"Dad, this is a great harvest! Not only did we catch a snow rabbit, but we even got this goat. When we bring these back to little sister, she'll definitely be overjoyed!" Wang Erlang said excitedly to his father, his face beaming with pride.
Old Man Wang listened to his son's words, but he wasn't nearly as cheerful. He tapped his cane gently against the ground. "Oh, you are already so old, yet you are still so reckless! Don't get ahead of yourself. I've told you many times: think about everything before you act. You can't take action without full confidence. Why can't you just calm down?"
Although the old man's words were harsh, there was a hint of relief in his eyes. He knew his son was young, energetic, and impulsive, but he was still satisfied with Erlang's hunting performance today.
"Dad, if you hit me like that again, I'll turn stupid!" Wang Erlang muttered, covering his head and lowering his voice so his father wouldn't hear him grumbling.
"You little bastard, you dare to talk back?!" Old Man Wang pretended to raise his hand again, and Erlang quickly pleaded for mercy. "I was wrong, Dad! I really don't dare to do it anymore!"
After Erlang admitted his mistake with a good attitude, Old Man Wang finally let go of his hand and they continued walking toward the village. As soon as they set foot in the village, however, they felt something strange. Normally at this time, the villagers would be busy working outside, but today the streets were eerily empty.
"What is going on today? Why is there no one to be seen?" Old Man Wang muttered, sensing that something was wrong.
"What's wrong? It's the same as always," Wang Erlang glanced around casually and said nonchalantly.
"You really leave me speechless! As the saying goes, caution is the key to a century of hunting. If you are so careless, you will eventually suffer a loss!" Old Man Wang glared at his son in frustration.
While the two were arguing, they passed by the house of a relatively familiar hunter. Suddenly, a head poked out from a corner. It was Li Xiaozi, who waved at them repeatedly while lowering his voice and shouting: "Old Man Wang! Old Man Wang!"
"What's wrong, Lee?" Old Man Wang saw the panicked look on the man's face and his heart tightened. He hurried over.
"Today, Liu Er brought a young man to your house. He's been there for a while now," Li Xiaozi whispered, looking around to ensure no one else was listening. "Wait until you see... just don't be impulsive!"
When Old Man Wang heard this, his face instantly became solemn. He knew that Liu Er was not a reliable person and that taking a strange boy to his home could only mean trouble.
"What's going on? Speak quickly!" Old Man Wang asked eagerly.
Li Xiaozi took a deep breath and told them everything he had witnessed at the tavern.
"No, the girl is still home!" Old Man Wang's face turned even uglier. He remembered his little daughter, Xiao Mei, was alone. If the boy had any bad intentions, the consequences would be disastrous.
"What? Who ate the courage of a bear heart leopard and dared to enter in house?" Wang Erlang was young and energetic. When he heard this, he was immediately furious. "See if I don't go shoot him some blood holes!"
As he spoke, Erlang threw down the goat and snow rabbit and ran toward his home at lightning speed.
"You come back! Don't be impulsive!" Old Man Wang shouted, but Erlang was already blinded by anger and wouldn't listen. The old man sighed helplessly, turned to Li Xiaozi and said, "Thank you so much. If you hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't have known. When this is over, I will thank you properly."
Then, Old Man Wang chased after his son, silently praying that nothing had happened to Xiao Mei.
Inside the Wang house, Liu Chen was crushing the bamboo joints one by one. His mood became increasingly anxious. These bamboo joints were like his only hope for finding the animal skin map; as each one broke and revealed nothing, that hope gradually faded.
He looked at the broken bamboo pieces scattered all over the ground, his heart filled with helplessness and disappointment. He had crushed most of the bundle and still hadn't found the hide map. He couldn't help but doubt his own judgment. Was this just a futile search? Did I remember the location incorrectly?
However, just as he was about to give up, he picked up the very last bamboo joint and crushed it without hesitation. It was at this moment that he suddenly felt a change in the resistance in his hand. He looked down and was surprised to see a roll of animal skin falling out of the shards.
He had finally found the map! He quickly reached out to pick it up, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
At that exact moment, a rapid sound of footsteps reached his ears. Liu Chen looked up to see Wang Erlang running wildly into the courtyard. Erlang's face was a mask of rage. His eyes immediately fell on Xiao Mei, who was still pinned to the floor by the slow, looming Grass Puppet. The girl was sobbing softly, her face pale with terror.
Wang Erlang's anger was instantly ignited. He reached behind him and unsheathed his powerful bow. His movements were like flowing water, bending the bow, tying the arrow, and releasing the shot all in one fluid motion.
"You damn guy, eat your grandpa's arrow!" Wang Erlang shouted. The arrow sped toward Liu Chen like a bolt of lightning.
Old Man Wang arrived just in time to see this scene. He was terrified, but it was too late to stop his son.
At this critical moment, the originally lifeless Grass Puppet suddenly stood up under Liu Chen's mental command. It moved with surprising speed, positioning itself like an impenetrable wall to block Liu Chen's body.
Wang Erlang was shocked to see the straw man move, but his powerful arrow had already been released. It tore through the air with a sharp whistle, sounding as if it would rip the very atmosphere apart.
