"A bow?"
Xu Bin had been preparing to go home for a meal.
He and his father did not live together, but near the garrison in a military settlement, where he also had a wife.
"Come with me."
Xu Bin frowned, his expression displeased.
The two went to the garrison's arsenal, and after speaking with the clerk in charge, they entered the warehouse specifically used for storing bows and arrows.
"You're using it for hunting, right?"
Xu Bin said, "Normally speaking, before official allocation, soldiers are not allowed to possess weapons privately. However, I don't use bows and arrows, and a flag officer's position just became available, so you can use it for now."
He paused, "Additionally, I'm very busy, so unless there's something crucial, you should go to your superior."
The underlying message was clear; he was helping with the bow and arrows this time but did not want to be bothered again.
"Alright, Shanshi will remember the help from Xu Flag Officer."
Chen Sansi was not someone who liked to bother others.
But in order to improve, he had no choice but to be shameless this once.
The clerk unlocked and pushed open the large warehouse doors.
Xu Bin finished his instructions and left, allowing Chen Sansi to choose on his own.
On the wooden racks of the storeroom, an entire wall was hung with bows.
Sheng Army's standard issue bows and arrows primarily came in two types.
The small Shao bow and the Big Bow.
The Big Bow was also known as the Kaiyuan Bow.
The pulling force ranged from four forces up to two stones.
The clerk in charge of the warehouse said, "Take whichever bow you can pull and then you will be given twenty arrows and an arrow bag.
"However, the heaviest standard-issue bow here is just the two-stone bow.
"Heavier bows are used by military officers, and you need to custom order them from the army's forge.
"But ordinary people don't need them."
He saw Chen Sansi taking down the heaviest bow from the furthest corner and hurriedly said, "Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? That's the heaviest, a two-stone bow."
"That's what I want, the two-stone bow."
Chen Sansi's profile data showed he could easily pull a one-stone bow, which meant he was not "just" limited to a one-stone bow.
Easily pulling it indicated that his strength was far beyond that.
He estimated he could manage the two-stone bow, though it would be strenuous.
But considering that his strength would continue to increase with martial arts practice, it was better to opt for a heavier bow beforehand to avoid needing a new one soon after.
"Two stones?"
The clerk looked up and down at the young man, who was clearly not a military officer.
He quickly said, "Don't be reckless! I must remind you that there's a target range outside, and you need to hit the target from sixty steps away to take it with you."
"No problem."
Chen Sansi did not waste words and went straight to the target range outside the warehouse.
He held the bow and arrows, examining and getting accustomed to the feel.
This bow, being the heaviest Kaiyuan Bow, was made with high-quality purple bamboo as the core, Sangyu wood for the limbs, and cow horn and hardwood for the bow tip, making it structurally more complex than a recurve bow.
He nocked an arrow and drew the bow, realizing that after two days of Pile Work, his strength had noticeably improved.
Was the effect of practicing martial arts so immediately visible?
No wonder it consumed so much of the human body.
The two-stone bow weighed about 300 pounds.
Chen Sansi gritted his teeth, his back and arm muscles coordinating as he exerted force, veins popping on his forehead and slowly pulling back the bowstring.
"Whoom—"
A heavy sound erupted.
The bow thundered, and the arrow struck like lightning!
"Bang—"
Almost instantly, the arrow hit the target with a loud bang, punching a large hole through the two-inch-thick target and then landing far behind on the ground.
"Bullseye?!"
The clerk hurried into the target range, looking at the hole in the target, exclaimed, "Seventy steps, a two-stone bow, a bullseye?!"
It was Chen Sansi's first experience with a heavy bow, and even he was startled by the powerful impact.
If this were used against a person, even standard armor might not hold!
"You're new here, just starting martial arts?"
The clerk picked up the arrows and ran back, "You can pull a two-stone bow even before starting blood refining; does Xu Bin have such a fellow countryman?"
Chen Sansi asked, "Can I take it now?"
"Sure, sure."
The clerk nodded vigorously, "Come here, I'll give you twenty more arrows.
"Just so you know, you'll have to pay for any damage when it's not wartime. It's fifty coins per arrow, so use them sparingly."
A heavy bow naturally pairs with heavy arrows.
The price is also higher than that of ordinary arrows.
Chen Sansi had just shot an arrow and immediately felt an improvement in his proficiency.
[Skill: Archery (Proficient)]
[Progress: (230/500)]
[Utility: Natural Bowman physique, easily draws a one-stone bow, within seventy steps, snaps fingers three times hitting the target every time]
With the practice accumulated from hunting in the previous days, his proficiency was nearly half.
With the heavy bow, it shouldn't take long to advance to the next stage.
"I'm so hungry!"
The physical exertion of that half day was truly too much for Chen Sansi, and a single pancake was not nearly enough. He simply decided to head home with his bow and arrows.
The garrison discipline was lax.
Furthermore, since the soldiers lived in the nearby military village, they could go home anytime after reporting for duty.
Chen Sansi didn't even have an official assignment yet, and no one was inclined to supervise him.
When he was close to Yanbian Village, his attire of blue armor and red hat drew the attention of the townspeople.
"I was wondering why I hadn't seen you around these past two days, so you've joined the military households."
"Not going to lie, Little Stone, you actually look quite the part in that outfit."
"Imposing indeed, but I reckon you won't have many good days ahead."
"Uncle Lai Zi, you really ought to drop dead!"
"Heh, you don't believe me? Just wait and see!"
"..."
At these words, Chen Sansi stopped in his tracks and approached a middle-aged man with a mottled bald head and ringworm, saying, "Uncle Lai Zi, what do you mean by that?"
Lai Zi looked around furtively, then lowered his voice, "I heard from Ergou and a few others that Qin Feng's brother is planning to kill you."
"Qin Feng?"
So he had come looking for him, had he?
Chen Sansi was not surprised nor afraid.
With his military household status and without evidence, the other party definitely couldn't just harm him recklessly.
Not to mention the ongoing wars.
The status of military households during peacetime and wartime was entirely different.
Harming a military household without any reason was akin to challenging the court.
Moreover, Qin Feng wasn't someone of significant power or influence, otherwise, his brother wouldn't need to devote all his energy to acquiring silver to support his martial arts training, at most he would scheme behind the scenes.
"Thank you for the warning, Uncle Lai Zi."
Chen Sansi continued on his way into the village.
As soon as he entered, he saw several of Qin Feng's underlings rushing off to report his arrival.
...
"Brother!"
"Chen Sansi has returned to the village, but..."
Tianyuan Martial Arts Academy.
Qin Feng put away the long sword in his hand and turned to ask coldly, "But what?"
"He's wearing a military uniform."
The ruffian said, "I found out that he seems to have joined the army these past few days, wearing that armor. Shouldn't we avoid making our move directly?"
"..."
Qin Feng closed his eyes and took a deep breath, suppressing his irritation.
From what he had gathered, the hunter named Chen could be the only one strong enough and possibly responsible for his brother's disappearance.
He had initially planned to capture him, chop off an arm to force the truth about his brother's whereabouts, but now...
"I didn't expect him to have joined the military households."
The Great Sheng Dynasty was in constant warfare at the time, and he was merely a disciple of the martial arts academy. Attacking a military household in the street was purely suicidal.
"No, we can't let him train in martial arts!"
Qin Feng suddenly felt a sense of urgency: "This guy used to be a scholar who couldn't even touch spring water with his fingers. The moment he picked up a bow and arrow, he had food to eat and his physical foundation isn't bad.
"If he truly becomes a military soldier and gains position over time, wouldn't my difficulties increase?
"I can't let things go smoothly for him, absolutely not."