Chapter 003 - Troubling Times

Li Yuan had briefly considered heading straight to the deeper part of the second ridge, now that he had Intermediate Archery under his belt. In games and novels, once you leveled up, taking on the next wave of enemies usually became much easier. But he decided it wasn’t worth the risk.

From his memories, he knew Yan Yu still had a bit of emergency money—400 coppers, or four large coins.

In times of plenty, those four coins could buy 20 kg of millet. Now, he’d be lucky to get six kilograms out of it. In truth, that much was only possible on the black market, which was too far away and too dangerous.

The only option closer to home was the grain shop in Little Ink Village, where greedy merchants hoarded food to profit from people’s disasters. Four coins there would stretch to maybe four kilograms, still enough to keep him and Yan Yu fed for a couple of weeks if they rationed it carefully.

Since they still had a bit of time before the money ran out, there was no rush to venture past the second ridge.

Li Yuan glanced again at the numbers on his status window, feeling at least somewhat hopeful. “I’ll spend the next two days testing things out. Maybe I can figure out how to earn more stat points each day.”

With that, he turned back toward the dried creek. Just then, from the dim woods not far away, he spotted a 3~5 drifting into view. Instantly, he spun on his heel to run. But the moment he bolted, that 3~5 picked up speed as well.

A sharp male voice called out behind him, “Oy, pipsqueak! Why’re you running?”

Lu Yuan stopped. He recognized that voice. It was Qian San, another hunter. He was tall, burly, and everything Li Yuan wasn’t. Plus, Qian San had four brothers at home, giving him a strength in numbers that Li Yuan, alone and without kin, sorely lacked.

Sure enough, a powerfully built man soon emerged from the trees, his face untroubled, eyes bright with an unmistakable air of aggression. He carried a crude wooden crossbow in his right hand, held the leash of a vicious-looking yellow dog in his left, and had an eastern-style hatchet strapped to his back. [1]

Qian San jogged up and clapped a heavy palm on Li Yuan’s shoulder. “Heading home empty-handed again, eh? Don’t tell me you want that pretty wife of yours to starve.”

Despite the casual tone, Li Yuan knew they weren’t close. That overly familiar manner was Qian San’s way of keeping him in check.

Hooking an arm around Li Yuan’s shoulder, Qian San gave him a casual squeeze and let out a sneering chuckle. “Tsk, tsk, tsk... You’re so scrawny you barely look like a hunter. Just look at me—if you had even half my bulk, you’d be marching straight to the back of the second ridge.”

With that, he flashed a smug grin, as though saving some grand reveal for later. Given what Qian San knew about Li Yuan, he fully expected the boy to ask,

What’s back there? Can you even hunt in winter?

And then, once he’d bragged enough, maybe Li Yuan would say,

Take me with you!

But Li Yuan simply replied, “Sorry, I need to get home. Yan Yu is waiting on me for dinner.”

“Dinner?” Qian San’s eyebrows arched, and his voice rose a notch. “What’s so great about whatever measly meal you’ve got at home? Come with me. I’ll take you to the far side of the second ridge for a proper feast. We’ll track down that boar that chased you before, haha!”

Saying this, he casually loosened the rope in his hand. The fierce yellow dog at his side bounded off with an aggressive energy. Once it was a short distance away, Li Yuan glimpsed 1~2 floating above the dog’s head. Meanwhile, the number above Qian San read 2~3

.

Li Yuan hesitated.

So that’s a team of two...?

“Pipsqueak,” Qian San boasted, leaning in with a sidelong glare, “just look at my dog,

Ol Yeller

. When he’s chasing the boar, all we have to do is block it from the other side. Couldn’t be easier, right?”

“Uhh, I really can’t. My injury hasn’t fully healed. My back and legs still hurt...”

“Hey” Qian San said coldly, “you turning me down?”

“It really does hurt.”

“Fine. Then next time you’re up here, when you’re feeling better, you’re coming with me to the second ridge. Got it?” He stared Li Yuan down, a raw menace in his gaze.

“A-all right, next time for sure,” Li Yuan answered hastily.

Only then did Qian San let go, jabbing a finger at Li Yuan’s chest before shifting his attention to another scrawny hunter who had just appeared in the distance. Whistling for his dog, he swaggered off, leaving Li Yuan free to slip away.

Li Yuan knew exactly what was on Qian San’s mind. The man probably wouldn’t dare go into the second ridge alone, so he wanted a companion—or maybe even a patsy. He’d talk big before heading out, but once Li Yuan was there, he might be thrown straight to the wolves.

Besides, the back of the second ridge made for a perfect spot to dispose of a body. In no time at all, the corpse would draw wild animals, who’d drag it who knew where.

Even reporting it to the authorities wouldn’t help; in this famine year, the local authorities hardly acted on anything right away. Letting half a month slip by before investigating was perfectly normal.

Even if the authorities didn’t choose to delay an investigation, actually locating a missing corpse in the back of the second ridge was unlikely.

And even if by some miracle they did find the body, it would probably be so badly mauled by wild animals that a coroner couldn’t tell if the victim died at human hands or from a beast attack.

Chances were high that once the county magistrate heard someone had disappeared in the second ridge, he’d just file it away without bothering to look deeper.

After leaving, Li Yuan avoided the main road and took a roundabout path home.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

When Li Yuan arrived in the courtyard, the door was only half-shut.

Yan Yu stood near the wall, perched on her toes, stacking freshly gathered kindling. She hadn’t dared to go far, just picked up fallen branches from under the nearby trees.

At the sound of his footsteps, she spun around, and when she recognized his face, a soft smile of relief and warmth bloomed on her cheeks.

“Li Yuan!” She ran over, leaping into his arms as though she’d finally let go of a long-held breath. “Yuan... Yuan...” she murmured.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I saw a stray dog digging up a corpse. The body was only buried a few days ago...”

“Probably wasn’t buried deep.”

“I’m scared...”

“So am I. And I came back without a single catch today.”

“It’s all right.” She tilted her head up, placing her hands gently on his cheeks. “We’re both here, and we’re both safe. That’s what matters.”

Up close, her features were truly lovely, carrying a subtle charm that tempted the heart.

“Where’d you see that dog? Maybe we can track it down,” he said, feeling a flicker of ambition.

Startled, she broke into a wry chuckle. “It’s long gone by now. Besides, I used two of our large coins today to get a kilogram each of millet, coarse grain, and beans. Mixed together, it’ll last us a while...”

“Did anyone see you buy them?”

“Auntie Wang and her husband were there, so they helped me carry it all home. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have dared bring so much back by myself.”

For a moment, both fell quiet. After such a tense day, the hush between them seemed charged with unspoken longing.

Suddenly, Yan Yu gave a startled yelp. “W-what are you—”

Li Yuan scooped an arm under her knees and lifted her clear off the ground, carrying her into the house with swift strides.

“But dinner’s not even star—Ah... Ahh!"

Their voices soon faded into murmurs, becoming the soft whispers of two people swept away by each other’s warmth.

1.

Here's a picture for reference

. The Japanese refer to it as a

nata

, and the Chinese call it a

chai dao

or firewood blade. It's a mix between a traditional western ax and a machete. ☜