor pursue literature, the rich pursue martial arts. Never mind the tuition for martial arts schools, just the cost of food alone is enough to eat a person into poverty.'
Su Mu mused to himself, 'Thankfully, I can cultivate on my own and don't need to pay tuition.'
With a thought, Su Mu called up his panel.
[Name: Su Mu]
[Identity: Hunter (Commoner)]
[Points: 100]
[Martial Arts: Submerging Wave Saber Technique (Initiate/+), Archery (Initiate/+)]
In just over a month, he had diligently carried out his duties as a Hunter and finally saved up 100 Points.
A "+" had appeared next to both Submerging Wave Saber Technique and Archery.
'A man really can't afford to be complacent. If I hadn't made some achievements in my profession as a Hunter, it probably would have taken me another month or two to save up 100 Identity Points.'
Su Mu thought to himself.
After his archery reached the Initiate level, he could gain two Identity Points from a single day of hunting.
If he hadn't chosen to become a better Hunter back then, he'd still be slogging away, earning one point a day.
'Should I upgrade the saber technique, or the archery?'
Su Mu's analysis paralysis kicked in.
He remembered a saying from his past life: there's no such thing as being indecisive, only being poor...
If he had enough Identity Points, would there even be a choice? He'd just take both.
'My current archery skill is already outstanding among Hunters. What I lack is experience in tracking beasts and setting traps.'
'The ceiling for a Hunter isn't high. I'm already in the top tier of Hunters, so even if my archery improves, the benefit to my profession as a Hunter is limited.'
'Besides, I can't be a Hunter for my entire life.
And if I'm not going to be a Hunter, unless I choose to become an Archer, practicing the saber is more suitable.'
'Sabers are common weapons, and follow-up saber techniques are easier to obtain. In contrast, there are far fewer Martial Arts related to the bow and arrow.'
After considering all the factors, Su Mu made his choice.
With a single thought, Su Mu felt a new segment of memory abruptly appear in his mind.
It was as if he was suddenly recalling something he had experienced long ago.
Su Mu remembered: he had once stood on a beach, swinging his saber at the sea, day after day, year after year.
Finally, one day, he swung his saber, and even the seawater was split apart by his strike.
Then he walked into the ocean, practicing his saber in the water against the crashing waves.
An unknown number of years passed like this.
He had finally turned every move and stance of the Submerging Wave Saber Technique into a bodily instinct. The saber felt like an extension of his arm, and he could execute the technique without even thinking.
The Submerging Wave Saber Technique had finally reached the Minor Success Realm.