Chapter 59: A Beauty Trap? Trying to Trick Me Out of My Chicken?

"Bang!"
"Whoosh!"
Two distinct sounds rang out simultaneously.
"Whoosh!"
Another arrow cut through the air, following closely right behind the first.

Su Yu's Level 4 archery allowed him to loose two arrows in a very short span of time. Of course, continuing to shoot further was not entirely out of the question, but the pace would inevitably slow down with each subsequent shot. After all, drawing the bowstring required a massive force of two hundred and forty catties—this was a two-stone bow. Drawing it twice in rapid succession was already quite taxing. To fire even more while maintaining speed would very likely result in a muscle strain.

Yet, shooting two arrows back-to-back was more than enough. Had he not been unsure of his aim at such a distance initially, and worried that a single hit might not be fatal, he wouldn't even have bothered with the second arrow.

"Come on, let's go take a look."

The sheep had gone down, though it remained unclear whether it was brought down by the gunshot or pierced by Su Yu's arrows. In any case, Su Yu had released his arrows only after hearing the gunshot; he certainly had no intention of stealing anyone's kill.

Huang Shan ran the fastest and reached the spot first. Despite carrying a wolf, his speed did not flag. With the wolf slung over one shoulder and a broadsword in hand, he hacked his way through the brambles, arriving swiftly, closely followed by Su Yu and Huzi.

"How is it? How is it? Did I hit it, or was it Brother Yu?"

Huang Shan glanced at Huzi, gave a light cough, and said, "Considering this is your first time handling a gun, you did quite well. You hit it in the upper hind leg. If Su Yu hadn't followed up with his arrows, it probably wouldn't have gotten far."

Sure enough, near the root of the sheep's hind leg, a bullet wound bloomed like a firework, the surrounding fur stained red with blood. As for Su Yu's arrows, one had pierced straight through the neck, while the other had punched entirely through its torso, exiting near the ribs.

It must have struck vital organs; otherwise, the sheep wouldn't be on its last breath. Wounding just the neck or hind leg wouldn't kill a sheep instantly—instead, it would struggle fiercely. But striking internal organs, such as the heart or liver, meant the end would come quickly.

Clearly, this sheep was finished.

"Ahem... The distance was a bit far, fifty meters farther than when I shot the wild wolf. For a first try, hitting it at all is already impressive."

Su Yu hurriedly patted Huzi on the shoulder, and Huang Shan offered a few words of comfort as well.

"What's this? I'm not some delicate girl, it's not that deep. No need to comfort me; I'm already content just to have hit it."

Huzi didn't mind. After all, Su Yu wasn't an outsider, nor would he mock him. There was no point in comparing himself to Su Yu, so he felt no lingering disappointment.

"Alright, Huzi has a good mindset. Now, let me gut it. Good grief, this fine-wool sheep is quite heavy—probably weighs well over a hundred catties."

Indeed, a mature sheep of this breed grew as tall as an adult man's hip, and with its thick fleece, it looked substantial indeed.

"Since quite a few of them bolted back then, surely there isn't just this one, right? Could there be more nearby?"

***

Huang Shan shook his head and explained, "Even if there are, there won't be many. People have hunted them down over the years, so don't expect to run into a whole herd again. Unless you stumble upon a family group, a solitary one like this today is likely living on its own."

"Hehe, once we head back and skin the mutton, we can carve off a few catties to stew and taste something fresh, how about that?"

Huang Shan chuckled, murmuring, "Whatever you like, since you and Su Yu brought it down. But this mutton has a strong gamey odor; it's best to stew it with some hawthorn berries, otherwise, the smell will be overpowering."

"Enough talk. With this sheep, the wolf, the wildcat, the pheasant, and Big Brother's hare—plus five chipmunks—that's quite a haul. Should we keep going or head back?"

Huang Shan glanced up at the sky, then said to the other two, "We've been out since eight or nine this morning, and it must be two or three o'clock by now. I'm getting hungry. Lugging all this game makes continuing clearly unrealistic; hunting hounds tracking a scent easily require walking two or three miles out of our way. I think we should head back. If we run into anything along the path, we'll take a shot; if not, so be it. What do you two think?"

Huzi and Su Yu exchanged glances and nodded. Both of them had already fired their guns and satisfied their itch for the hunt. Heading back now carried no regrets, especially since Huzi still had three fledgling eagles tucked inside his rucksack.

"Alright, let's head back then."

"Leave this sheep to me."

Su Yu's strength had reached twenty-five, making him every bit as strong as Huang Shan; lifting three or four hundred catties was well within his capability.

