Chapter 48: Archery

"A month's time! I need to quickly advance to the Ninth or even Tenth Rank," Xu Feng muttered to himself. Ye Hu and Li Hexuan were like two mountains pressing down on him; without the strength to suppress them, he could be crushed at any moment.

The next day arrived in a blink. Xiao Lin did not forget his promise to Ye Si and sent ten family servants from the Xiao family to be at Ye Si's disposal. Of course, Xu Feng found an excuse to avoid Xiao Yilin and secretly headed to the pavilion.

Xu Feng knew Xiao Yilin's curiosity; if she found out, she would surely insist on going along. Xu Feng did not want Xiao Yilin to get involved in such a dangerous place. Given her personality, he feared she would not be able to handle it.

When Xu Feng secretly arrived at the pavilion, he found Ye Si already standing at the pavilion door. Her slender figure, with a pair of beautiful legs that exuded a gentle beauty, was very well-proportioned. Looking up, a segment of white, smooth neck was visible above her neckline, along with a beautiful head of hair, a sexy mouth, clear large eyes, and long, delicate eyebrows, all exuding a mature beauty, more charming than a young girl, radiating the allure of a mature woman. Her eyes searched the crowd, and when she saw Xu Feng walking over unhurriedly, she suddenly smiled, making the dozens of servants around her dazed with admiration.

"You're here!" Ye Si's tone carried a hint of excitement and joy.

Xu Feng, looking at the alluring Ye Si, originally wanted to tease her a bit, but with so many eyes watching, he held back. However, Xu Feng didn't realize that even this had already made countless servants widen their eyes. When had Ye Si ever been so excited and happy with other servants?

"Ye Si! Since everyone is here, let's set off!" Xu Feng looked at the sixty or seventy people, most of whom were from this small town, though there were a dozen or so from the Ye family.

Ye Si nodded at Xu Feng, her gaze involuntarily turning to the inside of the pavilion. Not seeing the annoying Ye Hu, she felt a bit strange. Wasn't he always the one who liked to monitor her?

"What's wrong?" Xu Feng asked, seeing Ye Si's puzzled expression.

"Nothing! Let's set off!" Ye Si, unable to figure it out, smiled at Xu Feng and led the large group to hunt the beast. For Ye Si, not having Ye Hu's constant interference was undoubtedly a happy thing.

Although Ye Si was not afraid of Ye Hu, she detested seeing him. However, because he was a confidant of her aunt, she couldn't deal with him!

Xu Feng and Ye Si walked side by side, the faint fragrance from Ye Si making Xu Feng a bit distracted. He glanced at her, seeing her tender, white neck, and following it down, he could see her smooth, white skin, which made him want to explore further.

"Don't look around!" Ye Si felt helpless with Xu Feng. This young man was always so bold, while others looked at her secretly, Xu Feng was like an experienced old hand, not avoiding her gaze at all, making Ye Si feel a bit overwhelmed.

Xu Feng shrugged, naturally pulling his gaze back and looking forward. This natural action made Ye Si a bit surprised again; the more she looked at Xu Feng, the more she found him to be a seasoned hand.

With Ye Si's company, although it took some time, Xu Feng did not find the journey tedious. When Ye Si led the large group to a river, she said to Xu Feng, "This is it! It's hiding in the deep pool of this river!"

"Here?" Xu Feng looked at the river, seeing a whirlpool on the left side, and nodded, "Then let everyone spread out, stand on high ground, and aim their bows at this spot."

Ye Si shook her head, "That won't work. The deep pool is very deep, and arrows won't penetrate it, causing no harm. We need to lure the black snake out first!"

"Who told you I want to shoot it now? Just aim at this spot. When it surfaces, shoot all at once. I don't believe we can't hurt it," Xu Feng said with a smile.

Ye Si shook her head, "That black snake is very cunning. How can it surface on its own? It's a problem to get it out of the deep pool, especially since it was severely injured by Uncle Ye and won't easily show itself!"

"Ye Si, do you have no way?" Xu Feng looked at Ye Si with narrowed eyes, smiling, "If Ye Si gives me a kiss, I'll tell you a way to make it surface."

"You have a way?" Ye Si looked at Xu Feng with surprise, her eyes sparkling!

