Chapter 8: Mountain Bandits
Speaking of Yun Qian Village, Su Yan emerged from practicing archery in the mountains, a roe deer about a meter long on his back, and two gray rabbits slung at his waist.
He strode into the village, carrying his hardwood bow.
He was spotted from afar by the villagers, who greeted him warmly.
“Yan Ge’er, you’re skilled, you caught prey again.”
“Oh my, one roe deer alone is worth one to two hundred copper coins, not any less than a hunter’s haul.”
“It’s all luck.”
He responded with a few pleasantries but didn’t engage in extended conversation.
The mountain folk, aside from the men who went mountain hunting, generally relied on planting an acre or two of poor land. Their children or wives usually stayed around the village.
Of course, there were also men who weren’t mountain hunting for a day or two and would work in these fields.
They had all heard the rumors circulating, but they still couldn’t believe that Su Yan, an orphan, had managed to establish himself on his own. Envy was naturally palpable.
As they watched Su Yan stride away, they couldn’t help but whisper amongst themselves.
“This lad is good-looking and capable; he’ll surely find a wife soon.”
“Finding a wife is none of our business. When Su Dahe left, not many people extended a hand to him.”
“Wasn’t there Xie Yuzhu? He could have acted as a matchmaker…”
The desultory chatter gradually faded behind them, lost among the fields. It was unclear how many of them were truly listening, and how many had already dismissed it.
In this mountain environment, it was considered a sign of some kindness from the people of Yun Qian Village if they didn’t completely strip orphans bare. Forget offering help; it was a good enough if they could just manage their own households.
Su Yan approached his home, about a hundred meters away, and from a distance, he saw Xie Yuzhu, his brow furrowed, a complex expression on his face, pacing back and forth.
Xie Yuzhu looked up and saw Su Yan in the distance. His expression turned anxious, and he quickly turned his head, intending to leave quickly.
“Uncle Xie.”
Su Yan called out to Xie Yuzhu, making it impossible for him to pretend he hadn’t seen him.
Xie Yuzhu stopped awkwardly and turned around. Despite being a large man, he appeared flustered and hesitant.
“Ah, it’s A Yan! You’ve just returned from the mountain, haven’t you? I was just passing by.”
Xie Yuzhu’s words were disjointed. Su Yan frowned slightly and asked with concern, “Uncle Xie, has something happened at home?”
“No.”
Xie Yuzhu denied it immediately, but seeing Su Yan’s expression, he seemed to give up, forcing out a sentence.
“I’m here to face disgrace. Guo Peng and the others heard you’ve made progress mountain hunting and want to ask you to be a mountain hunting leader. I refused, but after all, they also…”
Despite being a rough man, his face turned beet red, and he couldn’t articulate his words properly.
“If you become a leader, you’ll get seventy percent, and a larger group can carry more from the mountain. This is what they’ve agreed to.”
Having finally finished speaking, Xie Yuzhu seemed eager to leave, appearing even more uneasy.
Conversely, Su Yan smiled, his worries dissipating.
As long as nothing had happened to Uncle Xie’s family, he was relieved.
He thought for a moment and said, “Uncle Xie, I might not be able to accept this.”
“It’s fine.”
Before Su Yan could finish, Xie Yuzhu seemed to have shed a heavy burden and quickly agreed. The flush on his face receded slightly, as if he could finally breathe.
If he weren’t considered a semi-leader within the mountain hunting team, he wouldn’t have agreed to come forward.
Of course, the reason for this was that a few months ago, Su Yan had joined the team. Although they were displeased, they hadn’t driven him away, and there was a sense of shared experience.
“Uncle Xie, please let me finish speaking.”
Su Yan interrupted Xie Yuzhu and explained, “I hunt while mountain hunting, and my itinerary doesn’t align with yours. It would be inconvenient for you to travel with me. However, while mountain hunting recently, I discovered a few mushroom and lingzhi mushroom spots that I haven’t touched. I can entrust them to you and your group to look after.”
Xie Yuzhu’s eyes widened, and he immediately reacted, shaking his head repeatedly. “No, how can we take spots from mountain hunting? This…”
“If you don’t go, they’ll overgrow and be ruined by animals after a while.”
Su Yan stated his position firmly, and Xie Yuzhu began to hesitate.
“A Yan, does this truly not affect you?”
He looked at Su Yan’s demeanor, trying to detect any hint of reluctance. If he found any, he would absolutely refuse.
“Don’t worry, Uncle Xie, it won’t affect anything. I still have my hunting skills.”
Su Yan waved the gray rabbits he had hunted at his waist. “For the past few months, I’ve received your care, and this is how I should repay it.”
“I understand. I will make it clear to them.”
Xie Yuzhu nodded heavily and carefully noted down the locations Su Yan had told him before turning to leave.
Watching Xie Yuzhu depart, Su Yan’s eyes flickered, and he sighed softly to himself, “Possession is nine-tenths of the law, even these spots shouldn’t be given to Uncle Xie too freely, as it might bring trouble. If my strength were to increase a bit, I could help Uncle Xie find a livelihood.”
The other mountain hunters had helped Su Yan, and even if there were some minor grumbles, they had indeed offered assistance. He had to acknowledge that debt.
As for Xie Yuzhu, he had genuinely offered a helping hand. Such kindness deserved an even greater repayment.
After bidding farewell to Xie Yuzhu, Su Yan entered his home. He skinned and carefully processed the roe deer and gray rabbits before finally resting.
