Chapter 9: Another Chest

At night, by the woods beside the lower reaches of the Hou River, a bonfire burned.

“Jiang Tu said you want to learn the bow, Xiao Ge?” Wu Liusix, a knife slung at his waist and wearing a simple leather armor, sat beside Chu Danqing and asked.

“I’ve been thinking about it,” Chu Danqing said.

“Given your condition, even if you master it, it’ll take three to five years,” Wu Liusix said, unfastening a leather pouch from his waist: “Why not try this flying stone instead?”

“Easy to learn, and more than enough for self-defense.”

Chu Danqing took the pouch and opened it: inside were many smooth, polished stones, along with a wooden staff tied to a leather sling.

Though he didn’t fully understand the term “flying stone,” when he realized it meant a slingshot, it clicked.

“Hit someone in the head, and you’ll split their skull open without fail.”

“When skilled, aim for the eyes or nose—far deadlier.”

“I use it every day,” Wu Liusix said, offering Chu Danqing a substitute for the bow, then taking the pouch from him to demonstrate and explain.

Compared to the bow, the flying stone was vastly inferior in accuracy, range, and lethality.

Yet according to Wu Liusix, he’d mastered it in just eight or nine days.

Its ceiling was visible, its floor equally clear.

Perfect for Chu Danqing, who wanted quick results.

You can’t have both power and ease of mastery.

“What do you say, Xiao Ge? Use the flying stone?” Wu Liusix handed the pouch to Chu Danqing.

“Use it!” Chu Danqing took it without hesitation: “I’m not one to chase after lofty goals.”

As he spoke, he fastened the pouch to his waist, pulled out the slingshot, and began gathering stones from the ground to practice.

With Wu Liusix’s guidance, Chu Danqing progressed from merely swinging with brute force to gradually grasping the technique.

Until Wu Liusix suddenly drew his long knife, his expression grim as he stared toward the Hou River.

Without warning, a massive shadow slipped silently from the water onto shore.

Chu Danqing, absorbed in practice, hadn’t noticed—but Wu Liusix hadn’t forgotten why he was here tonight.

So while teaching Chu Danqing, he kept watch on the surroundings.

“Waa~”

A cry like a baby’s wail erupted in the night. Chu Danqing selected a suitable stone, secured it in the sling.

Following Wu Liusix’s instructions, he gripped the staff, adjusted his stance, and spun rapidly, using his waist and arm to fling the staff.

He estimated timing and range in his mind.

As the Bai Long Fish’s offspring entered the slingshot’s range, he hurled the stone—directly striking its skull.

The offspring shrieked in pain and surged forward.

Chu Danqing seized the opening to strike again—but due to his inexperience, the second shot missed.

Hitting a moving target wasn’t easy.

The Bai Long Fish’s offspring was now close.

Wu Liusix instantly slashed the rope trigger. Above them, an iron cage crashed down, enclosing both men.

The offspring, moving too fast to stop, slammed into the cage.

The heavy cage shifted backward about thirty centimeters.

Seizing the moment, Chu Danqing snatched up the broadsword beside him and swung it without hesitation at the offspring’s snout.

Wu Liusix moved faster—his long knife thrust toward the offspring’s eye.

This Bai Long Fish offspring was enormous—at least four meters long, with thick, tough hide.

Unless they struck vital spots, neither the long knife nor the broadsword could do more than scratch the surface.

As the largest offspring of the Bai Long Fish, its reflexes far surpassed the second and third offspring killed by Da Bao.

Its long, muscular neck whipped like a golden snake, using its head as a hammer—it dodged both their strikes and nearly overturned the cage.

Had Wu Liusix not previously reinforced the cage, they would have been dead.

Seeing the blows failed, the offspring slowly retreated, out of their attack range.

It circled the cage, observing—as if searching for an opening.

The Bai Long Fish’s cunning had already begun to show in this largest offspring.

Seeing this, Chu Danqing set down the broadsword, picked up the flying stone, and began attacking—treating it as practice.

His aim and power still needed improvement; his actions annoyed the offspring, which bared its teeth at him.

Its grown cunning kept it from acting recklessly.

After circling twice, the offspring prepared to charge the cage again—when a large hand suddenly shot out from the grass behind it.

It seized the offspring’s thick neck before it could react.

It tried to turn and strike, but before it could see who it was, another hand gripped its neck.

Both hands pulled with full force—snapping its neck clean at a hundred-eighty-degree angle.

The attacker was Da Bao, who had been hiding nearby as the main force.

The entire process was swift.

At the same time, in Chu Danqing’s vision, a chest appeared above the offspring’s corpse.

‘I didn’t kill it, yet I still get a chest?’ Chu Danqing was silently astonished.

Da Bao dropped the corpse, walked over, and lifted the cage for them. “Dead dead.”

“Da Bao, why wait until the bastard’s son circled twice before acting?” Chu Danqing didn’t rush to claim the chest.

“I thought it’d be easier to kill,” Da Bao replied simply—he did it because he felt it was better.

Chu Danqing was certain Da Bao possessed combat-related or instinct-based skills or talents.

His timing had precise, intuitive judgment.

After asking, the three returned to the offspring’s corpse. Chu Danqing quietly touched the chest and stored it in his inventory.

【You obtained: Chest (Common Tier)】

“With these three little devils gone, the Bai Long Fish—” Wu Liusix exclaimed excitedly.

But Chu Danqing noticed Da Bao’s gaze—he’d been staring at the river while Chu Danqing collected the chest.

“What is it, Da Bao?” Chu Danqing asked quickly; he knew Da Bao’s senses were sharp.

“The bastard’s coming. It’s watching us from the riverbed,” Da Bao muttered softly.

Instantly, Chu Danqing’s blood ran cold.

Before Chu Danqing could speak, a far larger shadow rose from the riverbed.

Under the moonlight, it exuded suffocating pressure as it slowly climbed ashore.

Its body was at least ten meters long, weighing no less than three tons—comparable to the largest crocodile of the Early Cretaceous, the Deinosuchus.

(End of Chapter)