In front of Aunt Wang's house.
"Dad!"
"Dad!"
The two little ones were crying and wailing, tears streaming down their cheeks, turning their already red and frost-nipped faces even more pitiful.
Uncle Wang, having been conscripted, followed silently behind the government officials.
The county was set to recruit five thousand soldiers, naturally starting with the poorer villages, and the officials showed no mercy in rounding people up.
Uncle Wang, a silent and honest man, was holding back his grief and anger, not daring to look back.
Aunt Wang chased after them from afar, trembling as she presented the family's savings of large coins to the officials, smiling apologetically, "Lord, our family relies on this man, could you make an exception..."
The official waved her off impatiently, "Go back, go back, every family is like this."
Aunt Wang forced a smile, her eyes full of pleading and pity, "Lord, it's mainly because the children are still young..."
The official replied, "Aren't you here?"
Another official next to him said, "Enough pointless talk, let's go."
Aunt Wang tried to approach again, but the official beside them impatiently rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, glaring fiercely at her.
Aunt Wang was immediately scared stiff.
The two little ones behind her were also too frightened to cry.
At this point, Uncle Wang turned his head, looking at Aunt Wang, and said, "Go back and take good care of the children."
"The children's father..."
Aunt Wang knew the situation couldn't be changed and began to cry as well. She rubbed her eyes and said, "Take care of yourself."
Parting in life and death...
It might just be a regular day.
Can we see each other again after this? Who knows?
The men taken for conscription to fight the bandits might as well be considered dead.
After Uncle Wang left, Aunt Wang held the two children, wailing in sorrow.
...
An official then walked to the house next to Aunt Wang's, holding a register, and shouted, "Li Yuan's house, right? Come out!!"
At this moment, Yan Yu, with makeup smudged and looking both dirty and swollen, hurried out. Her face was haggard, and her eyes were red like peaches, clearly having cried.
The official had no interest in an ugly woman, not even wanting to take another look, impatiently asking, "Where is Li Yuan?"
Yan Yu's lips moved, wanting to speak, but she choked up immediately, lowering her head as she raised her hand to wipe away the unstoppable tears, letting out a stifled "sob."
The official, impatient, asked, "What's going on?"
Yan Yu took several deep breaths, suppressing her sorrow, and said, "My... my husband went up the mountain the day before yesterday and still hasn't come back."
Suddenly, her teary eyes lit up as if she found hope, saying, "Lord, can you please go up the mountain to help find him? I beg you, please?"
The official etched his eyes fiercely on the grip of his sword, causing Yan Yu to momentarily stop.
The official then consulted with another official beside him and coldly laughed, "Could it be that to avoid conscription, he escaped to the mountains?"
Yan Yu seemed scared and quickly said, "No, definitely not, you didn't even come the day before yesterday... My husband doesn't know about this."
The official intimidated further, "Evading conscription is punishable by beheading. If you know about this and don't report, you'll suffer too. Think carefully."
Yan Yu shook her head repeatedly, anxiously repeating, "My husband doesn't know today is conscription day..."
This official looked towards another one.
The other official got the hint, went around asking among the recruited strong men, and came back saying, "It seems to be true.
This Li Yuan was a skilled hunter in the village, perhaps thinking he could rely on his skills, wandering alone in the mountains. He got thrown about by a bear a few days ago, and his leg has a large patch of skin peeled off.
The day before yesterday, it snowed. After he went up the mountain, he indeed hasn't returned. People in the village say he might already be dead in there.
This official nodded, pushed past Yan Yu, searched the house thoroughly, found no one, and then left for the next house.
Yan Yu cried, collapsing weakly on the ground. After a long while, she supported herself up using the fence and walked into the house, desolate.
Once inside, she hurriedly shut the door and gently placed her hand on her bosom tightly bound by the corset.
She turned her head slightly...
Outside the window, Cang Mountain was covered in snow.
In such coldness, there was no trace of birds.
Don't know... if he is safe?
...
...
Hoo~~~
The mountain seemed like frozen flesh, the wind like swirling knives.
Slicing through the skin of this mountain, cutting patches of snow flurries and frozen dust.
Behind Erchong Mountain, Li Yuan was wrapped in a cloak made of roe deer skin, lifting his left hand to shield himself from the blowing snow, while his right hand tightly grasped the cold firewood blade, trudging forward with a knife in the boundless snow.
