"What the—a system?"
Chen Lei was momentarily stunned.
Initially, even with a bow and arrows, he had little confidence in hunting success. After all, hunting was a skilled craft—if it were easy, everyone would feast on meat regularly. But now, with this panel augmenting his abilities, the situation had transformed entirely!
"What's wrong? Are the arrows faulty?" Old Man Xu waved a hand before the dazed youth's eyes.
Chen Lei snapped back to reality, quickly devising an excuse: "It's nothing. I was just thinking of my father."
"Ah, your father was a good man. What a pity!" Mentioning the original owner's father, Old Man Xu sighed mournfully.
Without another word, Chen Lei paid with copper coins, gathered his goods, and departed promptly.
With the bow slung across his back, he trekked intermittently until reaching the foothills of Tigerhead Mountain, over ten li away. This mountain was the nearest hunting ground to Poyang County, the lifeline for many local hunters.
Having recently recovered from a severe illness and exhausted from the long journey, Chen Lei gasped for breath, resting on a stone for quite some time before regaining his composure.
He examined the bow left by his father meticulously. In construction, it was a classic recurve bow: bamboo formed the core, willow wood served as the grip, hardwood reinforced the limbs, and ox tendon comprised the string. With a draw weight of around forty jin, it still fell within the category of a light bow.
As Chen Lei raised the bow, the panel reappeared in his mind:
[Skill: Archery (Uninitiated)]
[Progress: (20/100)]
[Effect: None]
With no one to disturb him, he finally calmed his mind to understand the system's function. Simply put, it was about grinding! As long as he diligently repeated an action, he would gain progress—and once the progress reached completion, a breakthrough was guaranteed.
"If I practice hard enough, could I become the finest archer in all of Poyang County?" Hope surged within Chen Lei as he recalled the techniques his father had taught him in childhood, slowly raising the bow.
"Is a forty-jin bow really this heavy?" He strained to draw it, gritting his teeth to achieve full tension, unable to fathom the strength of those legendary figures who could draw stone bows.
"Stand upright, apply force evenly, draw the bow methodically, nock the arrow calmly, push forward and pull back—form perfected when the bow is fully drawn."
Muttering the mantra inwardly, Chen Lei stood straight, drew the bowstring with three fingers, and aimed slightly downward at a tree trunk forty meters away. He released the arrow.
Swish—
The arrow veered off course, embedding itself in another tree...
Undaunted, Chen Lei immediately nocked another arrow and tried again. This time, it landed in the grass.
"Once more!"
After five attempts, he finally hit the trunk. Retrieving the arrow carefully, he repeated the process. Through trial and error, he deduced the pattern of progress: each focused shot increased his proficiency, regardless of whether it hit the mark, though successful strikes yielded greater gains.
After sixty shots, muscle cramps set in. His constitution was inherently weak, compounded by malnutrition—making it a feat to have shot so many times consecutively. Fortunately, each shot boosted his proficiency, and his accuracy improved steadily; within twenty paces, he rarely missed.
[Skill: Archery (Uninitiated)]
[Progress: (70/100)]
[Effect: None]
Though nearing initiation, Chen Lei had little strength left. After a brief rest, he wandered through the woods, hoping to scavenge some game with his remaining energy. Unfortunately, proximity to the town meant easily caught prey had long been depleted. By dusk, he spotted a few wild pigeons but lacked the range to hit them.
"Even in my past life, I often returned empty-handed from fishing. Now, hunting yields nothing either?"
Yet, it wasn't a complete loss. Before descending, he discovered a patch of shepherd's purse, hastily digging it up with his hands and tucking it into his robe.
On his way home, he visited the market and learned grain prices had soared again. Due to successive crop failures, rice in Poyang County had skyrocketed to a hundred wen per dou, while meat was absurdly expensive—seventeen wen for a jin of pork. Add to that the costs of oil, salt, condiments, cloth, firewood, charcoal, candles, and relentless taxes... Chen Lei shuddered to imagine how many commoners would survive the winter.
Anticipating further price hikes, he spent his remaining coins on rice, coarse grain flour, and several salted duck eggs.
