Chapter 43: Attracting Attention

The reason is simple: he is the only archer in the other team, and it is highly likely that this young man has extraordinary Archery; the Black-striped Rat held in the hand of the person behind him is the best proof.

"I wonder what the draw weight of the bow he uses is." Lu Yu is full of curiosity.

"Xiao Yu, you noticed it too?" Zhao Shan has a smile on his face as he calmly looks at Lu Yu and Lu Guohao, "That is the son of Qin Lianjun, Qin Hai."

"Ah?" Lu Yu's eyes widen instantly; how could it be such a coincidence?

Lu Guohao coughs lightly twice and says in a calm tone, "Just as your Zhao Shu said, that Qin Hai is said to have quite a bit of strength and can pull a bow with a draw weight of eighty jin." Recalling this, he feels quite envious.

As soon as the words fall, someone makes a sound of disdain.

"What is so impressive about that? Our Xiao Yu is currently using a bow with a draw weight of one hundred jin."

"Exactly, if we really want to compare Archery, I think that kid is far behind."

Sun Gang and the others say with unconvinced faces. Not to mention anything else, just look at how Lu Yu shot six Gray Wolves in a row single-handedly; could that Qin Hai do that?

Lu Yu is both annoyed and amused, but he is also quite touched; he can tell that everyone is sincerely defending him.

He stares at the direction the others left in, and his heart suddenly clears; no wonder such a small group can support a small Zhai; that person named Qin Hai does indeed have some skill.

If only his own Zhai could produce a few such talents in the future; the images of Liu Kai, Li Yang, and the others involuntarily appear in his mind.

After lunch, the group rests for a while before setting out on the hunting path again.

Perhaps their luck has turned; only half an hour later, a group of prey enters everyone's field of vision.

"It looks like a group of deer?" Lu Yu blurts out.

Nowadays, he can see objects nearly five hundred meters away; of course, this distance is too far for Lu Guohao and the others, as about 300 meters is the limit of their vision, and beyond that, they can only see a blurry outline.

There are about a dozen deer in this group, their bodies about half as large again as ordinary deer, their antlers thick and multi-branched, their whole bodies brownish-yellow with white spots, and their limbs slender and very agile; one look and you know their running speed is extremely fast.

At this moment, most of them are lowering their heads to eat grass, but one is vigilantly observing the surroundings, and it looks like it has already discovered Lu Yu's group and is staring fixedly in this direction.

"Deer? It's a Spirit-horned Deer, right?" Zhao Shan mutters in a low voice.

"Looks like it; this is a bit tricky."

The smiles that were originally on everyone's faces instantly disappear.

Lu Guohao explains, "The Spirit-horned Deer is also a type of Low-level Fierce Beast; it has no attack power, but its nature is very cautious. Even when eating, it will arrange for one to be responsible for keeping watch. Once it senses danger, it will issue a warning, and when they run, even a cheetah cannot catch up."

"I see." Lu Yu nods; it is indeed as his father said.

"And they have excellent eyesight; just like now, we have only just seen their shadows, and that lookout has probably already discovered us. I estimate that when we are three or four hundred meters away from them, we will startle them. Sigh, I thought we could have a big harvest; looks like we were happy for nothing. Let's go." Sun Gang loses all interest.

The others also look helpless; they have suffered quite a few losses from this before and learned their lesson later—rather than wasting effort, it is better to pretend not to see them.

Hearing this, Lu Yu is somewhat unwilling. It was hard to come across a group of prey; as long as he can close the distance to 200 meters, or even 250 meters, he is confident he can shoot at least two of them dead.

But his father and the others are not wrong; that Spirit-horned Deer is too vigilant and has already discovered them.

Once they enter the alert range, these Spirit-horned Deer will definitely run away. Is there really no way?

It is not that there is no way; if he could use a bow with a draw weight of 200 jin, this problem would not be an issue now, and if he had a bow with a draw weight of 300 jin, it would be even easier. But obviously, this is not realistic for the time being.

Just then, he has a flash of inspiration: why not try a feint? There is nothing to lose if it fails, and if it succeeds, it will be a big harvest.

"Dad, uncles, what do you think of this?" Lu Yu states his idea.

After listening, everyone looks at one another.

"We are responsible for attracting the attention of that Spirit-horned Deer, and you, Xiao Yu, will take the opportunity to circle around to the back?" Zhao Shan's eyes widen.

"This idea sounds good, but will it work?" Sun Gang is full of doubt.

"Let's try it; maybe it really can work? Don't forget, the last time we dealt with that pack of wolves, it was Xiao Yu's idea. At first, everyone thought it was impossible, but what was the result? Xiao Yu did it."

"That's right, I also think we can try."

After discussing it, everyone finally agrees.

"Good." Lu Yu takes a deep breath and says, "As Zhao Shu said, once people get within three or four hundred meters of them, they will run away. So, when you uncles find a way to attract their attention, make sure not to get too close and scare them off. As long as I can get within two or three hundred meters, I can shoot at least two dead."

"Two!" Upon hearing this, everyone's breathing quickens. Good heavens, even if one weighs one hundred and fifty jin, two would be three hundred jin.

"Good, Xiao Yu, we will definitely do our best."

"Mm." Lu Yu nods; he is also very nervous. This plan requires close cooperation from both sides; if either side makes a mistake, everything will be ruined. Fortunately, even if it fails, there are no serious consequences.

Thus, the group first follows the plan, gathering together to block the Spirit-horned Deer's line of sight, and then slowly approaches the herd along an arc.

Sure enough, that Spirit-horned Deer is immediately attracted, its eyes fixed on the group, and its body turning along with them.

Lu Yu, like a special forces soldier, lies on the ground and crawls forward.

After all, the Spirit-horned Deer is nearly two meters tall, looking down from above; if he were to crawl forward while crouching like he did when dealing with the Gray Wolves before, he would likely be discovered.

At the same time, the hearts of Lu Guohao and the others are in their throats; every move is cautious, and they don't even dare to turn their heads to make eye contact with that Spirit-horned Deer.

"Why do I feel like we are acting like thieves?" Sun Gang cannot help but complain.

"Hahaha, where is there a thief who acts so openly?" Zhao Shan jokes with a smile.

"Where has Xiao Yu reached?" Lu Guohao asks.

The person at the back of the team glances calmly and says, "About four hundred meters or so."

"Mm, let's get closer; we must ensure that the Spirit-horned Deer's attention remains on us," Lu Guohao says.

Just like that, time passes bit by bit, and both sides are about three hundred meters apart.

At this moment, that Spirit-horned Deer suddenly lets out a cry; the other Spirit-horned Deer that were originally eating grass all lift their heads, their pairs of dark, round eyes looking in this direction.

"Oh no!" Zhao Shan exclaims, "Did we get too close? Are they going to run?"

In an instant, everyone feels as if a sharp blade is hanging over their heads, and they don't even dare to breathe.