Xu Feng shrugged, "It depends on whether Ye Si will kiss me."

Ye Si gave Xu Feng a glance, smiling seductively, "Hehe! I'll owe you one. When you make it surface, I'll reward you!"

Hearing Ye Si's flirtatious and tempting tone, Xu Feng understood her meaning, shrugging indifferently, "Owe it, then. I don't believe anyone can avoid paying me back!"

Ye Si didn't argue, but her beautiful smile told Xu Feng that she would be the first to try to avoid paying him back.

Xu Feng pursed his lips, thinking that even Lin Xi rarely avoided his serious demands, let alone Ye Si, who had yet to experience his methods.

"Xiao family servants, where are you!" Xu Feng suddenly shouted to the large group of servants.

"Xu Brother! We're here!" The ten servants quickly came forward. Xu Feng's authority in the Xiao family was already very high, and these servants were all eager to please him.

"Did you bring the things I asked for?" Xu Feng asked the servants.

"We brought them!" The ten servants answered, with a hint of respect.

Xu Feng nodded and said to the ten servants, "Do as I say. The other family servants, stand on high ground and aim their bows at this deep pool. Remember to coat the arrowheads with poison!"

The servants from other families were not as obedient as those from the Xiao family. They exchanged glances, standing loosely and not taking Xu Feng seriously.

Seeing this, Ye Si couldn't help but shout, "Everyone, do as Xu Feng says!"

With Ye Si's command, the servants quickly found their positions.

Xu Feng, seeing this, touched his nose, thinking, "Is the appeal of a handsome man really not as strong as a beautiful woman's? It must not be the reason; it's because the people here are men. If they were women, they would definitely listen to me, not Ye Si."

"Xu Feng! What do you plan to do?" Ye Si asked, seeing the servants spread out and draw their bows.

Xu Feng smiled, ignoring Ye Si, and said to the ten servants, "Start!"

As Xu Feng spoke, the servants opened bags and threw their contents into the deep pool.

"Quicklime?" Ye Si was surprised, looking at Xu Feng with delight. "Why didn't I think of it? Quicklime can completely destroy the water source. No black snake can survive in water contaminated by quicklime!"

Ye Si looked at Xu Feng with admiration, thinking how he always found solutions so quickly.

The quicklime entered the water, producing bubbles, and the surrounding water began to be contaminated, emitting a pungent smell.

Xu Feng, seeing the increasingly polluted water, thought, "In this world without environmental organizations, I would definitely be severely punished."

Quicklime was once their secret weapon, and Xu Feng had won many battles with it. He had long been in awe of its effectiveness, considering it the ultimate weapon. Now, to deal with the black snake, Xu Feng naturally thought of his invincible weapon.

Bag after bag of quicklime was thrown into the deep pool, quickly turning the area white, and the wind carried the pungent smell. Xu Feng, seeing this, thought, "Even if the beast is strong, it can't stay in such contaminated water for long."

Ye Si, holding her breath, watched the deep pool, waiting for the beast to surface. However, after a while, it still didn't appear.

Xu Feng, seeing this, said to the ten Xiao family servants, "Throw the rest in!"

"Yes!" As Xu Feng spoke, the remaining quicklime was thrown into the deep pool, producing more bubbles, and the water was completely turned white.

"Everyone, be ready. When it surfaces, don't hesitate; shoot immediately. You ten, take your bows and arrows and get ready," Xu Feng shouted to the ten Xiao family servants.

After saying this, Xu Feng quickly pulled Ye Si back, holding her hand, which was soft and smooth, stirring his heart.

Ye Si, being pulled by Xu Feng, stood at a distance from the riverbank. She tried to pull her hand away but couldn't, so she just glared at Xu Feng and stopped struggling, focusing on the deep pool.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for the black snake to surface. After a long wait, with no sign of the snake, Xu Feng frowned and said to Ye Si, "Are you sure it's here?"

Ye Si thought for a moment and nodded, "I sent people to guard this place and found no signs of it leaving. Given the size of the black snake, if it left, there would be obvious signs! And it's severely injured, so it won't move around."

Xu Feng patted his forehead, thinking, "If it's still here, how can it resist my quicklime weapon? This is a challenge to my weapon!"

Just as Xu Feng was about to think of another plan, the deep