To Bai Yuan's surprise, Xiao Qiaoniang gave a soft, obedient hum.
"Bai Yuan, this is a good thing."
She got out of bed and rummaged through a cabinet for a while before pulling out a small, bulging cloth pouch.
From its irregular, lumpy shape, Bai Yuan could tell it was filled with copper coins.
Xiao Qiaoniang took Bai Yuan's hand and placed the small pouch into his palm.
"When Father and Mother were still alive, they hoped you could go to a Martial Arts Hall in the city. I've been secretly saving this money all these years. Please, Bai Yuan, don't think it's too little."
She would never have offered it to the old Bai Yuan.
But ever since his illness, her brother-in-law had been like a different person, one who always made her feel at ease.
Xiao Qiaoniang's hands were a little rough from her needlework, but the warmth from her palm still made Bai Yuan's heart stir.
It couldn't have been more than a hundred copper plates, but it represented an immense effort on Xiao Qiaoniang's part.
"I will not betray your trust."
Bai Yuan didn't hesitate. He put the money pouch away.
Xiao Qiaoniang's cheeks flushed red, and she quickly pulled her hand back from his.
Bai Yuan watched his sister-in-law's bashful, blushing face, completely captivated.
They had been eating meat for the past few days, and Xiao Qiaoniang's once sallow skin was gradually becoming fair and radiant, making her even more captivating.
'Qiaoniang is even more beautiful now...'
Zhuang Zhao's words had not dissuaded Bai Yuan.
The next day, he set out for Mentougou at the crack of dawn.
It was thanks to his diligence that the Bai Family no longer had to worry about food or clothing.
After three days of sun, the melted snow had frozen over again, making the mountain path wet and slippery. The slightest misstep could lead to a fall.
Bai Yuan proceeded with great care.
The pack on his back bulged; inside was the hardwood bow he had gotten from Zhao Si Hu.
To keep it from being recognized by anyone with a sharp eye, he had purposefully padded it with a couple of extra garments.
With his greatly improved Tracking skill and the aid of the hardwood bow, Bai Yuan's hunting efficiency increased severalfold.
Enhancement Points +1
Enhancement Points +2
...
In less than half a day, Bai Yuan had so much game hanging from his belt that there was no more room. He was even carrying a wild deer half his height over his shoulder. It was a bountiful harvest.
'Allocate points!'
[In your fourth year of practicing the Tracking skill, you have a gradual epiphany, no longer bound by ancient texts.]
...
[You continue to train hard in Tracking. Your eyes are becoming ever more discerning.]
...
[In your sixth year of practicing Tracking, you finally achieve a breakthrough.]
[You practice archery diligently every day, lifting stones a hundred times. Your finger strength has greatly increased, allowing you to draw a Two-Stone Bow.]
[Name: Bai Yuan]
[Class: Hunter]
[Skills: Tracking (Proficient), Archery (Proficient), Trapping (Novice)]
[Enhancement Points: 0]
Tracking was easy to pick up, but advancing it was much harder. While Archery reached the Proficient level after only two and a half years of practice, Tracking had taken a full six years.
Few Hunters were willing to endure the hardship of learning Tracking. In Baisha Town, only one or two old-timers who had been hunting for ages had barely reached the Proficient level.
Proficient-level Tracking didn't feel much different, though his powers of observation had improved significantly.
But Bai Yuan, who was an expert at grinding games, knew that leveling Tracking to Master-class would bring unexpected rewards...
With his Tracking skill enhanced, Bai Yuan's ability to find prey grew even stronger.
He planned to hunt two more animals before heading down the mountain; he couldn't carry any more than that.
The mountain path was treacherous on a day of melting snow, and the farther Bai Yuan walked, the more uneasy he grew.
It wasn't because of the slick path, but because of the footprints of varying depths in the mud and snow.
'Eight people chasing one... They're all experts.'
Bai Yuan quickly analyzed the footprints on the ground, an ability he'd gained after his Tracking skill reached the Proficient level.
