Snowflakes fell to the ground, and there was a rustling sound in the forest.
Shen Qing looked up, and in the distance, Shicheng Mountain had become a mere blur under the cover of night.
He gathered his thoughts, his face expressionless, and pulled out all the arrows from the wooden stake, storing them neatly in the Arrow Quiver at his waist.
Turning away from the bamboo forest in the wind and snow, he departed.
Upon returning home, his elder sister, Shen Fang, was already lying in bed.
During this season, unless there were important matters, the villagers generally went to sleep as soon as it got dark.
Shen Qing took off the bow and arrows from his body, leaned them against the wall, grabbed a handful of straw, and stuffed the three window holes made from broken jars.
He then took off his coat and lay down straight on the other end of Shen Fang's bed.
Many families in this village couldn't afford a new house; even after marrying a wife, they slept on the same bed as their parents.
Poor families didn't worry much about propriety.
Moreover, Shen Qing and his sister had been sleeping together since childhood and were already accustomed to it.
The quilts at home were filled with hemp and cotton, which didn't provide much warmth.
As Shen Qing nestled into the bed, he felt a wave of warmth.
The bed had already been warmed by Shen Fang.
Shen Qing lay flat on his back, hands under his head, his eyes fixed on the ink-like text within his vision.
As hunters depending on the mountains and waters for sustenance, their regular means of livelihood were hunting beasts, selling skins, and gathering herbs and firewood.
But if he wanted to change his situation quickly, he feared this wouldn't suffice.
He needed to hunt some valuable game.
Mountain treasures, for example, were best.
These items had an excellent effect on strengthening the body, helping to invigorate the Qi-Blood.
Martial masters in the county were eager for them.
It was said that some mountain treasures could save months of hard work, worth thousands of Qian.
They were objects that mountain drivers dreamed of.
Before, he didn't even dare to think about these things, but now, as his Bow Technique steadily improved, maybe in the future, there would be a chance to try his luck.
"Tomorrow, I'll go to the mountains again, solve the food and clothing problem first, then ask Uncle about the mountain treasures, and see if I can get lucky."
"Without a windfall, one cannot get rich; without night grass, a horse cannot be fed, merely catching birds and beasts won't make a fortune."
Winter was the season for winter hunting, with no taboos.
By spring, hunting would be forbidden by the official.
By then, they could only hunt birds and waterfowl.
Even if they sneaked into the mountains, the animals there, having endured a winter, would be low on energy, and the quality of the game would not be high, not fetching a good price.
Their daily harvest as hunters would undoubtedly be much reduced, and if they were to live well, they would have to rely on this period.
He couldn't afford to let this opportunity slip by.
Having made up his mind, Shen Qing's eyes flashed. The panel within his vision folded up like a scroll as he quickly drifted off to sleep.
In Hongshan Village, winter usually stayed dark until the fifth watch.
Shen Qing, precisely in tune with his biological clock, woke up punctually.
Flipping over on the bed, he reached a nearby jar hole, pulled out the stuffed straw, and glanced outside.
The snow in the mountains hadn't stopped, but it had gotten much lighter.
Seeing this, he estimated the snow might stop in a few days.
Shen Qing crawled out of the warm bed, the sudden coldness waking him up considerably.
Casual from the wall, he grabbed a piece of unfashioned clothing and put it on, then stepped outside and rubbed a handful of snow onto his face, washing it crudely.
"Today, I can go to the forest behind the mountain. I shouldn't return empty-handed."
Silently calculating today's work, Shen Qing's train of thought was interrupted by Shen Fang's call from behind: "Qingzi, come and have some porridge."
"Coming."
Thanks to the hunting crossbows that Uncle sent last night, there was some meat available for the morning.
Early in the morning, Shen Fang had torn off a part of the hunting crossbow, then scraped out a bit of rice from the bottom of the rice jar, cooking a bowl of meat porridge.