"One dou of rice and half a dou of flour might last two people three to five days. Switching entirely to millet and bran could stretch further." But Chen Lei had no choice. As a future hunter, he could no longer subsist on nutrient-deficient bran—he needed sustained stamina to evade dangers in the mountains.
Ravenous, he quickened his pace homeward, eager to cook a meal.
"Well, if it isn't Little Stone!"
Just as he approached his doorstep, a voice called from behind. Chen Lei turned to face a burly, rugged man.
Qi Xiong—the notorious local tyrant, leader of a band of ruffians who profited from usury and trafficking women, ruining countless impoverished families in the town.
"Well, well—a bow and arrows?" Qi Xiong eyed the equipment with mock surprise. "So the 'scholar' plans to take up hunting now?"
"Necessity drives me," Chen Lei replied, stepping back cautiously. "What brings you here, Brother Qi?"
Qi Xiong smirked. "That matter we discussed earlier—have you thought it over?"
That matter?Chen Lei's heart sank, recalling unpleasant memories. Six months prior, after his father's death, the original owner had considered selling Qinglian for money. But now, Chen Lei would never entertain such an idea.
"Brother Qi," he refused firmly, "I've decided against accepting your offer."
Qi Xiong's face darkened instantly. "Are you certain?"
"Quite certain." Clutching the grain tightly, Chen Lei circumvented him and headed home, anxiety gnawing at him. Qi Xiong was not one to take rejection lightly—this was far from over.
Misfortune never comes alone.With sustenance uncertain and a bully now watching him, Chen Lei touched the arrow bag at his waist. A bow and five arrows—his sole reliance in these turbulent times. He wondered what changes the panel would bring once his skill initiated.
"First, fill my stomach—then practice archery with renewed vigor!"
Pushing the door open, he found Qinglian not yet returned. She spent her mornings at the tailor's shop and afternoons laundering clothes for wealthy households—a relentless cycle of labor.
He took the initiative to chop wood, light the fire, and prepare the meal: gleaming white rice paired with salted duck eggs and a simple boiled wild herb soup. For many families, this was already a modest feast.
When Qinglian returned, exhausted, she stared in astonishment at the steaming meal. "Brother Lei, where did the rice and duck eggs come from?"
"Eat," Chen Lei urged, sitting down and devouring the food ravenously.
After several mouthfuls, he noticed Qinglian hadn't touched her food. Tears welled in her eyes, trembling on her lashes as she whispered, "Can you... not sell me?"
"What?" Chen Lei was baffled.
"I heard you met with Qi Xiong today..." Her voice trembled. How else could they afford such luxuries?
Fumbling at her waist, she produced a patched coin purse, spilling a few copper coins as she pleaded, "I was wrong. I won't urge you to work anymore. Just study at home. I can earn enough to pay the taxes. Please, don't sell me."
Everyone knew Qi Xiong's reputation—those who fell into his hands ended up in brothels. Qinglian had stayed loyal all these years precisely because Chen Lei's father had saved her from such a fate. Must she now face it regardless?
"Qinglian, you've misunderstood." Realizing gossip had reached her, Chen Lei reassured her, "You're part of our family. How could I ever sell you?"
As a newcomer to this world, having someone like an elder sister was invaluable—he would never push her away.
When Qinglian remained silent, sobbing, he gently led her to the inner room. "The food came from selling my books, not Qi Xiong."
Seeing the empty desk and the bow on the wall, she stared in disbelief. "You sold the Four Treasures of the Study for a bow?"
"Yes," he explained patiently. "I'll follow my father's path—hunting to support us. I can't let you bear all the hardship alone."
"Support us..." Qinglian could scarcely believe his words.
As she tried to withdraw her red, chapped hands, he pulled her into an embrace. "Don't worry. Father always said you were meant to be my wife. How could I give you away?"
Startled yet warmed by his sudden affection, she looked up in disbelief. "You... don't despise my low status anymore?"
"Never," he affirmed. "I cherish you more than words can say."
"You're all I have left in this world. Don't deceive me."
She ceased resisting, resting her cheek against his chest, savoring the rare warmth.
"Qinglian."
"Yes?"
"My body aches today. Come to bed—give me a massage."
"Alright."
...
"Ah... Brother Lei, wasn't this meant to be a massage?"
"Let me massage you."
"Mmm... Mmm..."