The villagers gathered in increasing numbers, buzzing with discussion.
"Really? Two wild bears?"
"You've got to be kidding me, seven or eight hundred pounds?"
"..."
The looks the villagers directed at Li Xiu carried a strange edge.
There was shock, envy, and sheer disbelief.
Li Mingda also squeezed through the crowd, his eyes fixed intently on Li Xiu.
He remembered very clearly when Li Xiu had asked him for the flying darts; at the time, he had simply assumed Li Xiu was messing around and hadn't paid it any mind.
After all, a good-for-nothing like Li Xiu could hardly be expected to become a master hunter.
Yet now, Li Xiu had single-handedly slaughtered two seven-or-eight-hundred-pound wild bears?
Li Xiu glanced around the crowd, gave a light cough, and said loudly, "Fellow villagers, these two wild bears are massive, and right here on this mountain, I can't carry them down all by myself. A few of you, come with me up the mountain to haul the bears back, and I'll share a portion of the meat with you!"
"I'll go!"
"Count me in!"
"..."
Hearing that there was meat to eat, everyone grew excited, scrambling and fighting to join in.
In this day and age, getting a piece of meat to eat was even more joyous than celebrating the New Year!
Li Xiu scanned the crowd and picked out a few sturdy men, with Li Mingda notably among them.
"Alright, then follow me!"
Li Xiu gave a wave and led the crowd up the mountain.
The group quickly reached the spot.
"Gasp..."
At the sight before them, everyone was stunned.
Two massive wild bears lay motionless on the ground, their bodies bristling with flying darts, blood staining the earth red.
The larger one had flying darts driven straight through its eyes, killing it with headshots.
The surrounding trees had all been smashed askew by this huge wild bear, leaving the area in utter chaos.
"This scene is too terrifying!"
"Could these wild bears have turned into spirits or demons?"
"..."
Just as everyone was chattering away in discussion, Li Mingda walked over to the bear carcasses and began inspecting the wounds.
He looked at the headshot bear, then turned to look at the other bear stuck all over with flying darts, his eyes filled with absolute shock.
"These two flying darts went straight into the eyes, delivering instant headshots!" Li Mingda said as he pointed at the massive headshot bear. "This Dart Technique is incredible!"
Then, he pointed at the other bear: "This bear took a total of six flying darts all over its body, every single one of them a fatal wound, and judging from the placement of the darts, it looks like Li Xiu fired them while on the move..."
Li Mingda felt even more horrified inside.
He jerked his head up and stared at Li Xiu. "Li Xiu, where, where did you learn this Dart Technique?"
Li Xiu smiled and said nothing.
That was impossible to explain.
If he claimed to be a person from the modern world who had transmigrated here, not only would no doubt anyone believe him, but it would literally scare them to death.
Li Xiu smiled without answering, so Li Mingda couldn't press the matter further.
Suddenly, a villager asked, "Li Xiu, you said earlier that Boss Long's gang was eaten by a pack of wild bears, and that they put up a fight for a bit, but how come we don't see any discarded swords or spears? Did those wild bears swallow the weapons into their bellies too?"
As soon as those words came out, the entire clearing fell dead silent.
It was true—it was plausible that Li the Scoundrel from their own village had been eaten whole by a bear in one go.
But Boss Long's crew were bandits.
Every single one of them was highly skilled in martial arts and carried weapons.
Who on earth would believe they were eaten by wild bears down to the last bone without a trace left behind?
"I have no idea," Li Xiu said, feigning confusion. "When I ran into the bears earlier, the wits had already scared clean out of me—where would I have any mind left to worry about them?"
The villagers looked at one another, none of them saying anything further.
The gazes they directed at Li Xiu carried a hint of uneasy suspicion.
This Li Xiu was no longer the man he used to be!
Not only could he hunt wild bears now, but he had also grown so ruthless that he dared to kill people!
A person like that was best not provoked unless absolutely necessary!
Seeing that the villagers stopped pressing the issue, Li Xiu finally let out a sigh of relief.
