Although the Lu Family wasn't one of those top local tyrants, within ten miles of Little Yellow Village, they were a well-known big household, monopolizing the surrounding slaughter business and even raising a group of butchers under them.
On regular days, the Lu Family would buy pigs, dogs, cattle, and sheep from the surrounding area, slaughter them, and then sell the meat at the town market. Sometimes, they would also supply various restaurants in the county, making a fair amount of silver in the process.
Xu Yang spent money to get this job, firstly to acquire skills, and secondly to secure a source of meat.
Slaughtering pigs, dogs, cattle, and sheep should allow one to develop skills related to "killing," and at the very least, one could practice their knife skills. Just like how the skill "Flying Stone" developed from skipping stones, he hoped to develop related offensive skills.
As for meat, there was no hope for prime cuts, but getting some offal was not a problem, and with money, he could even buy certain amounts of meat at an internal employee rate.
With a stable source of meat, along with the money from selling himself and the dietary skills supported by his original body, Xu Yang could soon nourish the thin body of the young man he possessed.
By then, he might not be able to handle martial instructors, but dealing with a few manor guards or a scoundrel like Li Laojiu should be no problem at all.
...
With money, as the saying goes, one can make even the devils turn mills. With the arrangement by Zhang Fu, the chief steward, Xu Yang was rather smoothly admitted as an apprentice butcher.
Of course, Xu Yang's own performance wasn't bad either. After all, for a job like butchering, the key was physical strength and courage. Xu Yang was not lacking in either and even had quite some "work experience," so getting the job was naturally not difficult.
At noon, a blood-stained Xu Yang returned home carrying a load of pig offal.
These were not shares from slaughtering pigs. Apprentice workers just starting out had no right to compete with veteran butchers. He could only buy some at a relatively favorable price, barely qualifying as an employee benefit.
"Brother!"
Li Hongyu opened the door to greet him, but as soon as she approached, she was driven back by the smell emanating from Xu Yang and quickly pinched her nose, "What is that smell?"
"Tonight we eat meat."
Xu Yang smiled, not saying much, and handed the pig offal to Li Hongyu, then went into the house to pick up a bamboo basket, a small axe, and a hunting bow.
His younger brother Li Qinghe approached, "Brother, it's already noon, are you still going into the mountains?"
"Yes!"
Xu Yang nodded, "I'm going to see if I can catch anything."
Li Qinghe's eyes lit up, "Can I go too?"
Xu Yang shook his head with a smile, "Wait a few more years, then I'll take you with me."
"Oh…"
Li Qinghe drew out the word, seemingly very disappointed.
Xu Yang did not say more, shouldering the bamboo basket and leaving home, ready to go hunting in the mountains.
He was not only going to be a butcher but also a hunter. After all, archery was a very sharp long-range offensive method. Not to mention the transmigrator who had experienced an information explosion, anyone with a bit of vision would know the advantage long-range had over close combat, so if there was a chance to practice, he would take it.
In this manner...
By evening, Xu Yang returned home, the bamboo basket on his back seeming quite heavy.
"Brother, what did you catch?"
Li Qinghe and Li Hongyu ran out and then stopped, looking at the full bamboo basket on Xu Yang's back, their eyes filled with confusion.
"Why did you cut so much bamboo and bring it home?"
"Didn't you say you were going hunting?"
In the face of their queries, Xu Yang smiled and put down the bamboo basket, "Sharping knives does not hinder chopping wood!"
With that, he sat down and began to organize the bamboo he had cut.
Why would he bring back a bunch of bamboo when he said he was going hunting? Simple, because he came back empty-handed!
Although he had inherited the memories and identity of "Li Qing Shan," Li Qing Shan was not any formidable hunter, and his hunting skills were quite average. It was perfectly normal for him not to catch any game. Previously, there were even plans to sell the hunting bow and permit to focus solely on farming.
Now that Xu Yang had transmigrated over, this situation had not changed since he only knew how to fish and not how to hunt.
But lack of ability was not a problem; he would just practice. With the Attribute Panel, there was no skill he couldn't learn.
Therefore, Xu Yang cut a basket of bamboo and brought it back to practice the "Archery" skill.
He took a fresh bamboo stick, shaved off all its branches and leaves, then carved two grooves at both ends before bending the entire stick into a crescent shape and binding it with a vine he had also brought back.
Thus, a simple and crude bamboo bow that would be considered a mere toy for children was made.
"Hmm, not bad!"
Although it wouldn't last long and its lethality was almost nil, Xu Yang was still satisfied and nodded his approval of his own work.
The crudeness didn't matter, and nor did the fact it would break soon. As long as it allowed him to perform the act of "archery," that was enough.
The key to practicing skills is the actual doing. Doing it well is certainly the icing on the cake, but even doing it poorly doesn't necessarily mean one cannot turn decay into magic.
When he practiced the skill of disguise, wasn't it just smearing mud on his face, hunching his body, and lowering his voice? In the end, he still managed to develop the skill of disguise, and even acquired powerful Skill Traits like "Concealing Presence" and "Shrinking Bone."
Therefore, it is not key whether one does well enough but whether one does enough and for long enough.