With an eye like his, he could easily get a job as an investigating Official at the Government Office, even if he gave up being a Hunter.
The footprints were chaotic, but they were all, without exception, extremely shallow.
To maintain such control while running at full speed... this was clearly beyond the abilities of ordinary mountain folk or Hunters. These people had to be Martial Artists!
At first, Bai Yuan had thought it was just a party of Hunters, but now he was certain.
'I have to get out of here, now.'
Bai Yuan made his decision instantly.
He was well aware of what Martial Artists were capable of. If not for the element of surprise, he never would have been able to kill Zhao Si Hu so easily.
And Zhao Si Hu was just a Martial Arts Hall apprentice who hadn't even reached the Skin Tempering stage.
If he ran into a true Martial Artist, his chances of survival would be slim.
He acted at once, hurrying away in the opposite direction the tracks were heading.
The sky grew dim as dusk approached.
The snow-covered forest before him grew hazy.
Bai Yuan glanced cautiously behind him. Only when he was sure no one was following did he let out a long sigh of relief.
Suddenly!
His expression tensed once more.
He had spotted a footprint not far away. It was extremely shallow.
It hadn't snowed in Mentougou for three days. This meant that whoever left the print had an excellent Body Technique. The print also looked fresh, which meant they were very close.
Just then—
WHOOSH!
A sound ripped through the air.
Thanks to his Proficient-level Tracking, Bai Yuan sensed the danger an instant beforehand and threw himself forward, barely dodging the projectile.
It was a pebble!
Bai Yuan saw it clearly: the object that had shot toward him like a bullet was just a small stone.
'Such incredible finger strength.'
A face peeked out from behind a pine tree ten meters away.
A thick beard, a scarred face...
It was clearly the man from the Iron Saber Gang's wanted poster!
'I'm really out of luck.'
Anyone targeted by the Iron Saber Gang was bound to be formidable.
Bai Yuan's keen eyes noticed specks of crimson on the snow where the bearded man stood. He was clearly injured, and not lightly.
Perhaps due to his injuries, the bearded man's second projectile was slower to come than expected.
Bai Yuan rolled forward.
The pack on his back fell and scattered as he snatched up the hardwood bow in one fluid motion.
He planted his feet.
He braced the bow with his left foot and drew the string with his right hand.
Bai Yuan unleashed more than double his usual strength.
The body of the bow groaned in protest.
Drawn like a full moon, aimed at the heavens!
In the instant before the bow shattered, the feathered arrow shot forth like a silver dragon, whistling straight for the pine tree.
The soft wood of the trunk was pierced as if it were tofu, and the arrow plunged through to the other side.
THUMP...
A soft sound.
Half of the bearded man's body slid out from behind the pine tree. He collapsed into the snow, his head pierced through by the arrow, his eyes wide like saucers.
Resentment, disbelief...
He had roamed the Jianghu for half his life, only to die at the hands of a lowly Hunter.
Enhancement Points +30
Bai Yuan calmly watched the bearded man. Only after he was certain the man was completely dead did he dare to approach.
He was much calmer this time, his second time killing a man.
A bloody hole had appeared on his left shoulder, and fresh blood was gushing out.
The bearded man's second projectile had hit him after all. Thankfully, it wasn't a vital spot.
Bai Yuan winced and sucked in a sharp breath. The intense pain from his left shoulder made him break out in a cold sweat.
He pulled out the clothes that had fallen into the snow and fashioned a simple bandage.
This battle had cost him dearly.
His hardwood bow had snapped clean in two and was now useless.
Fortunately, the 30 Enhancement Points he got from killing the 'mob' were more than enough to cover his losses.
This also went to show just how formidable the bearded man had been.
If the man hadn't been seriously injured and on the run, Bai Yuan would have had no chance of success.
Bai Yuan's eyes lit up as he looked at the bearded man's corpse.
'Looting bodies can be addictive...'