"Stop?"
"And why should I stop?"
As Chen Sanshi spoke, he had already drawn back the string of his Kaiyuan Bow, nocking a Wolf Fang Arrow in one smooth motion.
"You—such killing intent!"
The martial hall disciples flinched, glancing nervously at one another before instinctively retreating several steps. "We didn't even attack you! Why are you about to shoot us?!"
"That's right!" another shouted. "We only told you to stop because the area ahead is private property!"
"Private property?"
Chen Sanshi frowned slightly, skeptical.
One of the disciples stepped forward to explain, "This valley ahead is the Tianyuan Martial Hall's medicine field. Of course it's private property!"
The Tianyuan Martial Hall's medicine field?
Chen Sanshi recalled what Medical Officer Jiang had told him—many fertile plots around the region suitable for growing medicinal herbs had long been bought up by martial halls. He must've stumbled right into one by accident.
And Tianyuan Martial Hall… that was the Liang family's domain.
Although they weren't known for selling herbs publicly, that didn't mean they lacked their own private medicine gardens.
And this valley—it was enormous.
No wonder Liang Feng had reached the tempering bone stage in his mid-twenties. He must have consumed countless rare herbs.
"What's all this noise?"
"Young Master!"
A man in fine silk robes, holding a folded fan, approached with a leisurely air. The disciples immediately stepped aside in deference.
It was the eldest son of the Tianyuan Martial Hall—Liang Zhan.
"Young Master!" one disciple hurried to report, "This man's from the garrison. We didn't even do anything to him, and he immediately drew his bow to shoot us! He's arrogant beyond belief!"
"Oh? Brother Chen?"
The moment Liang Zhan saw who it was, he frowned, then turned to scold his men. "You fools dared block my brother's way? If he'd shot you dead, you'd have deserved it!"
"But, Young Master, he—"
"Pa!"
Liang Zhan's fan cracked down on the disciple's head. "Shut it and fall back!"
"Yes, sir!"
The martial hall disciples quickly retreated.
"Brother Chen, I trust you've been well," Liang Zhan said with a polite clasp of his hands. "Last time I acted rudely when I visited, and I've come to offer my apologies."
"No need."
Chen Sanshi didn't even look at him. He slung his bow over his shoulder and started walking off.
He couldn't kill Liang Zhan—not yet.
And the man wouldn't dare move against him either. There was no point wasting time here.
Liang Zhan didn't try to stop him. He simply watched in silence as Chen Sanshi's figure disappeared into the forest.
"Young Master," one disciple asked cautiously, "we're just letting him go like that?"
"Idiot!" Liang Zhan snapped. "Do you want to provoke the garrison and bring soldiers down on our heads? Use that brain of yours next time before you cause trouble and make me clean up after you. Still…"
He paused, fanning himself slowly. "What's he doing here in Medicine Valley?"
"Maybe he's searching for the white deer," one of the disciples guessed. "Everyone's looking for it these days."
"Searching for the white deer?" Liang Zhan's eyes narrowed slightly. "If I remember right, one needs a spirit mushroom to lure it out. Do we still have any hundred-year spirit mushrooms in the valley? If so, pick one and send it to him later."
"Young Master?!" the disciple blurted out in shock. "A hundred-year spirit mushroom is worth dozens of taels!"
"Just do as I said!" Liang Zhan barked. Then he turned and strode into the depths of the valley.
Word of Chen Sanshi's cultivation had already spread through the garrison.
That he had reached Minor Achievement in tempering blood after just a month of training had made him a living legend.
Liang Zhan had always prided himself on being cautious. But his one great mistake—helping Qin Feng deal with Chen Sanshi—was something he regretted more than anything.
Who could've imagined that a poor rural hunter would turn out to be a martial prodigy?
What truly terrified him, though, was how vindictive the boy was.
And after that visit where he'd forced his way into the Liang residence and demanded answers, their grudge had become set in stone.
Every time Liang Zhan thought about how Qin Feng's body had never even been found, a chill crept up his spine.
To kill Chen Sanshi outright? He wasn't suicidal.
Even setting aside Fat Wang's protection, Xiang Tingchun himself was in desperate need of capable men right now.
If Liang Zhan dared harm Chen Sanshi, Xiang Tingchun would have him dragged to the frontlines next spring—sent to die on the grasslands as cannon fodder.
What worried him even more was time.
