The next morning.
The rooster's crow broke the silence of dawn as the morning mist slowly lifted.
Chen Sanshi woke early, his arms wrapped around something soft and warm.
Gu Xinlan, her cheeks flushed pink, was still fast asleep, clutching his arm so tightly her fingers left faint marks on his skin.
In a feudal world, a woman with no family or backing could be treated as a mere object at any moment. Her lack of security was completely understandable.
It took quite some effort for Chen Sanshi to gently pull his arm free.
Now that he'd taken her body, he knew he had to take responsibility for her as well.
That said, he couldn't help thinking—Gu Xinlan might look frail and slender, but she was also surprisingly… well-developed. He had no idea what the original Chen Sanshi had been thinking, wasting a woman like her.
'Someone like this, in my past life, would've cost at least two million to marry!'
He got up quietly, tiptoeing out of the room. Taking the bow from the wall, he stepped into the small courtyard outside.
"Hu—"
He exhaled deeply a few times to calm his restless thoughts, then faced a crooked willow tree and began practicing.
After a night's rest—well, half a night, to be exact—his energy had mostly returned. His aim was now quite steady.
Within twenty steps, he could hit the target almost half the time.
To save wear on his equipment, he practiced with just a single arrow. Even so, by the time morning passed, that one arrow was nearly ruined.
Inside the house, Gu Xinlan peered through the paper window at the sight of Chen Sanshi training, sweat pouring down his forehead.
Her heart felt inexplicably at ease.
"Shi ge'er's serious… He really means to hunt and live together with me."
But soon, her expression softened with worry.
"After what happened last night, he's up this early to train? What if he tires himself out…"
Supporting herself against the wall, Gu Xinlan limped to the stove to light the fire and prepare breakfast.
…
"Got it!"
Another arrow flew, and Chen Sanshi let out a long breath of relief.
[Skill: Archery (Beginner)]
[Progress: (0/200)]
[Effect: Can draw a Six-Strength Bow; within forty steps, every shot hits the mark.]
At that instant, he felt a surge of power flow through his body. His stamina increased sharply, and his archery reached a new level.
Archery—Beginner!
He studied the changes on the panel carefully.
"Six-Strength Bow, and within forty steps, every shot hits."
In the Great Sheng Dynasty, one strength equaled twelve jin. So a six-strength bow meant seventy-two jin—around 36 kilograms of draw weight!
From what he knew, the archers stationed at city walls also used six-strength bows.
That meant… he was now officially at the level of a regular military archer.
In ancient armies, even ordinary archers were considered elite soldiers.
And that line—"within forty steps, every shot hits"—was even more shocking.
In the Great Sheng Dynasty, one step meant both feet taking a stride, roughly 1.4 meters. So forty steps equaled just over fifty meters.
That might sound short, but it was no small feat.
The effective range of regular archers in battle was around one hundred steps, but that was for volley shooting—aiming at the sky and loosing in groups, not precise flat shots.
For accuracy testing, the standard distance was typically forty to fifty steps.
In his previous life, modern archery competitions used targets about seventy meters away—and that was with advanced composite bows.
But the system note said "within forty steps, every shot hits the mark." That didn't mean he couldn't shoot farther than that—it just meant beyond that distance, perfection wasn't guaranteed.
In short, by this system's measure, he already qualified as a capable archer.
Excited, Chen Sanshi couldn't resist testing it.
He nocked another arrow, drawing the bow smoothly—the movement so natural it looked like he'd practiced for years.
What had felt heavy before now pulled back easily. The four-strength bow that had strained his muscles half an hour ago now felt light as air.
His strength had increased dramatically along with his skill.
Suppressing his excitement, he loosed several shots in a row.
Every single arrow struck true within forty steps, and even at sixty steps, his accuracy was still impressive.
"Nice!"
With this level of skill, he could finally hunt something for real!
And this was just the beginner stage.
He couldn't imagine what would happen once he reached intermediate or advanced levels.
"Shi ge'er, breakfast is ready~"
A soft, gentle voice floated from the house, melting through his focus.
Chen Sanshi smiled, unstrung his bow, and went inside.
Inside, Gu Xinlan stood waiting. Though only a night had passed, her whole demeanor had changed.
There was a subtle warmth and charm about her now, hard to describe but impossible to ignore. Paired with those almond-shaped eyes, she looked even more captivating than before.
