Soon after, a faint warmth flowed through his body.
With a crack, the wooden bow in his hand snapped clean in two.
Just then, a limping figure came walking over.
"Hmph. Young people, always thinking too highly of themselves. If learning archery was so simple, there wouldn't be just a handful in the whole village who could do it!"
He glanced at the broken bow on the ground, a hint of smugness in his eyes.
"Without me teaching you by hand, and without the right bow and arrows to practice with, you want to learn archery? That'll take you till hell freezes over!"
He stood there, hands clasped behind his back, looking like he was waiting for Chang'sheng to beg him.
But Lu Chang'sheng just ignored him.
"Foolish, really! If you'd be willing to support me, I'd teach you archery. In a few years, your strength would improve, then you could go to Black Mountain Prefecture, and if you're lucky, you could scrape out a living! Why go courting death here?"
But Lu Chang'sheng remembered now, this old man once roamed Black Mountain Prefecture.
"Old man, and if I don't go, with what am I supposed to support you?"
There was a flicker of awkwardness on Zhang Village's face.
For now, they still had a bit of grain saved up at home, but give it a month or two like this, and Lu Chang'sheng'd barely be able to feed himself.
"Heh. A bunch of idiots! Idiots! You think making a living at Black Mountain Prefecture's so easy? You kids don't know anything, thinking with your tiny bodies you can survive out there?"
Zhang Village said no more, just sneered and left.
"Since you gave me a few meals of dried fish, I'll give you one piece of advice: Black Mountain Prefecture is rich, sure, but the classes there are strict as hell! It's hard to earn money, easy to get sick, once you're there, you're just waiting to die!"
With that, he stormed off angrily.
Once he was out of Chang'sheng's sight, he slowed down, waited a bit, but seeing the boy didn't follow, he started cursing up a storm.
"Idiots! A whole pack of idiots!" Then grumbling under his breath, "All these parents, their hearts must be made of iron, sending kids this age off to Black Mountain Prefecture, just to save on food! Like they really care about your future."
"Reading? Heh—"
While at Black Mountain Prefecture, he'd seen plenty of scholars, shivering through the night on the streets.
Come morning, frozen stiff as planks—hell, even stray dogs didn't want to take a bite.
······
"Archery: (Form)"
"Entry requirement: 0.2 years (achieved)"
"Minor Achievement: 1 year needed"
"Great Success: 3 years needed"
And checking Root Bone—
"Name: Lu Chang'sheng"
"Age: 10/55"
"Root Bone: 2/10 [Genius (can swap with: Reading)]"
Swapped out 'Slacking Off' instead.
"Root Bone: 2/10 [Genius (can swap with: Slacking Off)]"
"Still genius-level at reading, but slacking off just leveled up!"
"So, this Root Bone progress bar, it's not just about any skill—it's fixed to a certain type of skill!"
Maybe, this path was where he could finally break past his limits.
"Everything, once I reach Black Mountain Prefecture… maybe I'll find my answer."
Lu Chang'sheng had his suspicions, but couldn't be sure.
······
Days slipped by fast.
The weather began to turn chilly.
Lu Chang'sheng sat by the door, holding little Heitu in his arms.
"With a body like this, I can barely even handle the cold!"
He eyed the brazier not far off, wanting to light it for warmth, but held himself back.
After autumn, it wasn't easy to find firewood in the hills anymore, and this wasn't even the coldest yet—using up the fuel would be wasteful for the family right now.
"Let's try on this coat then."
Mrs. Lu walked over and wrapped him in a new cotton jacket.
Once it was on, most of the chill faded away.
"Thank you, Mother."
Mrs. Lu managed a faint smile, though her eyes brimmed with worry.
She sat beside Lu Chang'sheng, chattering on.
"Black Mountain Prefecture's far, and there's no one there to count on. If you can't hold on, just come home."
She paused for a long time.
Last night, she'd actually quarreled with Mr. Lu—a rare thing.
It got so loud, little Heitu woke up, and he's normally a heavy sleeper.
Lu Chang'sheng was up too; he heard his mother's shout.
"I'll go to Black Mountain Prefecture!"
Her words kept Lu Chang'sheng up for the rest of the night, unable to sleep.
At home, Mrs. Lu was always treated like Mr. Lu's shadow; he called the shots, and she followed. But this time, she didn't back down.
But both Lu Chang'sheng and Mr. Lu knew: if it was Lu Chang'sheng heading to Black Mountain Prefecture, there was a chance he'd make it. If Mrs. Lu went, they'd probably never see her again.
"Don't worry, Mother. I'm really smart, you know!"
Lu Chang'sheng grinned.
Little Heitu looked up, gripping his hand tight, eyes shining with tears.
Soon enough, Mr. Lu came over. Seeing Mrs. Lu there, he sat down beside them in silence.
Mrs. Lu knew the head of the house didn't want her to hear what came next, so she wiped her eyes and went out.
"The road to Black Mountain Prefecture is long, and it's not likely to be peaceful. Once you get there, keep your wits about you!"
He paused a moment, then went on, "Normally, you'd be better off waiting until after the new year. But this might be your chance. If you can pick up some reading and writing from the teacher, finding work later will be easier."
Lu Chang'sheng agreed to everything without protest.
Mr. Lu went back inside.
Lu Chang'sheng looked up just in time to see his big brother, Lu Haozi, chasing after Mr. Lu into the house.
Soon, the sound of arguing came from inside.
Lu Haozi wanted to take Chang'sheng's place and go to Black Mountain Prefecture himself.
But right now, he was the main source of labor at home. The drought was only just starting, so there were still some crops that could survive the dryness.
If he left, they'd lose too much help in the fields; things would just get worse.
Most importantly, Mr. Lu believed that Lu Chang'sheng was simply more suited for Black Mountain Prefecture than his elder brother, Haozi.
Especially after what he'd seen from Lu Chang'sheng lately.
For once, Lu Chang'sheng didn't practice archery all day, but stayed with his family instead.
"Brother, will you ever come back and visit me and Heitu again?" Little Heitu curled up in his arms, whispering.
"Of course I'll come back! Won't be long, once I've made money, I'll be home again. I'll bring you lots of good things!"
Lu Chang'sheng spoke softly.
"Yay! But you can't work too hard, brother, you have to take care of yourself!"
A tightness seized Lu Chang'sheng's heart. He hugged little Heitu closer, not wanting to let go.
"Don't worry. This time, I'm sure I'll make it."
He spoke gently, voice steady as a rock.
In his last life, he'd lost both parents early and never got to repay their kindness. Now, fate had given him a new family, a happy home—what was there left to complain about?
······
The next morning, just as Lu Chang'sheng got dressed, he saw a figure standing in the courtyard as if rooted there.
Mr. Lu, dark circles under his eyes, shot him a glance.
Once Chang'sheng finished packing and went outside, he saw Mrs. Lu, Lu Haozi, and little Heitu rush out as well.
But Mr. Lu held them back at the gate.
The way ahead was uncertain—if he made it, there'd be joy. If not, any more farewells would just add to the heartache.
Shouldering his pack, Lu Chang'sheng stood outside the yard, took one last look, then walked away without looking back.
······