Every day that passed, Chen Sanshi grew stronger. Eventually, he might reach a level no one in Poyang could touch.
Compared to that, spending a few dozen taels to smooth things over was nothing.
Even if it couldn't erase the grudge, now wasn't the time to make an enemy of him.
He'd need the right moment—the perfect chance—to strike.
...
"What's that Liang brat doing hiding so deep in the mountains?
Whether it's picking herbs or planting them, there's no reason for the young master himself to come—especially with so many people guarding the area. They won't even let anyone get within two li."
He paused.
"Wait... could the missing hunters in the mountains have something to do with them?"
A chilling thought flashed through Chen Sanshi's mind.
But something didn't quite add up.
Why would martial hall disciples go around killing people for no reason?
"I'm probably just overthinking it."
He shook his head and turned his focus back to tracking the white deer.
Unfortunately, even by late afternoon, he still hadn't found a single trace.
"Looks like I really do need a spirit mushroom as bait," he muttered. "Guess I'll hunt something else first and sell it for silver."
If he couldn't find a mystical beast, there were still plenty of predators to make money off of.
In the depths of a dense forest, he spotted several large feline paw prints pressed deep into the earth.
A soft rustle came from above.
"Shhh—"
Before he could take another step, light footsteps echoed across the treetops. Branches swayed. The sounds came from all four directions at once—east, west, south, and north—closing in fast.
In the dim jungle light, several pairs of eerie green eyes glowed faintly among the branches.
Cheetahs.
Five of them.
They crouched high above, poised on the treetops, gazing down like silent executioners.
"Roar!"
All five lunged at once, swift as lightning, their bodies streaking through the forest in a deadly formation aimed straight at the lone intruder below.
Cheetahs were born for speed.
The forty or fifty-zhang distance between them was nothing—barely four or five seconds of sprinting.
For an ordinary hunter, that was just enough time to loose one or two arrows, and that's if he didn't miss.
If the beasts got close enough, there'd be only two outcomes—win in melee combat or end up as meat in their bellies.
On the ground, Chen Sanshi inhaled sharply.
Then—he drew.
The Kaiyuan Bow screamed like thunder.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
He became a machine of death, firing arrow after arrow in rapid succession, each one striking with terrifying precision.
In barely three seconds, four cheetahs hit the ground, each with an arrow clean through the heart.
The last one, shielded by a thick tree trunk, leapt from above, claws flashing like blades.
A glint of cold light pierced the air—its body froze mid-jump, lifeless, impaled straight through by Chen Sanshi's willow-leaf spear, which he had already braced and ready.
Simple as that—another hunt finished.
[Skill: Tracking and Hiding (Minor Achievement)]
[Progress: 105/1000]
...
[Skill: Archery (Minor Achievement)]
[Progress: 190/1000]
Five cheetahs. He kept the most valuable parts for himself; the rest would fetch thirty to forty taels of silver easily.
Combined with what he had saved at home, that would just about cover the cost of a spirit mushroom.
Chen Sanshi wrapped the carcasses in a rope net and hoisted them onto his back, heading down the mountain the same way he came.
At the stream, Zhao Qiao and the others were already waiting.
Their haul was pitiful—just a few pheasants and rabbits.
By now, none of them were surprised to see the boy return with big game.
"Did you run into any danger?" Chen Sanshi asked.
"No," Zhao Qiao said, shaking his head. "The three of us stayed close together, so nothing happened."
"Uncle Zhao," Chen Sanshi continued, "those people who went missing—it wasn't just the hunters who went up the mountains, was it?"
"Not just them," Wu Da replied. "Some vanished right from their homes. They were seen the night before, but by morning, gone.
"It's not just the countryside either. Even in town, people have disappeared—though not as many as in the villages."
So I wasn't just imagining things...
Chen Sanshi glanced toward the direction of the Medicine Valley, his expression darkening.
He didn't linger. He and the others made their way back down the mountain, his mind quietly turning over possibilities.
There's definitely something more to this.
It's not just the Witch God Sect's thirst for blood.
He couldn't help but think of that lamp oil—the one that burned with crimson flame.
Could there be a connection?
After all, everything had started after the appearance of the so-called immortal treasure in Poyang.
Before that, Poyang County was a backwater place where even birds didn't bother to shit. Nothing ever happened here.
Even if the link seemed unlikely, Chen Sanshi intended to investigate.
Having a celestial treasure in hand but not knowing how to use it—that was its own kind of torment.