Chapter 3: Trying the Bow and Arrow

Lu Yu hurried over following the sound of that scream, only to see that the area in front of a dilapidated shack was already packed tight with a crowd, and noisy discussions kept erupting from within it.

"Why did Aunt Li lose hope and drink poison to end her life?"

"Sigh, her husband didn't make it back yesterday, and her child passed away a few years ago too. Left all alone, she probably felt there was nothing to look forward to in life, so she chose this path."

"Why go to such lengths?"

"True, living like this, never knowing if you'll have the next meal, perhaps death is a relief after all."

Once these words were spoken, most of the people fell into silence.

Indeed, compared to living such a difficult life, death seemed like a way to end it all once and for all, but to truly make up one's mind to die, how could it be easy?

"Make way, everyone, make way."

As the voice came, two sturdy adult men walked out carrying a simple wooden stretcher, upon which lay the pale, gaunt corpse of a woman.

Medicine stains still remained at the corners of the woman's mouth, and her appearance was truly miserable.

The moment Lu Yu saw it, his heart began to pound wildly, and he felt his scalp go numb.

Yet, the people around seemed long accustomed to this; even children under ten could stare straight at it without a change in expression.

Lu Guohao was the last to walk out of the shack, his expression filled with extreme guilt.

Because if Xiao Liang hadn't met with an accident yesterday, this woman might not have lost hope.

His voice was somewhat hoarse; he first pacified the crowd, then looked at several adult men in the group and said, "Everyone prepare yourselves. In half an hour, we head out to hunt."

The few men looked at each other and nodded silently. The departed are gone, and the living must continue to live.

"When did you arrive?" As the crowd gradually dispersed, Lu Guohao walked up to Lu Yu and asked.

"Not long ago." Lu Yu recalled the shocking corpse from just a moment ago, still feeling a lingering fear.

Lu Guohao nodded and turned to leave.

"Dad." Lu Yu suddenly called out to him, "Do we have any spare bows and arrows at home? I want to learn archery."

Lu Guohao turned around, his face full of surprise.

In his impression, this son had an introverted and cowardly personality; asking him to fight a Fierce Beast was practically asking for his life. What had happened today?

"I want to become stronger." Lu Yu's tone was firm, "I don't want to starve to death, and I don't want anything else to happen to the people around me."

A flash of gratification crossed Lu Guohao's eyes; although it was fleeting, Lu Yu still caught it.

"We have bows and arrows. Go to the Warehouse and find Wang Shu; tell him I sent you. There are several bows in the Warehouse, try picking the smallest one."

"Several bows?"

Lu Yu was taken aback. He had originally thought that iron bows in the Zhai were pitifully scarce, as only a few people in the Hunting Team were equipped with them. Now, hearing his father's words, it seemed the number of bows and arrows was not small?

Lu Guohao noticed his confusion and explained in a muffled voice, "Arrow Technique is not as easy to practice as you think; one could even say it is very difficult. If you practice well, you can kill a Fierce Beast with one arrow from dozens of meters away; if you don't, it's not even as useful as a short blade." Having said this, he turned and left.

A sense of unease welled up in Lu Yu's heart; he felt as if he had thought things were too simple.

But since the words were already out, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and give it a try.

The Warehouse was located in the northwest direction of the Zhai. The road was desolate and empty. Clearly, everyone was staying in their own homes to conserve energy.

When Lu Yu arrived, he was surprised to find several young people of similar age to him practicing spear techniques in the open space at the entrance of the Warehouse.

Calling it practicing spear techniques was actually just holding spears about two meters long and mechanically thrusting them forward over and over again.

Behind the young people stood a middle-aged man in tattered clothes.

He limped back and forth while correcting the young people's movements, shouting "Retract" and "Thrust" incessantly.

Lu Yu's heart stirred, thinking that this must be the Wang Shu his father mentioned. He took a deep breath and walked forward.

Before he could even get close, the limping man turned around sharply, his gaze like a torch, sizing him up from head to toe.

The few young people behind him also took the opportunity to stop their movements and looked at Lu Yu with curiosity.

"Wang Shu, my dad is..."

"I know who you are." A meaningful smile appeared at the corner of the limping man's mouth, "You are Lu Guohao's son. You ate poisonous fruit in the wild a few days ago and almost lost your life, right?"

Lu Yu smiled somewhat awkwardly.

"Are you here to practice the spear too?"

"I want to try the bow and arrow first," Lu Yu said.

The few young people exchanged smiles, seemingly conveying some unspoken tacit understanding.

"Another one."

The limping man raised the corner of his mouth and continued, "Follow me."

After speaking, he turned abruptly and roared at the young people, "Still slacking off? Sweat more now so you can bleed less later, understand?"

The young people were so frightened they shuddered and hurriedly continued practicing their spear techniques.

Lu Yu followed the limping man into the Warehouse and was stunned by the dazzling array of weapons before his eyes.

In the spacious area, all kinds of cold weapons—sabers, spears, swords, halberds, Shields, and iron axes—were packed full, and there were even a few rusty, primitive cannons.

The limping man noticed his gaze, the corner of his mouth curling slightly as he said, "Without gunpowder, these cannons are just a pile of scrap metal. There, those are the bows you want; pick one yourself."

Lu Yu looked to the left and saw several Long Bows hanging on the wall, increasing in size from left to right. The smallest one was only one meter long, while the largest was nearly two meters, almost as tall as a person.

He swallowed his saliva, looked at the limping man, and said honestly, "Wang Shu, how about I start with this one on the far left?"

"At least you have some self-awareness, kid."

The limping man chuckled, took down that bow, and pulled it with a bit of force. With a "Hum—" sound, the bowstring vibrated violently, leaving no doubt that if this were to snap against someone's face, it would absolutely tear skin and flesh.

"To pull this bow open, you need at least thirty jin of strength. Within twenty paces, killing a Low-level Fierce Beast is no problem. Give it a try." Having said this, he tossed the bow to Lu Yu.

Lu Yu hurriedly caught it, gripped the bow body with his left hand, took an arrow with his right, aimed at the target not far away, and slowly pulled the bowstring.

Instantly, he felt his arm become as heavy as if it were filled with lead. He used all his might to barely pull the bowstring to full draw, then suddenly released it.

"Snap!"

With a light sound, the arrow flew out. Lu Yu felt his whole body sway along with it, and his right arm was so sore he could barely lift it.

However, at this very moment, the attribute panel in Lu Yu's mind underwent a subtle change.

Skill: Basic Archery, LV0

"???"

Lu Yu almost couldn't help but cry out, but fortunately, he held it back in time.

He hadn't expected that just by picking up the bow and arrow and firing one shot, he would unlock a Skill—Basic Archery. Although the level was 0, the progress bar had actually already reached 1%.

This meant hope! Following this deduction, if he obtained a blade or sword, could he unlock Basic Blade Technique or Basic Sword Technique? Even if he performed a set of wild, unorganized Fist Technique, perhaps he could unlock Basic Fist Technique?

At this moment, Lu Yu only felt his whole body filled with strength, and he was full of drive.

"?"

The lame man looked at Lu Yu's wide-eyed, excitement-filled face and couldn't help but frown.

Had the requirements young people had for themselves these days become this low? It was just pulling back the most ordinary bow; was there a need to be this happy?

The key was, he had only fired one arrow!