However, something unexpected happened. The arrow possessed such immense physical force that it penetrated the body of the Rank 1 Grass Puppet without any hindrance. It flew straight through the straw and continued toward Liu Chen's shoulder as if entering an uninhabited realm.
Liu Chen, however, was already on guard. As the arrow drew near, a faint white light suddenly appeared on the surface of his skin. This light was like a protective film, wrapping him tightly and hardening his flesh to the consistency of stone.
A crisp bang echoed through the room as the arrow struck Liu Chen's shoulder with staggering force. However, the sound was not the dull thud of a projectile hitting flesh and blood, but rather the sharp, metallic ring of an impact against solid stone.
It turned out that Liu Chen had already secretly activated the Jade Skin Gu. In an instant, his skin had transformed, gaining the hardness and luster of polished white jade, rendering him invulnerable to common weapons. Though the arrow was launched with the full strength of a seasoned hunter, it was effortlessly deflected, clattering harmlessly to the floor under the protection of the Rank 1 Gu.
"What monster is this?!" Wang Erlang's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. He couldn't comprehend how a human body could be so hard that his best shot, fired with every ounce of his strength failed to leave even a scratch.
Despite the shock and confusion, Erlang's rage did not subside. He reached for another arrow, intent on delivering a fatal blow to the intruder.
At that moment, Old Man Wang, who had been racing behind him, arrived on the scene. His face was as pale as paper. Seeing his son about to fire again, he didn't hesitate; he rushed forward and delivered a stinging slap across Wang Erlang's face.
The blow was so powerful that it sent Erlang tumbling to the ground. He rolled several times before finally coming to a halt on his knees, gasping in pain.
"Dad!" Erlang cried out, clutching his swelling cheek as bright red blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. He stared at his father with a mask of shock and betrayal.
Old Man Wang ignored him. His legs gave out as he collapsed into a kowtow, pressing his hands tightly against Erlang's head to force him down. "Your Excellency, please have mercy! This gangster is ignorant and has offended you out of foolishness. Please, raise your hand high and spare his life!"
Xiao Mei, the younger daughter, was paralyzed with terror. She watched the scene in silence, her body shaking uncontrollably. Seeing her father kowtowing and pleading for their lives, she quickly followed suit, falling to her knees and sobbing: "Please, let my brother go! He knows he is wrong..."
Wang Erlang was humiliated and enraged by his father's behavior. He suppressed the throbbing pain in his face and glared at Liu Chen. "Dad, look at his age! How powerful can he be? At most, he is just a Rank 1 student, no different from a mortal. How many times can he even use a Gu? Why are you so afraid of him?!"
Old Man Wang's entire body trembled with fear at his son's arrogance. He scolded him fiercely: "Shut up! You traitor! Do you want to kill us all?!"
Without waiting for a response, the old man raised his hunting stick and struck Erlang hard on the back of the head. With a muffled thud, Erlang's body slumped forward, and he fell unconscious to the floor.
"My Lord, he is out of his mind! He is a scumbag who knows nothing!" Old Man Wang continued to kowtow desperately, knowing full well that for a mortal to attack a Gu Master was an irrefutable capital crime. Seeing Liu Chen so young, the old man could think of no other way to save his son than to beg for mercy.
The sound of his forehead hitting the hard ground was sharp and consistent. Within moments, a sliver of blood began to ooze from the old man's brow, flowing down his cheeks. Yet, he seemed to feel no pain, driven only by the singular thought of saving Erlang's life.
Liu Chen looked down at the pathetic scene, the bleeding old man and the terrified girl. Finally, his heart softened slightly.
"Enough. I am not a vicious demon; there is no need to kill you all," Liu Chen said, his voice flat. "I can forgive the kid for his rudeness. After all, he knew I was a Gu Master and still dared to take action. If it were anyone else, he would have been dead long ago."
Liu Chen waved his hand, signaling the old man to stop. Even in this brutal world where the strong preyed on the weak, Liu Chen was not yet ready to kill without blinking an eye. He suppressed his murderous intent to avoid unnecessary complications.
"Thank you for your kindness! The little old man kowtows on behalf of that gangster!" Old Man Wang sobbed with gratitude, as if he had just received a general amnesty.
"I have already obtained what I wanted, so I will overlook this incident," Liu Chen said, his face turning as heavy as water. He held the animal skin map tightly in his hand. "However, let me warn you: if this boy attempts to seek revenge, I will not stay my hand again."
"I dare not! I dare not!" Old Man Wang stammered, breaking into a cold sweat. "I will personally discipline this troublemaker and ensure he never appears before Master Gu again!"
Liu Chen snorted coldly, wanting to dwell no longer. He stepped out of the bamboo building with firm, steady steps, his goal achieved.
Old Man Wang watched him disappear into the distance. Only then did the strength leave his legs, and he stumbled back onto the ground. "In the end... we survived," he whispered, his voice thick with the fear of a man who had stared into the abyss.
Xiao Mei ran to her father's side, her small hands clenched into fists. Her face was flushed with a different kind of intensity. "Dad, that guy came to our house to steal and hurt you! When Big Brother comes back, I will tell him to avenge us!" Her eyes were wide and round, as if they were about to burst with fire.