Chapter 14: Breaking into the Martial Realm Today, Allocate Points! (Seeking Collections and Read-Throughs)
The village grew lively.
Wild boars were extremely fierce and had violent tempers. They usually traveled in groups of several, making them very difficult to hunt.
Successfully hunting one occasionally was considered lucky.
Catching two at once was truly awesome.
By now it was already afternoon, and many fishermen had returned, gathering around to watch the excitement.
"Chen-geer is amazing!"
"Indeed, carrying such a huge wild boar back all by himself! His physique is just too strong!"
"You bet! Look at how radiant Zhouniangzi looks every single day—that just shows how robust Chen-geer's physique is!"
"Wild Dog and Er Mazi carried a single sow between the two of them and were already red-faced and panting; there really is no comparison!"
"Not just that, look at the injuries on both wild boars. Aside from their eyes, there are no other marks. That means Chen-geer hit both in the eyes with all four arrows without a single miss. This archery is simply divine!"
" 'Hitting a willow leaf at a hundred paces' is the only way to describe Chen-geer's archery!"
"Zhouniangzi is truly blessed!"
"Look, Zhouniangzi is coming!"
Qin Hongyu hurried over in a flurry. Seeing Zhou-Chen carrying a massive wild boar, she was both surprised and delighted, not expecting that Zhou Chen had actually hunted a wild boar.
Two of them, no less.
Especially seeing Zhou Chen lifting a huge wild boar on each shoulder, his unshakeable, majestic, and stalwart figure made Qin Hongyu's thighs tighten, while the honey-like sweetness in her heart seemed to flow right to her fingertips.
Women naturally admire strength.
Who wouldn't want their own man to be formidable?
When a man is formidable, no one dares to bully you!
"Chen-geer!"
Qin Hongyu hurried to Zhou Chen's side, her eyes so watery they seemed ready to drip, and her adoration and admiration were written all over her face.
"Sister-in-law!"
Wild Dog and Er Mazi quickly called out.
"Hongyu, I'm going to sell these two wild boars first!"
Led by Wild Dog and Er Mazi, Zhou Chen carried the wild boars straight to the grain shop, which was a chamber of commerce branch.
It not only dealt in grain but also bought and sold other goods.
Hearing the commotion outside, the shopkeeper came out with two assistants.
When he saw the massive wild boar Zhou Chen was carrying, even he was secretly startled.
He wasn't surprised by the wild boar; rather, he was amazed by Zhou Chen's raw strength.
"Good skills, Chen-geer!"
The shopkeeper knew Zhou Chen. In the past, Old Man Cao frequently brought Zhou Chen here to sell game, buy grain, and purchase other daily necessities.
"Shopkeeper Zhao, I'm selling these two wild boars!"
Zhou Chen put down the wild boar, then took over the sow that Wild Dog and Er Mazi were carrying, placing them together as he spoke to Zhao Yuan.
"Chen-geer, you're a regular customer. These two wild boars together weigh around six hundred catties. I'll give you a fair price—a flat rate of ten liang of silver. What do you think?"
Zhao Yuan inspected the two wild boars. Judging by their wounds, Zhou Chen's archery had clearly surpassed the master, far outstripping Old Man Cao.
Moreover, Zhou Chen possessed considerable strength—perhaps born with divine strength, or perhaps he had practiced a few martial arts. In this village, he could be considered someone of note.
He would definitely be able to hunt plenty of game in the future.
"Alright, Shopkeeper Zhao is a straightforward man!"
Zhou Chen smiled without haggling.
This price was quite reasonable.
Ordinary pork cost twenty wen per catty, so six hundred catties of pork would be twelve liang of silver.
And his two wild boars hadn't even been gutted yet.
However, wild boar meat was more expensive than ordinary pork, and if it were a spirit-beast wild boar, the price would be vastly higher.
Because that would be monster meat.
Like the mutated fierce tiger that Zhang Long killed yesterday, if it were put up for sale, it would start at at least a hundred liang of silver.
Having sold the wild boars, Zhou Chen bought twenty catties of table salt and other daily necessities.
Salt wasn't expensive, at ten wen per catty.
With the other daily necessities included, it cost less than one liang of silver.
Even so, one liang of silver was no small sum.
Carrying the purchased goods, Qin Hongyu followed Zhou Chen home with a mix of heartache and joy.
Wild Dog and Er Mazi followed behind with wild chickens and hares.
Back home.
Zhou Chen took out two dead little wild boars, two hares, and two wild chickens, and divided them among Wild Dog and Er Mazi.
"You've worked hard today!"
"What are you saying, Chen-geer? What's a little effort like this? If you need anything in the future, just give the word. We're at your beck and call!"
Wild Dog and Er Mazi patted their chests with a resounding promise.
"Alright, go on back and get some rest!"
Zhou Chen dismissed them.
The two men knew how to read the room and happily left carrying the wild boars, hares, and chickens.
As soon as they stepped out, the two men deliberately took a detour and walked around the village, drawing envious looks from everyone.
"So satisfying!"
Under the envious gazes of the villagers, the two men, who had long been as tired as dogs, finally returned to their respective homes to process their hard-earned game.
Zhou Chen and Qin Hongyu were also busy processing theirs.
Zhou Chen didn't touch the four live little wild boars for now; he kept them alive to eat fresh later.
"Tonight we're having braised suckling pig!"