【 Tier 1 Insect Master: 5/100】
【 Insect Realm: 1 cubic meter】
【 Mountain Hunting: 37/200（ Minor Accomplishment）】
【 Basic Archery: 104/200（ Minor Accomplishment）】
【 Herbology: 21/200(Minor Accomplishment）】
【 Yin Water Centipede: 63/200(Growth Stage）】
“After practicing archery for a few days, my strength has increased considerably. I’ve also roughly figured out the abilities of the Yin Water Centipede after it entered its ranked stage. I didn’t expect this carapace to be able to withstand ordinary attacks, similar to cowhide.”
In the past few days, besides avoiding the attention of the mountain hunters, Su Yan also wanted to assess his own capabilities.
The Yin Water Centipede had clearly undergone significant changes after entering its growth stage, as if it had entered a new realm.
Its specialty was using poison, yet its carapace was as tough as cowhide.
Combined, even experienced hunters might fall victim.
After all, with such a small body, a carapace that could resist ordinary attacks, and potent poison.
The three elements complemented each other, making its power even greater.
“If I were to practice martial arts, I could probably understand a bit more.”
With the Yin Water Centipede’s changes, those who truly practiced martial arts would definitely understand. Song Qi would certainly know, but he couldn’t just bring up the topic himself and expose himself.
“Including the money from selling the viperberry fruit and He Shou Wu from the past few days, I now have a total of thirty-seven taels and four qian in silver. It’s almost enough, but I still need to set aside a few taels for taxes.”
Calculating his silver, Su Yan made plans, intending to venture deeper into the mountains to accumulate more wealth.
The next morning, before the sun had risen, in the thin mist and dew, Su Yan picked up his backpack and headed towards Yunling Mountain.
Quite a few mountain hunters were leaving at this time, but not many were heading in the same direction as Su Yan.
It wasn’t that no one wanted to follow Su Yan’s direction into the mountains.
However, that direction was known for having more wild beasts and poisonous insects, and it was even an area where mountain paths had not been cleared.
Su Yan could go in, but they might not dare to risk it. If they got injured and couldn’t pay the tax silver, they would end up in prison.
Not to mention that with Su Yan’s hardwood bow in hand, it wouldn’t be easy to provoke him.
However, there were always exceptions. For those with malicious intent, the more secluded the place, the better.
“Hurry up, that little guy is heading into the mountain with a backpack, it doesn’t look like he’s hunting. Keep up.”
Wang San, Li Hu, along with Huang Tian and Zhao Fu, four men, quietly followed, keeping their distance behind.
Li Hu took the lead, carrying a hardwood bow, with a dagger at his waist, its tip honed to a gleam.
Wang San also carried a dagger, not as good as Li Hu’s, but still a sharp blade.
Huang Tian and Zhao Fu appeared to be in their early thirties, wearing coarse linen shirts, and each held a two-pronged fork, their eyes gleaming.
The group had waited for several days and finally saw Su Yan pick up his backpack. Calculating the time, they were certain he wasn’t going hunting and immediately followed.
They moved quickly through the thin mist for about a mile or two and saw Su Yan’s body enter the foot of the mountain, overgrown with weeds and shrubs.
Wang San and Li Hu’s group quickly followed, their legs getting wet from the dew on the grass, making them shiver from the cold.
“This kid is like a mountain rat, always drilling into these places. No wonder others can’t find treasure plants, but he can.”
Li Hu cursed. The weeds were tangled and rough, some even scratching the skin, making it extremely uncomfortable.
However, Su Yan’s footwork was exceptionally agile. Once in the mountains, he disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye.
If they didn’t chase faster, they might lose him.
“Hurry! That kid is definitely heading to a treasure spot.”
Li Hu urged Wang San and the others, then followed quickly along the trail Su Yan had left.
Wang San and Huang Tian grumbled internally. Li Hu was a hunter with superior physical condition.
But they were idlers and vagrants. Traveling on such mountain paths was a form of torture for them.
Rushing and hurrying, they traveled another mile or two and entered the mountains.
On both sides were not only shrubs and weeds but also tall trees. Their branches intertwined, and dense leaves blocked out the sky, exuding a chilling gloom.
“Where are the tracks?!”
Li Hu suddenly exclaimed, his expression darkening.
“What’s wrong?”
Wang San moved forward, glancing around, his expression equally grim.
The shrubs were dense, and the weeds stood tall, showing no signs of being flattened or cut.
It was as if no one had passed through this way.
But where was Su Yan?
The four of them now had somber expressions. Li Hu snorted. If they lost him, their losses would be substantial.
“The kid might have sensed something was wrong and is hiding.”
Li Hu, being from a hunting background, quickly regained his composure.
Mountain hunters, no matter how careful, wouldn’t conceal their tracks so thoroughly; it was more like hiding.
“What do we do? If he gets alerted, and we can’t find him for ten days or half a month, we can’t wait that long.”
Zhao Fu, holding an iron fork, had a fierce look in his eyes. He was closest to Li Hu and quite astute; he realized the consequences of alerting Su Yan.
“Zhao Fu, you and Wang San form a team. Huang Tian, you’re with me. We’ll search for clues in the vicinity. That kid can’t be far. We’ll capture him and force him to talk.”
Li Hu made a decisive judgment. The four split into teams, gripping their weapons tighter, and began searching for Su Yan’s tracks in the surrounding weeds.
However, about ten meters away, behind an old tree, Su Yan was watching it all.
“I wondered who it was; it turns out to be Wang San…”
Su Yan sneered. The Yin Water Centipede by his side hissed, half of its body already submerged in the shrubs.