From afar, the aroma of meat within the plain water had floated over.
Shen Qing took the bowl Shen Fang handed him, sipping and blowing alternately.
The warm porridge slid down his throat into his stomach, making him feel like he was in a hot spring, his whole body comfortable.
After gulping down two large bowls and chewing a few pieces of meat, Shen Qing put down the bowl and said, "Sis, you should have some too."
Shen Fang, smiling, said, "I already had some before you got up."
Knowing Shen Fang's stubborn nature, Shen Qing didn't call her bluff and, after finishing, smacked his lips, "I'm heading out now; we'll have meat together tonight."
Worried, Shen Fang cautioned, "Be safe in the mountains, even if you don't catch anything. If it doesn't work, I can find Chen Yuan."
Shen Qing took down the bow and arrows from the wall, hanging them on himself: "Chen Yuan and the others aren't good people. Sis, stay home, don't go around. Wait for me to come back before deciding anything."
"I know," Shen Fang nodded.
"I'm heading out."
"Wait a moment." Shen Fang tore a large piece of dried meat from the meat hanging on the wall and stuffed it onto Shen Qing, advising, "Go slowly on the road. Don't be reckless if you encounter Black Bear, tigers, or other fierce beasts."
Shen Qing stuffed the dried meat into his belongings, "Of course, I won't take unnecessary risks. Just wait at home for me."
With that, he turned and walked out the door.
Shen Fang stood at the doorway, watching Shen Qing's figure gradually vanish into the snow.
It was a cold day, and since Shen Qing left relatively early, he hadn't encountered a single villager on his way.
Holding his hands in his sleeves, Shen Qing sighed in his heart, "In such cold weather, everyone with some skill is holed up at home, not lacking meat to eat."
"Those slightly worse off, like my cousin's family, have an uncle to lean on and might even have a chance to go to the county to learn Martial Arts."
"Only those like me, alone and unprotected, would go up the mountain so early, relying on themselves for everything."
"Without some skill, there's only freezing to death."
"What a miserable place!"
Shen Qing glanced at the sky, tightened the hunting bow, and headed towards the back mountain along the path often taken by the hunters in the village.
…
According to memory, Shen Qing found the bark he had stripped a few days ago.
Every time their hunters went into the mountains, they would cut a section of bark—about two feet long—from a large tree outside the area they had marked, then roll it into a bundle and wedge it on a tree along the path into the forest.
Hunters coming in later would see this bundle of bark and know this was someone's territory, so they wouldn't go deeper to avoid accidental injury.
Shen Qing picked up the bark bundle from the ground, wedged it between a branch, and followed the path into the forest, walking for a while until he reached the outskirts of Shicheng Mountain.
Here, trees and thorns covered the ground, overgrown with shrubs.
Coupled with the snowy weather, movement was quite cumbersome.
Shen Qing trudged through the thick snow, each step alternately deep and shallow in the forest.
From past memory, this place had plenty of game. When his father was around, he often worked in this area, managing to catch some game.
An hour later.
Shen Qing sat in the snow, took out the meat strip Shen Fang tore from his pocket, and began to chew, recovering some energy.
Suddenly, his chewing paused, and with caution, he lowered his bow, gently parting the shrubs ahead.
A colorful pheasant flew down from the mountain top, landing under an old tree not far away.
Hey, there's something!
Shen Qing slowly drew an arrow from the Arrow Quiver, nocking it on the bowstring. He held his breath, almost instinctively adjusting his breathing and posture.
Before, he wouldn't have dared to attempt such a distance, but now...
He slowly drew the longbow.
The bowstring tightened, the arrowhead aimed directly at the pheasant.
Whoosh!
The arrow flew like a shooting star, piercing through the stillness of the mountain forest.
The pheasant seemed to sense something, but it was already too late.
After Shen Qing's Bow Technique breakthrough, the arrow he shot skillfully pierced right through its body.