Whoosh!
The arrow flew across more than twenty meters of air. A flower of blood bloomed from the forehead of the carrion as the arrow buried itself deep—only the feathered tail remained visible.
Before the first body could hit the ground, another arrow whistled through its armpit and struck the forehead of the carrion behind it. Another burst of blood, another corpse toppling instantly.
When the last body fell, Liu Guanan finally lowered his bow. His arms were sore and weak, but his heart was light. One hundred and fifty arrows, loosed in a single breath—his stamina had clearly improved. The Power Seed had worked. This wasn't his imagination.
While Black Bull and the others began loading the corpses onto the carts, Liu Guanan fell into deep thought, still obsessing over his bow and arrows. As an archer, the bow was his best companion—but without good arrows, it was half useless. Bows, he had. Arrows? That was the problem.
He could buy them, sure. But in Stone City, iron arrows were outrageously expensive—not cost-effective. Wooden or bamboo ones were cheap, but their penetrating power was pathetic. Good enough for shooting people, maybe, but completely ineffective against carrion. These undead things had tough flesh, and their poison corroded everything. Wooden arrows turned into trash after one shot. What should've been a reusable resource became disposable junk.
If he couldn't buy good arrows, then he'd have to make them. But he didn't have the time or skills. Still… there were people who did.
Suddenly, Liu Guanan remembered. In this World of Warcraft-like reality, you could get anything done—as long as you were willing to pay. He was so used to being broke, he'd forgotten how useful money could be. He had a small fortune now. It was time to start solving problems with it.
"Hey, Black Bull—can I ask you something?"
"Sure, Brother Liu." Black Bull wiped sweat from his brow, having just tossed another corpse onto the cart.
"You move around the city gates a lot. Do you know a carpenter? I need someone who can make arrows."
"Carpenter?" Black Bull raised an eyebrow. "My family's full of carpenters—been in the trade for generations."
"Your family?" Liu Guanan blinked. "That's... convenient."
"Yeah, well, it stopped with my dad. I figured carpentry was useless, so I never learned it. My dad almost broke my legs for that."
"Then can we ask your father to make some arrows?"
"He can't," Black Bull said, his voice tinged with regret. "Fell from a tree while chopping wood. Broke his arm—still healing."
Liu Guanan's face fell, but Black Bull quickly added, "But don't worry. My dad's old buddies are carpenters too—Yellow Bull's and Stone Bull's dads. They trained under the same master. Their skills are solid—more than enough to make arrows. Honestly, Brother Liu, the ones you've been using... aren't great."
Liu Guanan froze. He'd thought his arrows were better than store-bought. Being looked down on by Black Bull stung—but he let it go.
"Can you call them, then?"
"Sure thing. They've got nothing to do after New Year's anyway."
"Price is negotiable," Liu Guanan said boldly.
"Much appreciated, Brother Liu." Black Bull grinned. "Oh, and one more thing—might be useful."
"Go on."
"A new pharmacy opened yesterday in Stone City. It's called Heal the Undead. They're probably buying corpses too. New stores usually offer good prices to attract suppliers. Could be worth checking out."
Liu Guanan's eyes lit up. "That's very useful."
Ten minutes later, the loading was done—five ox carts in total. Because Liu Guanan had warned Black Bull ahead of time, they'd borrowed an extra cart. And they needed it. They'd hunted fifty more carrion than last time. Each cart now groaned under the weight, the oxen mooing in protest.
As the carts rolled along and the sky darkened, Liu Guanan found himself calculating again. At his current pace, he could kill about 250 to 300 carrion per day. That brought in 2.5 to 3 gold coins. Opening the meat sacs brought in another 1 to 1.5, depending on luck. Total daily profit: 3.5 to 4.5 gold coins.
After a month, he'd have maybe 150 gold coins. Still 50 short of his goal.
He needed 200 gold coins in one month—for himself, Zhao Nannan, and Zhao Xin to leave the slave zone.
Fifty coins… not easy. Maybe he'd have to start selling meat sacs.
Each meat sac was a gamble. Some were empty. Some held treasure. Rare ones could contain a purple gold coin—worth 1,000 gold coins. Instant wealth.
The merchants of Stone City knew this. They paid more for sacs from rare, powerful monsters. Over time, people had figured out a loose pattern—the stronger the creature, the better the drop. Weak monsters usually meant trash. Still, even the worst sac was worth at least a silver coin.
Liu Guanan had considered selling them many times—but always held back. The value of a single jackpot far outweighed the average return. Until he hit a dead end, he wouldn't sell.
"It's still easier to get rich killing bandits," he muttered.
Just as he said that, the lead cart ground to a halt.
Liu Guanan stood up sharply. A group of men blocked the road.
Real bandits?
"Wait! I'm not a bandit! I'm here to talk business!" said the man in front, a handsome young guy waving both hands.
Liu Guanan kept his bow trained on him, but didn't fire.
"My name is Sun Shouwu. I'm from the Heal the Undead pharmacy." The man raised his hands higher. "I want to make a deal."
Liu Guanan narrowed his eyes.
"You're not dragging these corpses back to eat, are you?" Sun Shouwu asked.
"To sell," Liu Guanan said flatly.
"Good. Then let's talk business. Highest bidder gets the goods. Name your price."
"I have a contract," Liu Guanan said.
Sun Shouwu laughed. "Come on, brother. There's only one medicine shop in Stone City—the He family. They're probably your buyers. With your status, I doubt you have a formal contract with them. Their noses are always in the air."
Liu Guanan said nothing.
"Let me guess. They pay you 1.6 to 2.2 silver per corpse? I'll give you a clean 3 silver."
Liu Guanan's jaw clenched. He'd thought 1 silver was fair. Three meant the He family had been robbing him blind. And they probably made even more turning these into poisons.
"3.2 silver. That's my final offer," Sun Shouwu said. "Deal or no deal?"
"Can you make that call?"
"I'm the heir of Heal the Undead. One day this shop will be mine. What do you think?"
"Deal."
"Smart man." Sun Shouwu laughed. "I'll send someone to guide you. I've got other business. By the way, what's your name?"
"Liu Guan."
"Good surname. See you soon." With that, Sun Shouwu whistled and rode off with his crew.
An hour later, Liu Guanan's group arrived at Heal the Undead. The shop was massive—over a hundred square meters—and lavishly decorated. Just fifty meters from the He family's shop, it was a direct challenge.
Inside, the place bustled with activity. They were led through to the rear courtyard, where herbs grew in carefully tended plots. Everything looked expensive.
From one of the back rooms, a girl stepped out. Seventeen or eighteen, with pale skin and perfect features. When she appeared, the world seemed to brighten.
She held a book, glanced at the ox carts—and actually looked pleased.
"Oh! Rotting corpses? Not bad, not bad."
"Greetings, Miss," the shopkeeper bowed.
She ignored him, eyes still on the corpses. There was no fear, only fascination—like she'd found a new toy. Liu Guanan found it unsettling.
"How much did you pay?" she asked.
"3.2 silver per corpse," the shopkeeper said.
"Overpaid. Let me guess—my idiot brother handled this."
She turned to Liu Guanan. "If it were me, I'd offer 2 silver max. The He family won't go over 1.5. But don't worry—what's done is done. You'll still get your full payment. Next time, though, sell to us."
"I—" Liu Guanan started.
"No need to talk. The Sun family keeps its word. What we promise, we pay. Just remember—next time, sell to us."
With that, she turned and walked away.
Liu Guanan stared after her, a strange look in his eyes.