The bow was ready, but arrows were needed. Xu Yang took a few thin bamboo twigs and, without bothering with fletching for balance, simply whittled the front end into a point, creating a roughly made arrow.
"Brother, what are you doing?"
"Is this... a bow and arrow?"
"What can that bow and arrow do? Er Gou's slingshot from next door is more powerful than that."
Looking at Xu Yang's crudely made work, Li Qinghe and Li Hongyu were even more puzzled.
"Don't worry about it; go cook the meal."
With a smile, Xu Yang sent the two youngsters on their way and continued with his grand bow-making endeavor.
In ancient times, bow and arrow making was a high-precision craft, demanding great skill from the craftsmen and high-quality materials, which included the 'Six Materials': wood, horn, sinew, glue, silk, and lacquer.
Wood was for the bow limbs, forming the main body and determining the bow's draw weight, range, and lethality.
Horn and sinew, from animal horns and tendons respectively, were attached to the inner and outer sides of the bow limbs to enhance the bow's elasticity and power.
Glue, silk, and lacquer were all extremely important as well, and only with the best materials could a fine bow be crafted.
The bamboo bow Xu Yang was making had no relation to the word 'fine'. It was feared that after a few draws, it might break.
But no matter, if quality was lacking, quantity would make up for it. If one bow failed, then make ten; if ten failed, then a hundred. Since bamboo and vines cost nothing, he could freely gather and craft them without any limit, surely be able to "grind out" the skill.
Apart from archery skills, the act of making bows and arrows might also generate a skill, providing Xu Yang with another craft to generate revenue.
In ancient times, craftsmen who could make bows and arrows were considered a resource for wartime readiness. Not to mention other things, making enough to support a family was definitely doable.
Xu Yang was quick with his hands, and since the bamboo bows and arrows didn't require fine craftsmanship, he worked rapidly, and before nightfall, he had transformed a basket of bamboo into a collection of bamboo bows and arrows.
"Brother, it's time to eat."
"Mm!"
Li Qinghe and Li Hongyu had also finished preparing dinner, so Xu Yang put down what he was doing, got up, and went to sit down at the dinner table.
"Brother, here's yours."
Li Hongyu presented him with a large bowl. Inside was steaming coarse rice, and on the table, there was also a big bowl of offal soup as a side dish, which... hmm, didn't exactly whet the appetite.
The pigs raised by the rural households of the village were generally not castrated, making their scent particularly strong, and the offal was no exception. Without sufficient spices, it was no easy task to turn these ingredients into a delicious meal.
Therefore, the bowl of pork offal on the table, frankly, wasn't tempting, especially to Xu Yang.
Even so, Li Qinghe and Li Hongyu gazed at the bowl, swallowing repeatedly at the sight of the fat floating on the soup's surface.
With a smile, Xu Yang picked up his bowl and chopsticks: "Let's eat!"
"Yep yep!"
Having received approval from the head of the household, the two youngsters couldn't wait any longer and immediately started using their chopsticks.
With the silver he had earned, Xu Yang wasn't going to shortchange himself. Although the meat dish was just a rough serving of pork offal, they had enough coarse rice and plenty of vegetables. The meal was quite a feast for Li Qinghe and Li Hongyu.
While there was no wine to enjoy, there was plenty of food, and after they cleaned up the dishes, Xu Yang went back to his workstation.
He picked up the simple bamboo bow and, facing the earth wall in the yard, he began practicing archery.
A target?
There was no target.
After so many years of practicing skills, Xu Yang had come up with a set of rules and insights for skill training.
At the beginning of practice, it's best to aim for quantity. Once a certain level is reached or a skill is generated, then gradually focus on quality to produce high-value traits.
Therefore, he didn't make a target, or rather, the earth wall served as his target, helping him complete the set of actions: "drawing the bow," "firing the arrow," and "hitting the mark."
By then, night had fallen, and the moon was high in the sky. Little Yellow Village was engulfed in quiet darkness, with only a few households like the Lu family still lit up.
Lamp oil and candles were expenses, so ordinary households would save where they could. Besides, there was nothing much to do at night except for producing and raising children, so most people were asleep.
Under the cold moonlight, Xu Yang held the bow, stood tall, and corrected his posture and movements according to the techniques and instincts from Li Qing Shan's memory. He then drew the bamboo bow and shot towards the earth wall.
The result...
"Snap!"
A quiet sound, and the bamboo arrow fell to the ground, having only floated forward a few steps, not even reaching the earth wall.
Xu Yang didn't mind and continued to adjust his posture and actions, drawing the bamboo bow and firing another arrow.
This time it was slightly better. The bamboo arrow flew five to six steps and landed at the foot of the earth wall.
Xu Yang smiled and continued to draw the bow. His posture and movements gradually became standardized, and he had thoroughly mastered the original archery skills of the body.
And so, under the cold moonlight, a skinny young man bent his bow and shot arrow after arrow at the earth wall. The light bamboo arrows flew out, chaotically at first, then gradually hitting the wall and leaving marks, until each bamboo arrow pierced into the yellow mud, sticking out from the top of the wall...