The remaining dead piglet was cleaned and handed over to Qin Hongyu to prepare in the kitchen, while Zhou Chen continued processing the other hares and wild chickens.
He skinned the hares and removed the entrails.
He plucked the feathers of the wild chickens and removed their entrails.
Then he rubbed them with salt and hung them up to dry.
After finishing, Zhou Chen fished out the little fox and gave it a stroke.
The little fox seemed to have grown accustomed to him.
It lay across Zhou Chen's lap with an expression of pure bliss as Zhou Chen rubbed its furry head, laughing.
"Seeing that you're so well-behaved, I won't lock you in a cage tonight!"
Zhou Chen also wanted to see whether this little fellow would run away.
Even if it ran, it didn't matter.
[Fengyue Point +1]
After petting the little fox for a while, Qin Hongyu finished cooking.
A basin of braised suckling pig and a large bowl of stir-fried chicken offal.
Qin Hongyu piled Zhou Chen's bowl high with rice.
"Chen-geer, you're looking more and more like a bottomless pit!"
Qin Hongyu teased.
"If I don't eat more, how am I supposed to build up my strength?"
Zhou Chen smiled, his gaze sweeping over Qin Hongyu. "Without strength, how can I keep you full and satisfied?"
Qin Hongyu blushed, picked up a large piece of fatty meat, and shoved it into Zhou Chen's mouth.
"Can't even this much meat shut your mouth?"
"Only yours can!"
"What are you talking about!"
The two ate their fill, feeling both physically and mentally delighted.
Especially Qin Hongyu—seeing that Zhou Chen had hunted two wild boars today and earned ten liang of silver, she almost fainted from sheer happiness.
"After eating, you need to move around!"
Zhou Chen scooped Liang Hongyu up into his arms and strode toward the bedroom.
"Oh my, we haven't locked up the little fox yet!"
"Leave it be!"
"Turn off the lamp!"
"No need, we're not short on that little bit of oil money!"
"Bad man!"
"Ah, right there... don't..."
...
For ten days straight, Zhou Chen did not leave the house.
The little fox had also grown tame and hadn't run away.
Wild Dog, Er Mazi, and other hunters wanted to tag along for hunting trips, but Zhou Chen didn't agree, holing up at home every day raising a ruckus.
At this point, the villagers figured it out.
Zhou Chen was a capable man, but he was simply lazy.
Every time he finished a hunt, he would return home to keep his wife busy, only going out to hunt again when their household provisions ran out.
Another two days passed. Because Zhou Chen's appetite was growing larger and larger and the meat at home was almost gone, Zhou Chen had no choice but to go out hunting.
This time, Zhou Chen brought along Wild Dog, Er Mazi, and two other hunters.
He tracked down a herd of sika deer and shot down four of the sturdiest ones in a row, each weighing around two hundred catties.
He carried two on his shoulders by himself, while the remaining two were carried by the other four men.
Upon returning to the village.
Zhou Chen removed the antlers, pulled out one deer to split among Wild Dog and his four companions, sold two of them along with all the antlers, and kept one for himself to eat.
Deer were more expensive than wild boars, especially the antlers. Zhou Chen pocketed another fifteen liang of silver from the sale.
Back home, Zhou Chen continued his reclusive lifestyle, raising a ruckus day in and day out.
Qin Hongyu was quite satisfied with this arrangement, though she found it a bit overwhelming at times.
She felt that Zhou Chen hadn't just grown taller and sturdier; other areas had grown even more.
Zhou Chen was originally eighteen years old, but she felt as though he had already grown into a twenty-two-year-old man.
"Chen-geer, did you secretly use the Thunder Light Ruyi Hand to massage yourself?"
"Nonsense! I'm only eighteen, right in the middle of a growth spurt. This is normal secondary development!"
Zhou Chen spoke with righteous conviction, and moreover, he was telling the truth.
Although Zhou Chen only went hunting once every ten days or so, he always returned with a full load.
By now, their household savings exceeded twenty liang of silver.
To be precise, twenty-four liang.
In the village, they could be considered quite wealthy.
Zhou Chen was waiting—waiting until he broke through, after which he would make a trip to Qinghe City.
For one thing, only the city had good bows.
For another, he also wanted to gather more news about this world.
He had to go to the city for that.
Country folks were isolated from information and knew very little about the outside world; most of the time, they would die without even knowing how it happened.
In the blink of an eye, another twenty days passed.
During this time, Zhou Chen went hunting once more, bagging sika deer again and earning another fifteen liang of silver.
The weather was gradually turning cooler, and a layer of white frost had condensed on the grass and tree leaves by the roadside.
Inside the warm room.
Zhou Chen looked at Qin Hongyu, who was cradled in his arms and sleeping soundly against him, her flushed face bearing a few tear tracks of happiness.
He didn't disturb her, quietly withdrawing his arm and slipping away, his eyes filled with excitement and anticipation.
[Fengyue Mirror]
[Master: Zhou Chen]
[Technique: Yi Archery]
[Realm: Body Refining Tier 1: Skin Refining (993/1000)]
[Supernatural Power: Thunder Light Ruyi Hand]
[Skills: Archery (Superb), Tracking (Mastery 40/160), Throwing (Mastery 8/160), Trapping (Proficient 2/20), Fishing (Novice 6/10)...]
[Fengyue Point: 14]
"A month's time, and I can finally truly step into the ranks of martial artists!"
Suppressing his excitement, Zhou Chen roared inwardly with elation:
"Allocate points!"
...