Now his strength was at "9~10," even without mastering sword skills, he could rely on his strength to cut down the mountain's wild boars, bears, and tigers.
His vitality was abundant, and he was already an Entry Grade Martial Artist. Coupled with this warm deer skin, surviving in such a desolate place was possible.
These past few days, Lady Yan had been secretly inquiring about the movements of the Red Lotus Thieves. When she learned that they might be heading towards Shanbao County, Li Yuan decisively decided to hide in the mountains.
If he had misjudged, he would return after a few days.
If he was right, then he could avoid conscription.
As it turned out, he was right.
Early this morning, he heard chaotic noises coming from the direction of the Little Ink Workshop. Li Yuan knew he had guessed correctly; the government was indeed starting to conscript people to fight against the thieves.
If he were home, he definitely would have been caught. There was no escape from that.
His heart, which had been pounding heavily, finally calmed down a bit, and he let out a long sigh of relief.
Although hiding in the mountains to escape conscription was punishable by death, it was still far better than being directly taken to fight.
What a stroke of luck, what a stroke of luck...
At this moment, he glanced at his personal information.
[Name: Li Yuan]
[Add Points: 145 points]
[Realm: Ninth Grade (Muscle Training)]
[Cultivation Skill: Willow Return Technique (100/100)]
[Skills: Expert Level Archery (0/80); Advanced Tracking (0/40)]
[Divine Techniques: Immortality]
[Equipment Bar: Not Unlocked]
Since his relationship with Lady Yan had improved, he had been gaining 7 free points each day.
It had been twenty days since he last added points.
"Starting today, I need to secretly sneak back every night. But if I'm discovered, then there are only two options: either kill to silence, or escape with Sister Yan."
"In that case, I must put in some effort."
"Add Points!!"
Li Yuan focused on the "+" symbol after [Advanced Tracking (0/40)] and fervently clicked 40 times.
Swish, swish, swish!!
As he added points, some memories began to surface in his mind.
Those were memories of his diligent cultivation.
To track a beast, he crawled in tall grass, completely ignoring mosquito bites, gritting his teeth to endure the itch and pain all over his body; to track enemy movements, he traveled long distances, day and night. When approaching the enemy, he had to be extremely cautious not to make a single mistake. He continually honed himself, engaged in actual combat, and reflected on the weak points of his techniques.
Finally, Heavenly Dao rewards diligence, and one day he had an epiphany!
His tracking abilities elevated to the next level, entering a new stage.
Rich experiences flooded his mind, while his muscles and nerves began to fine-tune, enhancing his sensitivity to the surroundings and improving his ability to conceal his presence.
Li Yuan glanced at the information, which had already changed to [Expert Level Tracking (0/80)], and he still had 105 points.
After a brief moment of thought, Li Yuan decided to add more points.
After all, his nightly secret returns must not be discovered by anyone.
For one or two nights, he might hide well, but over time, could he still manage it so well?
"Not enough, still not enough..."
"If anything goes wrong, it'll be too late for regrets. I must ensure no mistakes are made."
"Continue adding points!"
Li Yuan again clicked 80 times on the "+" symbol after [Expert Level Tracking (0/80)].
Swish, swish, swish!
New memories flooded into his mind.
He was already an expert in tracking skills, but he could no longer progress relying solely on himself. He had heard of those more advanced tracking skills, yet such skills were beyond the reach of a mere Entry Grade Martial Artist like himself.
But one day, an opportunity suddenly appeared, and a mysterious old man gave him some pointers. He was enlightened, and the bottleneck that had long since stopped changing finally shifted.
He broke through and became stronger. He could easily track beasts and enemies and infiltrate every household in the workshop. His presence diminished, and he excelled in various methods of concealing his presence and movements.
Li Yuan glanced at himself again; his overall strength hadn't changed. Clearly, the overall strength only considered combat skills, while these tracking skills were considered "soft power."
However, the status panel did show changes.
[Name: Li Yuan]
[Add Points: 25 points]
[Realm: Ninth Grade (Muscle Training)]
[Cultivation Skill: Willow Return Technique (100/100)]
[Skills: Expert Level Archery (0/80); Grandmaster Level Tracking (0/160)]
[Divine Techniques: Immortality]
[Equipment Bar: Not Unlocked]