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"Tian Family?"
"That's right." Chen Yuan quickly replied in a very determined tone, "The day before yesterday, Tian Chuan sneaked into my house to steal food, got into a conflict with my two brothers, and was killed by them. They must be harboring resentment and waiting for a chance to seek revenge in the mountains."
"How bold!" Chen the Fifth grew increasingly convinced, "We should confront the Tian Family and make them give an explanation!"
"Don't rush, let's wait for our family elder to return, I'll ask for his advice."
"Alright, just call whenever you need us."
"Thank you, Old Fifth, for your hard work today."
"No need to be so polite, we're one family, no need for formalities. It's getting late, I'll head back."
"Take care."
After Chen the Fifth left, Chen Yuan's expression quickly vanished, becoming emotionless and even a bit resentful.
"Stupid third brother, it's one thing to die in the mountains, but you took the Nine Skills with you. There were many moves and techniques I haven't fully learned; where am I supposed to find this martial arts manual now?"
...
Hongshan Village was covered in silver, with immaculate white snow draping the neatly arranged houses.
The heavy snow from the previous day showed signs of stopping, and for once, the sun made a rare appearance in the sky.
Due to yesterday's incident with the Chen Family, many hunters in Hongshan Village didn't go hunting, and they were all restless.
Early in the morning, many villagers either brought out hunting dogs or carried various hunting tools, heading up the mountains in groups of two or three to hunt.
Hongshan Village was unusually lively.
Children frolicked and played, laughter echoing through the alleys.
Though it was freezing cold, there was an unexpected vibrancy, and the atmosphere grew lively.
As a poor family child, Shen Qing also got up early, filled his stomach with some meat, and, carrying bran cakes and hunting gear, headed up the mountain ahead of others.
Once again, he was alone.
Previously, Shen the Second and other clansmen had taken him a few times, but his hunting skills were average; each time they had to share some of their catch with him, and he was somewhat of a burden.
Gradually, no one was willing to take him along anymore.
So he always went hunting alone.
His hunting skills had gradually improved, and now he was capable enough on his own, so he wasn't worried.
With his excellent hunting skills, Shen Qing hadn't walked for long before he successfully caught a pheasant and two rabbits.
"Huh? Is this a raccoon dog?"
As Shen Qing searched through the woods, he unexpectedly spotted a raccoon dog's trail.
The fur of this animal had a unique color and high gloss, thick and soft, making it the preferred choice for wealthy families in the county town to create luxurious garments.
It could not only be made into warm and status-symbolizing fur robes but also used as scarves, shawls, and other accessories, with exquisite raccoon fur also used for decorations on thrones or to hang on walls.
It was invaluable in winter!
Generally, it could be sold for six or seven taels of silver, a major target for hunters in winter, second only to foxes and sables.
Indeed, it was a great windfall.
It seemed this raccoon dog's trail led into the deep mountains.
Seeing it was still early, Shen Qing hesitated for a moment but decided he could try to capture it.
"With my skills, I can already fill my elder sister's and my stomachs. Now that I am well-versed in the Nine Skills, my Qi-Blood has increased, and I can handle some risks."
"Might as well be a bit bolder, explore a few spots in the deep mountains, and hunt this raccoon dog."
"If I manage to capture one, it might not be a mountain delicacy, but it could make me a fortune worth a few thousand large coins."
"We are hunters, relying on the mountains to make a living, relying on skills to earn a living. Even if I occasionally capture one or two, no one will say anything."
Shen Qing knew in his heart that for a hunter like him without any backing, suddenly coming into great wealth wasn't necessarily a good thing.
He could get it, but not keep it.
But with the Water Ink Panel, sooner or later, he would continue to break through the Nine Skills, reaching the Great Perfection of Qi and Blood realm.
It wouldn't be long before he surpassed Chen Yuan.
Then there would be no need to fear anything.
"If I can kill a person, why not hunt a raccoon dog?"
Shen Qing quickly made up his mind and followed the trail into a wooded area in the deep mountains.
His hunting skills had already made a breakthrough, making it easy to identify the tracks left by the raccoon dog and knowing its direction and habits.
After about half an hour, Shen Qing suddenly stopped, his gaze sharply fixed on a particular spot, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes.
He discovered a concealed small hole, which was the lair of the raccoon dog.
Carefully, Shen Qing took out some thin wires and meticulously set traps.
He used the surrounding branches and snow as camouflage, placed some rodents as bait near the hole's entrance, and gently sprinkled some specially made poison powder.
After setting up, Shen Qing hid behind a large tree, waiting quietly.
As time ticked by, suddenly, there were rustling sounds from the hole, and a chubby, furry little raccoon dog peeked its head out.
It blinked its big watery eyes, curiously observing the surroundings.
Seeing the little raccoon dog enter the trap, Shen Qing silently celebrated.
Soon, the little raccoon dog was indeed knocked out by the poison powder, softy collapsing into the snow.
"Success!"
Shen Qing hadn't expected the Chen Family's poison to be so potent, allowing him to succeed so smoothly.
He quickly ran over, satisfied to pocket the little raccoon dog, grinning widely.
"This time, I've really stumbled upon a windfall! Even though this raccoon dog is a bit small, it can still sell for five or six thousand large coins, equivalent to the work of our hunter uncles for five or six months. We're rich!"
...
When he returned home, it was still quite early.
Shen Qing brought all the day's catch back home without flaunting it outside.
And that raccoon dog, worth thousands of coins, he tied up securely, placed some ice blocks, and stuffed it at the bottom of a vat, without even telling Shen Fang.
After handling things a bit, Shen Qing picked up a book, took the pheasant, and went to Zhang Shuyuan's house with great enthusiasm.
"Sir, I've come to learn today's characters."
Entering the house, Shen Qing behaved very respectfully, as if genuinely treating Zhang Shuyuan as a guiding teacher.
This respect was very much appreciated by Zhang Shuyuan.
When Zhang Shuyuan glanced up and saw the large pheasant in Shen Qing's hand, he couldn't help feeling a bit surprised.
He was very aware of Shen Qing's situation, and now he brought a whole one over, causing him to surreptitiously pinch himself.
This child was already pitiable, and now he took another person's belongings.
Truly despicable.
But since he was already here, refusing would be too wasteful.
Thus, in the subsequent teaching, Zhang Shuyuan became extremely serious, unlike the careless attitude of the previous day.
"Read everything you learned yesterday and write it down once."
"Yes."
Following Zhang Shuyuan's instructions, Shen Qing did everything as asked.
Shen Qing's performance exceeded Zhang Shuyuan's expectations, prompting him to teach the next sixteen characters.
After learning for more than an hour, along with his hard work from the previous night and that morning, Shen Qing noticed new changes in the Water Ink words in his sight.
[Skill: To recognize characters and read (Entry Level)]
[Progress: 101/100 points]
[Status: Can be improved]
[Note: Mastering this skill can grant reading and writing ability, continued practice may breakthrough realms, with a certain probability of awakening the "memorize" ability.]
Shen Qing's expression remained unchanged, but his heart was slightly pleased.
"Breakthrough!"
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