Chapter 2: Archery Mastery! Never a Missed Shot!

Hum!

The bowstring twanged, emitting a vibrating air sound.

Qin Shuo's mind sank into the Taotie Cauldron, as if he had become the former owner of the ox horn great bow—his deceased hunter father.

A wondrous feeling welled up in his heart, like a veteran who had immersed himself in archery for years, relearning how to draw and nock; all the force techniques and aiming secrets were second nature, lacking only bodily proficiency.

Push the bow, inhale, aim, focus, release the string, exhale……

Qin Shuo did it all in one breath.

Cleary he was just drawing the bow, with no arrow in hand, yet he seemed to see an arrow fly out and hit the bullseye.

"Old Man Qin's archery is truly impressive; no wonder he had the confidence to let his son study, supporting two children on his own."

Qin Shuo continually adjusted his movements, making his body's exertion and breathing match the archery figure in his mind.

His bow-drawing speed grew ever faster, and the phantom longbow within the Taotie Cauldron grew ever dimmer.

【Current refinement progress: 98%】

……

【Current refinement progress: 99%】

……

【Current refinement progress: 100%】

Boom!

At the instant the refinement conditions were met, the phantom longbow within the Taotie Cauldron exploded with a boom.

In a daze, he seemed to see a silent, taciturn youth holding a longbow, practicing archery in the woods.

At first his exertion was clumsy, his aim terrible; he couldn't hit a target ten meters away.

But he did not give up, persisting in drawing the bow hundreds of times each day.

After years of effort, the youth finally mastered archery, becoming the village's famed divine archer, bagging plenty of valuable game.

Later, he married, moved from the village to the city, and had a son and a daughter……

He well knew the hardship and danger of hunting, so he resolved to let his son study, hoping he would one day achieve official rank……

When a black giant bear suddenly leapt out and lunged at him, he sensed death.

Yet he unhesitatingly shot the arrow in his hand.

……

Chaotic memories flashed through Qin Shuo's mind like a revolving lantern.

The final image froze.

The arrow pierced the black bear's heart, and its mountain-like body, carried by inertia, knocked the old man to the ground.

The old man landed on the back of his head, crimson blood flowing and soaking the ox horn great bow.

Whoosh!

Having watched Old Man Qin's life of toiling like an ox or horse, Qin Shuo felt somewhat complex.

If he had not transmigrated to this world, his life would not differ much from Old Man Qin's.

Studying, working, marrying, having children, dying……

Ordinary and unremarkable, yet he gave his all.

Fortunately, he has now inherited Old Man Qin's archery, and also possesses the Taotie Cauldron as a trump card; the future looks promising.

After digesting his emotions, Qin Shuo drew the bow again.

The difference was that this time he did not draw the bow empty-handed; he used a feathered arrow.

He leapt onto the courtyard wall, looked around, seeking a suitable target to test this newly acquired archery skill.

By then the bright moon hung high.

The pure moonlight spilled onto the ground; he could even clearly see the pebbles and pits in the alley.

Suddenly, a black shadow darted past above the alley entrance.

Whoosh!

The bowstring twanged, the arrow tore through the air.

Squeak!

That black shadow emitted a sharp squeak, yet it had already been pierced by the arrow and fell straight down toward the alley mouth.

"Success!"

Qin Shuo felt great joy, leapt down from the wall, and rushed quickly to where the bat had fallen.

"Brother!"

Confused, Qin Lan was startled and hurried out of the courtyard.

As she chased out the gate, she happened to see Qin Shuo walking back holding a bat pierced by an arrow, muttering:

"From home to the alley mouth is at least thirty meters!"

"When drawing the bow, I needn't think; shooting by feeling alone hits the mark……"

"This Old Man Qin's archery is indeed amazing; from now on hunting won't worry about coming up empty……"

……

"Brother……are you alright?"

Qin Lan's eyes showed worry.

This brother of mine, ever since he recovered from his serious illness, has become like a different person.

He not only stopped studying, but also began practicing archery and hunting.

This was one of the things he used to despise most.

They say all pursuits are base except studying, and hunting is a lowly trade—utterly not worth learning.

But now, the other party wishes they could sleep hugging their bow and arrows every day.

Upon waking each morning, they go to the courtyard to draw the bow and practice archery, working harder than when they used to study.

Now they also behave in this strange manner, muttering to themselves, foolishly grinning at a bat.

This makes her worry involuntarily: could her brother really have become addled from illness?

However, there is something worth celebrating.

After the illness cleared, the brother's attitude toward her improved considerably.

"I'm fine."

Qin Shuò immersed himself in the joy of mastering archery, utterly unaware of the change in Qin Lán's tone.

He held the arrow in his hand, examining it left and right, admiring his archery masterpiece, and exclaimed excitedly:

"A-Lán, starting tomorrow our family will have meat to eat!"

