Chapter 13

After Luling left, Yang Ji, with his bow and arrow, practiced alone in the deep mountains.

*Whoosh!*

An arrow shot out and landed on the ground. Not far away, a startled wild badger fled in a panic, quickly disappearing into the dense forest.

Yang Ji chased for a while but had to give up.

"What a pity, still a bit off."

Yang Ji felt regretful. He walked over, pulled out the arrow from the ground, and his face showed a thoughtful expression:

"Although I've practiced archery for a long time and have some accuracy, wild badgers, rabbits, and such are living creatures. It's not easy to hit them."

Although Luling taught him the secrets of archery, he didn't teach him how to shoot at living targets. It seems he would have to rely on his own understanding.

"Just aiming and shooting isn't enough; I must also consider the movement of the target..."

Yang Ji had many thoughts and nodded to himself. He picked up his bow and continued deeper into the grass.

*Whoosh!*

Arrow after arrow, Yang Ji's hunting wasn't very successful. The arrows were quickly used up, making him feel a bit heartbroken. Each arrow was money.

However, through repeated failures, Yang Ji gradually found a feel for it. His shooting became more accurate, and once he even grazed a rabbit, leaving a blood trail on its body.

"I'm always a bit off. When I shoot, I need to aim a bit ahead and higher. Also, the rabbit's movement can be judged by the way its tail swings and its hind legs kick."

Yang Ji followed his own method, slowly accumulating experience.

Looking back at his quiver, only three arrows remained. Yang Ji took a deep breath, feeling some pressure.

He tried to recover each arrow as much as possible, but even so, he was left with only three arrows. If he missed again, this hunting trip would be a complete failure.

"Let's go, find the next target."

Yang Ji continued forward.

*Whish!*

Suddenly, the grass rustled. Half an arrow's distance away, a white shadow darted up the hill, heading for the summit.

*Buzz!*

Without thinking, Yang Ji, as if by reflex, drew his bow, pulled it to a full moon, and quickly aimed at the distant target.

"Aim a foot higher, to the left front."

Yang Ji's mind rapidly calculated the target's movement. Just before he released the arrow, he suddenly remembered Luling's words, and his hand paused.

"Hand and bow as one, eye and arrow as one, heart and spirit as one..."

Luling's words flashed through his mind, and Yang Ji suddenly felt enlightened:

"By using my heart to calculate the target's movement, isn't that what Luling meant by 'heart and spirit as one'? Using the eye to shoot will always have some deviation, but using the heart, how could there be any deviation?..."

In the distance, the white shadow had already reached the top of the hill, about to disappear from view. But Yang Ji felt an unexpected calm in his heart.

*Snap!*

His finger released, the bowstring vibrated, and a long arrow whistled through the air, piercing the summit. The white shadow immediately froze.

"I hit it!"

Yang Ji was overjoyed, a joy he had never felt before. Without hesitation, he rushed to the top of the hill, parted the grass, and saw a large, fat rabbit pinned to the ground, struggling.

—Yang Ji's arrow had hit the rabbit's neck dead center, and it hadn't died immediately.

"Success."

Yang Ji's eyes sparkled as he grabbed the fat white rabbit and lifted it out.

After so long in the mountains, so much practice, and so many arrows wasted, this was his first successful shot.

"This rabbit must weigh over two pounds. After skinning and boning, it will be enough for Liang Bo and me for several days. Drying the meat, we can make rabbit jerky, which will be a delicious treat for the winter."

Yang Ji's face was full of joy, and he felt every pore on his body relax.

This wasn't just a rabbit; for Yang Ji, it represented hope and a better future for him and Liang Bo.

"Teaching a man to fish is better than giving him a fish." Mastering the skill of hunting meant that he and Liang Bo would no longer be dependent on the clan.

"Let's surprise Liang Bo!"

Yang Ji didn't overdo it. He looked at the sky, put his bow and arrows on his back, and carried the fat rabbit down the mountain.

At the door of the woodshed, the old steward stood in the darkness, his face full of worry.

"Liang Bo, I'm back. Look at this."

Yang Ji raised the rabbit, his face beaming.

"Rabbit... a rabbit!"

The old steward was stunned. He only remembered Yang Ji saying he was going to the market to sell couplets, but he returned with a bow, arrows, and a large rabbit.

"Ha ha ha, Liang Bo, we won't have to worry about food anymore. I bought a bow and arrows, and from now on, we can hunt in the mountains for a living."

Yang Ji explained his hunting.

"Great, great..."

After the initial shock, the old steward reacted, his lips trembling, his face flushed, and his silver hair seemed to stand up:

"Master, you've really grown up. The old lady and the master would be very happy to know. Give me the rabbit... it's so fat. Master, wait here, I'll prepare it. Tonight, we'll have rabbit meat!"

The old steward's gloom lifted, and he walked away with the rabbit, his face full of joy.

