Chapter 60

Ning Yue, in order to find the best materials for making bows and to practice martial arts, often returned to Huo Family Village only after several days. At first, Old Huo was somewhat worried about him, but as Ning Yue went out more frequently, Old Huo had no choice but to accept it, though he always gave a few words of advice each time.

One day, Ning Yue returned to Huo Family Village. As soon as he stepped through the village gate, he saw Huo Dongge waving his arms and running over, shouting, "Little Seven, you're finally back! Uncle Funiu brought back a piece of wood, said it's perfect for making a bow. Go take a look quickly."

Ning Yue immediately became interested and followed Huo Dongge to Huo Funiu's house. The people in Huo Family Village were all familiar with each other, so there was no need for formalities. Huo Dongge directly led Ning Yue to Huo Funiu's home.

Huo Funiu was instructing his son in martial arts. Seeing Ning Yue, he couldn't help but smile and said, "I knew you would come back, Little Seven. This time, I led the hunting group and found an excellent piece of wood, which I cut and brought back for you. Take a look, is it suitable?"

Ning Yue had already seen the piece of wood in the courtyard, which was as thick as a man's arms. The wood was slightly red, with the bark already stripped off, leaving only the trunk.

Ning Yue picked up the piece of wood with one hand. The weight of the wood exceeded his expectations, being three to four times heavier than ordinary wood. He casually slapped it, and the wood swayed, showing excellent elasticity and strength, even better than the best bow-making wood he had ever known.

Ning Yue laughed and said, "Thanks to Uncle Funiu, this piece of wood is just what I need."

Huo Yingfeng, still somewhat不服气 (unconvinced) about Ning Yue, couldn't help but call out, "This piece of wood was carried back by my father from hundreds of miles away. You can't just take it for free."

Huo Funiu's face darkened, and he scolded his son, "How many benefits has Little Seven brought to our Huo Family Village? How much is a piece of wood worth? You still have the nerve to say such things? Apologize to Little Seven quickly!"

Huo Yingfeng was very afraid of his father. Normally, a single shout from Huo Funiu would scare him, but this time, he gritted his teeth and said, "We haven't received any benefits from him for free either. We've been hosting him for so long. I'm not greedy; I just want to get a finished bow for my father. When you go hunting, I worry about my father. With this bow, he won't have to fight those fierce beasts; he can just shoot them from a distance."

Huo Funiu was about to scold his son again, but hearing these words, he couldn't help but scratch his head and said to Ning Yue, "Yingfeng is quite ignorant, Little Seven, don't take it to heart!"

This rough and tough man, the best in Huo Family Village, couldn't help but pat his son's head and said, "You actually know filial piety now? That's quite rare. I won't beat you this time. Go apologize to Little Seven, and I'll let him forgive you."

Ning Yue chuckled and said, "Uncle Funiu, there's no need to be so serious. This piece of wood is enough to make five or six strong bows. Giving you one is no big deal. Brother Yingfeng's filial piety is commendable, and I can't refuse to help."

Ning Yue's bow-making skills had already won the trust of the people in Huo Family Village. Hearing Ning Yue's words, Huo Funiu was overjoyed. Being a straightforward person, he didn't think of refusing, but he felt it was inappropriate to take Ning Yue's bow for free. He walked around the courtyard, then suddenly slapped his head and said, "Since that's the case, I'll trade you something for a bow. I can't let Little Seven lose out."

Huo Funiu took three steps into the house and came out a moment later with an object. The object was like a pellet, gleaming with a metallic luster in the sunlight. Huo Funiu handed it to Ning Yue and pointed to the pellet, saying, "I don't know what this thing is, but if you can use soul power, you can shape it into any form and use it as a weapon. However, it consumes a lot of soul power. I can barely transform it into a long sword, but it can only last for three breaths."

Ning Yue never expected Huo Funiu to bring out such an item. He wanted to refuse, but Huo Funiu said first, "My achievements in this life are limited. Yingfeng may not be stronger than me in the future. Although this thing is magical, we can't use it. You have extraordinary abilities and might become a great person in the future. You might be able to use its true potential, which is better than it being with me."

Ning Yue pondered for a moment and decided not to refuse, putting the pellet away. However, his curiosity about the pellet was far less than his curiosity about how Huo Funiu obtained it. He couldn't help but ask, "How did you get this thing, Uncle Funiu?"

Huo Funiu chuckled and said, "It was luck. Years ago, I chased a wild bull and accidentally got lost. I wandered in the mountains for a few days and found a valley by chance. There were nearly a thousand Moonlight Demon Wolves in that valley. I didn't dare enter the valley. While looking for a way out, I found this thing among a pile of bones in the forest."

Ning Yue thought for a moment and suddenly remembered some records in his sixth senior brother Xu Fengzi's diary, which seemed to match Huo Funiu's story. He couldn't help but marvel inwardly.

"Could that valley be related to the Heavenly Wolf Bone? Xu Fengzi didn't know where the Heavenly Wolf Bone appeared, but he speculated that it could be found during the Moonlight Heavenly Wolf Tide. Could it be that Uncle Funiu has such good luck to discover the key to this matter?"

Ning Yue had never taken the Heavenly Wolf Bone seriously, but now he became somewhat interested. He thanked Huo Funiu, carried the piece of wood, and returned to Old Huo's house.

Ning Yue's bow-making went smoothly. The piece of wood Huo Funiu gave him was enough to make twelve bow bodies. He spent over a month making eight strong bows, and the rest of the bow bodies were discarded.

He gave one of the eight strong bows to Huo Funiu, kept the best one for himself, and used some excuses to give the others to the people of Huo Family Village. After finishing this, he prepared some dry rations, bid farewell to Old Huo, and said he was going back to Bear Ear Village.

Although Old Huo was reluctant to let him go, he couldn't stop him. He gave Ning Yue over ten books from his collection, advising him to read more and be careful on the journey.

Ning Yue was a straightforward person. He took Bai Luoluo, packed his bag, and left without saying goodbye to the other people in Huo Family Village.

In no time, Ning Yue and Bai Luoluo had been away from Huo Family Village for three days. On the road, Ning Yue occasionally recalled the past few months in Huo Family Village and couldn't help but smile, feeling a sense of warmth. He followed the direction of the valley mentioned by Huo Funiu and the records in his sixth senior brother Xu Fengzi's diary. Along the way, he encountered wolf packs more than ten times.

Ning Yue used some tricks to incorporate these wolf packs into his own. With hundreds of Moonlight Demon Wolves at his disposal, his journey became much more convenient.