"No, let me take it. You just carry the wild wolf."

Huang Shan was unaware that Su Yu's strength had vastly increased. He could easily tell the difference in weight between a hundred-plus-catty sheep and a forty-something-catty wolf.

Since Huang Shan insisted, Su Yu didn't refuse. After all, Huang Shan certainly looked taller and more powerfully built than him. Su Yu hoisted the wild wolf and two pheasants—one he had shot, and the other killed by the wolf.

The hare, the chipmunks, and the wildcat were all handed over to Huzi.

The three of them walked back together in high spirits, chatting and laughing.

"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"

Along the way, they stopped and went in turns. After all, Huang Shan was human, not a beast of burden; lugging a sheep weighing over a hundred catties across mountain paths for several kilometers was bound to be exhausting.

Every time they stopped, it was because Su Yu had spotted more game.

By the time they descended the mountain, Su Yu had made three more kills: a hare, a pheasant, and a roe deer. However, this roe deer weighed a solid seventy or eighty catties, and since they were already near the foot of the mountain, Su Yu didn't pass it to Huzi. Carrying one in each hand, they quickly arrived at Huangjia Village.

"Well, well, Huang Shan, striking it rich?"

Just as they stepped into the village, a middle-aged woman spotted Huang Shan. With the spring sowing now behind them, there wasn't a need for everyone in the fields, and clearing weeds was handled on a rotating basis, leaving plenty of women with free time.

"Striking what rich? My brother here hunted these; I'm just helping carry them back."

The middle-aged woman seemed to recognize Su Yu as well.

"Ha, keep it in the family then, didn't let outsiders take advantage. Isn't this your prospective brother-in-law? What's the difference between him hunting it and you hunting it? Am I right, young man?"

Huzi choked back a chuckle, while Su Yu could only offer a grinning nod. The more they tried to explain, the darker things got; he vowed never to come to Huangjia Village again—even the dogs here were starting to recognize him.

"Brother, you're back? Su Yu, Huzi."

Huang Shan lightly knocked his younger sister on the forehead and warned, "You should be calling them Brother Yu and Brother Xiaohu. So disrespectful."

Huang Su'e stuck out her tongue and scurried away. Her playful demeanor left Su Yu's heart itching. Good grief, having a youthful body really was something else; once a man's belly was full, his mind wandered to other things. Ah... a man truly shouldn't stuff himself too full.

For a brief second, a stray thought crossed Su Yu's mind, and he hastily shook his head to clear it.

Following Huzi into the Huang household, Huzi had already answered Huang Shan's earlier questions, so Su Yu didn't need to speak up.

"A wildcat, three pheasants, a hare, five chipmunks, a lone wolf, and a roe deer."

These were Su Yu's spoils, whereas Huang Shan had only a single plump hare weighing a full five catties—half as big again as the one Su Yu had caught.

Seeing them sort the game into piles, Huang Su'e knew at a glance that her own brother had only managed a single rabbit.

Her gaze instantly shifted to Su Yu, and she said in a sweet, soft voice, "Ooh, Brother Yu, you're so amazing! Would you like me to stew a few pheasants for you tonight? We have mountain mushrooms at home—mushroom-stewed pheasant is a match made in heaven."

This sudden change in attitude not only baffled Su Yu and Huzi, but even Huang Shan was left completely bewildered. Since when had his little sister become so sugary sweet?

Su Yu, however, recovered quickly. *A honey trap? Trying to trick me out of my pheasants to eat? Hmph.*

Unfazed, and under the watchful eyes of Huzi and Huang Shan, Su Yu turned to Huang Su'e and said, "Alright then, call me 'good brother,' and I won't just let you eat chicken—I'll let you stew the whole hare, no problem at all."

Hearing that she had to call him "good brother," Huang Su'e instantly broke out in goosebumps. Su Yu had deliberately used a cheap, oily tone, sounding utterly lewd.

"Yuck, shameless! Get lost!"

Furious, Huang Su'e jumped up and stormed off. Her huffed and puffed expression immediately sent Huzi and Huang Shan into fits of laughter. By now, the two of them saw right through Huang Su'e's intentions, and Su Yu's counterattack had been just right—fighting fire with fire.

"Hahaha, hey, Sister Su'e, I was just joking with you! I'll stew it for you tonight, come on!"

"Go die, eat it all by yourself!"

Hearing her brother outside joining the other two in mocking her, Huang Su'e grew so angry with embarrassment that she slammed her bedroom door shut and refused to engage any further.