A moment later, a wisp of smoke rose from the darkness.

The old steward prepared four bowls of rabbit meat, a rare treat for the two of them in the past year.

"Master, eat more, eat more... You have a lot to do, and you need strength."

The old steward was overjoyed, constantly adding food to Yang Ji's bowl.

Yang Ji felt a sudden pang of sadness. Once, he had lived a life of luxury, but now, for a mere piece of rabbit meat, he was so happy, as if it were a holiday.

"Liang Bo, one day, I will make sure you live a good life. And it won't be long."

Yang Ji thought to himself.

"Liang Bo, come, eat more."

Yang Ji said nothing, keeping these words deep in his heart.

...

The next day, Yang Ji entered the mountains to hunt as usual.

His insight was high, and he deeply pondered Luling's methods, making his archery more accurate.

...

*Swish!*

In the dense grass, a white rabbit darted like the wind, fleeing along the ground as if something was chasing it. Suddenly, the rabbit stiffened, as if it had hit an invisible wall, and froze in place.

In that moment—

"Hum! Ha!"

From the forest behind, a thunderous sound echoed, and a long arrow shot out, instantly piercing the frozen rabbit and pinning it to the ground.

*Swish!*

The grass parted, and Yang Ji, with a string of game on his back and his bow in hand, ran over.

"Strange..."

Yang Ji looked at the rabbit, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

According to his calculations, the arrow should have shot a few feet ahead, but for some reason, the rabbit suddenly stopped, with no warning.

If he hadn't grasped the essence of "heart and spirit as one," anyone else would have missed the shot.

"Maybe I'm overthinking it."

Yang Ji shook his head, laughing at his own suspicions, picked up the rabbit, and left.

In the following days, Yang Ji entered the deep mountains every day, practicing "Tiger-Leopard Thunder Sound" while hunting.

His hunting skills improved, and the game he brought back increased, no longer limited to small animals like rabbits, deer, and badgers, but also including larger animals like foxes, minks, and even wolves.

After cleaning the game, Yang Ji stored the pelts, planning to sell them at the market once he had enough.

As for the meat, he gave it to the old steward to dry and prepare for winter.

...

*Howl!*

A white fox suddenly howled, its limbs stretched out, and its body trembled, as a long arrow pierced its eye and exited through its jaw, pinning it to the ground.

This shot maximized the preservation of the pelt, showing a high level of archery skill.

"What's going on? Again here?"

From behind, Yang Ji came out of the forest, slowed his steps, and looked at the white fox on the ground, frowning in confusion.

In the past few days, he had encountered this situation several times. The game would flee in panic, but once they reached this area, they would suddenly stop, frozen in place.

One time could be a coincidence, but two or three times couldn't be explained so simply.

"Is there something strange here?"

Yang Ji frowned, looking ahead.

He had seen the white fox clearly; its trembling was a clear sign of extreme fear.

Yang Ji instinctively thought there might be a powerful beast ahead, but he quickly shook his head.

If there really was a powerful beast, it would have already attacked and eaten the rabbits and foxes. After all, beasts are not philanthropists.

"Let's go in and see."

Yang Ji couldn't suppress his curiosity, shouldered his bow, and carefully walked in.

After about fifty paces, he reached a cliff. The cliff wasn't high, and beyond it was a common depression in the mountains, with deep grass and a few bare rocks, nothing else.

"Strange, there's nothing here!"

Yang Ji stood on the cliff, his face full of surprise. From his position, he could see everything below the cliff, and there was nothing special.

If there really was a powerful beast, it couldn't hide in this depression.

"Let's go in and see."

Yang Ji, with no clue, found a low spot and slid down.

*Hiss!*

Suddenly, without warning, a sharp sound pierced his ears, making his hair stand on end, and he stumbled backward, almost hitting the cliff behind him.

"What is it?"

Yang Ji was shocked, feeling a sense of terror.

He wasn't a coward; even facing the clan elders, he hadn't been afraid. But in that moment, he felt an overwhelming sense of danger and fear, as if he would be attacked fatally at any moment.

However, the expected attack didn't come, and the surroundings were silent.

It felt like a moment, or like several centuries, but Yang Ji quickly calmed down and looked in the direction of the sound.

The area was empty, with only rustling grass and a large, exposed rock. There was no terrifying "beast" in sight.

But when Yang Ji's gaze swept over the base of the rock, he was suddenly shaken to his core, drawing a sharp breath.

*Hiss!*

"Crown King Snake..."

Yang Ji's mind was dazed, almost mumbling the name.

It was a small black snake, pressed under the rock, its head raised, staring at him fiercely. Seeing the crown-shaped lump on its forehead, Yang Ji immediately recognized it.

Crown King Snake!

The snake that Luling had pursued, nearly losing his life, the king of snakes, the emperor of all snakes!