"Eat meat?"

Qin Lán froze for a moment, her gaze falling on the ferocious bat pierced through the heart by an arrow; a hint of struggle crossed her face, but her tone remained firm as she said:

"Brother, Father said bat meat must not be eaten."

"If you really want meat, I'll go tomorrow to ask the landlord for some wages and buy you some minced meat from Zhang the butcher."

"Eat bat meat? Who said I wanted to eat bat meat?"

Qin Shuò looked at the vicious-looking black bat in his hand and shivered violently.

This thing is riddled with viruses; even people from Fujian don't eat it—how could he possibly eat it?

"Then what did you just say about eating meat…"

Qin Lán looked puzzled, not understanding what Qin Shuò meant.

"Just wait until tomorrow and you'll find out."

Qin Shuò offered no explanation, tossed the bat outside the wall, wiped the blood off the arrow with a cloth, put the arrow away, and went back to his room to sleep.

That night he slept especially soundly.

In his dream, he dreamed he had hunted a large wild boar, skewered it on a stick, and roasted it over the fire.

Golden oil sputtered out, the aroma assailing his nostrils.

So hungry! I really want to eat!

Qin Shuò drooled, his stomach growling nonstop.

He couldn't resist the temptation and took a bite.

"Ouch!"

He bit down solidly.

The fragrant roasted pork instantly turned into his own right arm, causing him to grit his teeth in pain.

"Damn, it was just a dream!"

Qin Shuò grimaced in pain.

He was truly starving!

The next day.

Qin Shuò set out early with his bow and arrows on his back.

After last night's dream, he now craved meat even more, his stomach empty to the point of unbearable hunger.

Before leaving, he stopped by next door to greet Aunt Zhang,

and told Qin Lán that after she finished washing clothes she could stay at his place for a while, and he would come pick her up after his hunt.

Aunt Zhang is warm-hearted; besides, his father had helped her family a lot while he was alive, so she readily agreed.

Having settled his worries, Qin Shuò single-mindedly headed out of the city.

But as he had just arrived at the locust-tree square, he saw several tall, sturdy men standing under the old locust tree.

There were three of them, wearing brown short jackets, their thick arms bare, strong and powerful, with a fierce air.

Qin Shuò recognized these three as the notorious ruffian Qian Biao of the Locust Tree Lane area and his two lackeys.

This Qian Biao is a member of the West City's biggest gang, the Flying Bear Gang, specifically tasked with collecting 'settlement fees' in the Locust Tree Lane area.

They call it settlement money, but it's actually protection money.

Each month each household owes one tael of silver; if they don't pay, he brings people to harass them daily.

Most importantly, this ruffian has taken a liking to his sister Qin Lán; before he even tried to arrange a match through a matchmaker, but the previous incarnation sternly refused.

But this scoundrel refuses to give up, often loitering near their home.

When Old Qin was still alive, Qian Biao kept a low profile, merely glancing around the neighborhood and quickly dodging away whenever he saw Old Qin.

Now that Old Qin has passed, Qian Biao has become unscrupulous, beginning to frequently come to their door to harass them.

Especially during the days when Qin Shuò was seriously ill,

he would often hear someone pounding on the door in his half-awake state, while Qin Lán, like a frightened rabbit, kept tightly gripping his arm.

Later, when Qin Shuò's condition improved and he began practicing archery and hunting, this ruffian finally eased up a bit.

At least while Qin Shuò was at home, this scoundrel had never come to the door on his own initiative.

"Yo~ it's Shuò-ge'er! Out this early to hunt?"

Qian Biao took the initiative to greet him, his eyes teasing, his smile smug.

"Hn."

Qin Shuò replied with a cold face.

These three ruffians are tall and big; any one of them could easily lift him up.

So even if he harbored myriad anger in his heart, at this moment he did not reveal a trace.

After he walked away, one of the lackeys then said, puzzled:

"Brother Biao, this kid is skinny-armed and skinny-legged; at a glance he can't bear hardship, why are you wary of him?"

"Idiot, Brother Biao, is he wary of him?"

Another lackey spoke, his voice low and hoarse,

"Brother Biao is doing this to get closer to his future brother-in-law. You'd say that's right, Brother Biao?"

"Bullshit, do I need to get close to this kid?"

Qian Biao spat forcefully on the ground,

"The Sirius Gang is about to attack us; I heard their leader has a preference for male beauty, favoring handsome youths."

"This Qin Shuo is just like his sister, born with a fine appearance."

"What if, when the time comes, our Flying Bear Gang can't withstand it?"

"Hehe... this kid is none other than our stepping stone to join the Sirius Gang."

"Ah, I see, Brother Biao, you're quite scheming!"

"Brother Biao, your foresight is profound!"

The two lackeys hurriedly flattered him.