He wasn't worried about having killed Boss Long and his bandits.
Killing bandits to rid the people of a scourge was something that brought everyone great joy.
What worried him was Li the Scoundrel, one of their own villagers.
Even though Li the Scoundrel was hateful and deserved to die, Sister Chunhua had been made a widow, and he had no good way to explain that.
He knew very well that this kind of secret would come to light sooner or later, but as long as no one had witnessed it, no one could do anything to him.
"Alright, stop standing around daydreaming!" Li Xiu shouted. "Why aren't you hurrying to carry these two wild bears down the mountain? Once we get home, everyone gets to eat meat together!"
"You got it!"
Hearing that there was meat to be had, the villagers perked right up, all stepping forward to lend a hand.
The two wild bears, weighing seven or eight hundred pounds each, took over a dozen burly men a tremendous amount of effort to haul down the mountain.
...
At the entrance of Xiaoshan Village, the old folks and children were eagerly waiting for the meat to be distributed.
When they saw Li Xiu and the others carrying two massive wild bears down the mountain path, everyone was struck dumb with shock.
"Good grief, what huge wild bears!"
"They, they must weigh several hundred pounds!"
"Did Li Xiu really kill these wild bears?"
"..."
The crowd swarmed around, buzzing with excited discussion.
Li Xiu led the men to carry the bears into his own courtyard and announced loudly, "Today we're butchering the bears, and everyone who helped out gets a pound of meat!"
"Awesome!"
"Li Xiu, don't you worry, butchering is my absolute specialty!"
"..."
Hearing this, the villagers grew even more excited.
With meat on the table, who wouldn't be happy?
Soon, a group of professional butchers set to work.
Skinning them, gutting them...
"Li Xiu, can I trade some grain for a bit of meat?" someone asked.
"Sure thing." Li Xiu nodded.
He looked around the courtyard and spotted Li Fengwu the carpenter.
Calling him over, Li Xiu said, "I'm going to fix up my house tomorrow, come on over and lend a hand, and I'll give you a share of the meat."
"You got it!" Li Fengwu replied with a wide smile. "Don't you worry, Li Xiu, I'll be here first thing tomorrow morning!"
The butchering, the carving, the distribution of meat...
The entire village was immersed in a festive buzz.
By evening, a rich, savory aroma of meat drifted through every single household.
"Wow, wild bear meat smells so good!"
Yang Ruixue picked up a slice of wild bear meat, popped it into her mouth, and was instantly won over by the tender texture and delicious flavor.
She chewed away with her mouth shining with oil, her eyes squinting into little crescents of delight.
Yang Ruiling could no longer hold back her restraint either, following her younger sister's lead and digging in.
"Eat slowly, watch you don't choke." Li Xiu smiled warmly as he filled bowls of clean water for the two young women.
The two sisters ate bite by bite, looking up at Li Xiu with somewhat hazy eyes.
It felt practically like a dream.
In the past, whenever they stayed by Li Xiu's side, simply trying to fill their stomachs was an absolute luxury, let alone getting to eat meat.
And now, not only could Li Xiu hunt, but he had even killed wild bears, letting them feast on fragrant roasted meat.
At this thought, Yang Ruixue couldn't help shedding tears.
Yang Ruixue, are you alright?" Li Xiu asked, his expression full of tender concern.
Yang Ruixue wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and broke into a radiant smile. "I'm just, I'm just, I'm just so happy..."
"Silly girl." Li Xiu reached out and patted her head. "What's there to cry about? Our lives are only going to get better and better from here on out!"
"Mm!" Yang Ruixue nodded, her gaze brimming with hope. "Darling, I have complete faith in you!"
After dinner, Li Xiu noticed that Yang Ruiling's expression looked a bit strange.
"Ruiling, are you okay?" Li Xiu asked with a puzzled frown.
"Darling..." Yang Ruiling hesitated before speaking up. "About Sister Chunhua..."
The moment Li Xiu heard the name "Sister Chunhua," he fell into silence...