Li Yuan skillfully maneuvered his way to the outskirts of Xiao Mo Mountain, feeling slightly more confident with the "5~6" hovering around him.
Even though he couldn't get his hands on any Cultivation Skills for now, he wasn't in a rush; survival and avoiding danger were his main priorities.
He would seek out a Cultivation Skill if possible, but if not, he'd wait. Running around like a headless chicken searching everywhere for one, thinking a miraculous tome would fall from the sky?
No Cultivation Skills, then just focus on maxing out "Archery" and "Tracking."
If he could hunt well, at least he could fill his belly, and with some extra money, he might move to a safer residential area.
Soon enough, he arrived by a mountain spring on the outskirts and looked around.
No prey was in sight, but there were three men sitting together, seemingly chatting. They had three dogs tied to nearby wooden stakes.
These three men were the "Hunter Alliance" from Little Ink Workshop, the group Qian San had been planning to deal with but hadn't gotten around to.
One of them, sharp-eyed, spotted someone in the woods. After a closer look, he vaguely discerned the person's features and shouted, "Is that Yuanzi?"
Li Yuan stepped out.
The man saw him clearly and grinned cheerfully, "Yuanzi, you've recovered and didn't even let us know?"
Li Yuan smiled back, "Brother Xiong, just got back on my feet, thought I'd wander around the mountains."
His gaze swept over the three men.
The one who spoke was not tall, but he was solidly built, wearing a black fur cloak.
The cloak was made from the hide of a black bear he had hunted himself.
This accomplishment prevented even Qian San from daring to provoke him, and thus some villagers called him "Brother Xiong," making his original name unimportant over time.
The numbers "3~4" hovered around Brother Xiong, while his dogs were marked "1~2." When Brother Xiong had them on a leash, they would probably read "4~6." No wonder Qian San feared him.
Next to Brother Xiong were two others: a youthful-faced tall one named Zhang Nuli, a new hunter who took over after his father stepped down; and another with freckles called Zhang Chuliu, often referred to as "Zhang Mazi."
Their dogs both carried numbers "1~2," as did their own capabilities, putting them on par with Li Yuan's prior level, managing only on the outskirts of Xiao Mo Mountain.
But what Zhang Nuli and Zhang Mazi had, and Li Yuan didn't, were living dogs. Li Yuan's was dead.
Brother Xiong slapped Li Yuan's shoulder with both hands and praised, "Sturdy! Looks like Lady Yan spared no meat... Only brought it out for you to recover after getting injured."
"Even my wife does the same. Doesn't bring it out unless I'm hurt, haha."
Beside them, Zhang Nuli chimed in, "Brother Yuanzi, join us!"
Brother Xiong lifted his hand, and Zhang Nuli fell silent.
Brother Xiong hooked an arm around Li Yuan's shoulder and said earnestly, "Brother, that Qian San wanted to cause us trouble. Luckily, Monk Pan found out, or we'd be in serious trouble.
But with Qian San gone, someone new might still target us. Like Qian Er.
Even if Qian Er is gone, there will always be people eyeing us hunters.
Those little hooligans fixate solely on the meat we bring back. Let those mongrels hunt for themselves, will they?
Brother Xiong cursed, then said, "Brother, we need to stick together. There's strength in numbers, and then we won't fear anyone. The meat we hunt, we'll split equally between the four of us, how about it?"
Li Yuan hesitated a bit.
Zhang Nuli said, "Brother Yuanzi, Brother Xiong is an amazing hunter. We can split the meat evenly by following him. This is Brother Xiong looking out for us!"
Meanwhile, Zhang Mazi urged, "Yuanzi, join us! We four brothers can drink heartily and eat heartily. If those hooligans cause trouble, we'll deal with them!
Just yesterday, that Xiaofei dared act tough in front of us, and Brother Xiong flattened him, leaving him not recognizing even his own mother. What could he do?
Nowadays there's famine everywhere, chaos in the world. With the four of us united, we're sure to make something of ourselves, share prosperity and adversity together."
Li Yuan was actually tempted a bit.
After all, fitting into a small group wouldn't make him so conspicuous.
But hearing Zhang Mazi's words and seeing the restless drive in the others' eyes, he made his decision.
"Brother Xiong, I'm glad you're thinking of me.
But I have no big ambition, just want to hunt a bit for a simple life, not fighting for anything, just happy with my wife and kids by the warm stove."
"We're the same, hahaha!" Brother Xiong had a glint of dissatisfaction in his eyes but laughed heartily nonetheless.
Li Yuan said, "Really, thank you Brother Xiong. If there's nothing else... I'll look around some more."
Zhang Mazi frowned and called out, "Yuanzi, what's wrong with you?"
Brother Xiong waved his hand and said, "Fine, Yuanzi, we're not like Qian San. We genuinely want to connect and be brothers. When you're ready, come find us anytime."
"Thank you, Brother Xiong." Li Yuan laughed apologetically once more and then turned to leave.
Watching him walk away, Zhang Mazi started cursing, "That Yuanzi doesn't appreciate us..."
Brother Xiong said, "Let it be. He's still polite, just seems like that wild pig hunt scared the courage out of him. He'll come back when he can't catch anything himself."
Zhang Mazi let out a hearty laugh.
Zhang Nuli joined in the laughter.
Brother Xiong said, "Forget him. Today, the three of us will check out over at Erchong Mountain."
Zhang Mazi patted his pants and got up, "Following Brother Xiong's lead."
The three of them led their dogs deeper into the mountains.
...
Watching the three enter Erchong Mountain, Li Yuan quietly followed and entered the mountain pass.
Once inside, he hid behind an old tree, watching as the trio entered a canyon before veering off in a different direction.
This was where the skill of Advanced Tracking came into play.
He could better utilize the surrounding environment to hide his presence and move more nimbly and quietly, like a predator preparing to hunt, stealthily moving further ahead.
On the other side of Erchong Mountain, he found a change from the outskirts of Xiao Mo Mountain; it wasn't long before Li Yuan spotted a wild pig.
The wild pig was rooting around on the ground, busy with something, while numbers "3~4" hovered above its head.
Li Yuan carefully drew an arrow from his quiver, hesitated for a moment, then lowered it again.
Shooting such a large wild pig would be too conspicuous.
Better to see if there were smaller game.
He retreated quietly, and the wild pig didn't notice him.
Circumventing the wild pig, Li Yuan started heading in the other direction.
He walked for most of the day without spotting any prey, the forest resembling a maze, every part looking the same.
Li Yuan started contemplating the benefits of having a hunting dog.
If he had a good dog, it would save so much effort. With its keen nose, it could sniff out the scent and track down game, far more efficient than wandering aimlessly.
As he pondered, he suddenly froze, spotting a wild pheasant not far off walking through the underbrush.
The pheasant walked while warily scanning its surroundings, stepping over deadwood, producing a "crackling" sound, with "0~1" hovering above its head.
The pheasant looked left and right.
The low shrubs conveniently concealed its body.
But for Li Yuan, the "0~1" hovering above the pheasant's head was far too conspicuous.
He quickly picked up a smooth pebble.
The pheasant walked for a moment, suddenly sensing danger. It turned its head abruptly to find a flash of cold light shooting toward it.
Thunk!!!
The pebble struck the pheasant on the head, cracking its skull instantly, and it fell over limp.
Li Yuan swiftly walked over, grabbed the pheasant, stuffed it into a prepared burlap sack, and quickly began his return.