On the table sat two bowls of food.
One bowl held white rice and a cornbread bun, while the other contained just half a bowl of thin porridge.
The grain they'd bought for one qian of silver clearly wouldn't last many days, and it was obvious that Gu Xinlan still couldn't bear to eat her fill.
Chen Sanshi didn't argue. He needed more food—archery training consumed a lot of energy, and he was heading up the mountain soon. After giving Lan jie'er half of his cornbread, he ate the rest without hesitation.
Once he'd eaten his fill, he slung his bow over his shoulder and headed out.
"Be careful, Shi ge'er," Gu Xinlan said softly. "Even if you don't catch anything, don't go too deep into the mountain. Just pick some wild greens or firewood and come back."
She didn't believe her man could actually hunt meat after only a few days of training. Safety came first.
As long as they could survive this hard time together, even if Shi ge'er later returned to studying full-time, she was willing to work herself to the bone to support him.
When Chen Sanshi stepped out, the sun was already high.
The neighbors were starting their day, and when they saw him carrying a bow and arrows, their expressions ranged from surprise to curiosity.
"Hey, Shi ge'er's going hunting now?"
"Think he can actually pull it off?"
"Ha! I said long ago, that boy ain't meant for books!"
"Shut up, baldy! At least he's doing something. What can you do?"
"Little Shitou, want Uncle Zhao to show you the ropes for a couple days?"
"Be careful out there, kid. Your family's counting on you."
Some people mocked, but most were kindhearted. Thanks to his father's good reputation, many neighbors still treated him with warmth.
Chen Sanshi smiled and greeted them one by one, his steps quickening as he made for Tiger Head Mountain.
After reaching Beginner level in Archery, his strength had increased significantly. Now he could draw a six-strength bow, and his overall physique had improved a lot.
Previously, it took him two hours to reach the foot of the mountain. Today, he made it in less than an hour and a half.
Following the winding path carved into the hillside, Chen Sanshi climbed to mid-mountain and began searching for signs of prey.
But after wandering for quite a while, he saw nothing except bugs and sparrows.
Normally, a proper hunter would rely on tools—hunting dogs, traps, or nets—but he was too poor to afford anything beyond the bow in his hands.
'No, I have to get something today. Otherwise, the food at home won't last much longer.'
Closing his eyes, Chen Sanshi tried to recall his father's old lessons from childhood.
How to judge what kind of animal might be nearby from its droppings. Which animals preferred which kinds of terrain. How to move silently through a forest without alerting prey.
Suddenly, several faint lines appeared before his eyes.
[Skill: Tracking and Hiding (Uninitiated)]
[Progress: (3/100)]
[Effect: None]
"Huh?"
He blinked in surprise. "This counts too?"
"Wait—so as long as it's a skill-based activity, I can grind it?"
"Good! Then this really is the job for me!"
Suppressing his excitement over discovering another skill, Chen Sanshi focused harder than ever, combing the underbrush carefully for any sign of animals.
He searched like that for half a day.
By the time he sat down to rest, he saw the panel update again.
[Skill: Tracking and Hiding (Beginner)]
[Progress: (0/200)]
[Effect: Sharpened Observation; Light Footsteps]
Immediately, his senses sharpened. He could now tell the exact direction of every bird call in the forest. His eyes caught even the smallest movements of insects and ants on the ground.
It felt as though the entire forest lay under his control.
Standing up again, he resumed searching. Soon, near a thicket of bushes, he spotted something—animal droppings.
Dark, round, the size of beans.
On the soft earth beside them were faint oval footprints.
'A wild hare!'
"The droppings are fresh—it can't be far!"
Following the trail quietly, Chen Sanshi moved through the brush. With the effect of [Tracking and Hiding], he made almost no sound.
He stepped into a small grove—and there it was.
A plump gray hare, crouched in the grass, nibbling lazily, completely unaware of him.
'What a fat one!'
Chen Sanshi's eyes narrowed like an eagle's. He raised his bow, nocked an arrow, and drew the string. Three fingers held the sinew tight; the recurve bow curved like a hungry beast ready to strike.
"Whoosh—"
The arrow cut through the air.
Within forty steps, no arrow missed.
In an instant, the arrow pierced straight through the hare's body.
'Hit!'
Chen Sanshi grinned wide.
His first prey in this world!